Dinner Kiwi Style

Last night, we decided to have dinner Kiwi style, that is, eating out at the park and having fish and chips from a nearby take-away shop. The weather was warm and just nice and so was the surroundings rose gardens. On top of that, we had the company of birds at the park which we fed with the chips. We left the rose garden at 8pm but it was still bright as summer is just around the corner.

Wet and Windy November

The past month of November have been pretty wet as well as windy here in Palmy. It was much wetter and colder than when we arrived last November. We are still wearing our "woolies" and the fruit trees at our backyards are still at the early stage of ripening. Hopefully, the weather will change for the better come December.

Rugby World Cup 2011

Even before the first ball was kicked for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France next year, the politicains have been busy deciding on the venue for the 2011 WC which NZ will be hosting. There are 3 options at the moment - to build a new stadium along Auckland waterfront, to rebuild Eden Park or refurbish the torn downCarlaw Park. With too many pros and cons for the 3 venues, the politicians will have their hands full before making their final decision.

Global Warming

The global warming phenomena that has affected many countries was clearly evident this week in New Zealand when several of the iceberg from Antartica came floating off Otago coast. As for the helicopters operators, it was good business as they charge $500 for both the local and foreign tourists to view the beautiful iceberg from a close distance. The signs of global warming are there for all to see and if we do not heed them, then trouble is just around the corner.

Summer is Here

After battling the bitter cold for the most of the last 6 months, we will soon be into the swing of summer. The kids are wearing summer clothes, riding on bikes and scooters and very soon will be asked to bring "togs" to school for swimming classes. The weather has just been fantastic, around the early 20s, just like air con temperature while at night, it still can get a little chilly, around the early teens. The nights are getting brighter too. The sun rises at around 5.30 in the morning and set only at around 9 pm. As we get into summer, we will get more sunlight hours and it will only get dark at around 10 at night. So, if anyone intending to visit NZ, now is the time as the climate is milder and you get to travel for longer hours.

Guy Fawkes Day

This was the 2nd Guy Fawkes day that we have experienced here in NZ. It was a very colourful day as most Kiwis will buy fireworks from the supermarkets and stores and lit the sky up till late at night. Being very "suaku", we drove down the streets along Palmerston North from 9pm onwards and see the night skies being lit up by residents. Only from reports in the press, we realised that it is actually a dangerous day for the firemen and as many as 1700 fires were reported throughout the country on this day itself.