Copyright © 1998 Brian Harmer
Though most New Zealanders react with pride to anything in black, be it footballers, athletes, yachts, or even a bank balance, I sometimes wonder why we let Australia beat us to green and gold as our national colours.
Having dropped our middle son, Andrew and his wife Caz at Wellington airport after a welcome Christmas visit, Mary and I were fortunate to be driving home in the warm glow of a perfect evening. From Cobham Drive, we turned right and followed the road round Evans Bay. Already the hills to our left were in shade, but the green slopes of the Miramar peninsula, and the Eastern hills across the harbour were beautifully lit by the golden light of the evening sun. Past the new marina, we came to the last few remnants of the old patent slip where, long years ago, I recall seeing the old inter-island steamer "Tamahine" (1,989 tons, withdrawn from service 1962) being hauled on a cradle out of the water. The slip crossed the road into a cutting in the hills which is now surrounded by overdeveloped houses on tiny sections. It was probably the only time the old "Tam" did not have her perpetual and incorrigible list to port. The rails on which the cradle ran are still visible to the on either side of the road, and the large gear wheel from the winding mechanism which used to haul these ships out of the water sits in a fenced off green area, slightly mis-named "Cog park". Whatever else that wheel is, it is not a cog, which, pedantically speaking, is the correct name for just one of its teeth. But I digress. We passed Greta Point tavern, and the forbidding grey concrete bunker of NIWA's Wellington headquarters.
Across the water, Eastbourne glittered in the yellow light, and Matiu/Somes Island looked mysterious and inviting. Unlike the situation when it was a quarantine station, it is now possible (at least for members of the Forest and Bird Society) to stay overnight at a modest cost. Immediately off the Northern point of Matiu/Somes, is Mokopuna Island, to which our less enlightened forbears exiled a hapless Chinese seaman who had the misfortune to be in Wellington when it was discovered he had leprosy. He lived in a cave on the tiny island, and was sent food via a rope. He did not survive long in this hotbed of charity.
Around the bays we drove, enjoying each new vista until we reached the nicest one of all at Pt. Jerningham from where the central city bursts theatrically into view. Somehow, I expect a fanfare each time I round that corner, just to support the very suddenness with which the view appears. Some like nature's shapes unspoiled. I like cityscapes, especially ones as dramatic as this, with different colours and textures of the tower blocks contrasting with the bush and the houses of Kelburn, Northland and Wadestown, and with what a more famous writer* has referred to as "the brooding Tinakori hills". Through the city, we continued along Wakefield Street, Jervois Quay and Waterloo Quay, past the almost completed structure of the new railyard stadium. Rather un-noticed across the road from the fresh grey concrete skeleton of the stadium is the weathered bronze of the memorial gate dedicated to the many United States Marines who, after a brief sojourn in Wellington and Paekakariki, lost their lives in the Pacific war. I take nothing away from those of other nations who also fought and died in that war, when I pause to honour their memory. Semper Fi!
Along the quay to the motorway ramp by the ferry terminals and up on to the flyover, we noticed some changes. Wellingtonians do not need to be of a nervous disposition or they would be unsettled by the newly completed "seismic refit" of the motorway support columns. Wrapped in kevlar and concrete the re-worked columns are intended to avoid a repeat of the tragedies in which elevated roads collapsed in earthquakes at San Francisco and Kobe.
Leaving such sombre thoughts behind, we progress up SH2 through the normally busy intersection at Ngauranga and again into the shadow of those steep hills below Newlands, towards the still lighted Petone foreshore. We slowed by the BP service station in the knowledge that if there is a speed camera on this stretch of road, it is usually around the next bend. Pohutukawas are now reaching a crescendo of red blossom, all along the foreshore, and in many places where, except for these few weeks, you never notice the tree is there. At last the Petone exit, and along the Hutt road to Normandale and home, just in time to hear Andrew's Boeing climbing out of Rongotai and turning sharply Southwards to Christchurch and his home.
*Both Herman Wouk (War and Remembrance) and Leon Uris (Battle Cry) wrote novels which spent some time on the US Marines' transit through Wellington, and I am sure one or other of them spoke of Tinakori's steep wooded hills that way. Uris described a route march which I hope is fictional, from the Wellington waterfront to the Marine encampment at what is now Queen Elizabeth Park, beyond Paekakariki. One heck of a hike in full battle rig.
