SID

These SID's or Speed Indicator Devices are popping up on various roads around Hamilton.

Speed Indication Devices are used to indicate to the public their speed and if they're exceeding the speed limit will advise the motorist by alternately flashing their speed and "SLOW DOWN".

Ngaruawahia Mist

Winter mist shrouds the hills behind Ngaruawahia, just north of Hamilton.

Ngaruawahia is a significant place for Maori. It is the home of the Maori King and the magnificent Turangawaewae Marae. The marae is open only once a year, during the annual regatta, which is held on the nearest Saturday to the 17th March. Ngaruawahia is located at the junction of two great rivers - Waikato and Waipa. These rivers were once important canoe routes; later they served European settlers.

Taupiri Mountain, which watches over Ngaruawahia, is sacred and contains the Waikato’s most significant Maori burial ground. You can walk to the summit for views of the region.

To hear how Ngaruawahia and other New Zealand place names are pronounced click here to go to the Korero Maori website.

source: www.newzealand.com

Downtown

Downtown architecture.

Spitfire #2

This replica Mark16 Spitfire resides at Memorial Park, Hamilton. It was unveiled on the 27th November 2004 to commemorate all who served in the Royal New Zealand Airforce during World War II.

I have modified this photo to create an 'older' effect and the stand the plane sits on has been removed to give the impression it's actually flying :)

You can see the original here

Jigsaw

A jigsaw reflection of the National Bank building in Hamilton.

Sentrys

Two Sentrys stand guard at Hamilton Gardens.

Sun Tops

The winter sun creates an interesting effect as it catches the tops of these trees.

Scooter Power

Here's a cheap form of transport on display at The Scooter Bar in Anglesea St, Hamilton.

The scooter emerged out of a necessity of transport rather than anything else after the Second World War. Italy was ravaged after the Second World War, their roads were destroyed and transportation system was in a mess. The need of the hour was for an affordable transportation system which the Italians could use to manoeuvre on the war ravaged roads without digging a hole in their pockets. Guess who came to the rescue!

An Italian company Piaggio who were into the manufacturing business, Enrico Piaggio, the founder's son, realized the need for an affordable form of transport and entrusted the responsibility of developing such a vehicle to Corradino D'Ascanio who is credited with inventing the helicopter.

D' Ascanio created a single chassis two-wheeler and showed it to Enrico Piaggio who felt that it looked like a wasp (Vespa in Italian and hence the name).

Thus it preformed dual purpose it looked good and also provided a reliable form of transportation, it provided the riders a feel of the air, a sense of speed and thrill. The first Vespa was manufactured in 1946 and with in a decade or so it was being exported to other European countries.

Jack Is Back!

With a low of -2°C and wind chill factor making it feel like -3°C it was a cold start in Hamilton this morning. This photo was taken at about 8:30 a.m. and as you can see it's still cold but we're in for a clear sunny day :)

Scholars Garden #2

Inside one of the entrance ways at the Chinese Scholars Garden at The Hamilton Gardens :)

Bright Red

Here's a bright red phone box at Cambridge :)

Scholars Garden

Looking through an entrance at the Chinese Scholars Garden at The Hamilton Gardens.

Scholars' gardens represented an imaginative world of allegory, fantasy, mystery and surprise and were rich in evocative symbolism, ambiguity and thought provoking ingenuity.

While these are elements found in some other ancient gardens and architecture, generally they are unfamiliar to modern western gardeners who focus on the functions of a garden and on plant collections. Hence we often find them difficult to understand and to value.

source: Hamilton Gardens

The Steeple

The steeple of St Andrews Church Cambridge.

Steeples generally serve as bell or clock towers. Towers were not a part of Christian churches until about AD 600, when they were adapted from military watchtowers. At first they were fairly modest and entirely separate structures from churches. Over time, they were incorporated into the church building and capped with ever-more elaborate roofs until the steeple resulted.

Towers are a common element of religious architecture worldwide and are generally viewed as attempts to reach skyward toward Heavens and the Divine.

For more information on St Andrews please visit the Parish Website

Source: Wikipedia

Stabling, Paddocks and Billiard Saloon

The Raglan Harbour View Hotel was built in 1905 after the first two burnt down.

At the time the facility was described thus:

“Tourists and families will find this hotel replete with every comfort and convenience: Good Stabling, Paddocks and Billiard Saloon”.

The Harbour View Hotel, Bow Street, Raglan, is a two-storey villa-style building that visually dominates the heart of Raglan’s retail area. Built in early 1905 it is the third Harbour View Hotel building on the site, two previous buildings having burnt down in 1901 and 1904. The first was erected in 1866 by George Moon at a time when Raglan (then known as Whaingaroa) was developing as a European-style town.

The hotel has been a major part of community and social life for over 140 years with its various owners and publicans making contributions at local and national levels. The original 1905 L-shaped building has had several recent additions.

source: historic.org.nz

Fish On A Rock

Here's a fish out of water :)

Lakeside

The weather is getting cooler now as winter approaches but a visit to Turtle Lake at the Hamilton Gardens to feed the ducks is still a pleasant way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

"Stonehenge" for Ann :)

I promised Ann a while ago I would investigate this artwork (stonehenge as we called it lol) at the eastern entrance to Hamilton Gardens that she noticed as she drove through Hamilton a while ago so I have taken a couple of pics and dug up this info...

This from the Hamilton Gardens Website

The design proposal submitted by Chris Booth and Diggeress Te Kanawa for this particular site was selected through a competition of invited top New Zealand artists. The sculpture was largely funded by the WEL Energy Trust who were involved in the final selection. The competition required a massive sculpture that could be seen and appreciated from fast moving vehicles at a busy site with signs and street lights.

The following is sculptor Chris Booth's own explanation of the symbolism and meaning of the sculpture and his acknowledgement of those involved in its creation.

"It was through my quest to find a way to celebrate the entranceway to Hamilton Gardens and the advice sought from Diggeress te Kanawa about the concept, that the sculpture 'Nga Uri o Hinetuparimaunga' was born. The eroded forms of the ignimbrite escarpment at Hinuera gave inspiration for the 21 columns. It was appropriate to use this stone because I'm told the erosion of this material over thousands of years has formed much of the land of the Waikato region, carried and deposited by the Waikato river. The land of Hamilton Gardens is beside the river. The stone is symbolic of this earth.

The need to symbolically protect five of the Hinuera columns with an earth blanket or Kakahu, a protective woven pebble cloak, came to me from witnessing too much local, national and international disrespect for mother earth. Along with protection, the Kakahu also symbolically honours the wonder of mother earth. 12,000 quartz pebbles from Southland and 1000 greywacke pebbles from Kaiaua form the Kakahu which is titled, 'Te Kahu o Papatuanuku'. Three ancient patterns were translated into stone from a traditional korowai woven by Diggeress te Kanawa in 2001. They are: Nihoniho, Te Karu o Te Whenua and Toorakaraka.

The title for the complete sculpture, 'Nga Uri o Hinetuparimaunga', was given at the official handover ceremony on 5th April 2005 by Haare puke and John Haunui, kaumatua of Ngati Wairere.

The Kakahu was given the name 'Te Kahu o Papatuanuku', on 3rd April 2005 by Ngati Wairere kaumatua, Haare Puke.

In consultation with Diggeress te Kanawa it was my main assistant, Tom Heihei of Ngati Rehia (his mother, Huia Heihei, is a celebrated local weaver in the Bay of Islands) who guided the translation of the patterns to stone in the Kakahu. The enormous task of weaving the Kakahu was carried out by Tania Booth in my Kerikeri studio. The diamond drilling of the pebbles was carried out in my studio by a number of people: Tom Heihei, Moses Pere, Tania Booth, Mark Graver, Pete Barnett and Daniel the Brazilian.

The 21 Hinuera stone columns were created with the assistance of Tom Heihei, Josh Smith and quarry staff using stone from the dura/select strata at Firth Hinuera Quarry, Matamata."