We are all unique individuals. Kita memiliki anggota tubuh, penampilan, dan pikiran yang berbeda dengan orang lain. So be your self !!!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Hilo, Hawaii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hilo is a coastal town in the State of Hawaii. It is the largest settlement
on the island of Hawaii, and the second largest settlement in the state. The
population was 40,759 at the 2000 census.

Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaii, and is situated in the
South Hilo District. The town overlooks Hilo Bay, and is near two shield
volcanoes, Mauna Loa, considered active, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano
upon which some of the best ground-based astronomical observatories are
placed.

Hilo is home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as well as the Merrie
Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of ancient and modern hula, which
takes place annually after Easter. It is also home to the Mauna Loa
Macadamia Nut Corporation, one of the world's leading producers of macadamia
nuts. It is served by Hilo International Airport, inside the CDP.

History

Although archaeological evidence is scant, people certainly inhabited the
areas along Hilo Bay, Wailuku and Wailoa Rivers before the Western world
made contact.

Originally, the name Hilo applied to the whole district of Hilo, now divided
into South Hilo District and North Hilo District. When William Ellis visited
in 1823, the main settlement in Hilo district was Waiākea on Hilo Bay.
Missionaries came to the district in the early to middle 1800s, founding
several churches, notably Haili Church, in the area of modern Hilo.

Hilo expanded as sugar plantations in the surrounding area made sure that
they didn't move and drew in many workers from Asia, and the city became a
trading center.

A breakwater across Hilo Bay was begun in the 1900s and completed in 1929.
On April 1, 1946, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands
created a fourteen-meter high tsunami that hit Hilo hours later, killing 160
people. In response an early warning system, the Pacific Tsunami Warning
Center, was established to track these killer waves and provide warning.
This tsunami also meant the end of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway, and
instead the Hawaii Belt Road was built north of Hilo using some of the
railbed.

On May 23, 1960, another tsunami, caused by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake off
the coast of Chile the previous day, claimed 61 lives allegedly due to
people's failure to heed warning sirens. Low-lying bayfront areas of the
city on Waiākea peninsula and along Hilo Bay, previously populated, were
rededicated as parks and memorials.

Hilo expanded inland beginning in the 1960s. The downtown found a new role
in the 1980s as the city's cultural center with several galleries and
museums being opened; the Palace Theatre was reopened in 1998 as an arthouse
cinema.

Closure of the sugar plantations (including those in Hāmākua) during the
1990s led to a downturn in the local economy, coinciding with a general
statewide slump. Hilo in recent years has seen commercial and population
growth as the neighboring district of Puna became the fastest-growing region
in the state.

Geography and climate

Hilo is located at 19°42′20″N 155°5′9″W / 19.70556°N 155.08583°W / 19
70556; -155.08583 (19.705520, -155.085918).

Hilo is classified by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated
place (CDP), and has a total area of 58.4 mi² (151.4 km²), 54.3 mi² (140.6
km²) of which is land and 4.2 mi² (10.7 km²) of which (7.10%) is water.

Hilo's location on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii (windward
relative to the trade winds) makes it the wettest city in the United States
and one of the wettest cities in the world. An average of 128.53 inches (3
265 mm) of rain fell on Hilo International Airport annually between 1949 and
2008. At some other weather stations in Hilo the annual rainfall is above
200 inches (5,100 mm).

The warmest month is September with an average high of 83.7°F and an average
low of 68.6°F. The coolest month is February with an average high of 79.2°F
and an average low of 63.4°F. The highest recorded temperature was 94°F on
May 20, 1996, and the lowest recorded temperature was 53°F on February 21,
1962. The wettest year was 1994 with 182.81 inches and the driest year was
1983 with 68.09 inches. The most rainfall in one month was 50.82 inches in
December 1954. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 16.87 inches on February 20
1979. Measurable precipitation falls on an average of 277 days annually.

Hilo's location on the shore of the funnel-shaped Hilo Bay also makes it
vulnerable to tsunamis.

Government and politics

Although sometimes called a "city", Hilo is not an incorporated city, and
does not have a municipal government. The entire island, which is slightly
smaller than the state of Connecticut but larger than Rhode Island and
Delaware, is under the jurisdiction of Hawaii County, of which Hilo is the
county seat.

Hilo is home to county, state, and federal offices.

Hilo and its outlying areas are traditionally more Democratic-leaning than
West Hawaii, which adds to tension between the two major municipal areas. It
has also presented more opposition to development than other large
communities elsewhere in the state.

Business

Hilo has a large tourism sector, as is prevalent across the whole island.
Hilo, as the second largest city in the state of Hawaii, is home to shopping
centers, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, and a developed downtown area.
The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation has its home here as well.

Sister city

La Serena, Chile

Friday, November 27, 2009

Kona, Hawaii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kona is the name of a moku or district on the Big Island of Hawaii in the
State of Hawaii. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County,
the moku of Kona is divided into North Kona District (Kona 'Akau) and South
Kona District (Kona Hema). The term "Kona" is sometimes used to refer to its
largest town, Kailua-Kona. Other towns in Kona include Kealakekua, Keauhou,
Holualoa, Hōnaunau and Honalo.

