Teen's Death Doesn't Faze Bridge Jumpers in Raglan

I remember this bridge, in Raglan.  I remember all the people that jumped off of it.  It did look like they were having an incredible amount of fun.  I don't even know how deep those waters were.  Either way, today's tragic event demonstrates that there is danger in this activity.

Today a 16 year old young man, died as his friend landed on top of him.  His friends searched for him, and found him 10 - 15 minutes later.  He could not be revived.  Full story in The New Zealand Herald.

There is a video embedded in the article which shows the bridge, and people jumping off the bridge.

Fire at Domaine Restaurant

The first thing I thought of was that "I've eaten there before!"  I can't believe there was a huge fire there.

As written in the New Zealand Herald, there was a huge blaze at The Domaine restaurant in Hamilton.  It looks pretty bad from the pictures.  Reading these articles brings back memories of living there.  When I read that fire fighters came in from Cambridge and Ngaruawahia, I immediately try to recall where those places were and if we went there.  We definitely went to Cambridge a few times.  We even went to the museum there.

I'll see if I can find pictures of the food we had at The Domaine.  If you know me, you'd know that I love to take pictures of my food.  I recall that the food was okay.  The service was good though.  I hope that the owners can recover from this unfortunate incident quickly.

Toronto vs. New Zealand: Through the eyes of one kiwi reporter

This article is from the Toronto Star.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/09/24/how-toronto-compares-to-new-zealand-from-pests-to-junk-food.html

It is written by Olivia Carville, a New Zealander who has been living in Toronto for a year now.

As a Canadian who lived in New Zealand for a little while, I can TOTALLY relate but from the flip side.

1.  Tipping:  Yup, we do it in Canada and the States.  It is definitely nice not to have to think about tipping.  You would think the service would be abysmal, but it isn't!  The kiwis are still nice to you.  Now, maybe they aren't asking you about your drinks or your food immediately...so it's not quite the same...but it's not bad.

2. Driving on the other side of the road: Yup, definitely an adventure.  And even when you return to Canada after driving kiwi style for a while it's still an adventure.  It's especially funny when you want to signal and the wipers go off...even funnier when it's a sunny day with no rain in sight.

3. Caesar:  Hey, I learned something new!  I didn't know that this drink was primarily consumed in Canada.  Although I've had them, they are not my drink of choice.  They don't make me cringe though!

4. Moving at -25C:  Ha!  Yes, it does get quite cold in Canada.  But you know what...at least we are warm inside our houses!  The number of poorly insulated homes in New Zealand is astounding.  Even more surprising is how modern these homes looked.  I missed insulated housing and HVAC systems dearly while living in NZ.

5. The accent:  This New Zealander gets her accent mistaken for Aussie, and often has to spell out her last name (not a difficult, or uncommon one).  I got asked if I was American a lot.  People could not understand me when I said "desk."  I feel her pain.

6. Toronto city life: Cold.  Impersonal.  Dressed-up dogs.  Netflix.  vs. Jandals to work.  Jandals - you might be wondering what these are.  In Canada, they are known as flip flops.  Someone once told me that it stood for Jesus sandals.  Anyways, these are all descriptions of the writer's Toronto life.  In contrast to Toronto life, New Zealand life is more about lifestyle and less about the rat race she is talking about.  Definitely different.

And now we move on to her real list of differences! :

7. Pests: Possums vs. Raccoons - I've seen many raccoons in Canada, but I did not see that many possums.  I also lived in Canada for a lot longer, so that might have something to do with it.

8. Chips and Sauce:  Fish and Chips vs. Poutine - I personally love both.  LOVE!

9. Living: Flats vs. Apartments - no experience with this one.

10.  Water:  Pacific Ocean vs. Lake Ontario - I think I like the ocean more since it's more exotic for me.  But I think it's awesome that Lake Ontario is an awesome source of fresh water.

11. Pie: Mince pie vs. apple pie - I tried a few meat pies in New Zealand, but maybe I didn't try enough of them because I never got hooked on them.  But apple pies...yummm

12. Sports: Rugby vs. Hockey - It's true that there are a lot of die-hard Leafs fans around, but I feel like the kiwis have us beat in terms of enthusiasm for their national sport.

