At the corner with Belvedere Avenue.

We posted a steam scene at MacKays Crossing a few weeks ago; this shows a southbound Fiat railcar between there and Paekakariki.  Until about 2010 the double track ended in the background before the level crossing. (Murray Renton pic)

There was obviously a launching ramp for boats at that time which there isn’t now. A Tony Fleming pic on the Old Wellington Region FB page.

The second clearly relates to the Giant Fish of Maui (Te Ika a Maui) legend, see this webpage

by Kerry Bolton

While the Fairfax media has published a great deal of utter nonsense to portray supporters of Dr David Scott in his efforts to clear his name of a false accusation as malicious, even (gasp) dangerous, the narcissistically pseudonymous ‘Adele’ has made allegations both to Fairfax and to the District Courts with bizarre affidavits that are nothing short of outrageous lies and which the former has gleefully repeated.

In June I was charged with breach of name suppression, and for whatever reason have been made responsible for the actions of Newstalk ZB in broadcasting ‘Adele’s’ actual name. Leaving this aside, the blatantly  inflammatory articles by Virginia Fallon of Fairfax have had a little impact.

We should look at the recent antics of one of her ‘supporters’. On 15 December at 1:30 p.m. I was waiting near the main entrance of Coastlands, opposite Countdown, when someone with a Scottish accent, of middle age and average build and height, approached me and asked whether I was the individual pictured in the Dominion Post.

I said I was. He claimed to ‘know’ (sic) David Scott. He told me that Scott should ‘drop the matter’, by which I assumed he meant his appeal. I said, ‘he can’t’ (by which I meant, why should an innocent and honourable person accept false accusations?). He then asked me to tell him ‘Adele’s’ actual name. At this point my wife had walked past a few meters away, so I abruptly excused myself and caught up with her. I have a good idea who this person is and believe he is a man who compulsively re-posts news items about Scott on social media with a disparaging comment, that provide opportunity for ‘Adele’s’ half a dozen or so supporters to add malicious quips.

Under the Crimes Act 1961, Part 4, 66 (1) ‘Every one is a party to and guilty of an offence who (d) incites, counsels, or procures any person to commit the offence’. 

But from experience I know that Kapiti police have a biased view and would not care less.

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Because of their extremely biased and inaccurate nature we have filed formal complaints with the Media Council about the articles composed by Virginia Fallon, although the responsibility for their being published is that of her editor. This complaints process will take a while. But as a general public service in the meantime, here are four paragraphs from the second complaint pointing out inaccuracies that may be useful for some readers.  –Eds

• A Restraining Order application is a civil matter between the applicant and the respondent, it is not a criminal charge;
• ‘Adele’s lawyer obviously did not tell ‘Adele’ that criminal matters take precedence over civil litigation and that by including a conviction that is being appealed in her application, it would automatically result in her application being postponed until after that had been determined;
• ‘Adele’s lawyer omitted to tell her that a judge will decline the inclusion of several other parties on a Restraining Order: those parties have to make their own applications;
• It is perfectly legitimate for someone being accused of something to investigate the ulterior motivation and background of the accuser by contacting, directly or indirectly, those who know the accuser;

by Carol Sawyer

This is primarily a very USEFUL book. When I started reading it, within a short space of time I realized it is a perfect information and “ammo providing” book for the intelligent teenager who is opposed to 1080 poison, (usually because he or she has enlightened parents to start with), but finds the reasons for that opposition difficult to articulate at times.

I have noticed, time and again, posts from parents opposed to 1080 poison complaining that their children are being inDOCtrinated, and also that if they write an opposing view to the government-led mantra (“1080 poison is the best tool in the toolbox”) their marks can suffer – not always, but often enough to be a worry, even a deterrent.

Hopefully, of course, the book will end up in all school libraries, and with luck will inform many.

I don’t mean to say this book is only for teenagers. It is not, and I have gleaned much new information from it for myself as well. However, the authors, Jim Hilton and Roger Childs, have teaching backgrounds.

Jim Hilton (BSc Hons Zoology) is a NZ trained former High School science and biology teacher, and government research scientist.

Roger Childs (BA Hons Geography, Dip Ed, Dip Tch) is a former Head of Social Sciences at Kapiti College and The Correspondence School. Among other things he has authored and co-authored several Social Studies, Geography, and History textbooks.

The book has a concise, almost bullet-point, style that makes it a marvellous reference book, but there is nothing stuffy about it. It is very readable. It is also prolifically illustrated, has a helpful glossary, and an excellent “further reading” list.

The book explains how New Zealand broke away from Gondwana, how the country’s biodiversity unfolded, and then describes the huge changes brought about by the waves of settlers — firstly Polynesian and then European. Then it covers the introduction of new wildlife and plants, the misunderstood role of browsers, the value of possums, the predator-free movement, the disaster that is mass poisoning, the importance of predators, and the lessons to be learnt from all of this for the future.

If I had a teenager right now this would be NUMBER ONE on my list of Christmas presents. They are not going to get this information in the classroom.

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New Zealand’s Changing Biodiversity: Nature Under Pressure — 95 pages in 27 x 18 cm format, illustrated throughout, softcover. Available from Tross Publishing, trosspublishing.co.nz for $25, which includes postage.
The book is also available locally at Paper Plus and Whitcoulls for $25.

…of the Waikanae River.

Extensive fields of lavender are one of the things Provence in France is associated with.

The reference to miles and not kilometres indicates that this is pre-1974.  The site is now The Grand Carpark / Te Papa Motokā.