Kiwiblog

In July I made my mid point goal, and got the weight down from 110 kgs to 95 kgs, with 80 being the ultimate target and 100, 95, 90 and 85 being targets on the way.

Had my first gym session of the year today and all those climbs and walks over the break seem to have worked, and now at 89 kgs, so under the two thirds mark.

The last nine kgs will be the hardest but I am determined to get to something that starts with a 7. But nice to have it starting with an 8, not a 9, 10 or even 11. A friend helped me buy last week some new running gear, and was a nice surprise that 2XL was not too big (was 5XL), so now down to XL. But again, not there yet as M is the goal.

No comments needed (or enabled). I just blog about it as a way to encourage me to not fall off the wagon so to speak by marking the goals as I achieve them.

Victoria Park

EveryTrail – Find trail maps for California and beyond

This track/s turned out to take three hours as the hill climbs were extensive, but over the 11 kms you get some amazing views of both Christchurch, and the harbour.

But in terms of track markings it was the total opposite of the tracks at Bottle Lake Forest Park. The latter had track signs every few score metres, making it so easy to follow. The tracks around Victoria Park were missing markers at many a fork or intersection, forcing you to guess.

It didn’t help that the visitor’s centre was closes due to quake damage, and hence no track pamphlets available. Anyway I started off down a path to Bowenvale Reserve. The path forked and the fork I chose was the one that goes down steep banks, rather than steps. Eventually rejoined the main track.

Then you walk along the Bowenvale Reserve in a lovely valley. Again they have dispensed with marking the track up the hill, so I walked all the way to the road, and then doubled back until guessing it was the zig zag track on the left.

The zig zag up is a vertical elevation of around 400 metres and you have a few sheep to keep you company. Finally you get to the top, and once again they dispense with anything useful such as clearly marked track names. I guessed that heading towards Sugarloaf would be the right thing to do, and after a short walk along the road (in 30 degree heat!) I saw the Crater Rim Walkway, which I joined and there were stunning views from.

After the crater rim walkway, I took another track around the back of Sugarloaf, which again had some great views. Upon exiting that track I saw the back of a sign, and upon turning around to read it, I discovered the track was closed due to rockfall danger. It really would have been useful for them to put these signs up at both sides of the track – not just one side!

By this stage I was bloody hot and tired and had been mentally anticipating a nice drink at the cafe at the Sign of the Kiwi. Would have been nice for them to have a sign up at Victoria Park itself that Sign of the Kiwi was also closed. I let out a small yell of annoyance, and then proceeded down some path (Harry something) back to the Victoria Park carpark. Once again they neglected to have signs up at any forks, and I choose the fork which took me down around 1 km below the carpark, so finished with a walk back up the hill. Was a rather annoying afternoon, despite the great views. Took me three hours in total.

Bottle Lake Forest Park

EveryTrail – Find the best hikes in California and beyond

Thought I’d do a few walks during my break in Christchurch so headed north slightly to the Bottle Lake Forest Park.

I did the blue trail which is around 10 kms in length and is a very well signposted walk. Almost impossible not to follow the trail as they have markers every few score metres.

Most of the time you have a pleasant walk in the shade of the forest. There is a long stretch along the boundary of an exclusion zone, and then on the return leg there is a sandy patch which on a hot day is somewhat draining. Walking uphill on sand slows you down considerably.

The park is a multi-use area so you get walkers, cyclists, runners and horse riders. Not generally on the same track, but the paths often intersect so always need to watch out. Oh yeah, also the odd truck on the forest roads you cross.

Claire Trevett at NZ Herald reports:

The Parliamentary Art Collection, value $12 million, includes an artwork in shagpile that can only be described as a piece of its time.

That time is 1981 – the year of the underarm bowling scandal, the Springbok Tour, and the first hints of the trend that shoulder pads and big hair will become. The piece, Variation in Apricot, is considered ‘textile art’. It reportedly feels like touching a dirty dog.

Arts Minister Chris Finlayson’s immediate reaction is sotto voce: “S***, that’s awful.”

Then he gets closer and sees the plaque that says it was donated by the National Party caucus wives in 1981 – when Robert Muldoon was the Prime Minister.

“Oh my God,” he says, shamefaced at slighting the taste of such a group of women. He slams into reverse and hunts for a more diplomatic adjective than ‘awful.’

“It certainly is a unique contribution to the art collection in Parliament.

Heh, too late.

Mr Finlayson has managed to find a spare 45 minutes between signing Treaty of Waitangi claim settlements – as Treaty Negotiations Minister – to take the Herald on a grand tour of the parliamentary collection.

There are more than 3000 pieces, including the big names: Grahame Sydney landscapes, four Colin McCahons, Len Castle, Ralph Hotere, Philip Trusttum, Brent Wong, Stanley Palmer, Frances Hodgkins, Dick Frizzell, and several by the ubiquitous Unknown Artist.

