CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to my workmate Jessica who got engaged over the weekend!

Esplanade Day

i have no idea

making fish lanterns, will add pic later

mini train 

Wall-e bouncy thing 

Park

Family Tree

To all the family out there reading this:

Hey guys, working on assembling a modern family tree on the Wilkey and Smith sides of my family tree. Mostly I have Wilkey documented name wise but this new computer program I have allows me to enter more that pedigree; it allows me to enter personal information about people. Factual things such as graduations, birthdays,marriages , divorces, pictures, personal accomplishments, baptizing, moves, ect are all applicable. What I would like is if you guys could send me emails with any info you want to add or know about that I may not (which is a lot). You can also send pics which would be fantastic. When I have a large collection I can mail the accumulated tree back to you. Thanks!

correct?

correct?

correct?

correct?

correct?

correct?

9 generations of the family tree

Huka Falls, Just found the video

Christchruch Quake Update

From the News Updates via Yahoo

Death

The official death toll has been revised down to 32.

While prime minister John Key said 65 people had been confirmed dead last night, Civil Defence national director John Hamilton said this morning that 32 deaths have been confirmed.

He said police have only confirmed 32 deaths as they have to go through an official identification and notification process.

There have been incredible tales of survival, but the death toll is still expected to rise as that process is completed.

A woman with a baby in her arms died instantly when she was hit by falling debris in yesterday's 6.3 earthquake.

A passerby went to her assistance in Christchurch's Cashel St Mall, but she was dead when he arrived.

Some people took the child away, but it was not known how badly hurt the baby was, eyewitness Tom Brittenden, 25, told The Press.

Mr Brittenden was doing repair work on a cafe when the earthquake hit and he ran out on to the street.

It looked like the woman had run out of a store in panic and been hit by falling debris, he said.

"We tried to pull these big bricks off [them].... she was gone.

"They just put a blanket on [the woman] because she had already gone."


Power outage

About half of Christchurch remains without power following today's magnitude 6.3 quake, and lines company Orion Energy is warning it will take several days to make repairs.

Up to 80 percent of customers lost power when the quake hit just before 1pm and Orion had managed to restore it to some.

"We have found serious damage to both major cables and substations in the New Brighton and Dallington areas," Orion Energy chief executive Roger Sutton said.

"This is very substantial damage and it will take us two or three days establish a repair time," he said.

"We hope to get small pockets of these areas back on later tomorrow,but substantial repairs will take much longer."

The damage sustained was far more serious than any damage from the September 4 quake.

Damage throughout the area was more substantial, especially in the central city, Summer, Lyttelton and Heathcote areas.

"We have started to restore power back to areas west of Cathedral Square," Mr Sutton said.

"We now think we have 50 percent of power back on to Canterbury (but) there are still substantial areas of the city where we have not been able to access the damage at this stage."

Orion's main building was largely undamaged, Mr Sutton said.

"I was in our building on the ground floor, and I managed to get under a table, and then I went out into the street and it was an extraordinarily terrible sight."


Survivors 

Police say a large number of people have been pulled alive from collapsed Christchurch buildings as rescuers worked throughout the night under floodlights in a bid to rescue trapped earthquake victims.

The PGG building on Cambridge Terrace and the CTV building on the corner of Madras and Cashel Streets were the worst hit following yesterday's 6.3 magnitude quake, and "significant" numbers of people were inside.

Sixty-five people have been confirmed killed but there are fears the death toll will mount today as more bodies are found.

Police Superintendent Russell Gibson said this morning that since 1pm yesterday 22 people, including two with serious injuries, had been rescued from the PGG building and a further 22 people were believed still trapped.

There had been communication with at least three of these people inside the building and it was understood they were not hurt.

Eight people had also been rescued from the CTV building.

"It is thought a large number are still unaccounted for and work is ongoing to match up reports of missing people with specific locations and buildings."

There was a number of deceased people in both buildings, he said.