In the Hawaiian language, kona means leeward or dry side of the island, as
opposed to ko'olau which means windward or the wet side of the island. In
the times of Ancient Hawaii, Kona was the name of the leeward district on
each major island. In Hawai'i, the Pacific anticyclone provides moist
prevailing northeasterly winds to the Hawaiian islands, resulting in rain
when the winds contact the windward landmass of the islands - the winds
subsequently lose their moisture and travel on to the leeward (or kona) side
of the island. When this pattern reverses, it can produce a Kona storm from
the West. Kona has cognates with the same meaning in other Polynesian
languages. In Tongan, the equivalent cognate would be tonga; for windward,
the associated cognate would be tokelau.

Kona is the home of the world-famous Ironman World Championship Triathlon
which is held each year in October in Kailua-Kona. The Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park marks the place where Captain James Cook was killed in 1779.
Puuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Honokohau Settlement and
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park are in Kona.

The volcanic slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa in the Kona district provide an ideal microclimate for growing coffee. Kona coffee is considered one of the premium specialty coffees of the world.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Honolulu is the capital of and the most populous census-designated place
(CDP) in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Although Honolulu refers to the urban
area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the
county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the
city and county is designated as the entire island. The City and County of
Honolulu is the only incorporated city in Hawaii, as all other local
government entities are administered at the county level. The population of
the CDP was 371,657 at the 2000 census, while the population of the City and
County was 909,863. In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay"
or "place of shelter."

History

Evidence of the first settlement of Honolulu by the original Polynesian
migrants to the archipelago comes from oral histories and artifacts. These
indicate that there was a settlement where Honolulu now stands in the 12th
century. However, after Kamehameha I conquered Oahu in the Battle of Nuuanu
at Nuuanu Pali, he moved his royal court from the Island of Hawaii to
Waikīkī in 1804. His court later relocated, in 1809, to what is now downtown
Honolulu.

In 1795, Captain William Brown of England was the first foreigner to sail
into what is now Honolulu Harbor. More foreign ships would follow, making
the port of Honolulu a focal point for merchant ships traveling between
North America and Asia

In 1845, Kamehameha III moved the permanent capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom
from Lahaina on Maui to Honolulu. He and the kings that followed him
transformed Honolulu into a modern capital, erecting buildings such as St.
Andrew's Cathedral, Iolani Palace, and Aliiōlani Hale. At the same time,
Honolulu became the center of commerce in the Islands, with descendants of
American missionaries establishing major businesses in downtown Honolulu.

Despite the turbulent history of the late 19th century and early 20th
century, which saw the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, Hawaii's
subsequent annexation by the United States, and the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Honolulu would remain the capital, largest city, and main airport
and seaport of the Hawaiian Islands.

An economic and tourism boom following statehood brought rapid economic
growth to Honolulu and Hawaii. Modern air travel would bring thousands and,
as of 2007, 7.6 million visitors annually to the Islands. Of these, about 62
3% in 2007 entered the state at Honolulu International Airport. Today,
Honolulu is a modern city with numerous high-rise buildings, and Waikīkī is
the center of the tourism industry in Hawaii, with thousands of hotel rooms.
The UK consulting firm Mercer, in a 2009 assessment "conducted to help
governments and major companies place employees on international assignments
, ranked Honolulu 29th worldwide in quality of living; the survey factored
in political stability, personal freedom, sanitation, crime, housing, the
natural environment, recreation, banking facilities, availability of
consumer goods, education, and public services including transportation.

Great Chinatown Fire of 1900

Witnesses said that a batch of bubonic plague was introduced to Honolulu on
October 20, 1899 by an off loaded shipment of rice which had been carrying
rats from the America Maru. At that time, Chinatown's residences were in
close proximity to each other in addition to poor living standards and
sewage disposal. Plague infected 11 people. The response by the Board of
Health included incinerating garbage, renovating the sewer system, putting
Chinatown under quarantine, and most of all burning infected buildings. 41
fires were set, but on January 20, 1900 winds picked up and the fire spread
to other buildings which was undesired. The runaway fire burned for
seventeen days and scorched 38 acres of Honolulu. The fire campaign
continued for another 31 controlled burns after the incident. The 7,000
homeless residences were moved to detention camps to house them and maintain
the quarantine until April 30. A total of 40 people died of the plague.
Wo Fat Building is an example of post-fire architecture, built 1900 after
the fire

Critics accused the government of being driven by Sinophobia, regardless of
the fire most likely being an accident, an exodus occurred. While the people
rebuilt, they began to live in suburbs while continue to work in Chinatown,
to avoid going homeless if another disaster occurred. In addition the
post-fire architecture began using masonry rather than wood seeing that the
stone and brick buildings proved much more fire resistant during the fire.

Geography and climate

Honolulu is located at 21°18′32″N 157°49′34″W / 21.30889°N 157.82611°W /
21.30889; -157.82611 (21.308950, -157.826182).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of
105.1 sq mi (272 km2). 85.7 sq mi (222 km2) of it is land and 19.4 sq mi (50
km2) of it (18.42%) is water.

The closest location on the mainland to Honolulu is the Point Arena,
California Lighthouse, at 2,045 nautical miles (2,353 statute miles) or 3
787 kilometers. (Nautical vessels require some additional distance to
circumnavigate Makapu'u Point.) However, part of the Aleutian Islands of
Alaska are slightly closer than California.

Honolulu has a warm semiarid (BSh) climate according to Köppen
classification, and enjoys warm weather and plenty of sunshine throughout
the year. Despite its location in the tropics, the climate (temperature,
precipitation and humidity) is moderated by Hawaii's mid-ocean location.

Temperatures vary little throughout the months, with average high
temperatures of 80-89°F (27-32°C) and lows of 65-75°F (19-24°C) throughout
the year. Temperatures rarely exceed 90's°F (32°C), and with lows in the
upper-50's°F (~15°C) occurring once or twice a year. Waters off the coast of
Honolulu averages 82°F (27°C) in the summer months and 77°F (25°C) in the
winter months.

Annual average precipitation is 18.3 inches (464.82 mm), which mainly occurs
during the winter months of October through March, and very little rainfall
during the summer. Honolulu has an average of 270 sunshine days and 98 wet
days a year.

Located on the western end of the CDP, Honolulu International Airport (HNL) is the principal aviation gateway to the state of Hawaii. Kalaeloa Airport is primarily a commuter facility used by unscheduled air taxis, general aviation and transient and locally-based military aircraft.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Bersahabat dengan Diri Sendiri

www.dharmavada.wordpress.com

Om Swastyastu-Salam Kasih

SETIAP manusia yang normal pada umumnya pasti menginginkan
mendapatkan kepuasan dalam hidupnya di dunia ini. Cuma kepuasan yang lebih
banyak didorong oleh gejolak nafsu keinginan tidak akan pernah mampu
mewujudkan
kepuasan itu dalam hidupnya. Bahkan, Mahatma Gandhi menyatakan keinginan
tanpa
dikendalikan oleh kesadaran budhi dapat menimbulkan dosa sosial. Karena itu,
Wrehaspati Tattwa 32 menyatakan
hendaknya manusia membatasi diri untuk mencari kepuasan hidup.

Kepuasan itu ada dua yaitu kepuasan jasmaniah disebut Wahya Tusti dan
kepuasan
hidup rohaniah disebut Adyatmika Tusti. Kepuasan jasmaniah itu ada lima dan
salah satu dari lima kepuasan itu ada disebut sangga. Sangga
adalah memperoleh kepuasan karena mendapatkan kasih sayang lingkungan.
Hubungan
kasih itu didapat baik dalam kehidupan bersama dalam keluarga, di tempat
bekerja, dan juga dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat yang lebih luas dari
keluarga
dan tempat bekerja itu. Pada zaman Kali ini mendapatkan hubungan kasih
sayang
yang terhormat penuh sahabat tidaklah semudah teorinya. Apalagi ada ahli
meditasi menyatakan bahwa zaman Kali ini sebagian terbesar atmosfir rohani
ditutupi oleh vibrasi buruk yang dipancarkan oleh sifat-sifat Adharma.

Dalam Manawa Dharmasastra 1.81-82 dinyatakan pada zaman Kali Dharma hanya
berkaki satu, sedangkan Adharma berkaki
tiga.

Karena itu, menyuarakan kebenaran dan keadilan pada zaman Kali ini tidaklah
mudah. Kalau berjuang untuk menegakkan kebenaran dan keadilan kuatkanlah
memegang prinsip-prinsip hidup yang benar itu. Jangan mudah tergoyah hanya
ingin mendapatkan kepuasan sosiologis yang disebut sangga itu.

Kalau ingin memperjuangkan kebenaran pada zaman Kali ini harus siap-siap
untuk
kehilangan hubungan sosiologis berupa kasih sayang lingkungan yang disebut
sangga itu. Siapkan diri untuk membangun kehidupan yang mampu bersahabat
dengan
diri kita sendiri. Jangan terlalu berharap untuk mendapatkan kepuasan
sosiologis yang disebut sangga itu dari pihak lain.

Membangun kehidupan yang bersahabat dengan diri sendiri dapat dilakukan
dengan
membangun rasa dekat dengan tiga hal. Rasa dekat dengan tiga hal itu adalah
Dewa Abhimana, Dharma Abhimana dan Desa Abhimana. Tiga rasa dekat itulah
yang
wajib kita bangun sehingga kita tidak pernah merasa kekurangan kasih sayang.
Kita pun tidak akan merasa jauh dengan siapa pun. Sangga atau kepuasan
hubungan
sosial pun tetap kita akan rasakan.