Mr Finlayson is not one to be seduced by the power of a name, however.

He is an honest, if brutal, critic, designating most pieces to the categories of either “boring” or “bleak”.

Honest, and brutal – that’s the Chris we know and love.

Prime Minister John Key’s favourite piece is Colin McCahon’s Koru. Mr Finlayson is kind about Koru, but possibly only because it is in the Speaker’s Lounge and the Speaker, Dr Lockwood Smith, is there when we drop in.

Mr Finlayson manages to muster up something about the admirable “texture” of the piece, which Dr Smith informs him is worth about $300,000.

But the Speaker was not there just five minutes earlier when Mr Finlayson trotted past two other McCahons – A Piece of Muriwai Canvas and Necessary Protection I – glanced up and sighed. “He’s a strange one, isn’t he? I just find it all a bit … bleak.”

I have to confess, that I once made a rather serious error with a McCahon at Parliament. It was around 2001 or 2002 and I was on the parliamentary ball committee and one of my jobs was to put up posters promoting the ball. I was in a bit of a hurry and having one of those days where I wasn’t concentrating much and pinned one of the posters onto a noticeboard on the 3rd floor of Parliament House, in the Opposition Leader’s corridor.

Except it wasn’t a noticeboard. It was a Colin McCahon painting that was worth around $300,000. I can’t recall which one it was (maybe A Piece of Muriwai Canvas) but there was a very anguished yell when someone discovered my mistake and I quickly removed the poster hoping no one else would notice the thumb tack marks in it. In my defence it really did look a bit like a notice board!

It was the final day of my 10 days in the Lakes District and I had had such a great time. Apart from just the company of friends, I’d seen Milford Sound, walked about Lake Hayes, explored Arrowtown, seen in the New Year from the Earnslaw, walked to the base of the Rob Roy Glacier, kayaked to one island, done some wine tastings and swum in an island lake at the top of another island.

All I had left to do on Tuesday was get to Christchurch. Then I got a text from Bill D saying “Are you still in Wanaka? Would you fancy a heli flight around the Wanaka basin this morning and maybe drop into Tarras for breakfast?”

This is not one of those questions you need to spend a long time thinking about. A quick negotiation saw my departure time delayed and Tea Party Girl and I headed out to Wanaka Airport very very excited.

The chopper has room for five including the pilot. It was so smooth that even when flying at pretty high speeds, you hardly noticed it inside.

Going up anywhere in a helicopter can be an amazing experience. But to do it around the Wanaka basin was extraordinary. The sights are legion, and from high up you see the entire basin, while lower down at 100 metres or so you get some great aerial views of activity below.

This is Ruby Island, where we kayayed to for a picnic lunch.

Some of Lake Wanaka.

And Mou Wahu Island, where the lake or pool we swam in is visible.

Another shot from the air.

And a great view shot by TPG.

After around 45 minutes in the air we landed. It was the perfect ending to a great 11 days in the Lakes District. An incredibly generous and appreciated offer from Bill. An experience hard to beat.

We then had a five hour drive to Christchurch. As one can see, the car was slightly weighed down by no less than three bikes and a kayak!

Lake Pukaki with Aoraki Mt Cook in the background. I’d almost forgotten how magnificent it is to drive through Central Otago. At almost every stage you have either valleys or mountains or lakes or all three. Just stunning scenery. I think I may do an RV holiday around the South Island in 2014. It would be great to be able to just stop for the night at so many of these incredible locations.

On Monday we headed to Bannockburn, near Cromwell, where we spent the afternoon wine tasting. First stop was Terra Sancta, where former NZX boss Mark Weldon gave us a very knowledgeable rundown on the various grape areas, soil minerals and blends. Sadly as my suitcase was already full, I could only buy a couple of bottles of their lovely Mysterious Diggings Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer. Was also very taken by the Terra Sancta Estate Slapjack Block Riesling, which is unusual for me as I am not normally a Riesling person.

You can actually do a walk through parts of the vineyard.

After lunch we also went to Mt Difficulty and Felton Road. Mt Difficulty also had some great wines. Didn’t get excited over anything at Felton Road, but by then had tried well over a dozen so might just have been a tired palate.

We did lunch at Bannockburn Hotel. It was decent pub food, and pleasant service.

I must mention the appalling service at the (otherwise lovely) Cardrona Pub. We did dinner there on Sunday, and after drinking outside, moved to the restaurant area for dining. The others ordered a bottle of wine which was served up. As I was driving I was on soft drinks, so asked for a diet coke. The waitress said that I should go and queue at the bar to get one. Hugely unimpressed.

My last night in Wanaka was last night. Have been very fortunate with the weather – almost non-stop sun. It is a minor miracle I have not become a lobster.

We’d heard about Mou Waho Island, as it has a lake within the island which has islands within that lake. Or to put it more clearly there is an island in a lake (Arethusa Pool)  in an island (Mou Waho) in a lake (Wanaka) in an island (South Island) in the ocean!

It is around 20 kms from Wanaka, which is far too far to kayak. You can do guided tours but they costs $150 to $200 a head. We just arranged a boat trip out and back for $400 in total which worked out excellent value.

Heading out on Lake Wanaka.

Mou Waho Island ahead. Took just 35 minutes, and brilliant views along the way.

Landing at the beach area.

Tea Party Girl, Romeo and Juliet at the landing. The temperature was sweltering at close to 35 degrees.

There is an area where you can camp. Would be a very cool place to camp for a weekend.

We then headed up to the summit. It isn’t a very long track at just over a km, but it is pretty steep as you climb around 200 metres or so via a zig zag path. When you combine it with the 35 degree heat, we were sweltering. But as you can see the views are worth it.

Then almost at the top, is the pool. It wasn’t much warmer than Lake Wanaka, but after that climb, nothing could have kept me out. Yes that is me in the water. Actually after a few minutes it warmed up quite nicely, and there is something cool about swimming in a natural pool or mini-lake at the top of an island with such scenic views.

This is the pool, from the side. Just stunning.

You then can climb a further five minutes or so to a ledge overlooking the pool. From there you get this magnificent view of the pool, and the lake beyond it. In the photo they look like they are almost at the same level, but in reality the pool is at the top of the island.

The views from the top were just unbelievable. In one direction you see snow covered mountains, in another lake views for kms on end.

Another view from up high. A perfect day with the water so still, no clouds, and so hot. Almost too hot!

They also have quite a few wekas on the island, which is in fact a nature reserve. The wekas like to try and get into your bags.

Seven of us decided to kayak to Ruby Island on Lake Wanaka on Saturday. It was a brilliant thing to do. Around 45 minutes each way, and a picnic lunch on the island.

This is the view from the picnic area we found on the island.

The group getting the bubbles and sandwiches out for lunch.

Tea Party Girl playing frisbee.

The view from the front of the island. Could never get sick of it.

Part of the island. It take barely 20 minutes to do a loop around it.

The view inland. Lovely clear waters.

Part of the track around the island.

Handy Girl coming into land.

It was such a hot day, a couple of us went around the lake and decided to go in for a swim. We learnt that no matter how hot the day, the water is still freezing! I lasted five minutes or so. despite the cold was a nice way to finish the day, before heading back home for drinks.

Definitely loving my Wanaka experience. Not spent much time here since I was a student and working on Cardrona Skifield.

This half day walk must rank of one of the most spectacular in New Zealand. I can not recommend it highly enough.

Even the drive to the starting point is superbly scenic. You drive for around an hour from Wanaka into the Matukituki Valley. Most of the 54 km road is unsealed and you cross around half a dozen fords, but they can be done without a 4WD. The drive through the valley is beautiful, with scores of waterfalls.

You park at Raspberry Flat and head off along the West Matukituki River.

You walk through farmland for around 15 minutes.

Then you have the swing bridge over the West Matukituki River. It is rather bouncy!

There is a fairly steep ascent, and then you get a nice view of the Matukituki Valley as you fork off it. Those who are doing overnight tramps continue up the valley.

A lovely backdrop at the rest bench, where Earnest Girl and I take a break.

You then head along next to the Rob Roy Stream, and again reasonably steep climb in places, but not too bad. You ascend around 400 metres in total. As you can see, a few challenges along the way.

If that rock came down, you’d need DNA to identify you!

They may call it a stream, but it is pretty strong as the glacier water flows down it. You spend most of your time next to the stream.

Almost at the top, this is the view of where you have come from.

Then you see the bottom of the Rob Roy Glacier. You end up less than 100 metres from it, and the ice is 15 metres or so thick I would say. Despite being so high up, it wasn’t too cold – even in t-shirt and shorts.

One of the waterfalls at the top.

The end of the track, with some information on the glacier.

One of the Keas that hangs around there.

Our group about to start the champagne lunch to celebrate making it up there.

Rob Roy Glacier

EveryTrail – Find hiking trails in California and beyond
Above is the map of the trail. It is 10 kms in total, and up took around 90 minutes and down around 75 minutes. Again, it is a stunning walk, and must be one of the best in NZ. We all had a great time.

In Queenstown I was staying at the Lake Hayes Estate, which is of course next to Lake Hayes. I’ve heard about the lovely walk around the lake, but the weather looked like I wouldn’t get to do it. However on my last day there, the rain stopped around 7 pm, so I headed out. It was around 15 minutes to the lake, and I did the circuit in around 90 minutes. The last quarter I jogged as I heard thunder and the rain started again.

