This is a superb 8 minute documentary: The typeface that told the stories of Chinese New Zealanders:
this set of heavy lead typeface has a fascinating story to tell about the history of Chinese New Zealanders.
Indeed!
If Aotearoa is serious about creating a future that young people can see themselves in, it’s time to divest from a very peculiar, and often overlooked fossil fuel: hobbits.
Whew! Drama in our house this morning as Deb spilled half a glass of plain water on her MacBook Pro. Draining, drying, airing. That machine has been a trouble magnet. I’m trying to get her to buy a new M1 MacBook Pro. The battery life on mine is phenomenal. She’d love that! 💻
Waikawa Beach For Sale: 61-63 Manga Pirau Street:
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 70m2 floor area; 827m2 land area. Two immediate beachfront sections. Includes self contained very well appointed tiny house.
Will it sell? Land already half lost to storms. Sea rise and storms are threats.
At line dancing class today I was thinking about how learning goes:
new new new new new new new new new 🥵 new 🤯 new 🥵 new new familiar 🤩 new new new familiar 🤩 new new new 🥵 new familiar familiar 🤩 new new new…
I was moaning recently about listing a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2013 MacBook Pro on our NZ auction website. Actually there were almost no stupid questions, and a good question. They sold tonight for a total almost double what I thought I might get. I’m pretty happy! 💻
The Ozzies so often do such great movies. Three Summers (Netflix) was brilliantly done: very funny, excellent messages slipped in sublimely, some good music. I’ll be watching this one again sometime.
Magda Szubanski was superb as always: wonderful understated humour from her. 🎬
This is an amazing explanation of how combustion engines work, with superb animations. I thought I understood the basics, but this step through of how things actually happen is stunningly clear and excellent. Internal Combustion Engine – Bartosz Ciechanowski.
Later this month we Kiwis can see a total lunar eclipse. I wrote about it on the blog for the local Waikawa Beach community: Later this month we Kiwis can see a total lunar eclipse. [Link updated 02 May 2025.]
Look up! — There's a lunar eclipse on 26 May 2021
This was originally posted as Look up! — There's a lunar eclipse on 26 May 2021 on 02 May 2021 on the WBRA blog. A change of 'ownership' there led to a terrible act of vandalism where they removed a huge number of posts, including this one, from the archive.
While I was able to retrieve the text, the images are unfortunately lost. I've left the coding in, in case I manage to retrieve the images later.
Once night falls I step out on the deck at Waikawa Beach and can see the glow from the lights of Ōtaki, Masterton, Levin and Palmerston North. Fortunately though, with no street lights nearby, I can look a little higher and see stars, galaxies, planets, Moon and occasional satellites shining against the dark of the sky.
Recently Strathnaver resident Jaye Pere pointed her telescope at the full Moon (Facebook link), attached her Samsung Galaxy S10 to the eyepiece and took these amazing photos.
We're so lucky here to have few streetlights and few house lights, meaning the sky is good and dark, and even fainter celestial bodies are easy to see. Take that Wellington!
Full moon, late April 2021. Photo by Jaye Pere.
Full moon, late April 2021. Photo by Jaye Pere.
Full moon, late April 2021. Photo by Jaye Pere.
Full moon early in 2021. Photo by Jaye Pere.
Even a small pair of binoculars will show detail on the Moon (te marama), and may show you stars (ngā whetū) where you didn't think there were any. But it all depends on that nice dark sky.
Now, if you're in the mood for a total lunar eclipse there is one coming up at the end of May: (clouds willing) we'll be able to see a total eclipse of the moon from Waikawa Beach on 26 May 2021. The best stuff happens between 11 pm and 11.30 pm, but the show starts around 8.45 pm.You won't really see much then, but start watching at 9.45 pm to see the Moon start turning red.
And even if the sky doesn't interest you personally that much, maybe you could help out your neighbours by being careful with lights: point security lights towards the ground, turn off lights that don't need to be on (and save on power bills), and think about closing the curtains.
Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice)
This week’s International Breakfast was Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice). We didn’t have the Salsa Lizano, so made do with Worcestershire Sauce. This was easy and delicious and I’ll be making it in future for dinner.
Oh crikey. A local asked me to visit to chat about an (excellent) arts project he’d like to do. I knew he’d written some poems once. I’m glad I didn’t check his website before I visited or I might have been too awestruck for a casual back and forth of ideas.
Doing errands in Palmerston North yesterday I briskly walked a few blocks and was tired. I realise my daily dawdle with our dogs in their 15th year isn’t ‘walking’ as such. I need to train for our Rakiura cruise in July when there are opportunities for good hikes ashore. 🐶 🚢 🥾
Wow, the photography on The Year Earth Changed on TV+ is stunning! Photo of capybara.
It’s so heartening the world had a moment to breathe during lockdown (and disheartening that everyone wants to return to the old ‘normal’). We need to exercise greater restraint.
Hmmm, I finished Blood Stained (Detective Claudia Nunn Book 1) by Rebecca Bradley. While I kept reading to the end it didn’t sit well with me. Most of the book is about a suspect interview. It’s not a procedural. I think I won’t be reading more from this series. 📚
Yesterday I had to pick Deb up from the commuter train at Waikanae. Here it is arriving.
A new item on my list of things I aim to do: Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail | Central Otago:
The 55km Lake Dunstan Trail takes you from Smith’s Way, just out of Cromwell to Clyde along Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the mighty Clutha River Mata-au.
Video — amazing scenery!
A nice thing to learn:
Rakiura is the Maori name for Stewart Island. It translates as the Land of the Glowing Skies.
We’ll be visiting later this year. Maybe we’ll get to see the Aurora Australis?
I’m uncomfortable about Aotearoa New Zealand becoming the “Lord of the Rings” country, attracting tourists with hobbit holes etc. After all, the indigenous Māori culture has been used and misused for tourism even while being suppressed and obliterated. That’s why this statement chimes for me as we hand taxpayer dollars to Amazon to make even more LotR stuff:
we will be ploughing more money into a film about a fake indigenous culture than we are into Māori TV, which tells the stories of New Zealand’s indigenous culture and real people.
Whew, heart pounding. A sudden loud noise like a heavy truck right beside me; milliseconds later a quake that rattled loose items. 〰️
Apr 30 2021 8:43 AM; 15 km south-west of Levin; Magnitude 2.7; Depth 1 km.
Not strong but only 1 Km deep and nearby!!