Dewa Abhimana artinya kita selalu merasa dekat dengan Tuhan karena selalu
melakukan sradha dan bhakti kepada Tuhan. Demikian pula dengan Dharma
Abhimana
adanya rasa dekat dengan kebenaran. Kalau kita melindungi Dharma yakinlah
Dharma pasti melindungi kita. Katakanlah yang benar itu benar dan yang salah
itu salah dengan penuh keyakinan bahwa kebenaran itu akhirnya pasti tegak
dan
unggul.

Selanjutnya Desa Abhimana adalah adanya rasa dekat dengan tanah kelahiran
melalui pengabdian pada tanah tumpah darah. Adanya rasa dekat pada tanah
kelahiran itu melalui pengabdian yang tulus tanpa ada keinginan untuk
disanjung-sanjung dan pamrih-pamrih lainnya. Dengan membangun ikatan kasih
sayang pada Tuhan, kebenaran (Dharma) dan tanah kelahiran itu kita cukup
mendapat rasa bersahabat. Itulah sesungguhnya wujud bersahabat dengan diri
sendiri. Ini artinya bukanlah menolak adanya kasih sayang di luar tiga hal
itu.

Membangun persahabatan dengan diri sendiri akan dapat membangun sikap hidup
yang setara dan merdeka dalam membangun suatu persahabatan dengan siapa saja

Apakah mereka itu penguasa, orang kaya, punya pengaruh, bangsawan dsb. hal
itu
tidak menjadi perhitungan kita dalam membangun suatu persahabatan.
Kesetaraan
dan kemerdekaan dalam persaudaraan akan terjadi apabila kita tidak
meletakkan
persahabatan itu sebagai suatu persahabatan yang penuh dengan pamrih.

Bagi mereka yang mampu membangun persahabatan dengan dirinya sendiri tidak
takut berseberangan dengan siapa saja asal untuk menegakkan kebenaran dan
keadilan. Berseberangan itu bukan karena bermusuhan tetapi untuk tegaknya
Dharma. Kritik atau kontrol sosial dilakukan didasarkan pada kasih dan itu
wujud bersahabat juga.

Om Santih Santih Santih Om

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Hidup Jangan Tertidur!

Untuk dapat menikmati hidup, hal terpenting yang perlu Anda lakukan adalah
menjadi SADAR. Inti kepemimpinan adalah kesadaran. Inti spiritualitas juga
adalah kesadaran. Banyak orang yang menjalani hidup ini dalam keadaan '
tertidur.'' Mereka lahir, tumbuh, menikah, mencari nafkah, membesarkan anak,
dan akhirnya meninggal dalam keadaan ''tertidur.''

Analoginya adalah seperti orang yang terkena hipnotis. Anda tahu di mana
menyimpan uang. Anda pun tahu persis nomor pin Anda. Dan Andapun menyerahkan

uang Anda pada orang tidak dikenal. Anda tahu, tapi tidak sadar. Karena itu,

Anda bergerak bagaikan robot-robot yang dikendalikan orang lain, lingkungan,

jabatan, uang, dan harta benda.

Pengertian menyadari amat berbeda dengan mengetahui. Anda tahu berolah raga
penting untuk kesehatan, tapi Anda tidak juga melakukannya. Anda tahu
memperjualbelikan jabatan itu salah, tapi Anda menikmatinya. Anda tahu
berselingkuh dapat menghancurkan keluarga, tapi Anda tidak dapat menahan
godaan. Itulah contoh tahu tapi tidak sadar!

Ada dua hal yang dapat membuat orang menjadi sadar. Pertama,
peristiwa-peristiwa pahit dan musibah. Musibah sebenarnya adalah ''rahmat
terselubung'' karena dapat membuat kita bangun dan sadar. Anda baru sadar
pentingnya kesehatan kalau Anda sakit. Anda baru sadar pentingnya olahraga
kalau kadar kolesterol Anda mencapai tingkat yang mengkhawatirkan. Anda baru

sadar nikmatnya bekerja kalau Anda di-PHK. Seorang wanita karier baru
menyadari bahwa keluarga jauh
lebih penting setelah anaknya terkena narkoba. Seorang sopir taksi pernah
bercerita bahwa ia baru menyadari bahayanya judi setelah hartanya habis.

Kematian mungkin merupakan satu stimulus terbesar yang mampu menyentakkan
kita. Banyak tokoh terkenal meninggal begitu saja. Mereka sedang sibuk
memperjualbelikan kekuasaan, saling menjegal,
berjuang meraih jabatan, lalu tiba-tiba saja meninggal. Bayangkan kalau Anda

sedang menonton film di bioskop. Pertunjukan sedang berlangsung seru ketika
tiba-tiba listrik padam. Petugas bioskop
berkata, ''Silakan Anda pulang, pertunjukan sudah selesai!'' Anda protes,
bahkan ingin menunggu sampai listrik hidup kembali. Tapi, si penjaga hanya
berkata tegas, ''Pertunjukan sudah selesai, listriknya
tidak akan pernah hidup kembali.''

