Wakey Wakey!

One of the harbingers of spring in New Zealand is the drone of topdressing aircraft in the countryside. There is one roaring over the house right now. The pilots are real glamour boys of the rural scene, are highly skilled, (or dead) and their day at the office leaves little room for error. Hills are hard.
The truck & trailer loads of fertilizer have been carted in to the local airstrip, a feat in itself as we didn't think the trucks would make it through the muddy tracks. We also watched the plane fly in yesterday for a look at the strip. It will be working hard on takeoff, the ground is pretty wet, but a 600hp turboprop has a bit of grunt, and the Fletcher aircraft has fat soft tires.
The history of aerial topdressing is an interesting story of Gung Ho Kiwi ingenuity. Bored pilots returning from the war, and the Tiger Moth airplane being the main ingredients.
They do have a bad habit of starting early in the morning, when there is less wind, and the air denser. This means a noise first like a demented vacum cleaner & a nano second later a shattering roar from the the propellor & exhaust. And all this at daylight.
No Sunday morning lie in then, for Doddery, unless there is a good ground mist.
Photo Wanganui Aero Work

All In The Best Possible Taste...

A Wet and frustrating day. It's the Fire & the couch for me. So a few links for the easily amused...

Frequently Asked Questions on Unicycling

The Worlds Fastest Indian

How Do Cable Cars Work?

Preparing Dinner in the Dining Car Kitchen (1942)

The hangi or earth oven is the best known traditional form of cooking for Maori
Japanese Custom Van from StangeVehicles.com

One Wheel To Rule Them All ...

Everything you ever wanted to know about Monowheels....

A Big Local U Turn

Now you see it, ...Now you don't.
Puzzled Non Kiwi's can skip this post & read about road movies...

Taranaki Daily News 30 April 2005

A notorious stretch of Taranaki's northern outlet will undergo a $1.1 million upgrade.Work on the 2km narrow and winding road between the Awakino Hotel and the Junction Service Station on State Highway 3 is scheduled during the 2005-06 year.
The road, which has claimed at least two lives in recent years, will be widened and corners smoothed.
In October 1998, a Stratford woman and her three-year-old son died when their car went off State Highway 3 and plunged into the river 800m north of the Awakino Hotel.
Any accidents can close the road for hours, and cause major traffic disruption on Taranaki's only highway north. On June 22, 2001, it was closed for six hours when an offal truck tipped over 1km north of the hotel. Vehicles were backed up 3km each way from the accident with no possibility for diverting the traffic while emergency crews cleared the spillage from the truck
The upgrade plans were revealed at a Taranaki Regional Council meeting earlier this week.
"The security of our routes out of Taranaki is a high priority, so it's quite a sensible move," transport committee chairman Roger Maxwell said.
The project has been moved to second priority on the Taranaki Regional Land Transport Committee's list and there are hopes of financial assistance from the Waikato district council.
Councillor David Walter noted the road's reputation and its track record of accidents. The widening of the road and easing of corners would go some way towards fixing these problems."If it didn't go ahead now then my feeling is it would not go ahead for another 10 to 12 years," Mr Walter said.
Other long-term projects for Awakino are being investigated under the National Land Transport Plan. These include the widening and realignment of the tunnel north and realignments at Hannahs Curve and Bexley Station. Hairpin bends at the end of high speed straights in the Awakino Gorge could be realigned to provide speed consistency while two 55km/h bends on the southern approach could be eased and realigned.
Taranaki expects to have about $48 million to spend on its roading priorities throughout the region over the next 10 years.Much of the funding is a result of the 5% fuel excise levy and increased road user charges that came into place earlier this month.

26 July 2005

The omission of major Awakino roadworks from the Government's 10-year to-do list has put Taranaki roading authorities on a collision course with Government transport funding agencies.
After extensive consultation for more than six months, the Taranaki Regional Land Transport Committee (TRLTC) rated both the repair of the subsiding road north of the Awakino pub and the widening of the Awakino tunnel as high priorities.But when the 10-year State Highway Plan was released earlier this month, the TRLTC was outraged to see the two projects were not listed.
The committee had determined the road between the pub and the Awakino garage was fragile and in danger of disappearing into the adjacent Awakino River.
At the TRLTC meeting at Stratford on Friday, Transfund, Transit NZ and Land Transport New Zealand representatives were called to account.
TRLTC member Tom Cloke said the omission was a joke."To have it ignored when we put it as a top priority, are we being treated as fools in the provinces? We get sick of your damned processes," Mr Cloke said.
LTNZ Ian Hunter responded that the distribution of money had been made more difficult because Transit had been working on a different time-frame from LTNZ. The two authorities were holding talks to try to make sure it would not happen again, Mr Hunter said.
Barry Finch said the committee needed to be sending a signal to the Government to get it right.
Acting chairman David Walter said the committee would strongly object in a move to get the two priority jobs reinstated.
A letter would be sent to the LTNZ, outlining the committee's concern that the priorities had been given very little weight, despite extensive consultation, Mr Walter said.And an urgent meeting would be called between LTNZ, TNZ, Taranaki's Technical Advisory Committee and the State Highway 3 Working Party to work through the issues.
In the meantime, the Government had found another $500 million for transport, Mr Walter said.The motion was passed unanimously.Transit regional manager Errol Christiansen, of Wanganui, said $304 million had been approved for Taranaki roading projects over the next decade.The determination of where the funding would go was an annual process, Mr Christiansen said.

"Mostly cloudy today, with a few showers. A period of rain tomorrow, with heavy falls in Taranaki"

Oh well, back to potholes, and clammy wet weather gear. Mind you, there are optimistic signs out there. The willow trees are starting to show a tinge of green, the mornings are starting to get lighter, and the ducks are breeding along with the potholes.
���One skill you have to learn rather quickly on the job is the simple art of pulling off to the side of the road. The shoulders are muddy and soft at this time of the year, and to get a truck off the road without getting stuck is a feat in itself. We chew through left hand tires, & mirrors can get a bashing as you squeeze into impossible places against banks and vegetation. The fact that more and more crash barriers are being put in on corners often means we can't get off the road. Over time you learn all the spots where you can pull off safely. This especially important if you have the front end loader on a transporter trailer, and need to get it close to a slip. The smaller vehicles which are used for sign maintenance etc are modified for the job. They often have a shortened chassis & so can do a U turn on a narrow road with ease. My truck needs a bit of room, and when I do get stuck, it is often sensationally so. So far this winter I have been stuckless, but I better not get smug.
Rest Area 300m

A Place By The River

On a nice day, in a beautiful spot, with light traffic, moods lift and working on the road is almost sublime. The rain and potholes of yesterday are done with, muddy culverts forgotten. This is a view from where we were working on the Mokau bridge yesterday.
The boats moored in the river are the Kingfisher, (closest) & the Cygnet

On a nice day, a cruise up the river with a G&T, or a cold beer is a wonderous thing....
Rest Area 300m

Old Yella

"Old Yella" is our broom tractor. It is as old as dirt. Getting it started sometimes can be a hassle, it is fairly cranky. We curse this in foul weather with it's lack of cab & any semblance of comfort. Yet we also have some affection for it as it is very handy on some jobs. As well as the broom it has a mid mounted grader blade. This means you can do reasonably precise work with it. Here it is being used to take out a bump at a bridge end. Premix has been levelled with it, taking out a slump before the concrete lip of the bridge. This has been done by eye. After compaction I will drive my truck over it at speed. If I spill my coffee we will have another go.


When sweeping, wind direction is all important.
Rest Area 300m

Awakino Gorge Tunnel
Heading north into the morning fog & mist.
Rest Area 300m

Traffic For Jam.

I am pretty used to traffic when out on the road every day. This blog isn't.
But a co-operative effort with Hanan at Grow-a-brain, has sent my stat counter spinning like a slot machine. I have had some really nice emails from the nice folk he has sent my way. Welcome to New Zealand's cyberspace, please drive carefully!

