27 Jul 2020

Pandemic hockey


Last weekend, we went to see some amateur inline hockey games at the local rink. The local senior team was hosting a neighbouring city. It was a best two games out of three series. For the first game, I noticed that the home team had two complete line changes on the bench. The visiting game had just one guy extra. That team was doomed. It was only a matter of time before the team got tired and the goalie couldn't handle the barrage of shots anymore.

It was kind of nice to watch a casual league hammer out a few games though.  In a Covid-19 world, it's nice to be able to sit anywhere in the bleachers, among a bunch of random people in a place that vaguely smells like athletes, and still not worry about getting sick.

In the end, they only played two games since they didn't need the third. The Ravens just had way more players. To be fair, it's easier to make up a team if there's no travelling to another city and three of them are brothers*. 

(*Not the Hansons!)

23 Jul 2020

FItzroy intersection


Fitzroy has a weird intersection that isn't straight through and the main traffic flow bends around an angle. On one of the corners is a bench. If you sit there and sketch, it gives the impression that you sat in the middle of the road.

18 Jul 2020

Moving St Mary's Vicarage

The St Mary's vicarage was moved forward by these trucks from Bulls.  Behind will be car parks. This is all part of the St Mary's Earthquake $15 million upgrade project



11 Jul 2020

Fitzroy

This northern suburb of New Plymouth was a land purchase called the Fitzroy block after New Zealand's third Governor, Captain Robert Fitzroy (1843-45).
Fitzroy captained the ship The Beagle back in 1831 which carried Charles Dawin on his famous voyage.



4 Jul 2020

Stone Carving

Martin was a good sport letting us sketch him andesite carving today at te kupenga.


2 Jul 2020

Off to the slaughter-house

The mid-week Okoki Expeditionary Force sat in the middle of a soggy paddock and sketched the Urenui slaughter house.  Built around 1979 and used as an abattoir for 100 years for sale of meat in Urenui.  The two layered roof was for ventilation.  Vertical board and batten rimu exterior and framed in 4" x 2" rimu.  At one point it had been converted into accommodation.