Itulah analogi sederhana dari kematian. Kematian orang yang kita kenal,
apalagi kerabat dekat kita sering menyadarkan kita pada arti hidup ini.
Kematian menyadarkan kita pada betapa singkatnya hidup
ini, betapa seringnya kita meributkan hal-hal sepele, dan betapa bodohnya
kita menimbun kekayaan yang tidak sempat kita nikmati.

Hidup ini seringkali menipu dan meninabobokan orang. Untuk menjadi bangun
kita harus sadar mengenai tiga hal, yaitu siapa diri kita, darimana kita
berasal, dan ke mana kita akan pergi. Untuk itu kita
perlu sering mengambil jarak dari kesibukan kita dan melakukan kontemplasi.

Ada sebuah ungkapan menarik dari seorang filsuf Perancis, Teilhard de
Chardin, ''Kita bukanlah manusia yang mengalami pengalaman-pengalaman
spiritual, kita adalah makhluk spiritual yang mengalami
pengalaman-pengalaman manusiawi.'' Manusia bukanlah ''makhluk bumi''
melainkan ''makhluk langit.'' Kita adalah makhluk spiritual yang kebetulan
sedang menempati rumah kita di bumi. Tubuh kita sebenarnya hanyalah rumah
sementara bagi jiwa kita. Tubuh diperlukan karena merupakan salah satu
syarat untuk bisa hidup di dunia. Tetapi, tubuh ini lama kelamaan akan rusak

dan akhirnya tidak dapat digunakan lagi. Pada saat itulah jiwa kita akan
meninggalkan ''rumah'' untuk mencari ''rumah'' yang lebih layak. Keadaan ini

kita sebut meninggal dunia. Jangan lupa, ini bukan berarti mati karena jiwa
kita tak pernah mati. Yang mati adalah rumah kita atau tubuh kita sendiri.

Coba Anda resapi paragraf diatas dalam-dalam. Badan kita akan mati, tapi
jiwa kita tetap hidup. Kalau Anda menyadari hal ini, Anda tidak akan menjadi

manusia yang ngoyo dan serakah. Kita memang perlu hidup, perlu makanan,
tempat tinggal, dan kebutuhan dasar lainnya. Bila Anda sudah mencapai semua
kebutuhan tersebut, itu sudah cukup! Buat apa sibuk mengumpul-ngumpulkan
kekayaan -- apalagi dengan menyalahgunakan jabatan -- kalau hasilnya tidak
dapat Anda nikmati selama-lamanya. Apalagi Anda sudah merusak jiwa Anda
sendiri dengan berlaku curang dan korup. Padahal, jiwa inilah milik kita
yang abadi.

Lantas, apakah kita perlu mengalami sendiri peristiwa-peristiwa yang pahit
tersebut agar kita sadar? Jawabnya: ya! Tapi kalau Anda merasa cara tersebut

terlalu mahal, ada cara kedua yang jauh lebih mudah:
Belajarlah MENDENGARKAN. Dengarlah dan belajarlah dari pengalaman orang lain

Bukalah mata dan hati Anda untuk mengerti, mendengarkan, dan mempertanyakan
semua pikiran dan paradigma Anda. Sayang, banyak orang yang mendengarkan
semata-mata untuk memperkuat pendapat mereka sendiri, bukannya untuk
mendapatkan sesuatu yang baru yang mungkin bertentangan dengan pendapat
mereka sebelumnya. Orang yang seperti ini masih tertidur dan belum
sepenuhnya bangun.

Oleh Arvan Pradiansyah,
Penulis buku You Are A Leader!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Apia, Independent State of Samoa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Apia is the capital of the Independent State of Samoa. The city is located
on the northern coast of Upolu, Samoas second-largest island. There are two
terms concerning Apia. The first one is that Apia is the name of the Village
that the city took its name from. The village has its own chief and also its
faalupega. The second term for Apia is the Apia Urban Area. This term is
better known to be the City of Apia and also where the 58,800 people live.
The limits of the Urban Area are mainly from Letogo village to the new
Industrialized region of Apia known as Vaitele. It is the nation's major
port and only city. Fish and copra are the country's major exports, and
cotton goods, motor vehicles, meats, and sugar are the major imports.

Location

Apia is situated on a natural harbour at the mouth of the Vaisigano River.
It is on a narrow coastal plain with Mount Vaea (elev. 472 m) directly to
its south. Two main ridges run south on either side of the Vaisigano River,
with roads on each. The more western of these is Cross Island Road, one of
the few roads crossing to the south coast of Upolu.

History

Apia was founded in the 1850s. It has been the official capital of Samoa
since 1959. The harbor was also the site of an infamous 15 March, 1889 naval
impasse which 7 ships from Germany, the US, and Britain refused to leave
harbor while a typhoon was clearly approaching, lest the first moved would
lose face. All were sank, except the British cruser Calliope, which barely
managed to leave port at 1 mile per hour and ride out the storm. Nearly 200
American and German lives were needlessly lost, as well as 6 ships sunk or
beyond repair.

City features

Apia cathderal

Mulinu'u, the old ceremonial capital, lies at the city's western end, and is
the location of the Parliament House (Maota Fono) and the historic
observatory, which is now the meteorology office.

The name of the Catholic Cathedral in Apia is the Immaculate Conception of
Mary Cathedral.

An area of reclaimed land jutting into the harbour is the site of the
multistorey government offices and the Central Bank of Samoa. A clock tower
erected as a war memorial acts as a central point for the city. The new
market (maketi fou) is inland a bit at Fugalei, where it is more protected
from the effects of cyclones. Apia still has some of the early, wooden,
colonial buildings which remain scattered around the town, most notably the
courthouse, with a museum on the upper floor. Recent infrastructural
development and economic growth has seen several multi-story buildings being
built in the city. The ACB/NBS building (2001) houses the Accident
Compensation Board, the National Bank of Samoa, and some government
departments. The mall below it is home to shops and eateries. The Samoatel
building (2004) which is the site for Samoa's international
telecommunications hub was built inland at Maluafou, again to protect it
from the effects of seasonal cyclones. The newest addition to Apia's skyline
is the DBS building (2007) which houses the Development Bank of Samoa.

Writer Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life here,
and is buried on Mt. Vaea, overlooking both the city and the home he built,
Vailima, which is now a museum in his honour.

Transport

Apia Harbour is by far the largest and busiest harbour in Samoa.
International shipping with containers, LPG gas, and fuels all dock here.
Ferries to Tokelau and American Samoa depart from here.

Apia is served by a good road network, which is generally kept reasonably
well maintained. Most of the main roads are sealed; the unsealed roads have
lower use. Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road although much
disputed legislation is in train to change to the other side. Speed limits
are 25 mph (40 km/h) near the centre of town and 35 mph (56 km/h) in the
rest of the country with a 15 mph (24 km/h) limit in special circumstances.

The country has no trains or trams, but is served with an extensive bus
service. People commonly walk around the town, or even for some distances
outside it. There are few bicycles and motorcycles, but increasing numbers
of privately owned cars which cause traffic congestion in the inner city.
Taxis are a common form of transport.

The small airstrip in Fagali'i, which was used for internal flights and some
international flights to Pago Pago in American Samoa has now been closed.
The main international airport, Faleolo International Airport, is a
40-minute drive west of the city.

Communications

Most streets are not marked with signs, and none of the houses or businesses
has street numbers. There are no postal codes and there is no local mail
delivery. Post office boxes are used for delivery, and a customs officer is
present in the main Apia post office to check parcels. Locals refer to
locations by the village where the house or business is situated.

Telephone services are efficient with local, trunk and international dialing
Both SamoaTel and Digicel operate mobile phone services with a high rate of
mobile phone ownership in the country.

International internet services are served by a satellite link with several
internet service providers offering broadband and dial-up services. The
dependency on satellite links means that there can be brief service
disruption caused by the sun passing behind a satellite, or for longer
periods during strong winds when the dishes need to be "parked" to secure
them. There are plans to set up a fiber-optic cable link but have not been
finalized. In addition to private service subscriptions, multiple internet
cafes are present in Apia.

Housing

This is a mixture of old colonial houses and more modern Western-style houses, interspersed with some traditional Samoan houses.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Nuku Alofa, Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific
Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, and stretches over
a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a north-south line. The
islands that constitute the archipelago lie south of Samoa, about one-third
of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii.

Tonga is also referred to as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly
reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He
happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation
of the first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and
received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William
Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering,
but were unable to agree on a plan.

Tonga, the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific
Ocean, has the distinction of being the only island nation in the region to
have avoided formal colonisation.

Etymology

In many Polynesian languages, the word "Tonga" means "South". The name of
Tonga derives from the word Tongahahake, which translates to "Southeast",
originally meaning "the wind that blows from the Southeast". The proper
pronunciation of the name 'Tonga' is toŋa, and not /tɒŋɡə/, a pronunciation
used for an Indian carriage spelled in the same way and so causing confusion


History

An Austronesian-speaking group linked to the archeological construct known
as the Lapita cultural complex reached and colonized Tonga around 1500–1000
BCE. The dates of the initial settlement of Tonga are still subject to
debate. Nevertheless, reaching the Tongan islands (without Western
navigational tools and techniques) was a remarkable feat accomplished by the
Lapita peoples. Not much is known about Tonga before European contact
because of the lack of a writing system during prehistoric times other than
the oral history told to the Europeans and the Eurocentric interpretations
of Polynesian culture by Europeans. The first time the Tongan people
encountered Europeans was in 1616 when the Dutch vessel Eendracht made a
short visit to the islands to trade.

By the 12th century Tongans, and the Tongan paramount chief, the Tuʻi, had a
reputation across the central Pacific, from Niue to Tikopia, leading some
historians to speak of a 'Tongan Empire'. In the 15th century and again in
the 17th, civil war erupted. It was in this context that the first European
explorers arrived, beginning with Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob
Le Maire in 1616, who called on the northern island of Niuatoputapu, and
Abel Tasman, who visited Tongatapu and Haʻapai in 1643. Later noteworthy
European visits were by Captain Cook (British Navy) in 1773, 1774, and 1777,
Alessandro Malaspina (Spanish Navy) in 1793, the first London missionaries
in 1797, and the Wesleyan Methodist Walter Lawry Buller in 1822.

In 1845 the ambitious young warrior, strategist, and orator Tāufaʻāhau
united Tonga into a kingdom. He held the chiefly title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu,
but was baptised with the name King George. In 1875, with the help of
missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional
monarchy, formally adopted the western royal style, emancipated the 'serfs',
enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press, and limited
the power of the chiefs.

Tonga became a protected state under a Treaty of Friendship on 18 May 1900,
when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to oust the second king
Within the British Empire, which posted no higher permanent representative
on Tonga than a British Consul (1901-1970), it was part of the British
Western Pacific Territories (under a colonial High Commissioner, then
residing on Fiji) from 1901 until 1952. Although under the protection of
Britain, Tonga is the only Pacific nation never to have given up its
monarchical government as did Tahiti and Hawaiʻi. The Tongan monarchy unlike
the UK follows a straight line of rulers.

The Treaty of Friendship and Tonga's protectorate status ended in 1970 under
arrangements established by Queen Salote Tupou III prior to her death in
1965. Tonga joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970 (atypically as an
autochthonous monarchy, that is one with its own hereditary monarch rather
than Elizabeth II), and the United Nations in September 1999. While exposed
to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous governance, a fact that
makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and gives Tongans much pride, as well as
confidence in their monarchical system. As part of cost cutting measures
across the British Foreign Service, the British Government closed the
British High Commission in Nukuʻalofa in March 2006, transferring
representation of British interests in Tonga to the UK High Commissioner in
Fiji. The last resident British High Commissioner was Paul Nessling.

Politics

Tonga operates as a constitutional monarchy. The reverence for the monarch
is likened to that held in earlier centuries for the sacred paramount chief,
the Tuʻi Tonga. Criticism of the monarch is held to be contrary to Tongan
culture and etiquette. A direct descendant of the first monarch, King George
Tupou V, his family, some powerful nobles, and a growing non-royal elite
caste live in much wealth, with the rest of the country living in relative
poverty. The effects of this disparity are mitigated by three factors:
education, medicine, and land tenure.

Tonga provides free and mandatory education for all children up to the age
of fourteen, with only nominal fees for secondary education, and
foreign-funded scholarships for post-secondary education. Tongans enjoy a
relatively high level of education, with a 98% literacy rate, and higher
education up to and including medical and graduate degrees pursued mostly
overseas.

Tongans also have universal access to a national health system. Tongan land
is constitutionally protected and cannot be sold to foreigners (although it
may be leased). While there is a land shortage on the urbanized main island
of Tongatapu (where 70% of the population resides), there is farm land
available in the outlying islands. The majority of the population engages in
some form of subsistence production of food, with approximately half
producing almost all of their basic food needs through farming, sea
harvesting, and animal husbandry. Women and men have equal access to
education and health care, and are fairly equal in employment, but women are
discriminated against in land holding, electoral politics, and government
ministries. However, in Tongan tradition women enjoy a higher social status
than men, a cultural trait that is unique among the insular societies of the
Pacific.

The pro-democracy movement in Tonga promotes reforms, including better
representation in the Parliament for the majority commoners, and better
accountability in matters of state. An overthrow of the monarchy itself is
not part of the movement and the institution of monarchy continues to hold
popular support, even while reforms are advocated. Until recently, the
governance issue was generally ignored by the leaders of other countries,
but major aid donors and neighbours New Zealand and Australia are now
expressing concerns about some Tongan government actions.

Following the precedents of Queen Sālote, and the consel of numerous
international advisors, the government of Tonga under King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou
IV monetized the economy, internationalized the medical and education system
and enabled access by commoners to increasing forms of material wealth
(houses, cars, and other commodities), education, and overseas travel. The
government has supported Olympic and other international sports competition,
and contributed Peacekeepers to the United Nations (notably to Bougainville
and the Solomon Islands). The Tongan government also supported the American
coalition of the willing" action in Iraq, and a small number of Tongan
soldiers were deployed, as part of an American force, to Iraq in late 2004.
However, the contingent of 40+ troops returned home on 17 December 2004. In
2007, a second contingent was sent to Iraq while two more were sent during
2008 to be part of Tonga's continuous support for the coalition. This Tongan
involvement was finally concluded at the end of 2008 with no loss of Tongan
life reported.

