Pohutukawa Tree

Picture was taken on Breaker Bay Road which goes around the point south of the Wellington airport, it is the scenic drive that over looks the Cook Strait between the north and south islands.  The Pohutukawa tree blooms around Christmas time and there are many of them in the Wellington area.  When the blooms drop they coat the ground in red velvet.

Digital Lab

Digital Camera Station NZEA0001D

Entrance to Digital Camera area - Archives New Zealand

2nd Digital Camera and a picture of a Kiwi painted by an earlier digital camera operator.

Prepared probate records ready to be digitized...hand painted Moa.  Helps break up the bleak white cement walls.

More prepared documents ready to be digitized.

Boxes of probate records that have been digitized and ready to be put back into the archive

Here we are in front of camera #1.

We got evacuated today because of the 6.2 earthquake.  That has now been updated to a 6.6 earthquake. It shook hard enough that many of the probates fell on the floor.  We were able to get them off of the floor but then had to immediately leave.  The whole city of Wellington appeared to be leaving.  There were sirens going almost constantly as fire engines and police were going to areas that needed assistance.  We were able to make it back to our apartment without much delay.  Hopefully we will be able to return on Monday.  There has already been a number of after shocks as you can see by the one pictured above, others have also reach the 5.0 range.  We felt one here in Porirua just a few minutes ago.  There has now been an after shock of 6.2 and a 5.7, there have been more than 25 after shocks within the last 5 hours.

We have had a number of earthquakes the last few days.  Had a 4.7 on Friday and we just had a 6.5 just a few minutes ago at 5:09 PM.  Then a few minutes later another at 5.5.  I will have to admit they are kind of unsettling.  While in Utah I never felt anything greater than about a 3.0 or something in that range and it was probably 40 years ago.  So this is a new experience for Cathy and I.  I was napping at the time and it brought me right awake.  All of these have been down on the northern tip of the southern island near Seddon in the Cook Strait.

On June 20th we had a severe storm with winds of excess of 100 mph with 124 mph gusts near Wellington. There were reports of 32 foot swells in Cook Strait. 30,000 homes were left without electricity, we were one of them.  We were without electricity for 48 hours and since it was during a winter storm it was cold and wet.  We spent the Saturday over at the mall and library which had electricity to stay warm.  We had 1 candle which didn't really help much, but we threw everything that looked like it could retain heat on our bed at night and ate cold sandwiches and water for our meals.  It was noted in the news that it was the strongest storm to hit the area in 37 years.



This is the entry into the digital camera area, there are 2 cement walls that join and the grout between the two fell out during the earthquake as the two walls moved.

These are probate records that were prepared and laid out to flatten.  During the earthquake they fell off of the shelf onto the floor.  They fell like when you shuffle cards so that the 2 shelves of probates were shuffled together.  Notice the probates to the left didn't hardly move.  This was all of the damage that was done in our area.

Glow Worm Cave - Waitomo

Entrance into the ticket and gift shop area from the parking lot.

There are a number of walks in the area that go into the bush this is one we took for only about 15 minutes.

Rotorura

 

Standing in front of a mud hot springs in the park in Rotorura.

Anne and Henry Nom.  We were traveling with them up to Hamilton to go to the Temple.  They live just 5 minutes away from the Temple.  Anne worked in the Temple as a recorder for 15 years.

This and the following are pictures from the park in Rotorura, it was a beautiful day.

Port Waikato

This is Waikato bay or Sunset Beach.  The day we were there a surf competition was just ending.  It is a beautiful beach with dark brown sand.

 

Hamilton Temple

Entrance to the Hamilton NZ Temple

The following are pictures of the land surrounding the Temple.  It was originally a dairy farm.  The family that owned it wasn't going to sell, but after the Church asked a third time if they would sell they said they would, but were not sure why.

 

Our Apartment

View from our deck facing South.

View from deck facing East.

View from front porch facing West with out Toyota Yaris.

Living and dinning area.

Kitchen and to the right the entry and laundry area.  They hang their driers from the celling in many of the apartments.  Does save space.



Our bedroom.  There is another bedroom that is just a little smaller.

Entry and laundry.  They hang the dryer from the celling in many of the apartments.  Does save space.

Bathroom.

Senior Missionaries

Anne and Henry Nom - they will be going to Papua New Guinea in May 2013

Steve and Cathy just getting started.

Steve and Cathy Stucki, Jenny Ditchburn,Anne and Henry Nom, Tom McVey, Loraine and Roy Ditchburn

Dominion Post news article

From the Wellington Dominion Post - Interview regarding the Mormons digitizing the
Wellington Archive probate records - that's me in back on the camera and Tom McVey being the star.

Mt. Victoria

Part of Wellington that is on the west side of Mt. Victoria.

 

Wellington Harbor in background.

Evans Bay - Airport is located just to the right of the point of the mountain on the left.