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23-01-2006, 11:02 AM
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We're leaving NZ this afternoon for the return journey to Oman [smilie=Cry.gif] . Can't say I'm over-enthusiatic about leaving. I could happily put down my roots here as the 'real life' experience has been a good one, which should be encouraging to those who are soon to make their way here to begin a new life. Many people can have a great time doing the 'tourist' thing, but it's reassuring for us to know that we've tasted a bit of everyday life and are still very pleased with what we've seen and done. We have slipped into NZ life like a pair or comfy slippers - it's only the work experience that's missing, but as we should be retired when we actually come here to live, that shouldn't be a problem. Will catch up with you and post the rest of the pics when we get back to Oman. | ||||
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25-01-2006, 09:27 AM
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Many thanks to Taffy and Welshgirl for putting up with us for 3 weeks. It wasn't the easiest of times with moving house and trying to put right some of the nasties one tends to find when first moving into a 'new' but old house. We enjoyed having family around us again and that element will certainly be missed, as well as all the delights NZ held for us.  Better think about getting to bed now - just wanted to make sure the PC was still working first. 
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Mother Bear 
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25-01-2006, 05:02 PM
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 ? When we left Ngaruawahia for the airport (around midday) it was beautifully sunny and we were making the usual comments of 'You can tell we're leaving, as summer has finally arrived' etc. However, as we approached Auckland, the clouds were gathering and darkening, so we didn't feel quite so bad. Welshgirl had sent a text pointing out that it was clouding over there as well. The whole time we were there it was very common to have a wonderful summery start to the day, then have it cloud over and threaten rain. I think, out of the 3 weeks we stayed, we only had 2 days where it was nice the whole day long. More than this, it was the strong, chilly wind that really got to me. Condensation on the windows and a definite nip in the air in the mornings and evenings ::) , and that's in the summer!
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Mother Bear
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25-01-2006, 05:44 PM
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25.01.06 8.20am UPDATE
By Elizabeth Binning and Derek Cheng About 17,000 households were without power in the upper North Island after a storm left emergency service workers struggling with arcing powerlines, fallen trees, sinking yachts and trapped motorists. The storm, which brought winds of up to 150km/h in central Auckland, left a trail of destruction as it moved down the country. Emergency service workers were stretched to their limits, with extra staff called in to help in some areas. Most destruction occurred between Mangawhai and South Auckland, with many 111 calls coming from people on the North Shore. In the five hours from 1pm to 6pm police at the Northern Communications Centre received 157 calls about blocked roads and 88 calls about vehicle accidents. The Fire Service received more than 250 weather-related emergency calls. By 3pm the deluge forced the Fire Communications Centre to prioritise calls, sending only one fire engine to each job unless it was a confirmed fire. Fire Communications shift manager Jaron Phillips said many calls were about powerlines and trees falling on homes or roads. Besides the car accidents few people were injured. Dozens of calls were about lifting roof tiles and building panels. In Auckland a chimney was blown off a roof and the windows of another building were blown out. Strong winds pushed at least one truck off the Southern Motorway and tore several boats from their moorings in the Waitemata Harbour. Coastguard staff based at the Auckland Marine Rescue Centre in Mechanics Bay watched as one yacht floated past their window just after midday. A rescue vessel was sent to save the boat but it sank before help arrived. Although Auckland took the heaviest battering, Northland, the Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty did not escape the bad weather. There was a two-car accident on the Kopu-Hikuwai Rd in the Coromandel and the roof was lifted off a motel in Whakatane. The living-room windows were blown out of an elderly man's house in Ruakaka and roofs were lifted in Mangawhai. Throughout the day about 37,000 residential customers experienced power cuts. Around 17,000 were still without power as night fell. This morning, Vector's operations manager Graham Petrie said the company had managed to restore power to the majority of its 12,000 customers last night. However, two "pockets" - totalling around 150 households - were still without power this morning, he told National Radio. Tracey Bridges at Powerco said at first light about 700 of its customers were still without power. Powerco network manager Ross Dixon earlier said its network - which includes the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty - reported more than 100 faults. "This storm is pretty widespread - it's massive - and the network is being peppered all over," he said. Vector spokeswoman Charlene White last night said winds of up to 130km/h caused major problems to the network, which delivers power to parts of Auckland and Northland. She said fault crews would work through the night to try to restore power to as many customers as possible. "It's the severity of the wind. We have a really strong network but [with] that kind of strength of wind, it's very hard to avoid power outages, especially in outer-lying areas." Road accidents At 12.20pm a truck crashed into the centre barrier just before the Lincoln Rd off-ramp on the Northwestern Motorway. The driver was cut from the truck and taken to Auckland City Hospital with serious injuries. At 1.45pm a truck rolled on to its side in heavy winds on the Southern Motorway at Ramarama. Half an hour later a truck and van collided just south of the Waiwera Bridge on State Highway 1, trapping one person and delaying motorists. Trees and powerlines Trees and powerlines came down throughout the Auckland region, blocking roads, hitting homes and causing electrical arcing. In New Lynn fallen branches caused an explosion on a powerline and a lightning strike set trees on fire in Riverhead. Motorists and emergency services were delayed in several areas by the fallen debris. Power cuts Regions that experienced power cuts throughout the day included: * Northland, including Wellsford and Warkworth. * Auckland, including Helensville, Coatesville, New Lynn, Henderson, Piha, Northcote/Birkdale, Waiheke Island, Bucklands Beach, Whitford, Coromandel Peninsula and Thames Valley. * Bay of Plenty, including Tauranga. Traffic lights were out in several parts of Auckland City because of flooding and fallen powerlines. Structural damage Throughout Auckland roof tiles and sheets of iron came loose, sometimes flapping in the wind, sometimes crashing to the ground. A door blew out of a home in Hauraki, on the North Shore. Firefighters had to secure a caravan that nearly blew over in Snells Beach and a chimney blew off a roof in Waiwera. A water tanker rolled down a hill in Greenhithe and crashed into the side of a house and trees came down on several homes and buildings. Flooding Firefighters were called to flooding at several homes and at an apartment building in Remuera. There was surface flooding in Warkworth, Orewa and the North Shore. State Highway 25A closed because of flooding in the Karangahake Gorge. Water rescues Several boats came adrift in Auckland. A yacht sank by the container terminal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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25-01-2006, 05:56 PM
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As if that weren't enough:
Weather Chaos Reigns In Capital North Islanders Battered By Bad Weather 25.01.06: Midday Weather Bad Weather Set To Ease 25/01/2006NewstalkZBPolice and rescue services in Wellington are stretched, as heavy rain pelts the region. MetService says between 3pm and 4pm, more than 13 millimetres of rain fell. Police say this is having a major impact with a number of crashes in and around the city and it could be a long drive home for commuters. Roads around the region are reported to be treacherous. A van has crashed in the northbound lanes of the SH2 motorway between Petone and Haywards Hill about 300 metres south of the interchange, which is causing significant delays. That has compounded earlier delays for motorists travelling to the Hutt Valley caused by a crash in the northbound lanes near Horokiwi. Police are urging motorists who usually use State Highway Two to delay their travel or find an alternative route. Meanwhile there are delays between Tawa and Porirua due to a crash, while traffic has ground to a halt in the city centre after a crash on the intersection of Vivian and Victoria Streets. The Terrace tunnel was also closed for a time but has now reopened. Forecaster Paul Mallinson says the dumping of rain is the result of a strong southerly flow moving north. He says it is headed towards the Wairarapa, and will reach the Hawke's Bay tonight and Gisborne by tomorrow. He says it is the sort of thing that happens when New Zealand has a large, humid mass of air hovering over it, as is the case at the moment. Paul Mallinson says at the same time Hamilton and Wanganui are experiencing heavy rain and thunderstorms. As well as the weather, Wellington police are now dealing with a yacht in distress at Point Howard. Police say the yacht appears to have capsized. The police launch is on its way. Other than that it's lovely | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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