13.  Sweets:  Lollies, Goody Goody Gum Drops, and Pineapple Lumps vs. Pudding, candy and doughnuts -  I have only tried the pineapple lumps she mentioned.  I was not a fan.  Doughnuts are soooo expensive in New Zealand.  It's nice to come back to Canada and be able to have one of the many different flavours of donuts around...for $0.90 vs $2.50

14. Travel:  Farm bikes and cars vs. subways and streetcars - She mentioned gumboots!  Gumboots are basically those knee-high rubber boots.  They are worn on farms, and other messy environs.  Anyways, the main mode of transport is/are farm bikes/cars.  In downtown Toronto you have your subways and streetcars.  If she ventures out of the downtown core during rush hour she might notice tonnes of cars, especially on the highway.

15. Christmas: Beaches and BBQs vs. Snowflakes and mulled wine -  It is a huge difference.  Celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer felt quite odd.  One other thing to note is the amount of commercialism associated with Christmas in North America.  There are Christmas items out for sale in late September!  Decorations are out usually just after Hallowe'en (she doesn't mention Hallowe'en, but this is also a major difference in the two countries.  It is a big party in the T-dot...not so much in NZ).

There are so many other little differences to note, but this article was a good throw back to living in New Zealand.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Te Reo Maori

While we were in New Zealand, I joined the SPACE programme (an awesome program for parents and babies).  There we sang songs, played with our babies, talked about baby things...  One thing I learned (kinda) was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Maori.  Upon coming back to Canada, I really only remembered the first two lines.  Now and then I would sing them to my little one.  Turns out, she was listening.  To my surprise she sang back to me those first two lines!  So now I was curious as to how to sing the rest of it.

Here are the lyrics courtesy of Kreative Kidz

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Tirama, tirama nga whetu

Kei te pehea ra koutou

Kii runga ake ra

He taimana to rite

Tirama, tirama nga whetu

Kei te pehea ra koutou

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

And here is a video of some kids singing it!

NZ Transport Ad Commercial

New Zealand had quite a few good memorable commercials.  I plan to list more of them as they come to my mind, and if I can find them on YouTube.

Here is a very powerful one.  WARNING, this commercial is not for the faint of heart.

My friends, if you visit New Zealand, remember to drive carefully.  Most of the roads are two lane highways.  Much of it is not straight.  Most of you will be driving on 'the other side' of the road.  Stay safe!

Who dies on Shortland Street

Even though we can't watch Shortland Street anymore since we're not in the country...we can still read the recaps!

So, it turns out someone dies on Shortland Street!  The Facebook fan page, and website give all these clues as to whom it may or may not be.

Let's try to debunk them...

http://shortlandstreetclues.tvnz.co.nz/

Each day until Shortland Street returns on January 13th 2014 we will release a clue for you to piece together the secrets that no one else knows. Follow the clues and you and a friend could win a morning tea with Shortland Street stars and a chance to be walk-on extras in one of the 2014 episodes of Shortland Street. Enter the competition here.

Oh man...morning tea and being an extra...

CLUE #1
It sounds like Bella making the 111 Emergency call

CLUE #2
Sarah tries to text message TK but gets no response.  Does this imply that TK is the one who dies?

CLUE #3
This is a trailer video clip that shows a hearse 1) Rachel, who looks to be sitting in the back of a car or hearse, 2) Roimata standing in a cemetary 3) Chris 4) TK 5) Emma 6) Josh.  The it says "for one of them, this is the end"   So a couple of theories here:  it is one of the people in the clip (perhaps one of them is in ghost form); it is no one shown, since they must all be alive if they are shown.

CLUE #4
They even drafted up a fake article about the explosion!

The key points in the article are the witness account saying
- I don't know what happened - but I think the deck went down
- they saw four to five body bags being wheeled away from the scene.
...does this mean that all the people from CLUE #3 die?

CLUE #5
A fake FB page, with pictures from the Warner Bach Explosion.  Not having seen the actual episodes, I would not know what the characters were wearing before the explosion.  You see a pink jandal, a blue jandal, and two articles of clothing or accessories, a shattered photo of the Warner family.
Some of the comments are hilarious, like RIP towel.

CLUE #6
It's a police report listing items of clothing as evidence.  Reading the comments below the clue, it looks like the majority of the clothing belongs to the people in the clue 3 video.

CLUE #7
This looks to be clue 3 all over again, but there is a 7a AND 7b version with the text "Can you notice anything different? " Do you see anything?

