The Lava Bar

  

Clean-up begins in flooded East Coast - 23 Oct 2005 - National News

Clean-up begins in flooded East Coast - 23 Oct 2005 - National News: "A major clean-up operation is beginning on the North Island's East Coast today after the worst floods in the region since Cyclone Bola.

Two days of torrential rain caused serious flooding - closing roads, forcing some families from their homes and trapping others in cars or outside overnight.

One local caught in the deluge called it 'the worst nightmare I've ever had'.

Gisborne, Wairoa, Tolaga Bay and Ruatoria were cut off by road, with some residents having to be airlifted to safety and travellers seeking shelter in local marae.

More than 50 people were forced from their homes, but the financial cost of the disaster is still to be calculated.

Tourists also found their travel disrupted, with many roads blocked by slips. Thousands of people had been expected in the region for the Gisborne Wine and Food Festival today.

More than 1200mm of rain fell on the coast over Friday and Saturday, including 370mm in Hikuwai, near Tokomaru Bay, 365mm in Te Puia Springs, around 180mm in Gisborne and another 280mm throughout Napier and Hastings. "

New Zealand cuisine

New Zealand Cuisine has a little to be desired. Expect this kind of food to be served before a meal. A bit 1970's.

Plant pot

Plant pot

Life by the sea

Christchurch city centre

The wizard

Old settlers home deteriates gracefully

wood chopper

Sunset

Christchurch Smog

The smog in Christchurch is quite an eye opener. It features in the newspaper each week, charted to how bad it is and whether it breeches safe health levels. Whilst we lived there we were appauled at the attitude of most locals taking a head in sand approach, continuing to use wood or coal for heating, belching out noxious fumes into the already thick air. Since there is little wind in the winter, the air only gets cleared every couple of days. The air leaves an acrid feeling in the back of the throat. It is hard to believe this is a city in the 21st century.

Striking scenery and forboding land slides are plenty on New Zealand roads. This feat of engineering on Arthurs Pass, South Island, bypasses a previous road route over a scree slide which used to be lost most winters.

Ice cream heaven

Bridge over the Hurunui river near Hanmer Springs

Fire station

Wide roads

Southern Alps at Arthurs Pass

Hollywood Cinema

Pile of boats

Kiwi Batches often teetering on the edge of the shore line. This fine example of New Zealanders make do and mend mentality was in Taylors Mistake, Christchurch.

The Wizard of Christchurch

Time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. This is Christchurch cathedral, in front of which people are always playing Chess. If you are lucky you might even meet the eccentric wizard, a fascinating and strongly oppinionated english man who is part of Christchurchs culture now. Provaricating about religion and other sensitive issues, he always draws a crowd as he turns up in his double fronted VW Beetle.

Magnificent blue skies, buckets of sunshine encourage the use of bright zingy colours which help define New Zealands appeal. This bank in Akaroa, Banks Peninsula is a brilliant example of new world attitudes and is a stark contrast to the more formal approach of their counterparts in Europe.