On with the news:
Hamilton Police say they will be pleased to hear about anything that could lead them to an arsonist who struck five times on Boxing Day morning. A team of officers is going door to door in the city today in their search for information. Two caravans, a house and three cars were set alight, and Detective Paul Camplin says he is sure the blazes are linked. He says clues may be contained in the most unlikely pieces of information. Meanwhile, Palmerston North police are appealing for help from the public after a series of blazes in the city since Boxing Day. At least five of the fires are believed to have been started by the same people. Two youths were seen running away from one of the blazes. Detective David Clifford says the police need help from the public to track down the offenders.
The secondary teachers union is concerned at what it says is the low number of Maori teachers. PPTA president Roger Tobin says Maori education could be improved significantly if the ratio between Maori students and teachers was improved. At the moment around 16 per cent of secondary students are Maori. But of 15 thousand teachers, only 550 are Maori. Mr Tobin says the government should provide more incentives for Maori graduates to opt for teaching as a career.
Police are keeping their fingers crossed for a record low road toll - after 48 hours without a fatality. The official Christmas-New Year Holiday toll remains at six. That is less than half the number of deaths recorded at the same time last year. Police Superintendent Neil Gyde says the annual toll is also on track to be the lowest since 1964. Five hundred and one people have been killed on the roads so far this year, compared to last year's total of 540.
The government is showing its determination to strike out illegal fishing for toothfish in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. Air Force Orions will patrol the region from mid-January... and a frigate may be sent to follow up on any illegal fishing detected. 23 countries have signed an agreement not to fish in Antarctic waters without official permission. If ships from one of those countries are found illegally fishing in the Ross Sea our government is entitled to board and search them. But three-quarters of ships which fish Antarctic waters sail under the flags of countries which aren't part of the agreement. That means the government can not do anything to stop them.
The Police Minister is vowing to lobby hard for the extension of a pilot programme targeting burglaries in inner city Auckland. More than 12 thousand homes in central Auckland are burgled each year. Since the establishment of a ten-strong dedicated burglary investigation squad, the number of break-ins has dropped by 25 per cent. Police Minister Clem Simich says the squad is successfully solving crimes, and catching young offenders before they develop into hard-core criminals. Police will decide whether to continue with the squad in the New Year.
Supporters of a petition calling for harsher penalties for violent crime are quietly confident they can get the numbers to force a referendum, as the deadline looms. Norm Withers' campaign was sparked following a violent attack on his mother in her Christchurch home. His petition has the backing of residents in the small North Island town of Reporoa, where farmer Beverly Boumar was murdered. Reporoa community spokesman, Phillip Berry, believes they are very close to getting the required 250,000 signatures by the 12th of January. But he says even if that is not reached the petition will force politicians to pay attention to social responsibility.
(I am reaching the conclusion that referenda do not force politicians to do anything. Hiding behind arcane interpretations, they seem able to rationalise so that regardless of public opinion, they always know something that renders the public view invalid! - BH)
The holiday road toll is now seven following a crash on an Auckland motorway which delayed traffic heading for the city's airport for several hours. A man died after his car crossed over into oncoming traffic on Mangere Bridge, colliding with a plainclothes police car on routine duties. Two other vehicles were also involved. The police officer in the car is in hospital but is expected to be discharged later tonight or tomorrow morning. The motorway has now been cleared following the accident.
Western Springs Speedway in Auckland is promising a full investigation into an incident where a woman was hit in the hand by flying debris from a race car. The woman needed stitches after she raised her hand to protect her seven month old baby from the car part, which came off when one of the vehicles rolled. Western Springs Speedway promoter Willie Kay says it is not unusual for speedway cars to roll, but serious spectator injuries are rare. He says he will consult with the woman's doctor, speedway safety officials and the sport's governing body, to determine whether safety needs to be improved. Mr Kay says spectator safety has always been paramount in the speedway's 69 year history.
Greymouth police have released the name of the man whose body was found washed up on a remote beach. 25 year old David John Robinson's badly decomposed body was found on the remote South Westland beach on Monday. He had a bullet wound to the head. Detective Sergeant Rob Nicholl says the man's family hadn't been in contact with him for some years. He says David Robinson was originally from the North Island but has no fixed address, moving regularly around the lower part of the South Island. Rob Nicholl says the man was very much a loner who had no income and lived off the land.
