Kash Patel in Wellington

FBI director, Kash Patel has been seen visiting the Beehive in Wellington. The Beehive is where the executive wing of government is housed, and where New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters hangs out. He was in his office today, so connect the dots.

Why would Kash Patel be in Wellington? Could it, perhaps, have something to do with Russiagate? Time will tell, but normally NZ does not receive high level people, even if it is part of Five Eyes and all that.

Start arresting people, we all now know Obama conducted a years-long coup, starting in 2016 after Donald Trump won the election. 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/fbi-director-kash-patel-visits-parliament/XMSIIL452RGV5DM6U2QDRGQPAE

FBI director Kash Patel is in New Zealand and has made a visit to the Beehive.

Patel, a former adviser to United States President Donald Trump, was seen by the Herald in the basement this afternoon.

It’s understood Patel has left the Parliament precinct. His visit to the seventh floor of the Beehive suggests he visited Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

The Herald has approached Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins. The Government has not confirmed his visit.

Update: It is now being reported that Kash Patel's presence in Wellington is due to the FBI opening a permanent office in New Zealand. File this as being the official position: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/568540/fbi-to-open-standalone-office-in-wellington

The FBI will be setting up a permanent office in New Zealand's capital, after the director Kash Patel met with several ministers, the heads of the police and New Zealand's spy agencies.

The US Embassy in Wellington confirmed in a statement plans for a "dedicated law enforcement attaché office" in the city.

"While the FBI has stationed personnel in New Zealand for several years, establishing a full Legat position in the country will strengthen and enhance the long-standing cooperation with a key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region," the statement said.

"This new upgraded office will continue to work with our New Zealand partners to address shared priority areas through joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building.

New Zealand's Media Landscape

New Zealand is not out of the woods yet. Noises are being made by politicians that NZ is back on track, no more unicorn kisses and rainbow hugs. But, it's not as simple as that as NZ no longer has an independent and fearless media.

Recently, TV3 shut down their news operation and now the whole platform has been sold to Sky NZ. Sky have said they have no real interest in news (I'm paraphrasing), so TV3's nightly news is produced by Stuff and that may be ending soon.

Stuff own most of the newspaper titles across NZ, significant amongst these are The Press of Christchurch, and The Post in Wellington.

Then, we have the New Zealand Herald, known as Aunty Herald due to its tone of being that Aunty that's always telling everyone off. It is the newspaper of record and now under a new board after a corporate coup. But it has been sliding for a while, so the jury is out on whether it will survive.

Newstalk ZB is a talk radio platform and dominates the airwaves. But it is just a rehash of the same claptrap you'd find in the newspapers.

TV1 is state owned and follows instructions from the government, it is a cockwomble media organisation.

There are one or two independent voices, the Otago Daily Times being one, but they're very tame.

The sum total paints an ugly picture. All of the above survive because the taxpayer keeps them alive. They do this through government agencies advertising across their platforms. Without this money, they'd all become extinct, overnight.

There have been some interesting developments; such as the online Centrist which gives readers a condensed version of news content. 

And then on YouTube there is The Platform, but it does very little reporting of its own, and its so-called stars are all locked in to prevailing opinions. They sound desperate to be liked and cling like limpet mines to those they perceive as the great and good. They are all products of a system that is dying, so they will also die, they have nothing new to offer.

In this desert, and with the internet now being heavily censored, the country has to try and survive. I am somewhat pessimistic about whether this is possible. 

Neil Oliver Most Censored

Neil Oliver is interviewed about the state of Scotland and the World in general. 

Brexit Benefits UK vs EU Bad Deal

Broadly speaking, the UK had imposed on them a tariff rate of 10%, while the EU gets 15%. 

The weakness of the EU structure has been fully exposed. There was the unelected Ursula von der Leyen shaking hands with Donald Trump and taking whatever deal was being imposed on the EU, and every country within that bloc gets no say.

Meanwhile the UK, now being outside the tent, gets a better deal.

UK prime minister, Keir Starmer met Donald Trump in Scotland and sat there like a Cheshire cat smiling. OK, I'm getting a bit carried away but Starmer did then look uncomfortable when Trump mentioned he got men out of women's sports, and then he started to squirm again when Trump called the mayor of London a nasty person. Trump again put Starmer on the spot over death taxes, pointing out he'd scrapped them, thus rescuing family farms from the banks. Starmer is a fail on every one of these points, and sits opposite Trump on the issue, but he just sat there, no doubt thinking 10%, 10%, 10%.

Starmer is so weak, and Von der Leyen weaker. But I'd like to know what went on behind the scenes between the US and the EU. One day, the EU is talking tough, then the next day they've rolled over. This was the fastest climb down seen this century - no joke.

EU Buckles

I predicted this would happen: the EU has buckled and like the UK, will do as they're told by the US. Mark this one down as a victory for the US. Any day now and the EU will blame China for something, everything, just because:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xylk3d07o

The United States and European Union have reached a trade deal framework, ending a months-long standoff between two of the world's biggest economic partners.

After make-or-break negotiations between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in Scotland, the pair agreed a US tariff on all EU goods of 15%.

That is half the 30% import tax rate Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. He said the 27-member bloc would open its markets to US exporters with zero per cent tariffs on certain products.

Donald Trump in Scotland

Good to see Donald Trump pursuing his passion for golf in the land that invented it. I'm embedding ITV News below simply for the comments which take the channel to task for their bias. Say what you like about Trump, but what did he say here that is wrong?

Where Did The Money Go?

One plausible reason for not releasing THOSE files, is that it could, at least partly, reveal to the public where exactly their retirement savings went. The suggestion is that Jeffrey Epstein was laundering money coming out of the U.S. Department of Defense. 20 trillion dollars has gone missing, that's trillion, not billion.

South Island Needs Independence

New Zealand's mainstream media have woken up to something that has been widely known and talked about for at least twenty years now; the South Island leads NZ and it is becoming obvious.

The North Island is drifting, while the South Island is booming, lots of reasons for this, but the most important one is that South Islanders are sane. It's time for the South Island to go it alone.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/business/360770435/south-island-leads-economic-recovery-kiwibank-report-find

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr recently spoke to a crowd of 250 people in Christchurch, and asked them if they were employing more people or buying machinery and other discretionary purchases. As many as 40% raised their hands. The same question was posed to an audience of 200 people in Wellington sometime afterwards, and just two people raised their hands.

RIP Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan has passed away at the age of 71. He was still looking young and with his incredible physique, it's hard to imagine he has gone. And what an incredible showman, and who can forget his signature T-shirt rip, and then saying 'what'cha gonna do when the Hulkster runs wild on you?'

I also remember Hulk Hogan's entrance theme. Right now I can hear it in my head; Real American by Rick Derringer. Then with the crowd cheering, Hulk would cup a hand to an ear and listen, effectively motioning people to get louder, he can't hear them.

The song, embedded below, includes the line - fight for the rights of every man. Hulk Hogan was that kind of man, and he epitomised working hard and believing in something.

EU Needs Britain's Collapse

I've been thinking this for a while; the EU are trying to bring the UK down. They are at war with Britain, and Britain needs to wake up.

Barack Obama Worried

Yes, Barack Obama has a genuine reason to be worried by the charge as put by DNI head, Tulsi Gabbard. The content of the complaint is published on the DNI website. What it shows is that the Obama team ran with the Russia interfering in elections claim, despite knowing that there was no interference, and if there was, it was completely ineffectual. 

The claim is that the Obama team ran a years-long campaign to undermine the POTUS, and that that amounted to a treasonous conspiracy.

The FBI must now investigate, and to do that they must execute search warrants, including Barack Obama. The Gabbard report is official, it is not some rumour or unsubstantiated allegation as the media are trying to portray. The FBI must act.

Personal note: I feel somewhat vindicated by this report. I have been saying for years that we have experienced a global coup, and now we find out where it all began.

Tulsi Gabbard Declassified Emails

Here's the link to the emails which Tulsi Gabbard claims amounts to a treasonous conspiracy to undermine the president of the United States:

https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2025/4086-pr-15-25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ODNI News Release No. 15-25
July 18, 2025

 

New Evidence of Obama Administration Conspiracy to Subvert President Trump’s 2016 Victory and Presidency

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard revealed overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how, after President Trump won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, President Obama and his national security cabinet members manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump.

• In the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the Intelligence Community (IC) consistently assessed that Russia is “probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means.”
• On December 7, 2016, after the election, talking points were prepared for DNI James Clapper stating, “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome.”
• On December 9, 2016, President Obama’s White House gathered top National Security Council Principals for a meeting that included James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice, John Kerry, Loretta Lynch, Andrew McCabe and others, to discuss Russia.
• After the meeting, DNI Clapper’s Executive Assistant sent an email to IC leaders tasking them with creating a new IC assessment “per the President’s request” that details the “tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.” It went on to say, “ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS.”
• Obama officials leaked false statements to media outlets, including The Washington Post, claiming, “Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.”
• On January 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.

After months of investigation into this matter, the facts reveal this new assessment was based on information that was known by those involved to be manufactured i.e. the Steele Dossier or deemed as not credible. This was politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more.

• “The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue. It is one that concerns every American. The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government. Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people,” said DNI Tulsi Gabbard. “Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic. No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. The American people’s faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it. As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”

  The files and a memo on today’s release are available on DNI.gov. DNI Gabbard will post updates on X (@DNIGabbard) and Truth Social (@DNlTulsiGabbard

Tulsi Gabbard Gets Tough

The Russiagate hoax, but was it a hoax, or a high level conspiracy to subvert the duly elected president of the United States?

Tulsi Gabbard seems to think she's discovered there is a case to answer: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/18/tulsi-gabbard-2016-election-investigation-00463779

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called for several Obama administration officials to face criminal prosecution for participating in a “treasonous conspiracy” surrounding the 2016 election on Friday afternoon, the latest example of the Trump administration targeting critics of the president.

In a newly declassified report, Gabbard on Friday alleged the officials “manipulated and withheld” key intelligence from the public related to the possibility of Russian interference in the election.

Before you dismiss this too quickly, here's an American lawyer outlining exactly how, years on people can still be charged:

Christian Horner Buying Alpine F1?

Rumour has it that former Red Bull F1 boss, Christian Horner is trying to buy out Alpine F1, or at the very least buy a stake in the team.

It would make sense to take full ownership and make the team a British one. As a French team, it has struggled. 

David Dicker (ASX: DDR), owns Rodin Motorsport in the UK, and he's expressed an interest in buying an F1 team in the recent past. I suggest Christian Horner and David Dicker get together and do a deal. Dicker has the money and engineering expertise, while Horner the F1 racing experience.

Fourth English Civil War?

I disagree with much of what David Betz is saying here, but the critical matter; that Britain is just a spark away from civil war, I do agree with. 

Don't play with matches. In context, leadership is required, not file shuffling jobsworths.

Immigration UK - Migrant Crisis?

We see the issue of migrants arriving in the UK being raised on the internet, but on MSM opponents to migrants are typified as 'far right' extremists. 

Is there a crisis?

Most certainly there is, net migration numbers have increased markedly over the last few years. The scale of what is happening is unprecedented. The proof:

UK Net Migration

And let's throw in a line graph to illustrate:

Migrant Flows UK 1964-2024

Source: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06077/SN06077.pdf

Clearly, something has to be done about this. If this pattern continues, the UK will fall apart. That's because it has a population of almost 70 million living in a territory smaller than New Zealand, which only has a population of five million. The pressure on infrastructure and housing in the UK must be enormous. 

For this to be allowed by both Labour and Conservative governments, there has to be an agenda in play. It cannot just be a case of, oh well, let's all be humanitarian. 

Uganda Industrialising

Uganda is the world's seventh largest producer of coffee, but now it is starting to exploit its abundant oil and gas fields, and its high quality iron ores. They export a proportion of oil and gas but keep back some to underpin local industry. 

Iron ores are now banned from being exported in raw form. All iron ores must now undergo some kind of processing before being exported, and these ores are some of the highest quality in the world. Obviously, along with that industry comes road and rail improvements and upgrades to airports for bringing in spare parts. 

Oligarchs Rule Western World

Somewhere along the line, democracy died. Today, countries throughout the developed world are ruled by oligarchies, or plutocracies:

 

Wandering Eye

Sad news, Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris 'Mu' Faiumu has died unexpectedly in his sleep. Their hit, Wandering Eye is one of those sounds of the summer anthems, and quintessentially Kiwi. In the embedded video, look out for a young woman, Danielle Cormack (1:31), who went on to become a successful actress:

UK Voting Age Lowered

UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans to lower the age at which people can vote. The voting age will be lowered to 16 from the current age of 18.

Well, what is wrong with that? 

There's a lot wrong with it, as it turns out. Sixteen year-olds have no or very little real-world experience. If 16, then why not 15, or 14? How about all those legally resident in the UK, regardless of citizenship? 

Basically, what we are seeing is more of bonkers Britain. Starmer is desperate to hang on to power, and he must figure children can be fooled with lots of free giveaways prior to the election.

Whatever you do rest of the World, don't copy this.