CLUE #8
A ripped up police report about Josh.  He committed an offence on Nov 5.

CLUE #9
An encrypted audio recording which sounds like Josh.

CLUE #10
It's an internal police call.  One of the commenters does a superb job cleaning up the audio so you can tell what the other side of the conversation is.  The gist of it, is that evidence has leaked to the media.  It surrounds some documents the police are focusing on.  The media will not know the list of victim(s) until all the families are notified.  So...does one person die? or more than one?

CLUE #11
The clue highlights some words "EVIL KEY VIRUS".  If you unscramble the words, you get "Kylie survives."

CLUE #12
A diagram showing the layout of the bach, where everyone was during the explosion, and the blast radius.  The closest to the blast were Roimata, Harry, and Chris.

Leeeegend!

There are some things that are really memorable about our time in New Zealand.  The following commercial is one of them.

It is an anti-drunk driving commercial.  If you travel to New Zealand, you will also see signs along the road warning against drunk driving.

Some notable things about the commerical
1) the accents
2) bro
3) ghost chips
4) puzzle time
5) internalizing a complex situation in my head (heeed)

This commercial is soooo New Zealand...

Decks and Caulk

So maybe you have read my other posts about me being misunderstood due to my "accent".

Well here is a taste of the New Zealand accent.

Yes, they really do pronounce 'deck' like that.

* warning: humourous  yet a  touch on the vulgar side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkmeoYKYctw

Those out-takes at the end make reference to a squirrel being on the guy's deck.  Firstly, I never ever saw a squirrel in New Zealand.  As far as I know, New Zealand does not have squirrels.  But squirrels are more well-known to the rest of the world (at least those in North America).  If he said, "Hey, get that pukeko off my deck" there would be alot of head scratching and much of the humour might have been lost.

Rihanna visits New Zealand and gets tattoo!

I get a little nostalgic when I hear any 'news' about New Zealand.

The latest thing I heard on the radio today was that Rihanna marked her recent visit to New Zealand with a tattoo...etched into her skin with a chisel, mallet and ink pigment.

http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/rihanna-s-maori-tattoo-etched-hammer-5643554

But when they said 'may-or-ee' instead of 'mow-ree' when describing the traditional Maori tattoo, I felt like calling into the radio station to tell them how it should be pronounced.

And if you still don't know how it is pronounced...see link here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2YwfHazDSc

The things I miss

It has been a while since the last post.  There are still many things to talk about, and perhaps one day those topics will end up on this blog.

While I missed 'home', I do find myself missing aspects of New Zealand.

Lifestyle.   Many people told us that New Zealand is about lifestyle.  They even have things called Lifestyle blocks!  Lifestyle blocks are essentially big plots of land with room for livestock like sheep, horses, etc.  The pace of life is more relaxed.  Ever since we got back to Toronto, it has been go go go. Maybe this will all settle down, but in the meantime, it has not.

The traffic in Toronto is horrendous.  Now, they say the traffic in Auckland is terrible too, but in Hamilton rush hour seemed to add no more than 15 minutes to your travel.  Keep in mind that this is significant when it takes like 10 minutes to get across town.  But, more to the point, it takes 10 minutes to get across town!  Now, back in the GTA, if you drive 10 minutes we would be lucky if we hit our destination.  But it is more likely that we have only hit the halfway mark.

New Zealand is beautiful, I will give it that.  Canada is beautiful too...but Canada is quite spread out.  Hamilton was very central to lots of places: 1.5hr from Rotorua, 30-45min from Raglan, 1.5hr-1hr45min to Auckland, 2hr to Taupo, 1hr to Waitomo...there were lots of places that we were able to visit.  Although some attractions were quite expensive, much of NZ was quite accessible.

We left alot of things behind.  One of them was a stroller.  A Steelcraft Eden four wheel, reversible handle stroller.  I wish we knew that it was free to take onto the plane.  Now that we're back in Canada, we are finding it difficult to find a reversible handle stroller that we like.  We miss it lots.  We miss the four wheel drive, the large basket in the bottom.  Sigh.

Good produce.  It was expensive produce, but for the most part, it was generally quite tastey.  Markets! There was always a market going on somewhere.  And now that we have left Hamilton, we hear that there is a pretty good Nightmarket!  http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/8663278/Hamilton-gets-first-taste-of-night-market.  This would have been a 7 minute walk from where we lived!  Oh well.

