Go By Bike Day

Today was "Go By Bike" day, with more than 600 Wellingtonians mounting bicycles and receiving free breakfast and a live concert at the City Hall.

Bike the Bays

On Saturday, the city council hosted an annual 32-km bike ride around the Miramar peninsula in Wellington. Nearly 2000 riders enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery, followed by a picnic and live band. They say, "you can't beat Wellington on a great day," and I think I'd have to agree.

By the way, did anyone notice the "planes crossing" sign in the last photo?

Wellington Pasifika Festival

The first Pacific Festival (of what hopes to be an annual event) was held in Wellington today, with local Pacific Island groups performing song and dance. The event was very popular and provides a great source of cultural pride for various Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. Here are photos of dancers from Tonga, Tokelau, Fiji and the Cook Islands. More photos are in the slide show to the right-hand side of this page, or here (click on photos to enlarge).

Australian Apology

Although New Zealand IS NOT part of Australia (and, "no," Australia is not part of New Zealand, either), today marked an historic event in Australia which is well worth mentioning.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in Australian parliament to all Aborigines for laws and assimilation policies that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss" on Aboriginal people. He singled out the "Stolen Generations" of thousands of children forcibly removed from their families by Australian government and church missions.

(NB: This is not my photo, but isn't it very nice?)

Oxfam Trailwalker - The "Sockranos" Team

On April 5-6, three colleagues of mine will join me on a 100-km (62 mile) walk to raise funds for Oxfam to help overcome poverty and injustice. Our team, The Sockranos, must complete the full walk in under 36 hours and we must raise a minimum of $2000 (not including the $625 entry fee and expenses for the weekend that will come out of our pockets).

If you are interested in learning more, check out the event website.

If you would like to donate to our team (with a credit card), please, please, please click here. 10-20 cents per kilometer can go a long way. To give you some indication your money will buy:

• $10 - nutritional meals for 50 children
• $12 - a pair of chickens
• $15 - three ducks
• $25 - will plant 25 trees
• $80 - will provide safe water for 50 people

Note: These are based on New Zealand dollars, and the U.S. Dollar is doing well against the New Zealand dollar ($1 NZD = $0.78 USD). So, a $25 NZD donation is actually just under $20 USD.

Waitangi Day

These photos are of a Māori waka taua (double-hulled war canoe). The facial tattoos (ta moko) represent whakapapa (genealogy) and express both individual and iwi (tribal) identity. The shell eyes are meant to intimidate, representing eyes that never shut.

The canoe is located in Waitangi, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between British settlers and Māori chiefs on February 6, 1840. The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Māori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave Māori the rights of British subjects. However, there are two versions of the Treaty - Māori and English - each with significantly different interpretations, resulting in many misunderstanding.

Until the 1970's the New Zealand courts and parliament had largely ignored the Treaty (and many adults have learned in school that it was signed as a "benevolent" act on the part of the Crown). Today, it is generally regarded as the founding document of New Zealand (Aotearoa) as a nation, but there is much ongoing debate over the extent to which it is truly honoured.

New Zealand International Sevens

I forgot to mention that during the first weekend in February, Wellington's Westpac Stadium hosted the New Zealand International Sevens rugby championship. Although New Zealand beat Samoa, 22-17 in the finals, I don't know if the win officially counts since the lead player on the New Zealand team (responsible for scoring two tries) is Samoan (Victor Vito).

But, most people don't come to the Sevens to watch the games, they come to put on "fancy dress" (costumes).