New Zealand’s low-emission vehicle revolution is here | The Spinoff:
In July 2023, a whopping 55% of New Zealand new vehicle registrations were low emission, overtaking fossil fuel registrations for the first time in NZ’s history. The trend continued into August and September.
The centre console on our MG 4 Essence 64 does this magic thing when in Reverse or just starting off. The centre console display shows an overhead live view on the left. (The light streak is reflection from inside the car.) 🚗
I guess they use the 4 cameras and do fancy maths …
My neighbour Jan Jordan launched her memoir last night at the Ōtaki bookshop. Snorkelling the Abyss: One woman, striving to survive, fighting for survivors:
An honest, unapologetic and moving account of trauma, survival and advocacy.
This blurry photo was the best I could do: two Warou | Welcome swallow eggs in a nest above the door of Deb's zendo. 🐦
There was simply no space to get the iPhone further away.
Here's the mum back on 10 October 2023.
It's not often you get to meet a Borzoi! 🐶
Kawau | Pied Shag flies off. 🐦
Two Karoro | Black-backed gull. 🐦
The Poaka | Pied Stilt are so delicate and fragile looking. 🐦
I just love these birds — they're so cute. Weweia | New Zealand dabchick. 🐦
I finished reading Murder: Take Two (Kansas Cozy Mysteries Book 4) by Charlene Weir. 📚
It was a pleasant enough read which made us familiar with the characters, but the solution was ultimately reached through an external source rather than through deduction or clues. That feels a bit of a cheat.
The app for charging our new EV after an ~170 Km return trip to Wellington shows last night's charge required ~2 Kg of CO2 emissions.
I found various figures for CO2 emissions for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 previously used for those commutes, but that car would have emitted ~27 Kg of CO2. 🚗
Excellent! —
Auckland Airport wildlife manager Lucy Hawley said the airport was a perfect place for the bird with high fencing around the perimeter keeping out predators.
"This is very attractive to nesting dotterels and our airfield's become a real sanctuary for them," Hawley said.
"These tiny little birds take absolutely no notice of the giant planes moving all around them and have no issues setting up home right beside the taxiways," she said.
Not my most favourite thing, to come home and find a controlled burn-off going on only a few hundred metres away. Luckily the wind is blowing towards the fire. I think the helicopter heard in the second video just happened by.
It's a lot of smoke.
Also, I'm keeping a very wary eye on it.
At the lake today: duck and 6 ducklings! 😍 🐦
We're starting to learn the fuel savings with our new MG 4 Essence 64 BEV. The commute previously would cost ~$150 per week in petrol. The 3 charges in the screenshot show that it needs about 30 kWh per charge. Actual cost is ~$5.25 per charge ($30 per week, screenshot costs are incorrect). 🚗
At the beach I spotted a couple of Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel. Between lifting my fitover sunnies and getting my camera out I lost them in the glare. Thus I have my first photo: Ceci n'est pas une Dotterel. 🐦 🤣
Just for kicks I drove up to the Lookout on Mt Victoria in Wellington. It reminded me of the absolute terror of driving that road — I used to drive it almost daily. Narrow — more or less one lane with cars parked, winding, loads of blind corners. 😱
Wellington and Harbour from Mt Vic Lookout.