SPACE.  No, not the final frontier.  SPACE stands for Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education (http://www.space.org.nz/).  It was a great program, where other first time moms could gather with their babies and interact and learn.  We sang songs, learned about some important topics (Emergency aid, baby movement, eating...), read to babies, let them play, learned about what types of play were good at different ages (ages = weeks).  I can't reiterate enough, how great a program this was/is.

Shortland Street.  That's right.  Watching the evening soap opera centered around a fictional NZ hospital was a daily ritual.  While we cannot watch it from Canada (it's blocked), we can still read about what's going on ...http://tvnz.co.nz/shortland-street/episodes-3341561.

Our friends.  There were lots of good friends made in NZ.  Many of them were actually foreigners.  People in general, were pretty nice - foreigner or NZ'er.

What I don't miss?  The lack of well insulated housing.  Turn up the heat you say?  Well, when most of the heat escapes, and you feel large drafts coming from the sliding doors, it feels pointless to turn up the heat.  Besides, the underfloor heating that came with our flat was an expensive heating method.

I also don't miss Rugby.  Mostly because I don't get the sport.  It was still good to see the hype that surrounded the Rugby World Cup back in 2011.  But it didn't get me hooked.

I still turn on the windshield wipers accidentally sometimes, when really I intend to signal a turn.  My mind still thinks about driving on the 'wrong' side at times, but that habit is mostly gone.

Maybe one day we'll be back for a visit.  But New Zealand is far from home, so it probably won't be any time soon.  One day.

New Zealand Drought Makes the News in Toronto!

There was an article (blog post?) in The Toronto Star today about the drought that New Zealand is experiencing at the moment.

http://thestar.blogs.com/worlddaily/2013/03/worst-drought-in-new-zealand-in-30-years.html

It's true.  Last year I was blogging about how it was raining everyday for weeks at a time.  I had also described it as torrential downpour rain, and not just the pitter patter type.

This year, there is a stark contrast in the weather.  This is what summer should have felt like.  It has been quite warm and humid in the past couple of months (since maybe December).  We actually had to turn on the ceiling fans for the first time to help circulate the air.  Oh yes, I have not blogged about the lack of central heating / air conditioning in New Zealand.  Ceiling fans.  That is what we have relied on to help cool us down.

It's March now, and it's still very warm.  It's still singlet (tank top) weather.  People still walk around with no shoes...but don't be deceived...this happens in all sorts of weather / seasons - including winter.

- Last year, the weather was kind to the farmers bringing about great crop yields.  This year it's a very different story
- straw was shipped from the South Island to the North Island for the farmers in crisis (http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/8422683/Straw-sent-to-North-Island-farmers-in-crisis)
- dust devils blow across some North Island cities like Hamilton, which can be seen from the mall
(http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8358294/Dust-devils-blow-in-as-big-dry-continues)
- dust devil hits the Pasifika Festival in Auckland while we're there...but we didn't see it (video)

First Long Weekend of 2013!

Happy Auckland Anniversary Day!  It usually occurs on the Monday nearest January 29th.

It's a regional holiday...like if there was an 'Ontario Day' or something.

Accidents Happen

There was a Zorbing accident in Russia where one man was killed as the Zorb flew off-course, an into a gorge.  There is a video on Youtube, as well as an article here.

Now, extreme activities and adventure sports such as Zorbing and Bungee jumping were born in New Zealand, but they are no longer unique to this country.  Earlier last year, there was a young Australian woman who survived when her bungee cord snapped when she made a jump in Africa (video interview here).

Speaking of accidents...there were a few things that happened last year in New Zealand that stand out in my mind:
1) Hot air balloon flies into power lines (article here)
2) Tourists drown crossing alpine river near Franz Josef (article here)
3) Tourist dies in car crash near Waitomo Caves (article here)
4) New Zealanders fall off cliff while hiking Paritutu Rock (article here and here)
5) Skydiving plane crashes (article here)

Hope I haven't scared you.  I still say go out there and have fun!  But, be weary that sometimes those thrilling, fun activities do end tragically.  Exercise caution and common sense, please!  Oh, especially while driving.  In New Zealand, you are driving on 'the other side' ... sometimes there is heavy rain...and sometimes the roads are very windy...the roads are unfamiliar.  Be cautious when overtaking traffic (much of New Zealand is connected by two-lane highways) and when approaching those one-lane bridges!