"The focus of Police and Urban Search and Rescue at this stage is the rescue of those still trapped, rather than the recovery of the dead.

"It is difficult to speculate on the total death toll as it is such a rapidly evolving situation.

"We know it will be significant and we know there are a lot of people going through the nightmare ordeal of waiting for news of their loved ones.

"All of the agencies involved in this operation are working as hard as possible to bring some clarity to the situation and some answers families and friends."

Rescuers have worked desperately through the night trying to find victims trapped in the Christchurch rubble following the quake which struck at 12.51pm 20km southeast of Christchurchh at a depth of 5km.

There have been dozens of aftershocks.

St John Ambulance said that two people were killed when hit by falling rocks while walking the Lyttelton's Crater Rim Track. They were believed to be the only victims from the area which was severely damaged.

The death toll is already the second highest from a New Zealand earthquake -- outranked only by the 256 people killed in the violent 7.9 1931 Hawke's Bay quake, whose 70th anniversary was marked earlier this month.

Christchurch Hospital's emergency department was extremely busy treating cuts, crush injuries, fractures, spinal injuries and serious wounds.

Police have not been able to supply numbers on how many they believe are trapped, or how many have so far been pulled from the wreckage of buildings. Some survivors have sent text messages that they were trapped in the rubble.

A state of emergency has been declared, which is expected to last five days.

The quake smashed into the city when the city was packed with lunch-hour shoppers and office workers.

It followed the massive 7.1 shake on September 4 last year but its effect were much more severe this time because of the shallowness of the quake.

Buildings that stood up to last year's event tumbled this time, weakened by the earlier shaking.

Civil Defence said that by midday 220 Search and Rescue personnel will be deployed and as many as 700 Search and Rescue personnel may be deployed within 48 hours.

Further teams from overseas are also on their way to join the effort as international offers assistance come in.

About 950 people spent the night at two welfare centres, at Hagley Park and Burnside High School, where blankets, food, sanitation were supplied.

Civil Defence will attempt to open more centres throughout the day.

Water, sewer and gas lines were ruptured by the quake and power lines and poles crashed, cutting electricity to one third of the city.

Eighty percent of the city has not water supply and people were urged to conserve water; not to shower, take baths of flush toilets.

Schools are closed today and people are urged to stay at home, and undertake essential travel only.

Prime Minister John Key flew to Christchurch yesterday and after a quick tour of the city described it as "utterly wrecked", adding "this is an absolute tragedy for Christchurch".

"We may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day," he said.

Another Christchurch quake

From the NZ Herald:

At least one person has been confirmed dead after after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch caused buildings to collapse and streets to crack and flood this afternoon.

The Fire Service confirmed to Radio New Zealand that there had been "deaths" and to Newstalk ZB that there was at least one dead.

Christchurch resident Jane Smith, who works in the central city, told theHerald a work colleague had just returned from helping rescue efforts after a building facade had collapsed on a bus on Colombo St.

"There's people dead. He was pulling them out of a bus. Columbo St is completely munted."

GNS Science said the quake was centred at Lyttelton at a depth of 5km at 12.51pm.

GNS said the earthquake would have caused more damage than the original 7.1 earthquake on September 4 because of its shallow depth.

Its data centre manager Kevin Fenaughty said residents said the quake's epicentre was located in the "worst possible location" for the city.

"It's a nightmare. A lot of people were just getting back on their feet after the original quake."

Streets flooded

Herald reporter Jarrod Booker said the shake lasted approximately a minute and was extremely violent - rocking buildings back and forth.

He said people had left buildings and were out on the streets where tarmac had cracked and water mains had burst, causing extensive flooding.

Tuam Street had become a river as water poured from ruptures in the road and was impassable in places.

The whole central city was in grid lock as people tried to evacuate central businesses to check their homes, Jarrod Booker said.

Most traffic lights are out and cars were also having to negotiate around hordes of people on foot.

