Extreme Weather
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Tairawhiti getting hammered again.
The rain here on the lower Shore around 4 this morning was the heaviest I have ever heard but fortunately only for about 30 minutes.
We obviously couldn't go to Napier for Deco so we tagged two days in Mangonui on to the 3 nights we had already booked in Russell. Would have much preferred to be able to grab a shovel and go help in Napier but the last thing they need is some fat old fuck turning up and having a heart attack after an hour's exercise.
The journey north took seven hours!! A lot of that trying to negotiate Managawhai. Ironically coming back on Sunday (originall Sat but...) was only 4. The road crews have worked miracles. Everywhere you see evidence of their mahi. Trees chooppped up by side of road it seems every couple of hundred metres. Slips pushed to the sides of the road. Cones out around subsidences.
But the state of the roads - fuck sake. It was predicted at the time that the shortfall in the funding of the Roads of National Significance would result in the maintenance programme being severely curtailed and man can you see evidence of that. Basically, the road north in its entirety needs to be resurfaced, but with all the urgent remedials required I can't see that happening. It won't be long before SH1 is going to be a potholed embarrassment and a drain on Northland's economy. This is not storm damage although there is plenty of that to add - subsidence and slips, but just the result of years of neglect. The road is so much worse than it was a year ago when I last drove it that the deterioration must be accelerating. Fear for what its going to be like in a couple of years time.
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@Stargazer seems to be never-ending right now, poor people, how would you sleep? In bed, and you hear rain falling the anxiety levels for so many will be through the roof.
Only positive, if you can find one, is the newly formed Cyclone Judy near Vanuatu and another tropical low near where Gabrielle formed are both tracking to move well east of us at the moment, but as we saw with Gabrielle, nothing is certain there.
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@Billy-Tell said in Extreme Weather:
Not extreme weather…but really enjoying our NZ trip (currently on the West Coast SI).
But. I’d forgotten how waiter/waitresses have no idea here. Unlike Europe where waiter can be a career choice, in NZ it’s what students do trying to earn money…
New Zealand doesn't do customer service as a rule.
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@antipodean said in Extreme Weather:
@Billy-Tell said in Extreme Weather:
Not extreme weather…but really enjoying our NZ trip (currently on the West Coast SI).
But. I’d forgotten how waiter/waitresses have no idea here. Unlike Europe where waiter can be a career choice, in NZ it’s what students do trying to earn money…
New Zealand doesn't do customer service as a rule.
... and often folk don't care because we're laid back. Just becomes an issue when you start getting into higher end establishments.
Staffing is a nightmare for people; in the south island had a number of places with young teenage wait staff (14yo or so). Fair play, some better than others, but it's tough times for hospo
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Poor old Vanuatu got smacked by cat 4 cyclone Judy yesterday and now cyclone kevin is heading for them too...
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So after 4 fab weeks we’re heading back to Europe tomorrow. The cyclone forced a change of plans (goodbye Coromandel and Hawkes Bay, hello Whanganui) and the ferries meant we ended up flying from Wgtn to Nelson. NZ remains a friendly, welcoming, laidback place. Some things have changed since the last visit in 2014
*NZ has finally embraced recycling
*Are there now more cows than sheep?
*Maori language is more prominentNZ remains an awesome country to explore by car. It’s no longer particularly affordable but the strong Swiss franc fortunately gave us a 40% discount. NZs reliance on housing as the primary form of investment means you get poor value for money compared to the building standards in Europe. I was personally sad to see tekapo turning into another haven for the rich like queenstown and wanaka before it. I think the earthquake is in a twisted way sort of a blessing in disguise for Chch: central city is pretty cool. Once the stadium is finished reckon the city will be absolutely buzzing.
Best fish & chips: Rivers Catch in rotorua. Outstanding.
Best attraction: the zip line in glenorchy was really good.
Most old school place: whanganui. Felt like NZ in the 80s.
Best top 10 camping: blue lake, rotorua.
Not possible in Switzerland: bonfire on the beach in greymouth.
Will visit next time: coromandel and the bay of islands.
Totally disorientated: the transmission gully entry into wgtn.
Surprised: Drivers generally respecting the speed limit
To be proud of: NZ is basically smoke free. Switzerland is miles behind. The predator free areas are also very cool.
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@Billy-Tell said in Extreme Weather:
So after 4 fab weeks we’re heading back to Europe tomorrow. The cyclone forced a change of plans (goodbye Coromandel and Hawkes Bay, hello Whanganui) and the ferries meant we ended up flying from Wgtn to Nelson. NZ remains a friendly, welcoming, laidback place. Some things have changed since the last visit in 2014
*NZ has finally embraced recycling
*Are there now more cows than sheep?
*Maori language is more prominentNZ remains an awesome country to explore by car. It’s no longer particularly affordable but the strong Swiss franc fortunately gave us a 40% discount. NZs reliance on housing as the primary form of investment means you get poor value for money compared to the building standards in Europe. I was personally sad to see tekapo turning into another haven for the rich like queenstown and wanaka before it. I think the earthquake is in a twisted way sort of a blessing in disguise for Chch: central city is pretty cool. Once the stadium is finished reckon the city will be absolutely buzzing.
Best fish & chips: Rivers Catch in rotorua. Outstanding.
Best attraction: the zip line in glenorchy was really good.
Most old school place: whanganui. Felt like NZ in the 80s.
Best top 10 camping: blue lake, rotorua.