On the path down to the lake, a paddock of deer.

You then start off at lake level on a nice path.

Then as you go up, you get a pretty great lake view. Bear in mind this is in the evening.

The path winds around the hills.

Another great lake view.

Then after you head down, you circle around through nice grass areas.

A very old house on the lakefront.

And a much more modern one. A lakeside house would be very cool. Many of them have boats out front.

And finally a bush walk path back to the beginning.

A very serene walk, if you are in the area.

Arrowtown

EveryTrail – Find the best hikes in California and beyond

Went to Arrowtown and Glenorchy yesterday. Arrowtown is lovely and did a quick 5 km walk alongside the Arrow River, which is above. Lots of people out enjoying it.

Then headed back to Queenstown and down around Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy.

A sunbathing platform out from the wharf.

The view across Lake Wakatipu.

Glenorchy itself. Not a lot to do here, but a few cafes and some great views. Worth a visit.

I’m in Wanaka from 2nd to 5th or 6th of January and it seems Wanaka is one of those places easier to get into than out of.

They have no rental car agencies, and there is only one flight to Christchurch a day, costing $400!

There is a bus service to Christchurch, but I have a loathing of travelling on long distance buses.

So the purpose of the post is to see if any readers happen to be travelling from Wanaka to Christchurch around the 5th  to 7th of January and have a spare seat?

Failing that my Wanaka hostess has said she will lend me a piece of cardboard and a mini-skirt so I can show some leg off and try and hitch a lift!  think we can agree that is a scenario best avoided.

In Queenstown for New Years, staying with a friend. The last time I was here, I had the nonovirus and spent it in the bathroom of my hotel room. So far, has been much more enjoyable this time.

On Saturday headed to Milford Sounds on the Milford Sound Select Bus. Not normally a big bus person, but this was a great trip. The driver was superb – knowledgeable and friendly, and we had lots of stops for photos.

<a Lake Wakatipu just out of Queenstown.

On the road from Te Anau to Milford. Spectacular field. They must have shot some movie scenes here at some stage.

The hills reflected at Mirror Lakes.

Note the way the sign is written so it only makes sense in the reflection.

A field of lupins.

One of the many bush covered valleys heading into Milford Sound.

A small waterfall.

At one of the stops, there was a kea. He happily walked around in front of everyone and then without concern, jumped up onto a car behind and started nibbling at the rubber around their window.

Mr Kea then jumped onto the roof for an even better perch.

The lower end of the mighty chasm.

And the upper end. Not a place to try going over in a barrel!

At Milford Sound, we went out on a boat. It was pretty wet but the seals didn’t mind.

A bit of rain on the lens, but still a nice shot of the greenery that grows on often sheer cliff faces there.

Advancing towards the falls.

And then the boat approaches them head on and pushes the bow just under the falls, nicely spraying those of us up on top.

Was a great day. I’ve been to Milford Sound a couple of times before, but it never gets old. Has reinforced my determination to do the Milford Track in the next couple of years.

On the bus trip back to Queenstown, they played The World’s Fastest Indian. I’d not got around to watching it previously. Was a very appropriate film to view in Southland.

Two sweltering days for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

You know it is a rare day in Wellington when people are not just on the beach, but actually in the water. It was a rare no wind day. A perfect Christmas present for the city.

Took this while walking home from my parents place in Roseneath. A nice view to end the day on.

The next day I drove up to Vinegar Hill Camping Grounds near Hunterville, where some friends were staying.  It was also a blisteringly hot day and the campsite is just in a beautiful location next to the Rangitikei River. I wish I had the time to stay on.

Miss Z showing off her strength. It was a kids and dogs day during the day, with whiskey and poker for the evening!

This was doggie heaven. A river to cool off down, and lots to explore.

One of the favourite games was throwing a stick into the river and see the dogs retrieve it. The largest dog is a damn good swimmer and would battle a pretty strong current to stop the stick getting away.

The day got so hot, that eventually I took the plunge myself and decided to let the current take me down to the far end of the campsite – around half a km downstream. It was superb fun, except for the fact I hadn’t realised there was one set of rapids on the way! I got the odd cut but hell it was worth it!

So a great Christmas and Boxing Days with family and friends. Tomorrow head to the South Island to catch up with more friends. Not back in Wellington until mid to late January!

Did the Mt Vic loop walk this morning. At first overcast and looked like rain, but by the end of the walk, the sun had burnt all the cloud away and was sweltering. 85 minutes in total and you do 5 kms but a fair amount of uphill. It is basically a figure of eight loop.

You start at Charles Plimmer Park at the top of Majoribanks Street and head up on the Hataitai to City walk track. This is the one that had Lord of the Rings filmed just off it.