The unseasonal heavy rain on the South Island's West Coast is due to get worse. MetService forecaster Jeff Sanders says more than 100 millimetres of rain has fallen in Hokitika while the rest of New Zealand is enjoying the best rays the country has seen for months. He says rain will ease from Ross to Greymouth, but become heavier in Westport over the next few hours. Jeff Sanders says it is unfortunate the region is being dealt more than its fair share of bad weather. The heavy rain warning has been lifted for Fox Glacier to Taramakau River.
Commercial fishing companies are backing the government's move to put an end to the plundering of the Patagonian toothfish. Air Force Orions will be keeping watch over New Zealand waters in the Antarctic in a bid to identify longline vessels illegally fishing in the area. Managing director of Sanfords, Eric Barrett says two New Zealand companies have licenses to fish for the toothfish in the Antarctic, and they have noticed illegal fishing throughout the region. He says the government's move will compliment the two vessels they are sending down there to also patrol the Ross Sea.
The Hospitality Association says there is major confusion over which days should be treated as statutory holidays this year with Boxing Day and January the 2nd both falling on weekends. Association head Bruce Robertson says that will inevitably see some employees short-changed and some employers paying too much. Mr Robertson blames the government's failure to update the Holidays Act, an old piece of law which dates back to the era of five day 40 hour weeks. He says the law needs to cater for the modern environment of seven-day business with a higher usage of part-time and casual labour.
As the government's drought relief funding dries up, Federated Farmers is hoping it will not have to ask for another handout this summer. The money to fund drought relief ran out two days before Christmas, forcing the closure of co-ordination centres in the worst hit areas. But Federated Farmers President Malcolm Bailey says the drought risk remains high in some parts of the East Coast, South Canterbury and North Otago. He says if the situation worsens, they will need to reassess the funding situation.
(Droughts either happen or they do not. There is no avoiding them. The only actions available to farmers, it seems to me, are de-stocking, building dams, and perhaps getting your finances in order to withstand the financial consequences. - BH)
Strong progress for the pod of pilot whales that stranded itself twice at Farewell Spit. Rescuers refloated 20 of the whales after they beached themselves a second time overnight. Three others couldn't be saved. DOC spokesman, Neil Clifton says after a touch and go morning, the whales are about six or seven kilometres offshore and swimming strongly towards the open ocean. But he says there is still a chance they could strand themselves again because Farewell Spit is so long it may be difficult to get around.
There will be no extra security tonight at the holiday resort where Ben Smart and Olivia Hope disappeared from last year. The Blenheim pair went missing in the early hours of New Year's Day after partying with around two thousand others at Furneaux Lodge in the Marlborough Sounds. Scott Watson faces a high court trial for their murder. Furneaux Lodge manager, Andrea Cunniffe says they have used the same security firm for the past three years and will do so again this evening. Andrea Cunniffe says there will also be a police presence in the area checking on all the resorts.
We are on track for the lowest yearly road toll in 34 years, but police say it could have been lower. The road toll for the 1998 provisionally stands at 501. That compares with 540 for last year. Police superintendent Neil Gyde says the holiday period this year has been particularly good, and that points the way towards a lower yearly toll. Seven people have died so far in the Christmas New Year period, one for every day so far. Neil Gyde says if that happened over a year, the road toll would be down to 365.
The leader of the Christian Heritage Party says honours should be given to people who are really deserving... not highly paid executives. Graham Capill is outraged by the decision to make the chief executive of Te Papa a Dame. Reverend Capill says Cheryl Sotheran divided the community... and offended Christians... by staging the "Virgin in a Condom" exhibition. He says honours should be given to those who work for the community without substantial financial incentives. Reverend Capill says Ms Sotheran should be sacked... not rewarded.
(I on the other hand, would be outraged if the Rev. Capill's opinion carried any special weight. Although I personally found the condom exhibit distasteful, that has nothing to do with the achievements for which Dame Cheryl has been honoured. - BH)
Prominent businessman, Selwyn Cushing has received a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. The Chairman of ECNZ, Air New Zealand and Brierley Investments has been made a Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to business, sport and the arts. Selwyn Cushing says it is a good time to reflect and think of all the people who have helped him achieve successes within New Zealand cricket, the Royal Ballet and the Symphony Orchestra. He says the title is a great honour but doesn't expect it will change the way people treat him - nor would he want it to.
