Thursday Challenge: Gears

"TECHNOLOGY" (Machines, Gears, Engines, Mobile Phones, Laptops, Wires, Toy Robots,...)
Thursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning. A theme is announced on this site each week. You may either take a new photograph related in some way to the theme or select one that you have taken previously;

This must have been a very big machine. Found at the waterfront of Auckland, New Zealand.

Ruby Red/Rednesday: Mushrooms

a signal station for shipping, artillery emplacements and various concrete army bunkers, some from as early as the 1870s.

The red and white air vents camouflaged as mushrooms on Mt Victoria were secretly painted by a couple of Devonport youths in 1988. I shudder to think if there was an air raid, the red color would give away what they are.


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On Sunday, we crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge and went to Devonport and drove up the summit of Mt Victoria. Named after Queen Victoria, the hill provides panoramic views of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and the inner Hauraki Gulf.

Over the years the peak and upper slopes have housed a signal station for shipping, artillery emplacements and various concrete army bunkers, some from as early as the 1870s.

It has been used extensively for defence and still has the typical bank and ditch pattern of a Maori fortified site, as well as 19th and 20th century bunkers and ammunition storage tunnels which can be explored, and guns aimed out over the harbour entrance.

A newly opened park above Narrow Neck Beach is Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve which has in the past housed both Navy and Army.

This place holds nostalgic feelings for me. When my late father in law came twenty five years ago, I drove him and made the same trip as I did on Sunday. He was very game and climbed down the bunkers. I did too with my eighteen month old daughter D. So I went by myself on Sunday and took lots of photos which I will post another time.

Weekend Bridge: Auckland Harbour Bridge

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The bridge has a length of 1,020 m (3,348 ft), with a main span of 243.8 m, rising 43.27 m above high water allowing ships access to the deepwater wharf. It has undergone transformation with two-lane box girder clip-on sections were added to each side in 1969, ten years after it was built. It doubled the number of lanes to eight. The sections were manufactured by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries of Japan. People fondly called the new lanes as 'Nippon clip-ons'.

The Moveable Lane Barrier - the first ever permanent lane barrier system on a major bridge anywhere in the world - was introduced to manage traffic flows in a 'tidal' morning and evening peak system.

In the morning, the traffic is busy coming into the city. After work, the direction is reversed. In 1990, this giant machine was installed to move these heavy block dividers.There were "elephant houses" or giant sheds at the end of the bridge. This daily changing of lanes have intriqued tourist.

I am very passionate about this bridge because my second daughter bungied off it twice, and I walked under it to the mid point to watch her jump. It was quite frightening as the wind swayed the bridge and was howling loudly.

Photohunt: Natural

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My take for this week, using horses to pull wagons as a natural form of transportation.

Here in Devonport, the horse and cart is a tourist attraction. I do not know if the driver knows that these boys are getting a free ride.

Can you tell me if there is a difference between a wagon and a cart? I thought it is a wagon, but the company calls it a cart.

Macro flowers: stock flowers

These stock flowers are not native to New Zealand but were brought in from England, They have different pale colours and I like this most.

Matthiola (pronounced /ˌmæθiˈoʊlə/,[1] syn. Mathiola R.Br.), or stocks, is a genus of flowering plants named after Pietro Andrea Mattioli.

A cool season annual or perennial. Flowers are singles or doubles in a wide array of colors, very sweet smelling, and often used in bouquets of cut flowers.

My daughter came home for dinner after finishing her thesis and I gave her these flowers. She asked about the vase. I told her it was given to me by my friend T. Her daughter who lives in New York sends her flowers via inter flora. (Hint hint hint)

Yesterday, I did an interview with a young girl. She touched my heart when she told me her mum is her best friend and she had such great attributes for her mum.



I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday

ruby red Tuesday: Rednesday

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Lots of snow fell, good for recreation but bad for the farmers whose sheep are lambing. Thousands of lamb have froze to death.

Red netting to fence skiers from the snow making machine.

Just in case you are wondering why I am talking about snow, this is New Zealand, and our seasons are opposite the the Northern Hemisphere. This week, we have the worst dumping of snow in decades.

Photohunt: Schools

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A lot of talk has been centred on chimneys in New Zealand after our Earthquake, especially the old brick ones. Chimneys are essential in New Zealand. They provide heating and hot water. In many bigger institutions like schools, they have boiler rooms.

Last year, the furnace in a secondary school blew up and a technician died. In my school, the boiler is next to my room, and they tease me to be careful.

This is a very big boiler room for Mt Albert Grammar school. She has has a very big sports field. The school is famous for her sporting prowess.

Sunday bridge: Roy clements park

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This bridge/walkway crosses a small creek, but spans over a long stretch of swampy patch. Without this, it would be difficult to appreciate the fauna and native bush and ducks swimming in the creek. This place is named after Roy Clements, a teacher of Mt Albert grammar who spearheaded the tree planting and cleaning up of this area. Now, the students get a short cut to the school.

Macro flowers :Spring

For a short time last month, this tree was covered with a soft pink flower. On the last day of the month, I stopped and took these flowers. There were actually two trees. I was treated with beautiful chirping of the silver eye birds. It was full of these birds and they were not afraid of me. Unlike the silver eyes that come to my tree, these ones do not fly away.

Click on this photo and you will see some birds. Wish I have a powerful camera like some of you.

Next to the two flowering trees, was this flowering bush. Sorry I don't know its name. It may be a New Zealand native.


Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday

Selling cakes to raise funds

On Father's day, 12 year old Caitlyn and her siblings were selling cakes in the Mt Albert Baptist Church Foyer. The proceeds went to raise funds for babysitting expenses for the ladies at the Op shop. Their mum, April Harris volunteers five days a week at the shop.

Good job, Ka Pai and paki paki Caitlyn.

RUBYRED:REDNESDAY Bugsy Malone

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Tonight I was taken back to my last year in High School when I was struggling in my English Literature textbook " The Great Gatsby" by Scott Fitzgerald.

My school Pt Chevalier Primary School puts on a production every year, alternating from a whole school of 660 to years 5 & 6 of 200. It is no easy feat, with so many children.

Bugsy Malone is a musical of the era of the Prohibition in the 1920s, of gangsters and fighting. It is interesting to watch ten and eleven year olds performing adult roles.

We produced four sold out shows and tickets were $10. The parents are very supportive of this performing arts in our school curriculum. I asked some parents how they felt about their kids spending so much time on rehearsals, and they all say, "it is good that the kids have all these experience."

I thoroughly enjoyed myself with the audience. The party poppers made it a celebration at the finale. Sorry I can't show you the production as filming is not allowed.

Anniversary: Waitangi Day

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This is celebrated on our Anniversary Day, our Waitangi Day. Since 1840, we mark this day on February 6th.
We are introduced to a unique experience only from New Zealand. According to Māori Protocol, there is the Powhiri Official formal welcome.
The opening ceremony gives us a chance to watch the Ngati Whatua o Orakei give a powhiri. It begins with wero/challenge. The chief challenges the manuhiri/guests. He carries a spear (taiaha) then lays down a token (often a small branch) that the manuhiri ( Mayor John Banks) picks up to show they come in peace.

Sunday Bridges:Grafton

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Grafton Bridge is a road bridge spanning Grafton Gully in Auckland City, New Zealand. Built of reinforced concrete in 1910, it connects the Auckland CBD with the Grafton suburb. Grafton Bridge spans about 97.6 metres (320 feet), rises 25.6 metres (84 feet) above the abutments and to a height of around 43 metres (142 feet) over the Grafton Gully.

The bridge is on the NZ Historic Places listing and the IPENZ Engineering Heritage Register. In a 2006 poll amongst 600 alumni of the University of Auckland School of Engineering, the bridge placed 3rd on the list of New Zealands' engineering achievements, after the Manapouri Power Station and Black Magic.

The footpaths are covered with an aesthetically curved glass screen, which serves to prevent people from falling or jumping off the bridge as well as providing unobstrusive weather cover (the bridge already had suicide prevention barriers from 1992 to 1996 (and extra safety fencing from as early as 1936), but after the removal, suicide rates on the bridge jumped fivefold, leading to a quiet re-installation in 2002).[4] There have been no suicides from the bridge since then as of 2009, and the feature has been called an example of best practice of preventing such acts

Since 2009, the bridge forms a core part of the Central Connector public transport route between the Auckland CBD and Newmarket, and is closed to private vehicles during daytime hours. New bus-only lanes on Grafton Bridge have helped swell Auckland City Council coffers by $1.7 million since they were introduced in December.

More than 11,000 drivers have been stung for using the bridge between 7am and 7pm, when both lanes of the central city bridge are reserved for buses. There was someone on the bridge taking photos of cars travelling across the bridge.

Macroflowers: North Borneo Orchids.

This is the flower I joined this meme. My Dad's favourite flower. It gives me warm fuzzy feeling every time I see this flower. Dad used to grow this from little saplings from North Borneo. They didn't bloom as frequently as the hybrids grown these days. The beauty of this plant is the waiting is paid off. The blooms remain beautiful for three months on the plant.

These flowers are grown in the Winter gardens, green house at the Auckland Domain.

Addition:
Maia,

As I look carefully, you are right. The leaves are longish oval. I think I was so engrossed with the beauty of the flower I didn't think of photographing the whole plant.

The spray of flowers shoot up about 18 inches. So the background leaves are most likely to be from another plant.

My Sister Margaret reminds us siblings of how carefully Mom and Dad use a toothbrush and soapy water and carefully removing the aphids. Seeing them together doing it on one plant now warms our heart. It was truly a symbol of their love for each other.

Mom and Dad were not child hood sweet hearts. They did not even know each other when they married. They had met only once and were chaperoned. It was during World War 2. Their parents had to get them married, so Mom won't be taken by the Japanese to be their sex slave, and Dad to be conscripted to their army.

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On the day of my oldest sister Rose's wedding, he cut it and I wrote to her children and their spouses today. This was the beautiful orchids that Grand Pa cut to make your mum's wedding bouquet. Grandma said she was surprised that he did it. His heart probably hurt as he cut it. It even hurt her heart though she wasn't so attached to it.

l
I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday

Fund raiser, selling cookies

I was most impressed with this primary school boy.

He knocked on my door,
"Will you buy a pack of cookies for $2.50? It is for my school and I have the change."
He was very confident.
I asked him to wait.
I came out not only with my money,
But with my camera.
He was quite perplexed when I wanted asked him to pretend he was coming to my house, and I only wanted to take his back.
I am most impressed with him.
I know some kids would not go door to door and will ask their parents to give them the money, or ask their parents to accompany them.

Ka Pai , Good Job and Paki Paki to this little boy whose name I didn't catch.

Ruby red Tuesday: Wii game

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For Father's day. My son and I gave the man of the house a Wii game console. We gave it to him a week earlier because we want to play it as well.

If you are hearing me huffing and puffing, you heard right. I just had three games of tennis and three bouts of boxing. I don't know how the console works, but the playing is very realistic. You really sweat and curse. I grunt as loud as Monica Seles. LOL