Jarrod Booker said that he could hear sirens but that it would be difficult for emergency services to access the city because of the gridlock.

"Even sitting in a car you can feel continual shaking on a smaller scale than the original quake," he said.

'Great confusion'

Mayor Bob Parker said he was "thrown quite a distance" by the earthquake.

"That was, in the city central anyway, as violent as the one that happened on the 4th of September," he told Radio New Zealand.

Mr Parker said there were scenes of "great confusion" on the streets, also saying the roads were jammed as vehicles sought to get out of the central city.

"I know of injuries in my building and there are unconfirmed reports of serious injuries in the city."

Mr Parker did not know the extent of damage to the city's infrastructure, but advised people not to drink the water supply.

"We've been through this before this once, we now need to think we did at that time."

Buildings collapsed

Jarrod Booker said Christchurch's historic cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street had half collapsed, with the remaining part of the building filled with cracks.

There was huge damage to other older buildings with large amounts of debris falling to the ground, he said.

He said the carpark at the Christchurch Star had turned into a river with huge cracks and that the roads had risen in areas.

People were comforting people outside amid a general state of shock as they tried to absorb what had happened, he said.

Radio New Zealand reported widespread damage to the city centre, with a church on Durham St collapsed and concrete lifted by up to a metre.

A Newstalk ZB reporter in Christchurch said liquefaction was spewing out of the ground at St Albans High School.

School kids had to be removed from the fields with liquefaction also spewing from the tennis courts.

Civil Defence response

Civil Defence spokesman Vince Cholewa said the National Crisis Centre had been activated and was preparing the Government response.

"The quake is significantly smaller than the previous Christchurch earthquake, however it was very shallow and might have been very close to the centre of the city," he said.

Mr Cholewa was not aware of any casualties or the extent of the damage.

"We are still getting a picture of what has happened and we are aware of the details."

Phone lines are down and calls are not being connected to emergency services. Telecom said it is working to understand which services have been affected by the earthquake and get these restored as soon as possible.

Sky News reported that Christchurch Hospital had been evacuated. Christchurch Airport has also been closed.

Today's quake was shallower and closer to Christchurch than the original Darfield quake, which took place 30km west of the city at a depth of 33kms.

Civil Defence advice

The Civil Defence has issued the following advisory:

Check yourself first for injuries and get first aid if necessary before helping injured or trapped persons.

Assess your home or workplace for damage. If the building appears unsafe get everyone out. Use the stairs, not an elevator and when outside, watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines. Stay out of damaged areas.

Look for and extinguish small fires if it is safe to do so. Fire is a significant hazard following earthquakes.

Listen to the radio for updated emergency information and instructions.

Do not overload phone lines with non-emergency calls.

Help people who require special assistance - infants, elderly people, those without transportation, families who may need additional help, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.

Detailed safety advice will come from local authorities and emergency services in the area. People should act on it promptly. MCDEM, local civil defence authorities and scientific advisors are closely monitoring the situation.

Dear:

Dear Noah, 
We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.
 Sincerely, Unicorns


 Dear Twilight fans,
 Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection.
 Enjoy fantasizing about that.
 Sincerely, Logic


 Dear Icebergs,
 Sorry to hear about the global warming. Karma's a b*tch.
 Sincerely, The Titanic


 Dear J.K. Rowling,
 Your books are entirely unrealistic. I mean, a ginga kid with two friends?
 Sincerely, Anonymous


 Dear Boyfriend,
 I can make your girlfriend scream louder than you can.
 Sincerely, Spiders


 Dear Yahoo,
 I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo! it..."  Just saying...
 Sincerely, Google


 Dear girls who have been dumped,
 There are plenty of fish in the sea... Just kidding! They're all dead.
 Sincerely, BP


 Dear Rose,
 There was definitely room on that raft for the both of us.
 Sincerely, Jack
 
Dear Windshield Wipers,
 Can't touch this.
 Sincerely, That Little Triangle


 Dear Saturn,
 I liked it, so I put a ring on it.
 Sincerely, God


 Dear Rubik's Cube,
 Done!
 Sincerely, Colorblind


 Dear Santa,
 Please tell me how you managed to stop at three Ho's.
 Sincerely, Tiger Woods


 Dear Boys Wearing Skinny Jeans,
 I. Can't. Breathe.
 Sincerely, Your Balls


 Dear Romeo,
 My death isn't the only thing I've been faking...
 Sincerely, Juliet


 Dear Fox News,
 So far, no news about foxes.
 Sincerely, Unimpressed


 Dear Toaster,
 Just gonna stand there and watch me burn?
 Sincerely, Toast


 Dear Prince Charming,
 You've got some explaining to do!
 Sincerely, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty

Happy Valentine's Day and Anniversary

A special congratulations to my parents on this the day of their 30th wedding anniversary as well as a Happy Valentine's Day!

Bakery + Google Earth = Fail

While looking for a bakery in Palmerston North on Google Earth I discovered the following, and while I am pretty sure it is the building in the back... Fail.

Treaty of Waitangi

Today is Waitanigi Day , the closest thing I can think of to New Zealand Independence Day. A little Wikipedia history for ya'll.

The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand.

The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Māori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave the Māori the rights of British subjects. The English and Māori languageversions of the Treaty differed significantly, so there is no consensus as to exactly what was agreed to. From the British point of view, the Treaty gave Britain sovereignty over New Zealand, and gave theGovernor the right to run the country. The Māori seem to have had a range of understandings, many of which conflicted with the British understanding. After the initial signing at Waitangi, copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed. In total there are nine copies of the Treaty of Waitangi including the original signed on 6 February 1840. Around 500 chiefs, including 13 or more women signed the Treaty of Waitangi.

Until the 1970s, the Treaty was generally ignored by both the courts and parliament, although it was usually depicted in New Zealand history as a generous and loving act on the part of the Crown. From at least the 1860s, the Māori have looked to the Treaty for rights and remedies for land loss and unequal treatment by the state, with little success. From the late 1960s the Māori began drawing attention to breaches of the Treaty. Subsequent histories have emphasised problems with its translation. In 1975 the Waitangi Tribunalwas established as a permanent commission of inquiry tasked with researching breaches of the Treaty by the Crown or its agents, and suggesting means of redress.

Today it is generally considered the founding document of New Zealand as a nation. Despite this, the Treaty is often the subject of heated debate. Many Māori feel that the Crown did not keep its side of the bargain and have presented evidence of this before sittings of the Tribunal. Some in the non-Māori population believe the Māori pay too much attention to the Treaty and use it to claim 'special privileges'. The Crown is in most cases not obliged to give effect to the recommendations of the Tribunal, but nonetheless in many instances has accepted that it breached the Treaty and its principles. Settlements to date have consisted of hundreds of millions of dollars in money and assets, as well as apologies.

The date of the signing has been celebrated as a national holiday, now called Waitangi Day, since 1974.

Treaty House

Gypsy Fair

Gypsy Fair was in town this weekend, their caravans were just as interesting as the fair!

Vintage awesomeness

Sketch

Gypsy Cat cares not if I pet him/her

a wooden van

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!

Happy Chinese New Year

Asian culture is more domninate in New Zealand than it is in the south for obvious geographical reasons. The same way we party for Cinco de Mayo they celebrate Chinese New Year in New Zealand. This Year is Year 4708 by the Chinese Calendar as well as The Year of The Rabbit. As I was born Year of the Rabbit, this year will be mine

New Words

As always I am learning new words at work and just around New Zealand in general. These are the ones I have learned today...

Takahē
[ ta-ka-he]
a flightless endangered bird in NZ

kowhai
[ko- fi]

pohutukawa
[ poh-ut-a-ka-wa]
aka the New Zealand Christmas tree

clothes horse