Come visit =)

I need subtitles

In New Zealand, I need subtitles.  Let me elaborate a little further...but first, some funny clips that help me illustrate the situation and/or how I'm feeling at the moment...

Okay.  So I don't think my English is bad.  In fact, it's great! (modesty - check).  It's only after coming to New Zealand that I feel like I am speaking a different language.  

Me: Do they have a desk?

Lady: A what?

Me: A desk.

Lady: I'm sorry a what?

Me: A desk - like a writing desk?

Lady:  Oh, a desk! (which she pronounced more like disk)

Lady 2: What is the name of the session?

Me: Sleep Talk

Lady 2: I don't think we have that one.

Me:  Sleep Talk?

Lady 2: I'm sorry - what?

Me:  SLEEEEEP TAALK

Lady 2: Oh, sleep talk! (she pronounced talk more like tolk)

They like long e's here.  Bed, yes, red...these all sound a bit different here.  Sounds more like bead, yis, reed.

And Torontonians - next time you say Toronto, see if it sounds like Torono.  Apparently we do that...drop the T when we say it.

Air New Zealand - in flight briefing video

I have found that Air New Zealand's in flight safety briefing videos are pretty entertaining, and different from your usual run of the mill safety video.  Check out the latest one!  Good fun.

It's filled with people dressed as characters from Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit.  There are even appearances from Gollum and (Sir) Peter Jackson!

The previous video was rugby related, featuring many players from the All Blacks rugby team.  You'll see Waikato's mascot, the Mooloo cow sitting in first class.

Oh, and you will often recognize an Air New Zealand stewardess by their bright purple patterned dress as shown in the video.

The Rugby video was perfect for the Rugby World Cup last year.  The Lord of the Rings video is perfect for the Hobbit movie which is premiering this month!   I love the little details, like the reference to "An Unexpected Journey" (An Unexpected Briefing).

Travelling in New Zealand 101

When we first mentioned to our friends and family that we were moving to New Zealand, many of the first reactions we got were "Cool!  I'll come visit you!"  While we have received some visitors, it is no where near the number of people who are interested in coming.

If you wish to visit us, our door is open to you my friends.  BUT please do not come just to visit us, for we live in Hamilton, New Zealand.  When people travel to New Zealand, they do not come solely to Hamilton.  New Zealand is a far, and expensive flight for most North Americans, so plan wisely!

Here are some things I tell people to consider:

WHERE AND HOW LONG?

Where do you want to visit and how long are you vacationing for?  I can't tell you how many people start off saying "I'm going on vacation to ______, maybe I can drop by New Zealand."  For ______, insert Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, etc...somewhere we normally consider far.  You may think that New Zealand is just a hop, skip, and jump away from these places - but it is not.  Hong Kong  and Malaysia are still 11hrs away.  Australia is anywhere from 3 - 6 hours away by plane.

So while you are closer in theory (compared to the 20+hours it takes from Toronto, for example), you are still not THAT close.  You also have to consider how much vacation time you have, not to mention the cost of a flight!  Flights aren't cheap!  Either is travelling to/in New Zealand.

Recommendation:

• Have at least two weeks to travel in New Zealand.  You could probably do it in less if you plan to just hit a couple of big cities like Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch - but most people do not come to New Zealand to check out the cities
• If you want to do a road trip through both the North and South Islands, you would probably need  closer to one to two months.  
• Hikes, scenery, and adventure / extreme activities - New Zealand has lots of these.  Hope you like these things!
• You are likely to fly into Auckland, so plan your travels from there.  Some transportation ideas to follow below...
• New Zealand summer is Canada's winter.  Maybe it was just last summer, but it did not get that hot here.  Maybe mid-twenties.  Comfortable temperatures compared to the high humidity experienced in Toronto this past summer
• Bring layers!  It rains often.  Be prepared to pile on layers and a waterproof layer, but also to take these off.