Not possible in Switzerland: bonfire on the beach in greymouth.
Will visit next time: coromandel and the bay of islands.
Totally disorientated: the transmission gully entry into wgtn.
Surprised: Drivers generally respecting the speed limit
To be proud of: NZ is basically smoke free. Switzerland is miles behind. The predator free areas are also very cool.
Not sure I get the recycling bit TBH. I've had recycling at every place I've lived at in NZ since Hamilton in 2003, that even includes Palmy.
I owe the Blue Lake camp $18 from around that same time period as I forgot to pay for a night there.
Australia thinks it has low smoking, it doesn't, it's always especially noticeable when I return from a NZ trip.
Bummer you couldn't get to HB (and Coromandel), hopefully you can make it there next time.
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@Nepia said in Extreme Weather:
@Billy-Tell said in Extreme Weather:
So after 4 fab weeks we’re heading back to Europe tomorrow. The cyclone forced a change of plans (goodbye Coromandel and Hawkes Bay, hello Whanganui) and the ferries meant we ended up flying from Wgtn to Nelson. NZ remains a friendly, welcoming, laidback place. Some things have changed since the last visit in 2014
*NZ has finally embraced recycling
*Are there now more cows than sheep?
*Maori language is more prominentNZ remains an awesome country to explore by car. It’s no longer particularly affordable but the strong Swiss franc fortunately gave us a 40% discount. NZs reliance on housing as the primary form of investment means you get poor value for money compared to the building standards in Europe. I was personally sad to see tekapo turning into another haven for the rich like queenstown and wanaka before it. I think the earthquake is in a twisted way sort of a blessing in disguise for Chch: central city is pretty cool. Once the stadium is finished reckon the city will be absolutely buzzing.
Best fish & chips: Rivers Catch in rotorua. Outstanding.
Best attraction: the zip line in glenorchy was really good.
Most old school place: whanganui. Felt like NZ in the 80s.
Best top 10 camping: blue lake, rotorua.
Not possible in Switzerland: bonfire on the beach in greymouth.
Will visit next time: coromandel and the bay of islands.
Totally disorientated: the transmission gully entry into wgtn.
Surprised: Drivers generally respecting the speed limit
To be proud of: NZ is basically smoke free. Switzerland is miles behind. The predator free areas are also very cool.
Not sure I get the recycling bit TBH. I've had recycling at every place I've lived at in NZ since Hamilton in 2003, that even includes Palmy.
I owe the Blue Lake camp $18 from around that same time period as I forgot to pay for a night there.
Australia thinks it has low smoking, it doesn't, it's always especially noticeable when I return from a NZ trip.
Bummer you couldn't get to HB (and Coromandel), hopefully you can make it there next time.
Typical HB bloke, skimping on his debts. Call them and pay them you tight-arse
Also, Palmy has always done recycling right - we collect it all, co-mingle it and load it onto trucks , then drive it up to Hamilton and dump it in the river and parks. They haven’t noticed yet.
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@voodoo said in Extreme Weather:
Also, Palmy has always done recycling right...
by not letting any locals* leave?*Just joshing, every time I visit the people are super nice.
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@nostrildamus said in Extreme Weather:
@voodoo said in Extreme Weather:
Also, Palmy has always done recycling right...
by not letting any locals* leave?*Just joshing, every time I visit the people are super nice.
there is a reason why everybody knows at least 1 person from Palmy - it's because we all leave!
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So the shit weather just keeps on coming.
So many parts of NZ under watches and warnings with narrow 'river' of rain travelling near enough north to south down from the tropics.
Saw something today saying we had had 80% of our annual rainfall already this year in whangarei, I think it was Napier has had 110%, assume Auckland, Coromandel along with other areas must be up there too.
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@mariner4life you all prepped for Jasper?
Just a little one to kick off summer?
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I've bought a gas bottle and beer
So yes
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@taniwharugby said in Extreme Weather:
So the shit weather just keeps on coming.
So many parts of NZ under watches and warnings with narrow 'river' of rain travelling near enough north to south down from the tropics.
Saw something today saying we had had 80% of our annual rainfall already this year in whangarei, I think it was Napier has had 110%, assume Auckland, Coromandel along with other areas must be up there too.
That does not surprise me one little bit. Normally this time of year we have to run the hose for a period most nights to keep the garden wet enough for the plants. Well I have been up home for the best part of three years on and off and almost entirely for the last 12 months and during these last 12 months have not once had the hoses running apart from time to time watering the veges which are growing in very soft quick draining soils. In fact some of the flowerbeds are still so wet that water can almost be squeezed out of the clumps of soil that form big root balls around the weeds when you pull them out!
The farmers will not be doing their usual rain dances they usually have to do this time of year as the hills brown off and become really dry. Strangely enough we have only had one rain off in club cricket from the nine playing Saturdays so far this season. -
@taniwharugby I think Akl hit 100% in early Winter
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From Stuff
In June, Auckland officially recorded its average annual rainfall, with rainfall monitor at Auckland Airport ticking over 1193mm of rain, 3mm above the supercity's annual norm. Translated to an average rainfall per day, (by dividing the figures by 214), the average daily rainfall in Auckland for 2023 is 5.9mm per day
Beat record in November
Auckland Airport records wettest year since reporting began
2023 beats the previous record holder 1979 with two months to spare.
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@mariner4life said in Extreme Weather:
I've bought a gas bottle and beer
So yes
And yet again, I question Mrs TA's decision to go to Cairns in high summer...
