Kiwi Ingenuity - Getting There from Here...

Problem:

1. If your home stadium is off-limits for the whole season because of earthquakes so you have to play all your home games somewhere else; and,

2. A cloud of Chilean volcanic dust crosses the Pacific and closes air space to jet travel in your country,

How the heck do you get to your next away game as the competition heads to the finals? Throw in the towel, start a riot like those Canuck fans???

Answer:

Pull an airworthy DC 3 prop aircraft out of the air museum and load the team aboard. Takes a bit longer, a bit noisier but... link

Now, that is Kiwi ingenuity...

Go Crusaders!

Keep Hope Alive - Wellington Phoenix

The A-League soccer team, the Phoenix, based in Wellington pulled off a 1-1 draw with Adelaide last Sunday to keep their chances alive in the A-League competition.

8000 showed up to the game played in the "Cake Tin", aka as Westpac stadium. Most of the crowd is behind the camera on the eastern (sunny) side of the stadium on a typical Wellington summer day - sunny, cloudy, & blustery. Pictured is a corner kick taken by the Phoenix.

Christchurch Past & Present #14 - The Canterbury Rowing Club, Kerrs Reach

Christchurch's first rowing club was established in 1861 at Kerrs Reach on the Avon River, becoming the Canterbury Rowing Club the following year. The first regatta was held on the Avon on Boxing Day (26 December) 1870.

These vintage postcards from the early twentieth century show the Canterbury Rowing Club's boatsheds & rooms at Kerrs Reach with rowing crews ready to race. A women's coxed rowing four appears in the second card.

Today the Avon Rowing Club sheds & rooms occupy the Canterbury Club's former site and further down the right bank are the boatsheds of the Christchurch Canoe Club.

The Kerrs Reach cutting - a straightening of a stretch of the river - was completed in 1950 that allows improved rowing training and racing on the Avon. An old bend in the river runs away to the right of the present day pictures, essentially encircling Porritt Park which hosts a field hockey stadium.

Anyone for Tennis? Opening of Wellington tennis season, 1915

Opening of the Wellington Tennis Club's Season, 1915

The tennis season is in full swing in New Zealand.

Here is a club photo postcard of the Wellington Tennis Club's opening day in 1915. World War One is already well underway, a man in army uniform stands in the middle of the back row.

Photo by Zak, Joseph Zachariah, 1863-1965, a Wellington photographer who captured many images that fall within the category "social history" around the Windy City in the early decades of the twentieth century. His work is highly sought after by collectors.

Money Grubbing Waikato Stadium Tosses Kids Lunches In The Bin

Money-grubbing Waikato Stadium, hosting the FIFA Under 17 Women's World Cup, barred a class of Fairfield Intermediate School kids of Hamilton from entering the stadium till they dumped their cut lunches in rubbish bins under the watchful eyes of security guards. "Watch out Jimmy's got an orange, Marama's got an offensive weapon - a celery stick..."

Yes, yes, we know about licensed premises - concessions have to make a profit to fund the sport, yes, the school might have had formal notification etc, etc. But what about the kids who had to go without lunch, about the waste of food, the hard earned money wasted of many parents scratching out enough to feed their kids?

What will the kids remember of their day at the soccer - the game or some unreasonable adults tossing away their food?

And FIFA will be delighted with yet more bad publicity, especially in a country where rugby is still way ahead as "football" when it comes to winter sports.

Sometimes you just have to do the right thing. Is it that difficult? Couldn't someone have applied a bit of common sense, exercised a relatively small "executive decision"? Were the extra few bucks really worth it?

So, the kuaka weekly award for stupidity and shame goes to the management of Waikato Stadium.

Now watch the Childrens Commissioner weigh in on the issue...

Sports Roundup - Black Caps, Black Ferns

The Black Caps won their third & final ODI game with Bangladesh by 79 runs, sealing a wobbly series win. Ross Taylor and Jamie How stepped up for the top order with a century for Taylor (103 runs in 119 balls) and How (73). The rest of the batting order posted a mediocre performance. But the Taylor - How partnership was enough to post a total of 249 that Bangladesh could not match in their 50 overs, batting through to 170 for 8 at the close.

And news that fast bowler Shane Bond may become eligible again to play for New Zealand will be greeted enthusiastically by cricket fans. Bond was banned last year from representing New Zealand when he joined the "rebel" Twenty20 Indian Cricket Leagus (ICL) contrary to the policy of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Black Ferns, New Zealand's womens rugby team, overwhelmed the Wallaroos, the Australian team by 37-3 in Canberra. The Ferns extended their unbeaten record against Australia to 9 games since the first Trans-Tasman international in 1994.

Silver Ferns Win Netball Test Against England 65-26

The Silver Ferns, New Zealand's womens netball team, overwhelmed England 65-26 in their opening game of a three test match series in Auckland on Monday evening (NZT).

Last week England came within 3 points of upsetting Australia, current world champions. New Zealand ran a close game to Australia in the last World Cup final held in Auckland in November 2007, losing 42-38.

Joline Henry, GD, WD, player of the match

Kiwis Clean Up at World Sheep Shearing Champs in Norway

Kiwis grabbed 4 of the 6 titles at stake at the 13th Golden Shears World Championships held in Norway over the weekend.

New Zealand won both the individual and team events in wool handling and machine shearing.

It's not all about speed - a shearer that cuts a sheep loses points. S0, although a sheep can be shorn in as little as 20 seconds, the average at the world champs is between 30-40 seconds.

New Zealand's wool handling team needed just 7 minutes 53 seconds to polish off 16 lambs, while its machine shearing team finished 20 lambs in 16 minutes 15 seconds.

Sheree Alabaster claimed the wool handling individual final, handling 10 lambs in just 12 minutes 52 seconds, and Paul Avery handled 20 lambs in 15 minutes 6 seconds.

Tough, back-breaking work - or competitive sport. With an ice-cold beverage to top things off...

Take a look at competitive shearing at the Nelson A&P show, New Zealand: