I’ve been away on holiday.  Cycling around beautiful te tai tokerau, camping beside the sea.

Drinking in tiny pubs with friendly locals and Monteiths on tap.

Reading the Herald, and enjoying the change from the Dominion Post. 

And less pleasantly, cycling through opulent suburbs littered with palatial mansions like Brown’s Bay.

Seriously, people in Brown’s Bay have “staff”, tending their lawns and neatly manicured hedges, their water features and flower beds.  I know, because I saw them.  Working intently in the grounds, while Brownites lunched and presumably discussed how to make more money and where to send dear little Johnny to learn how to rule.

My fears of arrest as a refugee bogan were not realised when I cycled down the seafront boulevard after picnicking on the empty, pristine beach, past the upper classes lunching in delis serving over-priced, european food. 

But I did see the messiah overlord, promising safety to Brownites Baysters.  Security for their hard-won assets, surety for their profits, sanctuary from poor people, who like me, might cycle in AT ANY TIME…… 

There, on the side of the building, huge and benign, the smiling visage of their very own representative of the Daddy State.  Just like the sign said lovingly, “Your MP, representing You”.

Murray and I had a grand holiday, thanks for asking.

A glorious example of Auckland’s struggles to govern itself at local body level shows up in the North Shore Times.

The buggers in that part of Auckland have spent five years trying to determine where two bus stops should go. They have yet to reach a decision.

Shore councillor Ann Hartley

says it looked bad when the council spent five years and $87,000 to redesign two Browns Bay bus stops and still couldn’t make a decision.

She described it as an “awful waste of public money”.
At Wednesday night’s council meeting councillors overturned an infrastructure and environment committee decision to approve a new design for the Clyde Rd stops.

This followed pressure from the East Coast Bays Community Board and Browns Bay Business Association.

According to the newspaper, councillors voted 11-3 for a working group to be set up to resolve the issue involving three councillors, a council officer and the board and business association representatives.

Then we learn of the role of community board chairman David Cooper.

It seems the new design proposed by council officers extended the single bus stops to accommodate more buses and provided wider footpaths.

But board chairman David Cooper said it would narrow the road and create a traffic hazard for motorists.

The board wanted the project put on hold and the money used put towards the longer term goal of a bus station in a different location.

Mr Cooper said he was “outraged” at councillors’ earlier decision to support the officers’ proposed design.

So here we have a community satrap who is driven to outrage by a simple decision over two bloody bus stops. He should seek treatment.

Cooper should be much more outraged at the time taken to reach decisions. As councillor Chris Darby contended, there have been six reports to the board over 11 months and the project was on-track until the board raised concerns in March.

Darby said it was time for the council to make a decision when the issue had dragged on for five years and the board was unable to make progress.

With obvious justification, he also said it wasn’t surprising there were big questions about delegations to community boards under Rodney Hide’s Super City legislation.

So here’s the way out.

Give the bloody job to Alf. He’s happy to take a look at the scene, decide where the stop should go, bang up a sign that says “bus stop”, paint the appropriate lines on the road…

Should take him half a day. A bottle of good scotch would do the trick when it comes to paying his bill.

Thursday May 7th!

Just The Thursday Thing & A’isha Presents…

THE GRADUATION WEEK SPECIAL

Featuring:

ANGELA FISKEN (Aural Trash)

TIM RICHARDS (Signature Sounds)

With support from:

Mike P – Scot Mach – Jamie D – Rory Quigley – Mark Osborne

FREE ENTRY!

$6 Beers, Wines & House Spirits
$4 Becks Beers & McKenna Bourbons for Student ID holders

We have a brand new iPod Shuffle to give away!
Just sign up to our mailing list at www.thursdaything.co.nz or by txting JOIN THURSDAYS to 8040
2nd prize = $50 A’isha bar tab
Winners will be drawn on the night, you must be there to claim your prize

Stay tuned for confirmed set times and promo mixes…

Friday May 29th

Hosted by “Rory Q” & “Sticky Knucklz”

With sh#t loads of drink specials…,

Only club on the north shore cranking till 3am!

NO COVER CHARGE!!!

Kicks off @ 9pm sharp.

Oh dont forget ya disco clogs! Coz its a straight world without twisties!

A wall painting near Browns Bay shopping centre.

The cool sea breeze gently rolling in off the calm ocean as various island chains and rocky cliffs lurk ominously in the distance creating an ambience of peace and harmony.

