I don’t have an iPhone (yet).

I wish I did

When I do, you can bet I’ll be heading to KIWI-ISE, a collection of tricks and mods to make your iPhone more “Kiwified”.

There doesn’t seem to be any official way to get an iPhone in New Zealand yet, but it’s been confirmed that Vodafone will be selling it. Timing hasn’t been announced though, and with the imminent release of the iPhone 2 / 3G, I bet it won’t happen before the second half of the year.

On the advice of a friend, we completed our first “tramp” (hike) this weekend. We completed the “Bell Rock Loop Track”, within the Boundary Stream “Mainland Island”.

This particular track took about two hours to complete, and was visually breathtaking. I felt a bit like a character from Lord of the Rings, running across the spine of a mountain. (No, it wasn’t this mountain)

See my attempts at panoramic photos here and here. (You’ll have to scroll sideways.)

Hiking in New Zealand is easy and educational

The start of the walk was well sign-posted, and highly-visible painted wooden “beacons” marked the trail. Poison warnings were prominent, alerting hikers not to take dogs on the track.

We even stumbled across a few educational “Weta Apartments” – little wooden boxes containing weta, plus a few paragraphs describing them.

Hiking in New Zealand is encouraged and promoted

The Department of Conservation does a fantastic job of promoting and making accessible all these great natural resources. They have a section on their website dedicated to recreational enjoyment of New Zealand’s beautiful wilderness.

It’s also really easy to find spots to perform various activities, such as dog-walking, fishing, or activities with children.

This past weekend, we decided that it was time to progress our immigration further by adopting two Kiwi kittens.

(They’re uncannily similar to South African kittens)

Although we did have the option of a few local pet stores, we decided to adopt from the local SPCA. (There’s one in your area)

We ultimately found our two little terrorists (“Cappuccino” and “Ninja“) at the Hastings SPCA.

In contrast to my past experience at grubby, underfunded, smelly SPCAs in South Africa, this was a pleasant and enjoyable adoption…

How is the New Zealand SPCA funded?

The RNZSPCA receives no state funding, and relies on donations, bequests, and its own fund-raising efforts.

It is a voluntary organization which, through its district branches, provides help to animals and owners 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Although the public should expect only genuine emergencies to be dealt with outside normal working hours.)

New Zealand SPCA treats animals well

I was surprised at how well the animals at the SPCA were cared for. The 10 or so kittens in the holding area were all well fed, happy and playful. They had an indoor sleeping / romping area, as well as an outdoor, caged area.

Upon adoption, I signed an agreement to promising to look after the animals, and giving the SPCA permission to come and “inspect” their living conditions, should they need to.

How much does it cost to adopt a pet in New Zealand?

We paid $100 per kitten. I was assured that this was a “passed-on” cost for the de-sexing, de-worming, vaccination, and microchipping of the kittens. The SPCA are very clear that they do not sell pets.

My name, address, and contact details were registered against the microchips, so should the kittens be lost, any vet / SPCA with a chip-reader can contact me.

See the New Zealand Animal Register for more information about microchipping your pets for identification.

photo credit: Nathan Callahan

New Zealand lies at the edge of both the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. We’re “prime earthquake material”.

There are 10,000 to 15,000 earthquakes in New Zealand each year, of those, 100 to 150 are big enough to be felt.

New Zealanders are very aware of the possibility of earthquakes, and there’s copious amounts of research and tips available on how to prepare for, and survive, an earthquake. Here are some basic tips, most of which come from “Get Thru“, a Civil Defense initiative…

Preparing for an earthquake in New Zealand

As will all disasters, being properly prepared will greatly increase your chances of survival.

• Develop a Household Emergency Plan and prepare an Emergency Survival Kit so that you can cope with being on your own for up to three days or more
• Identify safe places within your home, school or workplace. A safe place is:
  • under a strong table, remember to hold onto the legs
  • next to an interior wall
  • somewhere close to you, no more than a few steps, or two metres away, to avoid injury from flying debris
• Check your household insurance policy for cover and amount
• Seek qualified advice to make sure your house is secured to its foundations. Also check that any renovations comply with the NZ Building Code
• Secure heavy items of furniture to the floor or wall. “Quake-safe” your home…

“Quake-Safe” your New Zealand Home

• Secure hot water cylinders and header tanks
• Check that your house is secured to its foundations
• Secure your chimney with galvanised metal bands
• Secure tall furniture to the wall studs
• Secure wood burners to the floor
• Store heavy objects low down
• Use non-slip mats under smaller appliances and objects
• Use plastic putty (Blu Tack) to secure ornaments
• Push picture and mirror hooks closed
• Have flexible gas and plumbing fittings installed.

During an earthquake

• If you are inside a building, move to a safe place
• If you are outside, move no more than a few steps, then drop, cover and hold
• If you are driving, pull over and stop
• If you are at the beach or near the coast, drop, cover and hold then move to higher ground immediately in case a tsunami follows the quake

After an earthquake

• You should expect to feel aftershocks
• Help those around you if you can
• If you are in a damaged building, try to get outside and find a safe, open place
• Do not go sightseeing to look at the damage the earthquake has caused
• If you smell gas, try and turn off the gas main outside the building if it is safe to do so
• If you see sparks, broken wires or evidence of electrical system damage, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box if it is safe to do so
• If your property is damaged, take notes and photographs for insurance purposes
• Listen to the radio for information and advice

Be aware of earthquakes

GeoNet is a current project to build a modern hazard-warning system throughout New Zealand. On their website, you can view current and historical data on every recorded earthquake (even the small ones, unnoticed by humans).

If you’ve felt an earthquake, even a minor one, head over to their “earthquakes” page and either report the quake, or (more likely) identify which current quake you felt, and report its intensity.

Series Navigation

«How to survive a disaster in New Zealand

photo credit: brndnprkns

This series of posts will deal with how to prepare for, and (hopefully) survive the various disasters that could befall you in New Zealand.

“We live at the edge of the world, so we live on the edge. Kiwis will always sacrifice money and security for adventure and challenge.”

- Lucy Lawless on the lives of New Zealanders.

Be under no illusions – New Zealand is a dangerous place.

We’re surrounded by volcanoes. We live our lives on top of a fault line. Our latest (minor) earthquake was 2 days ago.

We know this. Civil Defense Department knows this, and works to make the public aware of emergency preparation and survival.

The much-publicized website, “Get Thru“, contains resources and tips on preparing yourself for surviving a natural or man-made disaster.

After a disaster in New Zealand

• Everyone will be affected by a disaster, including the rescuers that we rely on. Immediately after an event, emergency services and civil defence staff will have to respond to the most critical demands. This means they may not get to everyone who needs help as quickly as needed.
• Be prepared to cope on your own for up to three days, or more.
• It could be several days before services are restored. Even then, access may be limited.
• Damaged infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and rail lines, will take longer to restore.
• This is when you will be most vulnerable. Get ready now to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community.

Your New Zealand Emergency Survival Kit

It’s a good idea to keep everything you’ll need in an emergency in one easily-accessible location in your home (You should also have one in your car). Below is a sample emergency kit. The FAA also has one. The bottom line? Be Prepared.

Emergency Items

• Torch with spare batteries
• Radio with spare batteries (check all batteries every 3 months)
• A change of clothes for all family members (wind and waterproof clothing, sun hats, and strong outdoor shoes)
• First aid kit and essential medicines
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Pet supplies
• Toilet paper and large rubbish bags for your emergency toilet
• Face and dust masks

Food and water for at least 3 days

• Non-perishable food (canned or dried food)
• Bottled water (at least 3 litres per person, per day for drinking)
• Plan how to get water for washing and cooking (check your hot water cylinder, pond, toilet cistern if it is free of chemicals)
• A primus or gas barbeque to cook on
• A can opener
• Check and replace food and water every twelve months.

Supplies for babies and small children

You may have to keep your kids entertained or distracted for days. Be sure to pack:

• Food, formula and drink
• Change of clothing and nappies
• Toys or favourite activity

Assemble everything you need for your Emergency Survival Items and place it somewhere that is easy to get to in an emergency. Make sure everyone in your house knows where your Emergency Survival Items is kept.

If you prefer to keep some of your Emergency Survival Items in the house for everyday use, make sure you know where to find them quickly when an emergency occurs. Download a checklist here to make sure you are ready.

Series Navigation

How to survive an earthquake in New Zealand»

photo credit: PhillipC

Hawke’s Bay is the country’s oldest wine making region and is New Zealand’s leading producer of award winning red wines.

Many South Africans (myself included) enjoy its unusually sunny (for New Zealand) climate, beautiful scenery, and easily-accessible walks, beaches, and outdoor activities.

You can take a peek into Hawkes bay with the following two webcams..

Hastings, New Zealand’s Wine Country

The Tuki Vineyard has a webcam overlooking their beautiful vineyards. They’ve also compiled a full day’s video into a 2MB, 30 second movie. Well worth watching. One of the world’s 500 smallest vineyards, they also have a charming one-bedroom cottage available at $200-$250 per night (min 2 nights).

Napier, New Zealand’s Art Deco City

Airnet, a wireless internet provider in Hawkes Bay, have a webcam overlooking Napier’s CBD and southern suburbs, with Cape Kidnappers in the distance.

Following a massive earthquake (7.9 on the Richter scale) on the morning of Tuesday 3 February 1931, fires destroyed most of the commercial heart of Napier. The city was rebuilt in the style of that era and by the end of the decade Napier was the newest city on the globe.

More New Zealand Webcams

This post will ultimately be one in a series, highlighting webcams in the different geographical regions of New Zealand. The ultimate list of New Zealand webcams (which inspired my indepth series) can be found at www.webcams.co.nz.

photo credit: ecentor

Reasons to use Twitter in New Zealand (or anywhere)

ColdKiwi (who doesn’t seem to actually BE a Kiwi) lists 15 reasons to use Twitter. Here are a few:

Breaking News – if you follow the right people or services you can receive breaking news almost instantaneously on your phone or blackberry.

Keep in Touch – you can follow your friends, neighbors, or co-workers and always have a sense of what they are thinking or doing.. This is helpful when you are busy and traveling and want to just keep in touch with people.

Rapid Response to Questions – you can send out questions on anything under the sun and many times can get a very quick response on your question.

Twitter in New Zealand

The following are a few of the active “twitterers” in New Zealand who I follow:

• GeekZone (@geekz1)
  1-2 times per day with IT news updates. (stats)
• Kiwification (@kiwification)
  (This site) 3-5 times per day about learning NZ life and culture, and interesting tidbits. (stats)
• Mauricio Freitas (@freitasm)
  3-5 times per day about mid-level IT and news. (stats)
• Julie Starr (@starrjulie)
  3-5 times per day about writing, entry-level IT, and misc. (stats)
• Simon Young (@audaciousgloop)
  5-10 times per day about internet, social media, and personal chit-chat. (stats)
• Brenda Wallace (@br3nda)
  10-15 times per day about high-level tech, news, and Wellington life. (stats)
• Dominion Post (@dompost)
  20-30 times per day with local news updates (stats)
• Rachel Boyd (@rachelboyd)
  blogs about learning, education, and entry-level tech (stats)

What is Twitter?

This brilliant video clip explains what twitter is, and why it’s so useful: