Google Transit comes to Wellington

In a New Zealand first, Wellington’s public transport info is now available in Google Maps letting you plan trips via bus and train with Google’s Transit service. To test it out, I gave it a simple trip from home to Molly Malones on Courtenay Place and it presented an interesting solution first up,

The recommendation (to get me to town at the earliest time possible) was to take a bus the couple of hundred metres to the end of the street, walk down to the airport, then jump on the Airport Flyer to town. The second option was to wait 20 minutes and get a direct bus to town arriving 15 minutes after the first option. Think I’ll stick to number 2!

This type of public transport trip planning was already available in Wellington via the metlink website, but Google’s implementation is far superior in that you can enter business and place names, not just streets or addresses as with the metlink journey planner.

The real benefit however, is likely to be for Google Maps users on mobile phones. Google’s services work particularly well on cellphones (esp “smart” phones) and this will be a boon for anyone out and about in town (even those enjoying a beer at Molly’s) wondering about public transport options…

So props to Greater Wellington and Google for further improving an already useful service!

Mustang over Wellington

As publicity for the Wings over Wairarapa airshow in Masterton this weekend, Wellington got treated to a flypast by a North American P51-D Mustang and a Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk early this afternoon.

Here’s an ambitious attempt to capture the Mustang on my new Canon IXUS 80IS from the roof of the MetService building in Kelburn.

The fighters were a fair distance away over the city. I stuck the camera in full auto mode at full optical zoom and clicked. One chance. One shot.

The full image,

And a crop at full size,

Needless to say the 8Mpx resolution helped at that range. I’m actually amazed it worked that well!

The very hungry caterpillar

Yes, that’s one of Matt’s favourite books, but also describes a particularly fat caterpillar on our tree. Check him out!

Up close, these little guys are bizarre and intriguing,

He’s an emperor gum moth caterpillar or “Opodiphthera eucalypti” and is happily munching our eucalyptus tree, along with scores of his mates.

If you’re curious what the adult moth looks like, head over to Wikipedia, which tells me these guys are native to Australia, but also found in NZ’s North Island as an introduced species.

The Local – Strathmore

…gets two thumbs up from me!

Aussie cricket team humiliated

The Black Caps fired on all cylinders in the capital today, thumping Australia to their worst loss in history by number of wickets. Vincent and Flemming put on 73 and 70 respectively, taking NZ to 149/0 in the 27th over in response to Australia’s woeful 148 all out in the 50th over. Never before have Australia lost a One Day International by 10 wickets. Kudos to the kiwis for a super start in the best of three Chappell-Hadlee Series!

The earth doth move

Had a wee earthquake last night in Wellington, nothing too serious and certainly not big enough to move the house off its foundations.

The GeoNet report says it was a shallow magnitude 5.0 quake just north of Cook Strait. I’m just hoping the theory that ‘lots of little quakes ease the pressure and reduce the chance of a big one’ is correct! Time will tell I suppose…