Hard News: Auckland, so much enormity to answer for
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Phil Lyth, in reply to
Yes, public service are often brilliant, make no mistake about that. I suspect that if Sir Mad or Michael Lock's partner had called DIA this morning (wonder if the Locks still had to register the birth?), they would have been helped.
MPs get called on for the harder bits.
And as for
trying to corrupt a politician
Get off the grass!
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Yes, public service are often brilliant, make no mistake about that. I suspect that if Sir Mad or Michael Lock’s partner had called DIA this morning (wonder if the Locks still had to register the birth?), they would have been helped
There's a clear line between, doing everything you can to help people out and favouring one person over another. I don't advocate the latter.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Yes. And it should be noted that the Butcher was generally pretty keen to be Ms Clark's handbag too. He's no mug.
So that makes him politically bisexual, right?
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Paul Williams, in reply to
Actually, he's just mad keen on League (and remember Helen was patron of Mt Albert for as long as I can remember so certainly no late commer).
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Michael Lock's partner
Micheal Luck, as opposed to fullback Kevin Locke. Although Luck does play in the number 13 jersey, which is the position of lock. Which might confuse.
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izogi, in reply to
Ditto for the Wellington hotels in your story -- people have assumed they must be full.
I'm not sure I agree about this bit. There was only one hotel in that article (the Museum Hotel) complaining it was less full than usual. When I read that story, the "raising of prices well in advance [..] to make sure there were rooms available for last minute international guests" completely explained why the bookings had gone down.
Hotels often work by charging each individual visitor whatever they think they can get away with, and will happily charge a customer 3 times the going rate if that person walks in the door wanting a room for the night. (At least my wife was trained to try this for the short time she worked at a desk during student years.) This seems like just another time when a hotel took a gamble and lost.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Actually, he’s just mad keen on League (and remember Helen was patron of Mt Albert for as long as I can remember so certainly no late comer).
Oh, indeed. Clark’s patronage of the club meant she had much stronger ties to league than union.
I seem to recall certain sorts of blog commenter trying to use her obvious affection for rugby league to depict her as some sort of traitor who didn’t like the All Blacks.
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Paul Williams, in reply to
Yeah, they'd be the predictable bunch of wankers hanging at the usual site. Clark mightn't have been a fan of union but she understood it's importance to others and was entirely behind the Cup bid. Incidentally, Hobbs giving McCaw his 100th cap was a major tear jerker.
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Sacha, in reply to
Was the crucial role of Jock Hobbs acknowledged at all in the tournament's opening ceremony/speeches?
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Faulty Towers...
“raising of prices well in advance [..] to make sure there were rooms available for last minute international guests”
I had to laugh out loud at that piece of business acumen...
This seems like just another time when a hotel took a gamble and lost.
Though he did sound a tad rueful (at being sadly not roo-full)...
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Paul Williams, in reply to
I actually don't know Sacha, I'd hope so. Hobbs was also critical in the period immediately after the 1995 RWC and personally convinced many All Blacks to stay with the NZRFU rather than sign with Murdoch's alternative (as chronicled in Peter Fitzsimons' The Rugby War)
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
(the Museum Hotel) complaining it was less full than usual
Yeah that could be the appalling service, I particularly liked the way the concierge refused to talk to my wife who, made the booking, drove the car, and was trying to pay ... but no, all his questions were addressed to me and he actively ignored her when she spoke. It was a nice location but I'll never go back there.
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LegBreak, in reply to
The Opening Ceremony wasn’t really about patting ourselves on the back about how we won the hosting rights from under the noses of the Japanese and South Africans.
Last Saturday was the far more appropriate time to recognise Hobbs
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I'll have to enter this discussion as a page three boy.
It indeed was a great atmosphere at the game on Sunday, and we seemed to be surrounded by people we knew, or their children, along with the colourful and ebullient supporters of both teams.
My greatest regret is at the time I bought the tickets it didn't seem like the kind of place to take the young un's, but they would have loved it. Although it would have turned our area into a day-care centre, which I'm not sure everyone would have appreciated.
There was this one guy though, doing his best to support Fiji, who seemed to think their whole back line was called Ulysses Bastarde. Or that's kind of what it sounded like with a slur going.
