Great news for local bird lovers — New Zealand's rarest endemic bird - fairy tern - has boost in numbers | RNZ News 🐦:
New Zealand's rarest endemic bird - the black-headed tara iti/fairy tern - has had a boost in numbers, according to the Department of Conservation.
The department (DOC) said a census at the end of March showed the population of the small coastal bird had increased about 15 percent.
It said compared to 1983 when there were only three to four breeding pairs - now, there were nearly 50 birds more than one-year-old in the wild and 11 breeding pairs.
Right next door to the Ngawha Hot Springs is the Ngāwhā Power Station:
geothermal fluids are passed through a heat exchanger where energy (heat) is transferred to a working fluid (pentane). The pentane then boils … which drives the turbines, turning the generator.
After the vapour has passed through the turbines, it is condensed back to a liquid and returned to the heat exchanger … The pentane is not consumed as a fuel, but is simply used as a working medium …
Having given up much of their energy, the geothermal fluids are returned to the deep geothermal reservoir
Pretty much on a whim today we drove to Kaikohe — about 1 hour 45 minutes each way — where we went a very short distance down the road to the rustic Ngawha Springs for a session in the hot pools.
We had a disappointing lunch at Cafe Malaahi in Kaikohe.
All in all though, an excellent outing.
This series! This was a book I didn't want to read because then it would have been read and I wouldn't still have it ahead of me. The more of this series I read the more I love these books. The Mystery of the China Horse (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 6) by Judith Cutler. 📚
Lina has more than enough on her (antique) plate. With her beloved mentor Griff in hospital, she’s running their little village antique shop solo — juggling restoration jobs, bills, and chancers who think she’s an easy target.
when a well-spoken stranger offers her a rare china horse, Lina’s instincts start to prickle.
The other day I spotted the first of the panels in place for the new solar farm just down the road. Not the greatest picture but it's not the easiest place to grab shots while driving a car.
In the background, Mt Manaia.
Now it's Sunday afternoon and the worst of Cyclone Vaianu has moved south of us. While others north and south have had a rough time, again we escaped the worst weather.
The ground is wet and apparently the river's very high.
At breakfast time I took this photo of rough seas.
This was a well-written and gripping story which took off in unexpected but interesting directions — Murder on the Norfolk Broads (Detective Geldard Mysteries Book 1) by Heather Peck. 📚
A human skeleton is unearthed in a forgotten World War 2 bunker on a remote Yorkshire farm.
It's almost 4 a.m. and ex-Tropical Cyclone Vaianu is bringing us rain — and probably wind, but it's too dark to see out, and the sturdy house means we don't feel it.
There are other parts of the country where the effects will be felt much more strongly.
The Artemis 2 mission to the moon leaves me in awe — of what 'we' can achieve when we turn our minds and money and skills and training to a goal. When 'we' work together to research and plan and execute in detail.
I'm a dreamer. What say 'our' goal were to make sure every human has enough to eat?
Hah, excellent, on Integrity splashdown: 🚀
Captain Wiseman reporting 4 green crew members. That's not their complexion, but their status.
🤣
Some people pay a lot of money to get an armchair that vibrates. For us it's free … thanks to the ongoing earthworks next door but one. 🤣
What I liked most about this book was that it was written by a Kiwi in NZ English and set in Aotearoa in places I'm a little familiar with. Those are exceptionally rare for books I read. Dark Sky: Murder Among the Stars by Marie Connolly. 📚
a professor of astronomy is found dead at Tekapo’s Mt John Observatory during its internationally-attended 50th anniversary conference celebrations
I warmed up to the plot as the book went on and there were some surprises worth waiting for.
I presume we're about to have many more praying mantises …
It’s a very pleasant day so I stopped at the information centre for a cup of tea on my way to pick up Deb at the airport.
Well, it's been a really rainy and windy week. Now we have a few days reprieve before Tropical Cyclone Vaianu is forecast to hit.
This afternoon: sunshine and muggy heat. 😅
I managed a brief bike ride to enjoy the air and sun.
MetService says the incoming Tropical Cyclone Vaianu could bring life-threatening winds to the North Island on Sunday.
Via: 'Damaging, potentially life-threatening' Cyclone Vaianu increasingly likely to hit NZ | RNZ News.
Leaders: down or up?
Last night I saw Nicola Willis on TV talking about the fuel crisis and was struck by the weird camera angle, looking down on her.
Today on Radio NZ we see a still from that (less obviously so than in the video) and nearby a shot of Wayne Brown talking about money. The camera angle for him is definitely looking up. Hmmm …
I really like this whole series and Book 5 does not disappoint. Keen to read more in the series. The Mystery of the Village Theatre (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 5) by . 📚
Things aren’t looking bright for Lina. A flashy new antique centre has opened in the Kentish village of Bredeham, stealing her customers and threatening the future of her beloved shop.
Several weeks ago I thought I'd make an effort to go to the beach 2 or 3 times a week. How many times have I done that? Ummm …
Today's walk bumped into nearly high tide, with an easterly breeze driving in the waves. On the horizon, two cargo ships approaching or leaving Northport.
Finally went to the gym today for a brief weights session — the effects of the flu jab have receded. In the women's loo was an inspiration board. 💪🏼
My favourite read: You haven't come this far to only come this far.
I also liked one that said: Don't compare your Day 1 to someone's Day 100.
Move over brain surgeons — I think an organist, simultaneously using 3 keyboards for their hands and another for the feet, along with all kinds of buttons and whatnot, has amazing skills. How does a pipe organ actually work? | Anna Lapwood:
Organist Anna Lapwood presents a beginner’s guide to the organ, from stops, pedals and manuals to pipes and wind chests.
Filmed at St John's Smith Square in London – home to a magnificent organ made up of a whopping 3,574 pipes.