Kaitorete Spit Dark Skies
Hi all, after over 2 months of waiting for ideal conditions to shoot Orion I finally got the moonless clear skies I was hoping for last night, so trundled off to Kaitorete Spit arriving around 11:30pm - first shot is Orions Belt (although its more a pot from the Southern Hemisphere since we see it upside down compared to the northern hemisphere astronomers who named it) :) - 2nd shot is the Great Orion and Running Man nebulae - 3rd shot is Horsehead and Flame nebulae. Kaitorete is a good spot; much closer than Tekapo, and so long as you don't point the camera low in the sky in the northern quadrant you won't have Chch light pollution in the shot. :)
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
-
88.8% Yes, it's fair
-
10.5% No, it's unreasonable
-
0.7% Other - I'll share below
Succulents and some plants for sale
A variety of well established and healthy succulents and some plants for sale at the gate at 20 Waterford Avenue Northwood from approx 9am each day.
$3 each or 2 for $5.
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).