Air India 787 Crash

Reports are saying it appears one of the pilots intentionally caused the plane to crash. 

Election 2024 Rigged?

Maybe, maybe not, but there are some things to consider in this report.

New Zealand Ditches Open-plan Classrooms

It was never going to work. To my certain knowledge, open-outcry, large open shared space classrooms have been tried before and in every instance, failed. Educational theorists just won't let it go. Children do not learn in these environments, so it's good to finally see some commonsense returning:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/567106/government-shuts-the-door-on-open-plan-classrooms

She said the big open spaces were too noisy and distracting for many children, and they would learn better in individual classrooms.

"My message to parents is that your children will be learning in single-cell classrooms that are modular so there will be open-and-close sliding doors that will allow for those classrooms to become bigger for when events require," she said.

"But when they are learning using explicit teaching, the new curriculum, the new maths books they will be learning in single-cell classrooms."

New Zealand Covid Response

Public submissions are being made this week to the real government-led Covid inquiry. The previous inquiry has long since concluded, and it was a Labour government cover up and, thus, widely ignored.

Coincidentally, the following are matters readers may find interesting. The myth of Covid is still very much alive, and the harms the jab caused are conveniently parked under other headings, such as 'long covid'.

Conclusion: Numbers are still being pulled out of thin air, governments are still making things up, and the Southland doctor who prescribed and supplied Ivermectin is a hero.

Feedback: I'm placing this post here just to see my blog visits crumble. There are at least three things Google strangles talk of; Covid, Israel and Epstein. I wonder why that is? 

https://centrist.nz/did-new-zealands-covid-models-overstate-lives-saved/

“One model… suggests we might have seen up to 30,000 more deaths. But these estimates are uncertain and depend on assumptions not borne out in local data.”

https://centrist.nz/long-covid-left-out-despite-rising-toll-new-study-shows/

A new Otago-led study published in the International Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health found that over 20 percent of children and young people in New Zealand are experiencing persistent health problems following COVID. 

These include fatigue, headaches, anxiety, and school absences severe enough to impact daily life. “These symptoms weren’t just happening; they were actually limiting their ability to participate in life,” said lead author Associate Professor Julie Bennett.

Despite this, Long Covid is not on the agenda at this week’s hearings, which instead focus on lockdown decisions and vaccine mandates. 

https://centrist.nz/doctor-punished-for-covid-heresy/

A Southland GP who prescribed Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic has been formally censured by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.  

Ghislaine Maxwell

Will Donald Trump give Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon? Another possibility is she may be awarded a retrial. 

MAGA Furious, Demand Truth

Yes folks, after all the talk it is Donald Trump covering things up and shutting down free speech. But, this won't go away, that's because every parent out there is outraged at what is being covered up. 

Shane van Gisbergen

NASCAR fans are now discovering that New Zealanders are very good race car drivers. Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has now won three races on road or street courses, now all he has to do is learn to drive on sealed oval tracks. Obviously, that's easier said than done, but SVG is capable of it, he has mastered just about everything else.

Donald Trump Confirms Files Exist

The story has changed again. A few days ago, Pam Bondi was claiming that an Epstein client list or Epstein files simply did not exist. But, now the President of the US, Donald J Trump is saying the files are some kind of fake, produced by his political enemies. So, Trump has confirmed the existence of the files, which contradicts Bondi and others.

People have also noticed that Trump is becoming unhinged. His social media posts are now illogical and rambling. This raises questions over just how long he can remain in office.

What's the Weather Doing?

Hilarious Aussie take on TV weather presenters, turns out South and Central America are where it's at:

Millionaire Migration

Who is attracting the most millionaires to their shores? Looking at the data, New Zealand seems to be doing fairly well, with a small net migration inflow. Millionaires are a good migrant because they tend to make good investment decisions and they invest in businesses that employ more people.

The country doing the worst is the United Kingdom. The UK is really plumbing the depths with its idiotic government.

Anyway, study the graph which shows the net position:

Millionaire Migration

Tariffs, Brazil and Copper

US President, Donald J Trump has slapped a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil. He's said that's due to the prosecution of the former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. 

What I've noticed is that critics of Trump are rushing to the defense of Brazil. Hang on though, isn't it possible that Donald Trump is correct?

I'll explain: Brazil is not exactly a bastion of free and fair elections, and its judicial system is not highly regarded either. Political candidates are assassinated, elections are stolen, and the police are corrupt. So, it is possible for the election in which Bolsonaro was standing was rigged.