TRANSPORTATION

There are several ways to get around

• Rent a car
• Rent a camper
• Take cheap intercity buses
• Take the ferry across to the other island - expensive!
• Buy a car and sell it at the end of your trip
• Tours that incorporate transportation
• Flights - Grabaseat

HOW TO DO IT CHEAPLY

• Grab One - Group deals site where you can find restaurant deals, hotel discounts, discounts for activities such as surfing, zorbing, or black water rafting
• Naked Bus - you can find some really really cheap bus rides from city to city ($30 to go from Hamilton to Wellington?  That's cheaper than the fuel cost if you drove there.)
• Grabaseat flights - you can also find some cheap flights, some as cheap as the bus rides but faster!

HIGHLIGHT REEL

It's so hard to say what you should go see.  It depends on how much time you have and what you really really want to do.  It makes no sense to try and scramble across the island by bus when you only have a week...unless you want to spend most of your time on the bus.  When we planned our South Island roadtrip, we almost made the mistake of not properly factoring in travel time.  You have to be realistic about how many things you want to see and do, given the amount of time you have.

Here is a(n) (incomplete) list of places we have been to, or passed through - if you're interested in more thoughts and opinions on any individual spots ask away!

North Island:

Cape Reinga

Pahia

Kerikeri - visited a yummy chocolate store - Makana

Whangerei

Auckland

Kauri Museum

tallest and oldest kauri trees

Bay of Islands

Tauranga

Tongariro Crossing

Taupo

Te Aroha

Paeora

Wellington

Palmerston North

Raglan

Waitomo

Coromandel

Hot Water Beach

Whangamata

Rotorua

Otorahonga

Ohakune

Hamilton

Cambridge

Interislander Ferry

South Island:
Blenheim

Abel Tasman

Fox Glacier

Franz Glacier

Omaru

Punakaki

Wanaka

Queenstown

Milford Sound

Mount Cook

Kaikoura

Elephant rocks

Now, this is a really rough look at travelling to New Zealand.  I've had this conversation several times with friends, so it's worth writing down.  I'll add more as more conversations materialize, or as a I remember to write things down!

Hope to see you soon!

Happy Father's Day!

To all Fathers out there in Australia and New Zealand, Happy Father's Day!

Yes, it's September and not June!  Just one of the many differences between North American and Aus/NZ.

Quiz Questions and Answers

I reckon you'll get only a few more posts of quiz questions and answers before there is a semi-permanent to permanent hiatus due to other commitments...so enjoy!


QUESTIONS:

1. In which year did Captain Cook discover New Zealand?
2. Which CSI actor played Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the movie Forrest Gump?
3. What number bus was Forrest Gump waiting for in the movie?
4. What character is actor Burt Ward known for playing?
5. What is a female rabbit called?
6. Gene Roddenberry created which long running TV programme: Bonanza or Star Trek?
7. Is Shawn Carter better known in America as the rapper Jay Z or 50 Cent?
8. Who is the inventor of the TV?  Name any year that he lived.
9. What is the capital city of the state of Oklahoma?
10. What is the name given to the observance where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights int he desert?
11. All modern cameras tend to use an SD card.  What does S and D stand for?
12. What is the only anagram that can be made from the word "English"
13. One of the biggest operations of WWII was code named "Operation Overlord."  What was that operation?
14. What is the hardest and softest mineral known to mankind?
15. Anagram: I LIKE EM YOUNG
16. List in order of oldest to youngest:
• Bill Gates
• Sven Goran Erickson
• Jesse Ryder
• 50 cent
• Catherine Zeta Jones
• Kylie Minogue
17. Anagram: A LICE MACHINE
18. What is the capital city of Norway?
19. From 1841 - 1846, New Zealand was divided into 3 provinces - name two of them.
20. How many movies did Elvis make, more or less than 20?

Let's leave it at that for now...there are a few more to add to this list, but for the sake of posting...here you go!

ANSWERS

1. 1769
2. Gary Sinise
3. bus number 9
4. Robin (from Batman)
5. doe
6. Star Trek
7. Jay Z
8. John Logie Baird, 1888 - 1946
9. Oklahoma City
10. Lent
11. Secure Digital
12. shingle
13. Battle of Normandy
14. diamond and talc
15. Kylie Minogue
16. oldest to youngest:
1. Sven Goran Erickson - 1948
2. Bill Gates - 1955
3. Kylie Minogue - 1968
4. Catherine Zeta Jones - 1969
5. 50 cent - 1975
6. Jesse Ryder - 1984
17. Michael Caine
18. Oslo
19. New Ulster, New Munster, New Leinster
20. more than 20 (31)

Mount Tongariro Erupts

Mount Tongariro is about 2.5 hrs away from Hamilton, near Taupo.  There is a wonderful walking track there, and it is rated one of the top walks / hikes in the world.

Well right now, that track is closed due to a volcanic eruption that occurred on August 6th, 2012 at 11:50pm.  It was apparently a minor eruption that has left a dusting of ash over neighbouring areas.  (article per stuff.co.nz:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7426862/First-Tongariro-eruption-in-over-100-years).  The ski slopes remain open on Mt Ruapehu, but some flights were affected due to the ash cloud.

New Zealand sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and so being prepared for earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions would be a good idea.  Hamilton is probably one of the safest areas in New Zealand.  It is situated inland, making it a safe distance from tsunamis.  It is also a good distance from fault lines.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/4760577/Play-it-safe-live-in-Hamilton

It does rain a lot though...and we are close to the Waikato River.  We have seen water levels rise to cover the bike paths, but it hasn't risen enough to touch our backyard ... yet.  Let's hope it stays that way.

Quiz Questions and Answers

A few weeks of accumulated questions...

QUESTIONS:

1. What is phonophobia the fear of?
2. What is the United States of America's most populated city?
3. Anagram: DICKHEAD AMBV
4. What is the main spirit in a Singapore Sling: Gin, Vodka, or Whiskey?
5. What year was Jitterbug by Wham released?
6. List in order of oldest to youngest:
• Barry White
• David Beckham
• Rihanna
• Gabriel Bryne
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Kevin Spacey
7. Is the Great Wall of China more or less than 2000 miles?
8. Yes or no, do tigers purr?
9. Which bear was created by author Michael Bond: Rupert the bear, Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear?
10. What was Chuck Yeager the first man to do?
11. What do people assume happens when you travel to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone?  Which castle is it in?
12. How many players on a baseball team
13. Excluding the ball, how many pieces of wooden equipment are used in a game of cricket?
14. Anagram: CHIC FLAIR FDR
15. What is the official language of Argentina?
16. Who was the Greek god of the sea?  Who was the Roman god of the sea?
17. In Notting Hill, what drink did Hugh Grant spill on Julia Roberts: red wine or orange juice?
18. Della Street was the secretary to which well known TV detective: Chief Ironside or Perry Mason?
19. What was the first flavour of gum produced by Wrigley's: juicy fruit or spearmint?
20. The Gulf of Bothnia is part of which sea?
21. Often associated with tires, what rating system is associated with restaurants?  What is the maximum number of stars you can get?
22. To the nearest mile, what is the distance an olympic marathon?
23. In Scrabble, what is the value of the letter 'Z'?
24. What is the capital city of Jordan?
25. List from oldest to youngest:
• Ben Stiller
• Charles Manson
• Cameron Diaz
• Richie McCaw
• Clint Eastwood
• Dan Carter
26. Anagram: PERKY TRAY
27. List from oldest to youngest:
• OJ Simpson
• Brad Pitt
• Tom Hanks
• Katy Perry
• Bryan Adams
• Steve Irwin

that's it for now...

ANSWERS:

1. loud noises
2. New York
3. David Beckham
4. Gin
5. 1984
6. oldest to youngest:
1. Barry White
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
3. Gabriel Bryne
4. Kevin Spacey
5. David Beckham
6. Rihanna
7. more
8. no
9. Paddington Bear
10. break the sound barrier
11. you get the gift of gab, found in Castle Blarney
12. 9
13. 12 pieces of wood; two wickets of 3 stumps and 2 bails each, and two bats
14. Cliff Richard
15. Spanish
16. Poseidon (Greek), Neptune (Roman)
17. orange juice
18. Perry Mason
19. Juicy Fruit
20. Baltic Sea
21. Michelin, 3 stars
22. 26 miles
23. 10
24. Amman
25. listed from oldest to youngest:
1. Clint Eastwood (1930)
2. Charles Manson (1934)
3. Ben Stiller ( 1965)
4. Cameron Diaz (1972)
5. Richie McCaw (1980)
6. Dan Carter (1982)
26. Katy Perry
27. Listed from oldest to youngest:
1. OJ Simpson (1947)
2. Tom Hanks (1956)
3. Bryan Adams (1959)
4. Steve Irwin (1962)
5. Brad Pitt (1963)
6. Katy Perry (1984)