I also hope the person whose soggy ticket we found on Sandringham road before the game had faith in our population, because the helpful person with a radio I handed it to assured me they could ring in the number and he/she would still get in.
Auckland was sure good to me this weekend, and let's not get started on the Warriors. I might cry.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
It was quite good when I didn't live here and often stayed there on business.
It's been on the market for the last few years, I understand.
(But also, a well run hotel should have maybe 80% occupancy, right. If they don't jack their prices for major events, then they'd only get a maximum 20% revenue boost - which isn't really the promised bonanza. We were hoping to rent our spare room for $150+ a night, but got no takers.
I reckon F1 would get us more big-spending 'illmans. We could have the track going round the ferry ramps, bus tunnel and Oriental Bay for extra crash action).
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Paul Williams, in reply to
LegBreak, agreed. McCaw would've been honoured by Hobbs being the person to award him the cap. Hobbes is a bloke whose All Black playing days mightn't even be his best years such is contribution to the game.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
LegBreak, agreed. McCaw would’ve been honoured by Hobbs being the person to award him the cap.
I was actually wondering how Richie was keeping it together for a while there. When Hobbs paid testament to him as a man, I was tearing up.
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Frustratingly, I can't watch the full footage on the NZHerald site as it detects I'm viewing from outside NZ (other footage I can watch, just not this).
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Christopher Dempsey, in reply to
And as for
trying to corrupt a politician
Get off the grass!
Naughty. He's still a sitting MP with a notoriously sensitive skin about this.
I, along with family members and partner, did the Fan Trail on Saturday night for the NZ vs France game. Brilliant atmosphere generated in no small part by the French who it must be said a) have treating the game as good fun and not as a life-threatening event that must be violently supported down to a fine art as only the French are wont to do, and b) have the most marvellous collection of symbols they can dress up in - a rooster, a Knight de Chevalier, a Smurf, an Astrix, or any combination of all four. In contrast were the stylish Kiwis, all in black. The only Kiwis I saw using a cultural symbol were three lovely folk on Beach Rd who were dressed up as sheep. I congratulated them heartily.
The Fan Trail itself was excellent, and well organised with people to guide the walkers where to go. A memorable moment was going up the St Kevins Arcade steps with the French, having discovered how echo-ey it was, were chanting Allez Les Bleus. I was chanting back Allez Les Noirs! which prompted them to chant back and so on we went. All good fun.
A highlight was coming back into the city - we just wanted to do the Fan Trail - I discovered that one couldn't come back on the trains as I had thought one would. However a kindly driver took pity on us and gave us a lift in his drivers cubicle - so we saw what train drivers see as they errr, drive along. Very amazing. Many thanks to Mr Train Driver.
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izogi, in reply to
I had to laugh out loud at that piece of business acumen…
But it's okay, because they raised prices with the best of intentions! :)
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Steve Ballantyne, in reply to
@3410: A dictionary definition, eh? And what dictionary would that be?
I made use of my Auckland City Library card to access the online edition of the OED, which notes the word derives from the obsolete adjective enorm, meaning deviating from the ordinary rule or type, and then goes on to note:
Excess in magnitude; hugeness, vastness. Obs.; recent examples might perh. be found, but the use is now regarded as incorrect.
As a subeditor the only way I'll let it through when used with this meaning is in a direct quote, followed by [sic]. I'm surprised the Herald subs feel differently.
Secretly, I rather like [sic] even if I'd prefer not to use it. It's a subeditor's way of saying "this writer is a dunce."
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3410,
A dictionary definition, eh? And what dictionary would that be?
Not a very good one, admittedly, but a dictionary nonetheless!
I'm surprised the Herald subs feel differently.
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Q: How many subs does it take to change a light-bulb?
A: Too
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recordari, in reply to
I was actually wondering how Richie was keeping it together for a while there. When Hobbs paid testament to him as a man, I was tearing up.
That was an incredibly genuine moment, I thought. Mana and aroha, for want of two better words.
The view above was from our corner. Considering the ground had two games in under 24 hours, and 120,000 people through the gates, scrubbed up pretty well.
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Paul Williams, in reply to
Great shot recordari, Eden Park is looking very fine. Was their ever thought given to covering it or would that have been a completely new stadium?
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