(It would be churlish to wonder to what extent Sir Selwyn has been rewarded for getting the better of Winston Peters in his defamation case ... wouldn't it? - BH)
New year's day, fine and warm with little breeze. Mary and I decided to get on our bikes and take some exercise - a novel concept in my view, but I'll try most things once. We loaded the bikes onto the rack and drove around the Eastern bays. Despite the rapidly rising temperature and a flat calm harbour, the beaches were remarkably empty, perhaps as a result of excessive partying the previous night. Eastbourne always strikes me as a very floral place, and its rich crop of pohutukawa blossom in the midst of its stately rows of Norfolk pines reinforced that impression. Vivid bougainvillaea and rich creamy magnolia blossom all add to the sense of a suburb dressed for Christmas.
We reached the carpark at the end of the road, and were intrigued to find a kiosk, new since our last visit, from which it was possible to rent bikes. We had mixed feelings about this since it implied the presence of lots of other people on the track. Still, it was quiet even at 11 am so donning our helmets we mounted up and rode off in the direction of Pencarrow (South).
The road which runs beside the seashore at the foot of the steep hills is unsealed and dusty, and somewhat rough as a consequence of the relentless pounding of the quarry trucks which thunder along it trailing dust on week days. There is a law of cycling which applies on every such road. If you take your eyes off the road for even a moment, your bike will head unerringly to the nearest pothole, and if none exists, it will dig one! Nevertheless, the view across the harbour to the city and the Miramar peninsula do drag the eyes away from the track, so despite my sissy "gel-seat", my posterior was taking a pounding.
The steep rocky beach was covered with a mixture of driftwood, seaweed, and a regrettable quantity of plastic litter. Gorse flowers, and sweet peas competed with the pungent seaweed for dominance in the sense of smell. The gently rippling waves and the idyllic view contrasted with the memory that here, on 10 April, 1968, bodies and lifeboats from the stricken "Wahine" were being hurled up onto the cruel rocks below. But this day was different, and what little wind there was, was at our backs, so in what seemed like little time at all, we were at Pencarrow lighthouse. The one at sea level replaced the one up on the hill because the frequent low clouds in the area often obscured the light from the apparently more sensible location. After a pause for a drink, we carried on round the coast road.
Soon after rounding the corner, we became aware of a deep throbbing in the air, and were at first mystified. Soon we realised that we could hear the fast ferry, "Lynx" approaching from the direction of Tory Channel via Red Rocks. The fuss created by the interference of the wake patterns of its two hulls seemed as high as the vessel itself. The exhaust beat from four V16 Ruston diesel engines, each producing 5,000 horsepower certainly hangs in the air. So too does the scent which now assailed our nostrils, that of the shameful sewage outfall from the Hutt Valley. Wellington's new sewage treatment facility is not yet trouble free. The Hutt seems to avoid similar problems by maintaining a creaking, accident prone screening station which puts its noisome product into the sea a few hundred meters offshore. Signs everywhere warn against swimming, fishing, and the gathering of shellfish. Breathing becomes another hazardous activity.
We cycled on to the South and East, noting the splendidly visible layers of the Earth's crust, twisted and folded in ways that seem to excite geologists from all over. We saw also the shelving of the beach, with each plateau the result of seismic uplifting in one or other of the great earthquakes in the last few centuries, most recently in 1855. Soon we reached the rusting hulk of the little steamer "Paiaka". It sank in 1906, and was salvaged and set beside the track in 1987 as a memorial to the many who have lost their lives in maritime wrecks in the region. Further on, we noticed a variety of bird life, including the tiny delicate white terns, a few oystercatchers, and one which was a stranger to me. It was a large handsome bird in shades of black, white and greyish brown. A search of our bird books when we got back would indicate that it was probably the spur wing plover.
Eventually the track peters out against a farm fence at Baring Head, where in 1980, or '81, a freighter ("Pacific Challenger"?) mistook Baring Head for Pencarrow and came ashore. The salvage operation took many months. We stopped for more sipping, and then headed back the way we came. Now the breeze was in our face, and combined with the road speed, seemed much more noticeable than on the outward journey. Our return journey was just as interesting from a nature point of view, and at one stage I had to break for a small orange mustelid, probably a weasel, which scuttled across my path on its way back from an egg raiding expedition. The view of the peninsula is more easily seen in this direction, though by now, my backside was becoming sore after so long away from cycling. We saw the ferries "Aratika" and "Arahanga" crossing in the harbour mouth. "Aratika" has just one more month of service before being replaced by the new "Aratere" which is presently on its delivery voyage from Spain. The old vessel is to be sold for scrap, or if a buyer can be found, to a new owner.
