




Windy Wellington |
It blows like a bastard |
I was employed as a security guard to look after the Brooklyn Wind Turbine because
the wheels fell off. At about 600 metres, it can really blow. Luckily I
experienced one of the few windless days Wellington has ever experienced. The
view is fantastic and attracts thousands of visitors every year. The Danish
turbine is 12 years old and NZ's first experiment in wind technology. It produces
enough electricity to power 80 houses. Thirty-one metres high, the blades
are 13.5 metres long. Further up the North Island there are nearly 160, 90 metre turbines supplying 50,000 houses. This technology is NZ's furture because we're running out of rivers. Nuclear power will be needed in about 20 years. |
This is Wellington's inner harbour skirted by the CBD. Port Nicholson is big enough
to moor every naval fleet in the world. During WW11, it contained the entire
American Pacific Fleet and still looked empty. |
Looking south towards Antarctica. The harbour entrance is on the left. Note the band
of fog on the right. Two hours after taking this photo, visibility was
down to about 20 feet. Fog is rare in Windy Wellington. |
Looking north eastwards. The expanding harbour entrance is in the middle and the
Miriamar Peninsular is behind Evans Bay. As an 8 year-old I used to swim
2 miles across Evans Bay in the morning and swim back in the afternoon. Today I
couldn't swim the bath tub. I drink wine instead. |
Directly eastwards, Wellington Airport (between bullets) is about five miles from
the inner city. |
Wellington is indeed a beautiful city of about 300,000 people. It's the capital of
New Zealand. Nobody knows why. |