A view of central to southern suburbs as you head along the western side of Mt Vic.

That looks like some sort of observatory near Government House. Anyone know what it is exactly?

Nice shadowy bush track on the eastern side.

This tree is on a definite lean!

The Hataitai Velodrome, which you circle around.

Charles Plimmer Park where you start and finish.

There are literally scores of walking and cycling tracks on Mt Vic. If I loved lived next to it, I’d spend all my time exploring them.

The loop track isn’t signposted as such. It is a combination of four other tracks. But once you work out where to go, it is a great view of both the CBD and the eastern suburbs.

Last time I did this track, they found a dead person there the next day – hopefully no repeat this time!

As an centre-right person it is no surprise I have supported most of what the Government has done. But that doesn’t mean there have not been issues where I disagree with them, or support something from other parties, or give an opinion that isn’t helpful to the Government. I’ve had a quick look through the archives, and below are a surprising large number of links:

• I say National is the under-dog for 2014
• I call for Cabinet to be reduced from 20 to 12
• I call for significant caucus rejuvenation for 2014
• I labelled the National MPs blog “the greatest cure for insomnia ever invented” and a typical post as “so mind numbingly boring, that I only subject my eyeballs to them around twice a year, as they start bleeding as I read about some organic carrot farm they have opened“
• I blog in favour of Labour MP David Clark’s Mondayisation bill
• I praise Winston for his scrutiny of Whanua Ora
• I call for more funding of the Ombudsmen
• I blog in favour of removing the one seat threshold for MMP
• I say we should be ashamed of the slavery on our seas, and blog on this several times calling for the Govt to take action
• I support Trevor Mallard’s call for significant SOPs to be provided in advance to the opposition
• I supported the call for a full independent inquiry into the ACC Pullar issue
• I expose Vic Uni’s attempts to scam the PBRF system
• I said that taxpayer funding should not be used for Judith Collins lawsuit (it wasn’t)
• I label the first three months of 2012 as National’s Quartus Horribillis
• I mock the claim Murray McCully is not a micro-manager, saying “If Murray isn’t a micro-manager, then Grace Quek is a virgin“
• I submit to the MMP review for lowering the 5% threshold to 4%. My submission disagrees with National’s submission on almost every issue.
• I give Green MP Julie-Anne Genter a guest post on Roads of National Significance
• I support Charles Chauvel and Law Commission on a three warning approach to cannabis
• I pronounce the ACT Party dead
• I criticise John Banks for his lobbying on behalf of Kim Dotcom, knowing he was a likely donor.
• I blog in support of the Meatworkers Union over a proposed employment contract from Talleys
• I support Labour MP Su’a William Sio over comments he made
• I support David Shearer’s call for cross-party talks on superannuation and lifting the age to 67.
• I actively campaign against the Government’s proposal to raise the alcohol purchase age for off licenses.
• I call National’s stance on superannuation as fiscally not credible, and could damage them in 2014
• I criticise the handling of the Budget announcement on class sizes
• I support Labour’s criticism of the Housing NZ call centre
• I profile the 7th Labour Government and predict Jacinda Ardern will be the Prime Minister of it
• I call on the Govt to set up a royal commission on retirement savings
• I support some of Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway’s alcohol law amendments on advertising
• I blog support for Labour MP Maryan Street’s euthansia bill
• I say the proposed constitutional reforms for Labour should result in a stronger party for them.
• I praise the appointment of Tim Barnett as Labour Party General Secretary
• I say it is not good that John Banks signed a donation return saying he did not know who his donors were, when he was involved in personally receiving two of the donations.
• I blog on how opposition MPs have made a positive difference with their private members bills
• I support the partial opening of Parliament up to the OIA
• I again say National should support David Clark’s Mondayisation bill
• I called on the Govt to delay the partial asset sales, to wait for the Waitangi Tribunal Report
• I criticise National for not getting more members bills into the ballot
• I blog several times in favour of Labour MP Louisa Wall’s marriage bill
• I slam the decision to delay the Ecan elections as “wrong”
• I praise Winston for his motion recognising Nancy Wake’s 100th birthday
• I praise Labour’s policy on reading recovery
• I say there is “no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude” on the incorrect info re a possible merger of Shirley and Chch Boys High Schools
• I criticise the Government for not supporting greater protection of the Ross Sea
• I support introducing a PMs question time to Parliament, to allow greater questioning of the PM
• I say there should be an inquiry into how NZ authorities deal with extradition requests
• In relation to the Chch schools announcement I say “I’m staggered by that degree of insensitivity and stupidity” and that “almost everything about the announcement was flawed”
• I publish staff numbers for ministerial offices
• I say the Govt should repeal Section 6A, not amend it
• I again label the Ecan decision inexplicable and “ wrong in principle and it’s wrong politically”
• I blog in support of Clare Curran’s amendment to the Patents Act, and against the Govt SOP, saying I hope ACT and United Future vote against National on this issue
• I say there must be a full inquiry into the MSD data breach and encourage donations to Keith Ng for his work
• I support Kevin Hague’s adoption reform bill
• I agree with Phil Goff on the pay rise for the MFAT CEO
• I support Gareth Hughes’ copyright bill to allow parody and satire as fair use
• I call for the Govt to hold an inquiry into the GCSB, modify the Chch schools proposal and change their stance on ECan elections
• I support Sue Moroney’s amendment to have calorie information on alcohol
• I say heads must roll over the MSD data breach
• I criticise National for the bill which would ban drug sniffer dogs from schools
• I blog Audrey Young’s ratings of National Ministers and comment they “have been a bit generous to a couple of Ministers”
• I blog against a National MPs members bill
• I criticise the Govt’s cellphone in car ban
• I credit Winston for his handling of the Horan allegations
• I say the Govt should not subsidise fibre with copper
• I praise aspects of the Greens ICT discussion paper
• I later say “I’m quite dismayed [with] the Government’s response to the Commerce Commission’s draft copper pricing determination” and “To be blunt the Government should shut the hell up on the Commerce Commission’s draft determination.”

