Brilliant Brillieaux

The "must attend" event every year in Northland is the Bay of Islands Jazz & Blues Festival.

One of my regular favorites - Tauranga's hard blues band Brilleaux performing at the Haruru Falls Resort, near Paihia.

Grand Hotel

109 years old and still going strong. It is the only hotel in the cbd and hosted the Queen in 1953.

Summer's Here

Martins Bay is one of the nicer beaches northeast of Auckland. Last weekend, although it was a holiday )long) weekend the beaches were far from crowded.

Small Ambulance

A St John Ambulance officer and motorcycle from Auckland, assisting at the Coast to Coast bike race in Whangarei last summer. With Auckland's congested traffic, these machines can get to many callouts quicker.

Old Warbird

This craft was part of the air show at Whangarei's Airport at Onerahi, about 2004.

Like a Fish Out of Water

Another of the many ships that are repaired or built in Whangarei.

Tutukaka Coastline

The view from the lookout above Tutukaka, a world known port not far  northeast of Whangarei.

Offshore lies the Poor Knights Islands Marine reserve, one of the world's premiere dive spots.

Another Load

A Skyworks helicopter dropping a load of water onto a scrub and trees fire near Paparoa last summer.

They're Off

The start of the Coast to Coast bike race, on the southern outskirts of Whangarei in March 2009.

A Bird in the Bush

Photographed in the bush above the Quarry Gardens in urban Whangarei, is a Californian Quail.

Much Loved Cars

A gathering of restored old cars, at Russell, in the scenic Bay of Islands, New Zealand's oldest European settlement.

Skylift

Whangarei has one of many new short aerial fire trucks added to the New Zealand fleet in recent years. This is a combination aerial/pumper, with a four person crew that is a frontline response vehicle for all types of calls, and used as a aerial when needed.

The Bronto companyin Finland supplies variants of these throughout the world.

Swamped

10 minutes, north of Whangarei is the Hikurangi Swamp. When there's major flooding (March 2007) it looks like this.

The rest of the time it is farmland with a small river running through it. There are huge pumps that are used to remove the water afterward.

Race You To The Shops

There's not many places where a major motor rally is run so close to the central business district of a city.

Pictured is a scene from the 2007 Rally Whangarei - the special stage on Pohe Island, with Whangarei's mega centre visible, across the Hatea River/inner harbour.

Relax at Pahi

Pahi village is a great fishing or boating place, at the upper reaches of the huge Kaipara Harbour.

More information here.

Inters Rule!

This International fire engine used to be a Heavy Rescue Tender in South Auckland. It is now a Rural Support Unit for a Rural Fire contractor in Whangarei.

It's shown here at a rural fire air operations training exercise at Onerahi Airport, Whangarei.

Nothing sounds as good as the throb of an international coming to someone's aid. I spent a good many years riding Internationals.

All Aboard!

The Whangarei Railway station has been partially restored to its former glory, but no longer sees regular passenger trains - just an annual excursion one.

Early photos from Auckland City Libraries collection of the station and other local scenes are here:-

historic image

Pretty in Pink

The Victoria Bridge spans the mighty Waikato River in Hamilton city.

152 metres long, it is a three pin arch bridge, carrying a two lane road and footpath. It was built in 1910.

Give It A Little Squirt

A firefighter is shown how to extinguish a fuel fire at a plane crash exercise at Kawakawa, during the Northland Fire Camp two weeks ago.

A summer picture

Beside Whangarei's CBD is the Town Basin, where overseas yachties live for our summer, escaping their home's winter (from the Northern hemisphere).

Market-a-bull

Warkworth is one of the most attractive towns in New Zealand.

Obviously the Stubbs Butchery name has been around a while. Maybe not so long for the head.

Old Timer

Spotted this old Ford fire engine proudly watching over State Highway 11 (Paihia Rd) opposite Rigden Road, south of Paihia.

It was previously used by the Otorohanga Volunteer Brigade, and later was an advertising prop for a Whangarei business after retirement from active service.

The owner told me he hoped to set up a museum soon.

Calm Reflections

Thousands of vehicles pass by every day, but only a few occupants probably have visited the wetlands beside Kioreroa Rd, Whangarei.

There are walkways and a board walk above the mangroves.

A Pair of Bookends?

Things to do on the shores of Lake Taupo.

What you see after you are trapped in your car

This is the view you would see if you are the driver (in blue overalls) as firefighters use the jaws of life to cut you out of your car.

One of the scenarios 60 Northland volunteer firefighters faced, in a weekend of exercises at Kawakawa last weekend.

Nature's Umbrella

I was struck by the symmetry of the top of this punga (tree fern) in the forest at the upper reaches of the Hatea River, the main river flowing into Whangarei's inner harbour.

The Library's Closed, Sorry

Dargaville Museum's latest acquisition?

Aratapu Public Library building (Est. 1874).

Got it!

One of the things some firefighters do in their spare time is to run in competitions. They have brigade teams (often 4 people) in waterway equipment runs (as above), or vehicle rescue simulations.

This shot is from the Northland competitions at Ruakaka in December 2008, on a hot sunny Saturday. The yellow disk has to be knocked down with a water jet after running out hose, fed from a fire hydrant though the vehicle pump.