"A Three Pipe Problem, I Think Watson"

If I had done a bit more geometry & algebra homework as a spotty kid. I might have made an accident investigator. It is an area that fascinates me. Aircraft accident investigation would be the ultimate. Working out the whys and whats from a tangled heap of wreckage is a real detective story.
The diagram above is the beginning of the process in finding out how far a vehicle travelled after becoming airborne on a rise, or a crest in the road.
Next comes a complicated equation.


These days of course computers can do most of the work, but I have seen it done almost on the back of an envelope.
Rest Area 300m

Pissed Off At NZ Fuel Prices?

The AA is questioning the justification of the latest price rise for petrol when world oil prices have dropped.
"The public will be questioning the need for two fuel price rises so quickly, especially when world oil prices appear to have dropped slightly over the last two or three days. "
Want to give them a burst?
BP Oil
Caltex
Mobil
Shell

Double Double, Post Post.

Beautiful pedal cars of Southern California (Found at the Petersen Automotive Museum)

Exploring a fascinating lost chapter in 20th Century pop culture, Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films revisits the shock-value driver's ed films that haunted American teens throughout the 1960s and '70s

Replica of a 1937 Oklahoma Highway Patrol car

The Zippo car, a Chrysler Saratoga, was custom built in 1947 at a cost of $25,000.00. Sporting two larger-than-life Zippo lighters with neon flames, the car was in parades and special events across the U.S. during 1948 and 1949. Also, Hersheys Kissmobile and The history of The Wienermobile. (From John's Blog)

No Engine Required - For the modern soapbox derby, all you need is gravity and $30,000

Would you like a road trip across America, transporting somebodys car instead of driving your own?

History of The Old Plank Road: "Standard equipment for a trip to Yuma in 1920 to 1927 consisted of extra boards, two auto jacks, gunny sacks, a shovel, food and water for at least two days, and lastly to be totally prepared, a set of boxing gloves."

Gibbs Aquada, Sports Car & Jet Boat. (And how it works)

With appearances on several television networks, dozens of worldwide magazines, and hundreds of newspapers, Earl Zausmer's BMW 540i undoubtedly ranks as one of the most publicized car audio systems ever. (From Fawn Jotters)

Custom Hood Ornaments by Jud Turner. (Also by same artist, The Chemical Straightjacket)

Our friend, Ray Newton, of PTeazer fame just finished designing one of the 4 tailgate vehicles for the new Chevy HHRs, and he will be featured in an episode of The Learning Channel's reality show "Rides"

Goodguys Street Rod of the Year

Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Onkara Art Car Project

Running a Range Rover on coconut oil

A Bellevue, WA man's Ferrari burst into flames at the gas pump

This post was co-blogged with Hanan, of Grow-a-Brain. It has been great fun, and humbling to see a Master at work. Man is he organised!
Rest Area 300m

Bexley Station Driveway
Awakino Gorge.
Rest Area 300m

Ladies Mile
Awakino
Rest Area 300m

The school holidays are ending and this weekend will see heavy traffic. There has also been snow forecast in the central North Island, this always increases our traffic flows. Over the past couple of days we have shoveled something like ten tonnes of premix into holes, and I have climbed into and out of my truck a zillion times. We are all knackered. While our potholes are modest in comparison to that pictured, we make up for it in quantity. Now we just pray we don't get another spell of heavy rain. On an optomistic spring front, there are a few lambs about, the odd spring flower, and the ducks are getting amorous.
pic from wreckedexotics.com

"A Case For Do Or Die......"

LONDON (Reuters) - Motorists who enjoy a sing-along while driving tend to concentrate more and fall asleep less than their silent counterparts, new research showed Tuesday
"Singing while driving stimulates not only the mind but also the body which in turn produces heightened alertness and reduced fatigue," said Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist from the University of Sheffield.
She said music was more effective than silence, conversation or talk radio in achieving an optimal state of alertness..."
* cough*
Cue ... sleazy band.

"You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.

It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go ...