I will use this post as a reference point for the next idiot who states that I always agree with National and never criticize them.

In Stuff on 21 Dec 2011, I did 20 political predictions for 2012, to complement the ones by the gallery team. My were not entirely serious. I’ll mark them now with one for basically correct, 1/2 for correct in principle and 0 for a miss.

1. Labour will poll over 30 per cent on the first poll of 2012. – they got it in he 2nd poll of 2012 – 1/2

2. Asenati Taylor will surprise many as the most impressive NZ First MP. – Ouch – 0

3. Forty-nine per cent of Mighty River Power will be sold before 2013, with huge demand leading to over $2 billion proceeds from the sale. – 1/2 as court action hard to compensate for

4. There will be no ministerial resignations due to scandal in 2012. – Whoops – 0

5. Lockwood Smith will become high commissioner to London, and a minister will replace him as the new Speaker. – I’m giving myself 1 for this as we all know it has happened, just the formality delayed until Jan.

6. Lockwood will throw Winston Peters out of the debating chamber on at least two occasions before he departs. – 1 – he did it twice I believe

7. There will be at one by-election in 2012 (and two in 2013). – 0, none

8. Aaron Gilmore will be an MP again before Christmas 2012. – I give myself 1/2 as it is only delayed until January.

9. The 2012 budget will be followed by at least three public sector strikes demanding pay increases. – Not sure if they were any. I’ll say 0.

10. Unemployment will be below 6 per cent by the end of 2012, and inflation will be below 3 per cent – 1 for inflation and 0 for unemployment is 1/2

11. The review of MMP will recommend getting rid of the one-seat threshold and reducing the party vote threshold to 4 per cent. – spot on – 1

12. The constitutional review will propose an upper house known as the “Treaty House” which is 50 per cent tangata whenua, and will have similar powers to the House of Lords to scrutinise and delay legislation. – 0 for now as no proposals yet.

13. Defence lawyers will start a Bring Back Simon Power campaign. – 0 for that – they prefer Judith.

14. The age for buying alcohol will increase to 20 for at least off-licences. – very thankful that was  zero. I should back myself more

15. Labour List MP Rajen Prasad will put out twice as many press releases in 2012 than he did in the previous three years. – also a zero – I over-estimated his work ethic.

16. As Sue Kedgley has retired, Easter will pass without a Green MP putting out a press release condemning the size of Easter eggs as too large. – 1 for that

17. The first prosecution in the Copyright Tribunal for copyright infringing through file-sharing will occur. – 1 for that as they have been lodged and are under consideration.

18. NZ First will drop below 5 per cent in the polls, and by coincidence Winston Peters will attack immigrants the following fortnight. – 1 for that

19. The Crafar farms will be bought by Landcorp. – 1/2 – a joint venture

20. The Government will pledge to implement every recommendation made by the Royal Commission into the Pike River disaster. – so far a 1.

So in total I generously score myself 9.5/20.

For around a year, I’ve had a problem where my web browser (Chrome) stops working a couple fo times a day, and I get the message:

The server at www.kiwiblog.co.nz (or whichever page it is) can’t be found, because the DNS lookup failed. DNS is the network service that translates a website’s name to its Internet address. This error is most often caused by having no connection to the Internet or a misconfigured network. It can also be caused by an unresponsive DNS server or a firewall preventing Google Chrome from accessing the network.

What is puzzling is that I still get Internet access for e-mail, tweet deck etc.

Now the problem goes away when I turn the ADSL wireless router off and on after the usual two minute wait to reboot. I assumed it was a router problem. However Vodafone kindly sent me a brand new router, and annoyingly the problem hasn’t gone away.

Anyone got any ideas what it may be? It is especially annoying if I type up a blog post and lose it, because the web isn’t properly connected.

Red Rocks

EveryTrail – Find hiking trails in California and beyond

This was a fun, but tough walk.

The first couple of kms are the popular walk from the Brooklyn Wind Turbine to the Hawkins Hill Radar. Uphill, but not too steep except at the end as you pass the Wellington Castle and the nice dogs there try to jump over the fence to rip your throat out.

Instead of turning back, you carry on past the radar, and carry along the 4WD track past a couple more communication buildings. You get great views of the western wind turbines as you head towards the trig station. Pretty windy up there.

The track from the trig on is more narrow and mainly downhill. It is incredibly steep in some places, and combined with gravel paths, the potential for disaster is high. I only fell over once (a nice grazed right leg to show for it) but at times had to side-step down the slope. It was tough going.

While mainly downhill, there are parts where you go back uphill again, and again very steep in parts. We did a total of around 250 metres vertically uphill and 600 metres vertically downhill.

Towards the end you hit the old WWII observation bunkers. Stunning views of the ocean and South Island. The map says there is a track to the right and to the left. However to the right looked like a cliff, smelt like a cliff, sounded like a cliff and we concluded was a cliff. We later learnt there is no path there now.

The path to the left (follow the yellow markers) turned out to have its challenges also. At first a nice walk down a valley, but then it joined another valley and the path turned into a stream. And while the stream had little water, it had a downhill gradient in places of 45 degrees or so. Think climbing down wet rocks, more than walking.

It was with some relief we hit Red Rocks below. A bach owner told us we were the only people that weekend to do the track. I was not totally surprised. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the challenge, and the views. But the steep downhill is not for the faint hearted.

We then had a three km walk or so around the coastline to the Te Kopahau car park. Almost 12 kms all up and took three hours 20 minutes.

Next week in the Mt Victoria loop track which will be considerably easier.

I suspect while almost all of us know the basic themes of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, few of us have actually read the novella. What we know is the change in Ebenezer Scrooge after being visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

It has been made into no less than 28 films, at least 36 different stage productions and the story is deeply embedded into English and American culture.

The production I saw at Circa last night was different to many, as it was a one man show, with Ray Henwood narrating the book and playing all characters. Henwood not only looks the part, but sounds it also.

Most will know Henwood from his role in the fabulous Gliding On series. Henwood is also one of the founders of Circa.

There is no ad libbing in this play. Every word of dialogue is from the original novella. For someone who has never read the book, I found it deeply satisfying. Henwood has a gravitas that was made for the production and was supported by a simple yet effective script, some wonderful period costumes and sympathetic lighting.

The play is not just a reading. Henwood gyrates between narrating the story at the lectern, and acting the roles across the stage.

If you’re never read the full story of A Christmas Carol, this is a great chance to have it performed in front of you over a couple of hours. It is on until 22 December.

When I saw Jason Chasland perform with the Beat Girls at Circa, I blogged:

So how do you beat the Beat Girls? Simple – you add in Jason (Jay) Chasland.

Chasland was a rock and roll star.  At first glance you might think he is an unlikely star being not very tall and slightly chubby. But my God he was a great performer. He sang and crooned the songs marvelously, and had a real charisma and presence about him. His Ray Charles parody was side sidesplittingly funny. Chasland alone would be worth going to see.

I got my wish. For 75 minutes last night at Bats Theatre Chasland did a solo show that was terrific.

Chasland has incredible vocal ability. He can sing in the style of pretty much everyone – from Elvis to Julie Andrews to Lady Gaga to Johnny Cash. We saw and heard all those and dozens more last night.

Not only does he sing as them, but he mimics them so well. His facial expressions are priceless, and he dives in and out of his six suitcases on stage to grabs wigs and clothes galore.

The audience was in near non stop laughter and applause, and as the end of the show he got a rare standing ovation. It really is a great show, and a fun night’s entertainment for almost anyone. He performs until 15 December.

While Chasland is the star and solo performer, I must mention also the excellent use of lighting, props and dry ice to create an excellent environment. The show came together so well.

Especially loved the Barbra Streisand act, as he came out in darkness, and at first all you could see was her nose as he started to sing.

If any readers in London have any jobs going (anything from service industry to retail to policy to anything at all), a friend of mine is over there at the end of a round the world OE and looking for work. She used to work for me, so can handle difficult bosses no trouble

If you have any work available, or know someone who does, let me know and I can pass your contact details on.

She’s a great worker, and used to help run most of Curia for me so I’d have time to blog and not have to worry about stuff such as staff, rosters, admin, finance, HR etc. (I am a good delegator!) Has a degree, and very personable. Only weakness is she is from Hamilton , but her degree is from Victoria so it’s a real degree

Saw Cinderella on Sunday afternoon at Circa. I’ve been to Circa’s annual pantomime for a few years, but this was the first time on a Sunday afternoon so the ratio of kids to adults was around 1:1. In previous years it has been an evening session with only a couple of dozen kids. This meant the audience noise level was extremely high – but in a good way.

The Rutherfords steal the show with their comic abilities. Lyndee-Jane narrates as the fairy godmother (and occasional queen) while Gavin plays Bertha, one of Cindererella’s evil step sisters. But not so much evil, as just desperate and needy

Lyndee-Jane was superb at making both adults and kids laugh, and had many great one-liners. It’s nice to see they revise the play a bit almost daily, because they even got the All Blacks loss that morning into the dialogue. I also loved her “i-wand” which would sometimes need charging to work!

As usual, a fair number of political jokes, and King John, was King John Key and Mayor Celia and her bike got a few mentions also. The fun thing with pantos is they have jokes for the adults, and fun for the kids.

Panto regular John Wraight plays the elderly eccentric father, and also doubles as the King. Jon Pheloung plays Grace, the other step-sister.

A crowd favourite were the odd couple of Dagma (Emma Kinane) and Swedish Schwen (Paul Jenden). They performed all sorts of odd jobs, and had their own love story. Their costumes, like all of them, were wonderfully well done (by Jenden himself).

Every show needs a villain and Sean Allan performed the role admirably. He was booed by the kids everytime he appeared. Also his costume of tight tight leather pants can’t pass without comment. P Girl commented (not sure if it was admiration or revulsion!) that they left nothing to the imagination! They could almost need to be classified by the Censor’s Office!

Richard Dey played Price James and was suitably dashing.

Cinderella was played by Chelsea Bognuda. She has an incredibly polished singing voice, and her vocal pieces were some of the highlights of the show.

It was a great fun show for adults and kids. The kids get to yell and cheer and boo and even go on stage for a bit. The adults get left alone in the main, but one or two unlucky patrons do get targeted for extra fun.

Circa has a very stable panto team now. Roger Hall writes them, Susan Wilson directs them, Michael Nicholas Williams does the music, and many actors return each year. A very successful winning formula.

The play lasted two hours, with a 15 minute interval. It runs until 23 December and is a good Christmas treat for the family.

John Smythe at Theatreview also reviews it.

Otari Skyline

EveryTrail – Find hiking trails in California and beyond

Did this afternoon the Otari Skyline loop walk, which starts at the Troup Picnic Area and up the blue trail too the 800 year old Rimu tree. Then carry on uphill, with a fairly steep incline, until you cross the pine forest and hit the open. A bit further uphill gets you to the Skyline Track and you follow this North for a bit and then head back down to Otari via the yellow trail.

Took 1 hr 45 minutes, which was good as the guide book said two and a half hours. Some great views and good workout for the calves.

On Tuesday night I went to Downstage to view Richard Meros salutes the Southern Man. My review of the previous Meros play on his desire to become Helen Clark’s young lover is here.

You get greeted at the door by Richard Meros (played by the talented Arthur Meek), and once you are all settled in, Meros begins his one hour presentation on how the Southern Man is the salvation for the NZ economy.

He starts by ascertaining the intellectual level of the audience and asks everyone with a Bachelor’s degree to stick their hand up. Only in Wellington could well over half the hands be up, and then you’re asked to keep them up if you have Honours, a Masters and finally a Doctorate. Again I suspect only in Wellington would you still have over half a dozen hands still up.

Those of us without degrees (such as me) were asked to translate the down to earth language for the intellectual elite

The powerpoint presentation that is at the heart of the show has been masterfully put together. There is some nice choreography as Meros ducks behind the screen so he is in silhouette, and he ducks under and around various images as they fly in.

Meek is an adept performer and a boisterousness audience shouted out occasionally, and he worked that all into the performance.

The central premise of the show is that the New Zealand economy is facing disaster. and the answer to our problems lies with the mythical Southern Man who is compared to actual mythical heroes such as Hercules.

The show is funny and engaging, albeit not as side split-tingly funny as the Helen Clark production was. It’s an amusing journey through many New Zealand stereotypes and even sacred cows, with a tinge of politics weaved through it.

The script is put together by playwright Meros himself, director Geoff Pinfield and Meek. In a q+a after the show (Meros appearing in silhouette to protect his actual identity – which worked well until Pinfield called him by his actual first name!) they spoke about how they put the show together, and what it means for the liberal Clark loving Meros to now be idolising the Southern Man.

A lively quick show, which was a lot of fun. It’s on until Saturday night.