A Visit To The Parnell Festival Of Roses
November 12, 2008
This weekend, I visited the Auckland City Council’s Parnell Festival of Roses. One reason was to see my mother, working with other Heritage Rose Society members, creating and selling gorgeous fragrant posies. The members kindly donated their time and beautiful flowers from their own gardens. Proceeds go towards the care and maintenance of the Nancy Steen Garden. (www.heritageroses.org.nz).
I must say, it was like entering a magical garden full of surprises. Artists, food & gift stalls, entertainers, fairies and elves popped up in every direction. Enid Blyton’s, “The Far Away Tree” came to mind. And the roses … exquisite in full bloom. The air was filled with rose perfume, floating soap bubbles and a friendly happy energy.
You can see a glimpse of the day in the video below.
Mark this event in your diary for next year - pack a picnic and make a day of it!
Xterra Trail Challenge - Rotorua
November 7, 2008
Title: Xterra Trail Challenge
Location: Rotorua
Link out: Click here
Description: Run and walk in Rotorua’s beautiful Whakarewarewa Forest
5km, 11km or 21km
Start Time: 08:00am
Date: 2008-12-06
Whats’ On - NZ Ocean Swim Series - Auckland
November 6, 2008
Title: Ocean Swim
Location: Harbour Crossing - Auckland
Link out: Click here
Description: 2.8km event
Start Time: 09:35am
Date: 2008-11-16
Parnell Hill Sprint
October 22, 2008
Title: Parnell Hill Sprint
Location: Parnell
Link out: Click here
Description: Want to test your cycling speed up Parnell Hill? Individual time trials from the bottom of Parnell Rise to the top of Parnell Road. From 6:00am on 8 November 2008.
Check out the website for details.
Start Time: 6:00am
Date: 2008-11-08
An Alternative Spin On The Bicycle
October 20, 2008
...I discovered that even bicycles haven’t been immune to the creative spirit of invention that seems to have struck all things transportation. There’s a variation that apparently makes it even more effective for exercise by turning it into a rowing machine. Check out this video - it's called the ‘rowbike’. (Looks like it would have ground clearance issues with speed-humps).
Tags: alternativevehicles, alternative bicycles, rowingbike, rowbike, rowing bicycle
Vehicles Banned On Campus…
October 15, 2008
Post by our pal, The Alternative Vehicle Reporter
Looks like the future of private transport is changing more rapidly than even IBM and the car manufacturers thought. Community vehicles are already here!
Today I discovered two universities in the US that have BANNED private vehicles for freshman students. Instead, they have a partnership with a car-sharing program by Zipcar. IBM’s Automotive 2020 study did predict it, just looks like they were a bit off the mark as to when…
Alternative Transport - car sharing
We’re seeing a lot more sustainability-minded colleges, universities and even high schools encouraging their students to walk or bike, rather than drive, to classes. But two institutions of higher learning, one in the north, one in the south, are taking things even further by banning on-campus cars for all incoming freshmen.
For the first time ever, the University of Miami is prohibiting cars for freshmen starting this fall. Instead, new students, returning students and faculty alike will be able to travel around campus and the city using fuel-efficient cars available through a university partnership with Zipcar. The car-sharing program offers users hourly, daily or annual access to cars when needed, gas and insurance costs included.
The Zipcar option will also be offered at Maine’s Bowdoin College, where first-year students will be barred from having on-campus cars starting next fall (2009).
“Students get along just fine without a car on campus, even in the winter months,” said Tim Foster, dean of student affairs. “With expanded alternative transportation methods in place now and others planned for the coming year, we believe first-year student transportation needs can be met quite adequately as we reduce the environmental impact, parking difficulties and congestion caused by additional cars.”
The University of Miami and Bowdoin are among a growing number of colleges and universities that have partnered with Zipcar. Other campuses offering the car-sharing program include Amherst, Boston, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, M.I.T., Smith, the University of Chicago, the University of North Carolina and Wellesley.
(See the original article here)
How To Keep Safe Cycling On Our Roads…
October 14, 2008
With the summer months ahead, and hopefully finer days!, expect more bikes to hit the roads. Biking is an economical means of transport and the exercise is beneficial for our health and well-being. To ensure cycling on the road is a “stress-free” experience, we encourage you to read the following tips. Source: Tips found on Auckland City Council’s website.
24hr Great Auckland Bargain Book Fair
October 10, 2008
Title: 24hr Great Auckland Bargain Book Fair
Location: ASB Stadium Kohimarama, Auckland
Description: 16th Annual 24hr Great Auckland Bargain Book Fair. 2nd hand book sale. Noon Saturday to Noon Sunday. 1 - 2 November 2008.
Start Date: 2008-11-01
Start Time: 12:00
End Date: 2008-11-02
End Time: 12:00
Alternative Vehicles Look at Peugeot Creativity
October 10, 2008
Post by our pal, The Alternative Vehicle Reporter
This is something from Peugeot's design contest. Solar Electric, you can see the panels on the back below, but the cool thing is that when you start driving in the city (or, more likely, hunting for one of the rare and priceless city parking spaces) you have an advantage. Check out the next picture to see what it can do… and yes, you can apparently drive with it in that configuration, although you’d close the doors first, of course!
Inhabitat » TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Peugeot 888 by Oskar Johansen
Cool Alternative Vehicles - the Carver
August 28, 2008