Browns Bay, veeery beautiful ayyy!! Nicest place to have a massage course in the world.

Most well known for helping sheep over fences and the letter six sounding like saying sex, New Zealand can be an interesting country to visit and Auckland, pretty dam boring…

Okay, if that didn’t piss off my 3 sisters and mom I’m not doing something right.

When you watch lord of the rings(who hasn’t!!!) the scenery is frkin immaculate! That is New Zealand. Some of the most pristine, untouched, gorgeous panoramic vistas imaginable.

‘On ya mate!

Just need some free time to get out and explore a bit.

Over the weekend off I hopped on the ferry, beautiful sunny day sitting on the deck watching the various speed and sailboats cursing around the bay and listened to the local young rugby boys , funny kiwi accents in full swing, on their way out for their Saturday game on Waiheke Island. $30 return bit exe!!

 First 3 nights I stayed in Auckland, a backpacker called fat camel, it was the cheapest I could find on the internet and well we all know the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ because it was shit. I was put in a room with no air ventilation and no windows and 3 other stinky guys bunking.

After some investigation through local interrogation and persuasion, I found myself bunking in a nice clean room with a window and fridge. Complimentary Swiss backpacker included free of charge!  

Nice going XBase. Good clean Large kitchen, two separate movie\sports lounges, loads of internet. All the bells and whistles really. $30 per night. I know.. . . .But worth it for your peace of mind. The lower floors may be a bit more dormy so if ya gonna go, ask for above the 4^th floor… That is, depending on what you’re looking for…

 A very lovely bunch of students who did really well, a lot of emotions getting out of where they don’t belong and I’m hoping don’t come back(the emotions that is) Good luck Guys!

Peace and Love or HARIBOL!

PS> next time I will get better shots I promise!

Enjoying the view from Rothesay Bay...

My humans gave me a huge treat last weekend – they took me to a beach on the North Shore.

This is the part of Auckland that is on the other side of the Big Water and you have to go over a long bridge to get there.

There are many lovely beaches and bays all along the coast of the North Shore.

My humans decided to go to Rothesay Bay because it is next to Browns Bay and you can walk from one to the other one when it is “low tide” – this means when those scary wave things are far away from the beach.

It was a beautiful evening – in the summer, dogs are only allowed on the beach after 6:30pm but that’s okay because during the summer, it is still light until really late…in fact, my humans said that late afternoon sun is perfect for photos!

I couldn’t wait to get out of the car to run on the beach!

Look at that sky!

My human, Hsin-Yi, played one of my favourite games with me – she would tell me to wait while she walked off a bit far away and then she would shout “COME!” and start running as fast as she could and I would have to GALLOP to try and catch her! What fun! I’m usually quite a slow, placid hound (ahem!) but when I play this game, I can really run – like a greyhound!

 Then we started walking across the rock pools to get to Browns Bay…

There were so many interesting nooks and crannies to explore…

…and lots of seaweed everywhere…everything smelled very fishy!

When we finally got to Browns Bay, there were lots of people there with their dogs. Everyone was enjoying the lovely evening. The wind was blowing very strongly, though – my ears were flying in every direction! Look at them in this photo with Hsin-Yi – Ha! Ha!

Windy day at Browns Bay!

I found a stick washed up on the sand and had a good time attacking it!

Then Hsin-Yi asked me to pose with some strange, round rocks…

I’m a pretty good poser, because Hsin-Yi LOVES taking photos all the time – so ever since I was a puppy, I’ve had lots of practice in standing and sitting in strange places and waiting until that Big Flashy Thing goes off in my face!

Just time for a photo with my other human, Paul…

Me and Paul at Browns Bay

…and then it was time to start walking back across the rock pools. We had to get back before the waves started coming up the beach again!

Hsin-Yi loved all the strange and beautiful shapes in the rock pools – she said it was amazing that it was all natural and done by the water, because some of the rocks looked like they had been carved by an artist!

The sun was just setting as we got back to Rothesay Bay…time for one last photo before we got in the car…

Doing my 'majestic dog statue' pose!

What a wonderful weekend!

View Larger Map

Browns Bay Christmas Parade hits the fast lane with SimDeck Formula Simulators.
Tis the season for merriment, summer sun and the high speed world of Formula racing in the SimDeck Simulator on the 6 December in the delightful Browns Bay Beach.

The day will feature a wide range of activities including the traditional Kiwi Xmas parade followed by a range of activities, festivities and exhibits, making it a perfectly family day.

Led by Andrew Williams the Mayor of North Shore City, the parade starts in Glen Road turns right into Bute Road and then right into Clyde Road where a parade commentary is given. The parade leaves Clyde Road by turning right into Anzac Street where it then turns right into Glen Road and ends.

The Browns Bay Xmas Parade and Festival is destined to be the most entertaining and high powered family event celebrating the arrival of Christmas. The beautiful bay is one of the most popular family beaches in Auckland and across the the road from the retail area. Make sure you visit for some or all of the day....and take the Simdeck Simulator for a spin down the circuit.

The Simdeck Formula Sim Race Car will be part of the parade and immediately following the parade will be available for visitors to race in the race car simulator for the remainder of the day.

Browns Bay Sea and Air Display – 1 – 3 pm
This event will be viewed from the Esplanade Reserve and will include a live commentary.
Navy Sea Sprite Helicopter from number 6 squadron RNZAF.
Aircraft from North Shore Aero Club.
RNZAF Formation Flying Team “The Red Chequers”
Off Shore Power Boat Demonstration
Browns Bay Coastguard Life Saving Demonstration.

Throughout the day…
Active Zone Sports Society Team *The Vipers” skaters and sports skates demonstration
Canoes & Kayaks, Model Boats Display, Power boat display, Gyro Ride, Hole in One Competition, Flight Experience, North Shore Aero Club, Mission Impossible inflatable course, SimDeck Formula 1 Race Car Simulator, V8 Super car Challenge, Hot Rod and Motor Sport Display including A1 Grand Prix Race Car, NZ V8 Championship Race Cars, Ology Water Sports Display, Food stall and more.
Performances and displays on stage throughout the day at the Esplanade Reserve include:
North Shore Junior Orchestra
Pinehurst Jazz Combo
Birds of Paradise, Cook Island music and dance troupe
Global Fitness Martial Arts Demonstration.
Auckland Full Gospel Church.

The 2008 XFest! is proudly presented by the Browns Bay Business Association.
Details
Saturday, 6 December
11am – 3 pm
Christmas Parade
11am – 12 noon

Map

We were out for the day today, as it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow. My own mother died last October, so tomorrow I will spend with my immediate family, whose need is greater.

We had a much-shorter-than-planned walk at Carnfunnock Country Park, which is a sure fire hit with the kids, with its amazing playground with about a hundred different slides. There’s also a cool maze in the shape of Northern Ireland and great views over the Irish Sea, and a lovely wood with some great walks, but the buggy won’t normally cope- I am looking forward to seeing more of them when the kids are older!

We decided that the weather was going to turn and that we should head for some lunch. It was sunny when we got there, but typically the clouds were rolling in!

Ian used to go to the Ballygally Castle Hotel as a child and remembered the food and place in general fondly. It was only a few miles away up the Antrim Coast Road, so we decided it would be a good spot for some lunch.

When we arrived, we were told that we could have informal “soup and sandwich” food in the lounge or wait until 12.30 for formal dining in their main restaurant (it was about a quarter past). We chose the former, and settled down in some comfortable chairs near the open fire. There are views of the Irish Sea from the lounge, but I suspect that the main dining room probably makes more of them than this older part of the building.

We ordered steak and chili paninis for me and Ian, soup and sandwiches for Ricky and Robbie. They also offered to bring us some chips, which weren’t on the menu but which we readily agreed to as it was a treat.

The food was nice- the paninis were tasty, the soup (tomato and lentil- an unusual combination, but nice) went down well with the kids, and Ricky ate his ham sandwich with enthusiasm. The chips were MAGNIFICENT- crispy on the outside and fluffy inside- whoever made them needs a gold star! Definitely the best thing on the menu!

Weirdly and superfluously, they brought a basket of bread rolls that we didn’t order, which were like granite, must have been about three days old and totally inedible?!! So that was rather odd, given that the rest of the food was lovely!

Service also was a little strange- a perfectly charming French waitress whose English needs work (probably why she’s there), a lovely lady in her forties who, despite being very friendly, seemed obsessed with spraying and cleaning the surrounding tables, and a pleasant gent in his forties who wouldn’t leave the baby alone, for some reason. I’m sure there was nothing sinister in it, but PERSONAL space, dude!!!

After a nice lunch, we went to Brown’s Bay, near Larne, for a walk (except Robbie went to sleep, so I left Ricky and Ian to it and stayed in the car with him), before coming home happy and tired.

A good day out!