With the sun overhead, more and more walkers were on the track, and now and again some cyclists, all doing a leisurely trip in a very pleasant location. It was a very enjoyable start to the new year, even if I had to type this standing up.
Expert cavers near Murchison are finding the going tough, as they extract an injured man from a subterranean maze. Keiran McKay fell and broke several bones five kilometres underground in the Bulmar cave system on Wednesday. Rescuers are now bringing him out, but the journey could take many hours yet, with Mr McKay making slow progress because of his injuries. More alpine cavers are being flown in from around the country today, to replace the teams who have been underground for more than 48 hours.
(A caver trying to explain the degree of difficulty to a journalist suggested that it is like trying to crawl under a five kilometre long line of parked cars dragging a stretcher with you - incidentally, I think the US equivalent of a caver is a "spelunker"? - BH)
The New Year's road toll is off to a horrific start. It has nearly doubled just overnight. An elderly pedestrian woman and a motorcyclist were killed before midnight last night. Three people were killed instantly in a head-on smash south of Whangarei in the early hours of New Year's Day. And two more died at nine o'clock this morning when a van and a car collided head-on near Cape Reinga. Inspector Roly Williams says it is an extremely disappointing start to the year to have so many accidents in such a short space of time. Although the cause of each fatality is not yet known, Inspector Williams says it will probably come back to either speeding, no seat belts or alcohol.
Police described it as a night from hell and Waihi Beach residents agree after 600 drunken revellers rioted on the local beach last night. 150 people were arrested after police with riot gear were brought in to control the crowd which set a car on fire and hurled bottles. Ian Smith of the Waihi Beach Holiday Park says he alerted police to the problem late last night after he saw people tip a car over and set it on fire outside the local surf club. He says earlier in the day other residents had told him they had heard rumours the riot was being planned. Mr Smith says part of the problem was the number of young people with alcohol - despite a liquor ban in the area.
Heroic actions by a lifeguard have ensured one family is all safe and well this New Year. Mangawhai Heads lifeguard volunteer, Mike Wilson dived into three metre swells to save an eight year boy trapped under an overturned boat. President of the lifeguard club, Pete McInnes says the boy's father and grandfather were thrown clear of the boat as it tipped over in the rough surf but the boy was caught underneath among fishing equipment. He says Mr Wilson tried three times, holding his breath for nearly a minute to rescue the boy. Mr McInnes says if the boy hadn't been wearing a life jacket, there's no way he would have survived.
20 pilot whales which were re-floated yesterday have successfully headed out to sea again. The whales first beached on Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island on Wednesday. Although rescuers managed to re-float them, the pod beached again that night 500 metres further up. The group was helped out to sea again yesterday and Department of Conservation staff had been keeping a close eye on their progress. A DOC spokesman says the whales have now left the area.
Prime Minister Jenny Shipley is reflecting on the last turbulent year and says they can not come much harder than that. She saw her coalition collapse and her majority whittled away to one. She is now in power by the good grace of minority parties and independent MPs. However, Mrs Shipley hopes the political year for her will run the full course even though she is realistic; her survival, she acknowledges, rests in the hands of others.
(For my money, much of what Mrs Shipley might take credit for is tainted by her willingness to remain in power on the backs of a bunch of ship-jumpers with no moral mandate to be in the house. A new election is needed - the earlier the better. - BH)
Financial recorder Brian Dooley is hopefully enjoying a well deserved break. For those of you who are deprived of figures, try these on for size:
Craig McMillan and Roger Twose both fell just short of centuries but batted New Zealand out of trouble on the opening day of the third cricket test against India in Hamilton. McMillan went for 92 in a knock which included fourteen 4's and two 6's and Twose fell for 87 helping New Zealand through to 278/5 at stumps. The pair were part of 160-run stand for the fourth wicket. The Blackcaps made a horror start losing two wickets without a run on the board. Srinath snared Matthew Bell and Stephen Fleming for ducks in the opening over of the day bringing Matt Horne and Twose to the crease. The pair put on 95 for the third wicket before Horne went for 63. Adam Parore was unbeaten on 9 while night watchman Paul Wiseman has yet to score.
(There is a sort of stunned and breathless silence in the cricket world, as for the second test in a row, the New Zealand team is playing as if it remembers how .... McMillan, Doull and Twose have all been startling us with good performances ... BH)
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