Then, Bolsonaro tried to launch a coup. Brazil has a long history of coups and military rule, so it's also believable that a coup would be a response to a rigged election.

It is also possible that Trump saw all this, and has reacted. The question then needs to be asked, are tariffs an appropriate response? Well, it's one response, I suppose.

Then Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Copper imports. Copper prices shot up after the news, and people are complaining. Well yes, but copper is not an ore that is hard to find and the US has many copper mines, and further mines either sitting there unused, dormant, or undergoing permitting. This is one area where a tariff can have the effect of boosting local production and creating jobs. It's not like the rare earth elements argument, resources which are commonplace but countries like the US lack the refining or processing capacity.

As the actress said to the bishop - it's complicated.

The Elusive Client List

Is there an Epstein client list? I thought it useful to check out body language experts, to see whether those asking us to trust them are telling the truth:

European Discovery of New Zealand

Do you think the New Zealand government is capable of lying about early European exploration of NZ? I certainly do, and here's something to wet your appetite:

Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, located in Wellington, has a Spanish helmet secreted away. No-one talks about it, no-one researches it, it just sits there.

This is the helmet and Te Papa's attempt to explain it away: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/131208?page=1&rtp=1&ros=1&asr=1&assoc=all&mb=c

The age of the helmet is consistent with the period when the Portuguese and the Spanish divided up the world between them. NZ sits within the Spanish part:

NZ Spanish Zone

Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira was active in the Pacific at this time, and his discoveries included the Cook Islands. Now, Cook Islands speak a form of Maori language, so what do you bet that Alvaro took some Cook Islanders to NZ to visit their relatives...hmm? I'd say that's a solid bet, wouldn't you?

I've also found a Portuguese discovery, reproduced in the Portolan atlas 1547. Check out the following link: https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll7/id/53389

Page 23 of 103, Chart 1, f. 1v - remember, South is up on these maps. The north island of New Zealand is clearly drawn, called Illa do Magna right where it should be off the east coast of Australia. The port of Wellington can be seen at the bottom of the island, the very place where the Spanish helmet was found. So, this is strong circumstantial evidence that the Portuguese first found NZ, then the Spanish followed, and they both knew about Wellington harbour. Wouldn't the Spanish have checked out earlier maps?

The Epstein Files

Well this went exactly the way many predicted. Now, we are meant to believe there is nothing to see, there is no client list. 

Shane van Gisbergen Wins Chicago

Finally, some exciting car racing. I watched New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen give another one of his master classes in street racing as he took out the NASCAR Chicago street race. He has now won four times in Chicago, and made it a sweep over the weekend, winning both the Xfinity and Cup races. The only thing he has to do now is work on his performances on sealed oval tracks. NZ doesn't have any of those, so it will take a bit of time, but he's talented and so long as he keeps performing, victories on Amerca's high speed ovals will follow.

With Scott Dixon doing well in IndyCars, along with fellow Kiwis Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong competing in that series as well, the NZ flag is well represented. 

New Zealand produces excellent race car drivers and the country as a whole becomes obsessed with racing over the summer. The country has dirt track ovals throughout the country, and sealed road courses, one of the best being at the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell in the South Island. When I say best, many drivers from overseas who have raced there say it is the best place they've raced at and that it is their favorite track. It really is superb.

Nelson's Rocks Road Closed

The main access road for trucks heading to the Port of Nelson is closed once again. The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall, but Rocks Road which forms part of SH6, has always been a problem as it sits under a cliff at one point. Rocks often fall and block the road, but this now appears serious and all traffic is now prevented from using that route, forcing trucks to go an alternative route through the city of Nelson itself. Clearly, this is not acceptable, and a long term solution has to be found. 

It should be noted that the previous Labour government scheduled work to be done, but the current National government cancelled it. That's typical of National, they have a record of hurting Nelson, the most notable example being their scrapping rail and pulling up the tracks. National are vandals.

What could be done with Rocks Road? One way is to pin the cliff face back. While this is done throughout the country, I'm guessing this is not possible in this location as the rock face is full of water and loose material. In other words, it is unstable and stabilising it is probably not economic.

I suggest the government look to build a causeway bridge around the danger zone. There is nothing but rock underneath to sit the bridge on, so building it wouldn't be a problem.

I have just driven past this area, before it closed. Here is a photo taken from almost the exact spot of the rockfall, the photo is looking toward the top 10 rated Tahunanui Beach:

Rocks Road Nelson

The causeway bridge would go around, out over the water and come back at about where the fishing platform can be seen in the above photo:

Rocks Road Bridge Nelson

A causeway bridge would look like this:

Causeway Bridge

Emmanuel Macron, President Trump and Candace Owens

This is brilliant; Candace Owens is claiming Donald Trump called her, saying that the President of France, Emmanuel Macron asked him to stop Candace Owens talking about his wife.

The story is told so well it must be true. 

Nelson 2025

I'm visiting Nelson, New Zealand at the moment, and I have to say it seems to have turned the corner. It is looking quite prosperous these days. 

A quick recap: Nelson has been the poor cousin of New Zealand for a long time, often getting kicked in the teeth but always managing to get back up and then just getting on with it. The region had a bad flood this week too, but the locals didn't buckle, they never do. 

I took a few snaps, the first being fish and chips bought from The Sands Fish and Chips at Tahunanui:

One Scoop Chips and One Fish Dorie (got one bonus)

The shop is over the road from Tahunanui Beach, rated Top 10 in the world by Lonely Planet. They're not wrong, the beach is beautiful, safe, convenient and the sand is gorgeous:

Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, Top 10 Rated by Lonely Planet

Also at Tahunanui Beach is a statue of Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who did not discover Tasman Bay on which the beach sits, and he did not set foot on land. So, it is rather peculiar this is still allowed to sit there:

Abel Tasman in the wrong place

Anyway, back to important things - fish and chips, I walked past the place where I first tasted the cuisine. The shop still exists, it is on Alton Street next to NMIT, aka Nelson Polytechnic. And yes, that means this shop is old:

Ken's First Taste of Fish and Chips

Oh and I'm just going to throw in a random pie, bought in Havelock on the drive into Nelson from Blenheim, forget the name of the place, they had gluten free options, with vegetarian pies advertised, but this one is a mince and cheese:

 

Havelock Pie

Havelock's marina was looking different from when I last visited, clearly people have got money for boats:

Havelock Marina

And after Havelock, as I passed through I remembered to take a photo of the Callender-Hamilton bridge over the Pelorus River. It is still taking heavy traffic after decades of use. The type of bridge was invented by Kiwi engineer, A.M. Hamilton, the man also responsible for the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan. Callender-Hamilton bridges litter the landscape in Indonesia.

Callender-Hamilton Bridge Pelorus

Of course, being a beach goer I did not overlook my second favorite beach of all time. It should also be ranked top 10 by Lonely Planet, and that beach is Rabbit Island, near Richmond:

Rabbit Island

On the way back to Richmond from Rabbit Island, I came across an old Newmans Bus sitting in a field. Newmans used to be a Nelson based bus company operating all over the country. This one is a Mercedes:

Newmans Mercedes 0317

Nelson has a boulder bank which forms a natural harbour, it is really quite something, this is the start of it:

Boulder Bank

It ends at the cut, where ships enter the port. If you look into the distance you can see a ship has sailed, it looks small but it is a Panamax size vessel:

The Cut Port Nelson

There is a large tidal area behind the boulder bank, swarming with life in the mudflats. It is also a good place for small boats and kayaking:

Nelson Haven inside the boulder bank

The port of Nelson can be seen off in the distance in the above photo, it is very busy exporting logs at the moment, and for those who do not know, New Zealand is the world's largest exporter of logs. Nelson does manufacture MDF and LVL lumber products too, the forest harvest is fully exploited one way or the other with only certain classes of logs finding their way overseas. The other industries that are significant; fisheries, apples, kiwifruit growers, hops, dolomite fertilizer, grapes and wine. Tourism plays a large part in the region as well, as it is known for its sun and wonderful beaches.

I've gone out of my way to avoid talking about the obvious touristy stuff, but I will add a photo of 10 Avon Terrace in Nelson. It is where I grew up:

10 Avon Terrace

The house has been updated and renovated since its construction in the 1960's. It was designed by the architect Stokes, just before he moved to Christchurch and designed many houses there, mostly in Ilam. This then is an early Stokes house. My father brought the bricks in from out of the region to avoid buying bricks from a competitor. The concrete in the foundations was supplied by my father's ready-mix concrete firm, and he said he lost track of the amount of concrete that went into the place. The house was over height at the time and had to have a structural engineer involved (Dick Sanders of Sanders Lane and Page), and my father had to do a lot of talking to the council to avoid having to fit fire doors throughout the building. 

Anyhoo...that's Nelson.