Morning, Ladies Mile, Awakino.
The Sign Truck leads the way on another pothole run north.
Rest Area 300m

Getting On The Level

Another day rearranging NZ, carting bits that fall down, and filling gulleys that will eventually be flat.
In an eon or two, we will have NZ as flat as Holland.
The areas where we dump spoil are muddy and chewed up by the trucks. It is always a challenge to get in and out without getting stuck. There are a few tricks. You leave the hoist up about half way, this puts weight over the back axle and helps. Something worth remembering in a muddy area, car or truck, is to always try and organise things so that you start off from rest facing down even a slight slope. Once you are moving forward you are half way there. A novice will often stop facing uphill and may as well start looking for a tow rope.

T/C ( Traffic Controller )
On Duty, Mt Messenger.
Rest Area 300m

A Wet, muddy, and rather frustrating day. Lots of rain has meant many small slips. You scurry off to clear one, set up signs & cones, and cart it away in a start stop process to allow traffic through. Then pick up signs and cones and repeat the process further up the road. Just as you can see the end of it all, another one comes down back where you started. Days like this you grab something to eat when you can, and curse the school holiday traffic.
There is a rythm to a job like this. If you are waiting to pass through, you will generally be signalled to go as the loader approaches and loads the truck, which is usually backed into the bank on an angle. It is a bit nerve-racking because if the loader reverses as you pass, it could hit you. Remember though, we have radios, and nothing moves till traffic is cleared. The loader will stay in the loading position, and won't reverse till he knows the road is clear, or has plenty of room. If you work with the same crew for a while you don't even need radios, eye contact will do. We trust our lives to each other every day on the road, it's part of the job. You have to have an awareness as to what is around you. So go through with confidence!
Rest Area 300m

Mt. Ruapehu, Central North Island
from Mahoenui Hill.
Rest Area 300m

A Digger Day

An amphibious digger
"The Amphibex Excavator's propulsion system is designed to provide maximum power with minimal disruption. Maximum speed is 8 knots."
A Spider Excavator
"The Spider excavator can work on very steep slopes"
And if you want to have a go yourself, Download a digger & various construction machinery, and dig away....

?

Lots of questions here. Just how scared was the digger operator?
Why use a digger in the first place?
What happens when he gets to floor level?
My guess is that he goes through the floor on one side, sits on the rubble and dumps out over the side of the building. If this is the case why hasn't he pulled the wall on the right in?
There is no obvious roll over or cab protection, so the operator was flirting with death anyway.
He has probably picked up a big hunk of concrete and reached out too far.
In any event I bet his life lashed before his eyes.

"Look Ma, No Engine..."

Nissan, Porsche, Bentley, Volvo, Audi, Lamborghini, Mazda, GM, Volkswagen all racing without engines.
"The cost of building these racers is impossible to calculate because so much time, labor and material was donated or sponsored. Still, if you were to factor in all the R&D, the most exotic of the bunch would cost upward of $100,000 to replicate. As for the countless hours that designers and engineers are devoting gratis: priceless."

Where Are The Marker Pegs?

It's interesting to go on a long drive with a geologist, a nurseryman, or a farmer. You will get a hint of how they see things. I have had ancient volcanic mud slides pointed out, Interesting crops & land types, and rare trees. Everyone sees the land and the road differently. The rural mail man is fixated on gateways and entrances and they are always good to talk to about cars. They go through fuel, tires and brake pads like you wouldn't believe. Line Haul Truckies know all about hills. Engineers look at bridges. You wouldn't want to go on a long trip with me. I subconsciously look for potholes, slumps, blocked culverts, & broken signs....

There is this big dead tree next to the Fart household. It is also close to the road. I have finally solved my firewood problems and removed a hazard at the same time. It was awkwardly leaning slightly toward the road, and dropping a tree with so much dead wood up high can be a bit dangerous. It doesn't look big in the photo, but that chainsaw at the base has a 30 inch bar. I climbed up on a ladder and tied it back to another tree with 4 tonne truck tie downs. Then set too with the chainsaw. Finally we cut the fence, and gave it a shove with a front end loader, and down it came. The fence is now fixed, and I have started cutting up a mountain of wood. Lawsoniana burns well and splits easily, and it has a lovely smell. I feel all manly and smug, and of course, warm.
Rest Area 300m

That's A Wrap...

Another problem area, another solution. Here water has been seeping under the road and opening up a series of potholes. ( about opposite the car ). A digger has come in and dug a deep drainage trench to catch the water coming off the steep bank. The cloth protects the open drainage metal that will be used to fill the trench, and stop dirt and clay clogging up the metal. When nearly full, the cloth will be folded over and another layer put on top to keep everything in position. We will then give it a chance to dry out a bit and then hopefully fix the area permanently.
Rest Area 300m

Dig It.

Mrs Fart, & Miss Fart, both think that I am incapable of just about everything. The word "Hopeless", seems to get bandied about a lot. Well I now have a certificate of proficiency. True it is in the arts of operating a special machine of the tracked, wheeled or roller variety, and will cost me $37.20 x 3. But it says I have demonstrated adequacy & proficiency. Now I can rip up Mother Earth with the best of them. I know of a guy in Wellington could use a hand. A 40 tonne digger can do a real hole.

The Brothers Are Watching You

A car stopped in an odd place gets our attention. Often we come across breakdowns, and can often lend a hand. Sometimes we can get a car going, we carry quite a few tools for fixing signs, and some of the light trucks are equipped with a vice and even a generator. You can also do a lot with tape and wire.
We have also come across injuries, sickness, even a suicide attempt (hose on the exhaust pipe) and lots of stuck cars that have pulled off the road too far. We can also call in something odd on our RT radios, abandoned cars, people up to no good etc.
It is also second nature now, to spot the signs of a car leaving the road and going over a bank. You get to know the road so well that it becomes almost instinctive. A broken post, marks in the grass, and so on.
We also, of course, get to know the bad spots where there are many accidents and will push to get something done about them. Even better signs can make a difference. But no matter what anyone does, there are still an endless supply of idiots smashing themselves and their cars up on perfectly good sections of road.
Rest Area 300m

Place We Have Lunch (8)

The Summit Rest Area, Mt Messenger.

Rest Area 300m

The "Out Tray"

These potholes have now been repaired. A heap of Pavelay has been wheelbarrowed into them. A small plate compactor has tamped them down, and a shovel full of sand spread over them to stop them sticking to tires. Finally they will be rolled with the wheels of the truck. The road metal kicked out of them has been swept off the road, quite a quantity as you can see.
A major cause of the problems in this area is the shade caused by the pine trees. In winter this section is always damp, and never gets any sun.
Rest Area 300m

Places We Have Lunch (7)

View From Layby, Mt. Messenger
There is an old piece of road we often pull off and have lunch. A bit of rain around. There are quite a few wild pigs in this area.
Rest Area 300m

My "In Tray"

This section of road had the potholes fixed 24 hours ago. Now it looks like Tora Bora after a B52 bombing run. In winter you have few options, put up signs and a speed restriction, and keep pouring Pavelay in, day after day. It can be soul destroying, and quite hard work. In fine weather all is well, but a good rain puts you back to where you started. This section was sealed late, never dried properly, and the road is absorbing water like a sponge. The hole closest to the camera is nearly a metre long and the water is up to your ankles.
Rest Area 300m

We are hard men on the road...

Giving it a nudge, down the pub...

I have just discovered that I have a test in a couple of days. A "Wheels, Rollers & Tracks" endorsement for my driving licence.
If I pass, I will then be legally entitled to drive bloody great earthmoving machinery on the road,
or in "a public place".
So I could legally trundle down to the Pub or McDonalds in an excavator, or a bulldozer.
Think of the street cred...

Small Things ......

I have been playing with the Answers.com box, I have thoughtfully provided for your edification and amusement. (Down there on the right..)
I have been trying to catch it out. "What is the meaning of Life?", "What are we here for"?, "Why should I go to work tomorrow?" and so on.
Good excuse not to go to work tomorrow ? = "Excuse me sir, but I won't be in today. My home is flooded and I'm currently standing on my dresser ..."
I am impressed.

Edgar Allen Poe, "The Tell Tale Signs"

The Boys & The Black Stuff

We have had a good rain over the last couple of days. Rain means potholes.
Potholing, or Pavement Repairs, to be flash, can be hard work.
Shovelling a couple of tonnes of Pavelay, which has the consistency of sticky toffee, means you get home stuffed.
When the weather is good, and the road behaving itself, a pothole run can be a doddle. A gentle cruise to a small hole, a repair and a chat.
After heavy rain, we get craters. Some areas we put wheelbarrow loads of black gooey stuff in.
It is very heavy, 2.2 tonnes to the cubic metre to be precise. Most we shovel off the back of the truck, if it's quiet we can just use a trailer, or a couple of bins.
Drivers have an aversion to Pavelay. They will run you over rather than drive through a freshly repaired pothole, yet slow moving traffic makes a great roller.
The truckies know what we are up to and will line up a repair and roll it for us, some are brilliant at it. Yet the average car driver will risk death by driving on the wrong side of the road rather than risk getting Pavelay on their car. Something that is unlikely. It is not like tar.
So rain means a stuffed Oldfart. The weather forecast isn't that flash either....
Duval Eliot , The Road Worker, 1938 (charcoal)

Multiple Explosions In London

I hope our London Ambulance driver is O.K.
At least I can go to work without the worry of being blown up on the way. It must be a nagging worry in some big cities. Bastards.
Flickr Photo pool here

We used to have big problems with the odd steer wandering round in the Awakino Gorge. These days with better fencing, we rarely have problems. There are a couple of reasons for this. Until the late 90's farmers faced no liability for stock that wandered onto the road, even if their fences were virtually nonexistant. Now they are commonly liable if negligence causes an accident. The other reason is the value of the animal. These days that big breathing piece of steak is worth a lot of money.
Goats are the main problem now, but they are pretty quick and rarely get hit, though they often cause accidents as motorists try and avoid them.
Rest Area 300m

A Tough Day.

It's all happening on our washout in the Awakino Gorge. Today a drilling rig started taking core samples to find out things we know already. And surveyors took a cross section of the area, so there will be an impressive plan. While this was happening I ferried a guy with a laser transponder around the river in a dinghy. It was very tranquil. It is very pleasant drifting around on a river watching people work.




Rest Area 300m

Close To Home ....

There is an S bend within 100m of the Fart Residence, that sees a fair bit of action. We get a steady stream of accidents, especially in the weekends. It has been pretty quiet for the last six weeks since we upgraded the warning signs, but tonight as I started to watch a rerun of the All Black test match, there was the unmistakable crunching crash, then a deathly silence. A dazed bruised and shaken young lady, survived the crash, but was so nearly taken out by a semi truck that missed the wrecked car by inches, a minute or so afterwards. The Semi must have had ABS brakes, he didn't jackknife, and his trailer stayed on the road. So a chance to catch up on the local gossip with the tow truck driver, cop & ambulance driver, all of whom have been marvelling at how quiet it has been on the accident front, and what a twat Clive Woodward is....

Oh Dear !

See Saw Marjorie Daw ...

I think I have discovered the reason the British & Irish Lions are falling down in the tactics dept. I happened apon a site called rugbytactics, a source which they are obviously using, in their futile attempt to demolish the All Blacks. It explains a lot.
Check it out
Rest Area 300m

This gives you an idea of the damage, the sea can do to a carefully constructed Gabion wall.
Rest Area 300m

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside..

" I joined a road gang to see the road, and what did I see, I saw the sea"
Yesterday, bridges, today repairing the gabion wall at the Mokau River mouth.
This wall built to protect the road above at hideous expense, takes a battering in storms, it also gets smashed about by logs and driftwood. We repair holes with a special type of coated wire. A plum job in summer of course, but it was a bit cold down there this morning.
We are going to have to do a lot more here before too long, hopefully mid summer.

Rest Area 300m