The previous king, Tāufaʻāhau and his government made some problematic
economic decisions and are accused of wasting millions of dollars in poor
investments. The problems have mostly been driven by attempts to increase
national revenue through a variety of schemes, considering making Tonga a
nuclear waste disposal site (an idea floated in the mid-90s by the current
crown prince); selling Tongan Protected Persons Passports (which eventually
forced Tonga to naturalize the purchasers, sparking ethnicity-based concerns
within Tonga); registering foreign ships (which proved to be engaged in
illegal activities, including shipments for al-Qaeda); claiming geo-orbital
satellite slots (the revenue from which seems to belong to the Princess
Royal, not the state); holding a long-term charter on an unusable Boeing 757
that was sidelined in Auckland Airport, leading to the collapse of Royal
Tongan Airlines; building an airport hotel and potential casino with an
Interpol-accused criminal; and approving a factory for exporting cigarettes
to China (against the advice of Tongan medical officials, and decades of
health promotion messaging). The king has proved vulnerable to speculators
with big promises and lost several million (reportedly 26 million USD) to
Jesse Bogdonoff, a financial adviser who called himself the king's Court
Jester. The police have imprisoned pro-democracy leaders, and the government
repeatedly confiscated the newspaper The Tongan Times (which was printed in
New Zealand and sold in Tonga) because the editor had been vocally critical
of the king's mistakes. Notably, the Keleʻa, produced specifically to
critique the government and printed in Tonga by pro-democracy leader
ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, was not banned during that time. Pōhiva, however, had been
subjected to harassment in the form of frequent lawsuits.

In mid-2003 the government passed a radical constitutional amendment to
Tonganize" the press, by licensing and limiting freedom of the press, so as
to protect the image of the monarchy. The amendment was defended by the
government and by royalists on the basis of traditional cultural values.
Licensure criteria include 80% ownership by Tongans living in the country.
As of February 2004, those papers denied licenses under the new act included
the Taimi ʻo Tonga (Tongan Times), the Keleʻa and the Matangi Tonga, while
those which were permitted licenses were uniformly church-based or
pro-government. The bill was opposed in the form of a
several-thousand-strong protest march in the capital, a call by the Tuʻi
Pelehake (a prince, nephew of the king and elected member of parliament) for
Australia and other nations to pressure the Tongan government to democratize
the electoral system, and a legal writ calling for a judicial investigation
of the bill. The latter was supported by some 160 signatures, including
seven of the nine elected "People's Representatives". The strong-arm tactics
and gaffes have overshadowed the good that the aged king had done in his
lifetime, as well as the many beneficial reforms of his son, ʻAhoʻeitu
ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata ʻUlukālala), who was Prime Minister from
January 3, 2000 to February 11, 2006. The former Crown Prince and current
monarch, Tupoutoʻa, and Pilolevu, the Princess Royal, remained generally
silent on the issue. In total, the changes threatened to destabilize the
polity, fragment support for the status quo, and place further pressure on
the monarchy.

In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking
civil-service workers before reaching a settlement. The civil unrest that
ensued was not limited to just Tonga; protests outside the king's New
Zealand residence made headlines, too. A constitutional commission is
currently (2005-06) studying proposals to update the constitution.

Prime Minister Prince ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata
ʻUlukālala) resigned suddenly on February 11, 2006, and also gave up his
other cabinet portfolios. The elected Minister of Labour, Dr Feleti Sevele,
replaced him in the interim.

On July 5, 2006 a driver in Menlo Park, California caused the deaths of
Prince Tu'ipelehake ʻUluvalu, his wife, and their driver. Tu'ipelehake, 55,
was the co-chairman of the constitutional reform commission, and a nephew of
the King.

The Tongan public expected some changes when Siaosi Tupou V (later King
George Tupou V) succeeded his father in 2006. On November 16, 2006, rioting
broke out in the capital city of Nuku'alofa when it seemed that the
parliament would adjourn for the year without having made any advances in
increasing democracy in government. Pro-democracy activists burned and
looted shops, offices, and government buildings. As a result, more than 60%
of the downtown area was destroyed, and as many as 6 people died.

On July 29, 2008 the Palace announced that King George Tupou V would
relinquish much of his power and would surrender his role in day-to-day
governmental affairs to the Prime Minister. The royal chamberlain said that
this was being done to prepare the monarchy for 2010, when most of the first
parliament will be elected, and added: "The Sovereign of the only Polynesian
kingdom... is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic
aspirations of many of his people." The previous week, the government said
the king had completed the sale of his ownership of state assets which had
contributed to much of the royal family's wealth.

Economy

Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non monetary sector and a heavy
dependence on remittances from the half of the country's population that
lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The
monetary sector of the economy is dominated and largely owned by the royal
family and nobles. This is particularly true of the telecommunications and
satellite services. Much of small business, particularly retail
establishments on Tongatapu, is now dominated by recent Chinese immigrants
who arrived under a cash-for-passports scheme that ended in 1998.

The manufacturing sector consists of handicrafts and a few other very small
scale industries, all of which contribute only about 3% of GDP. Commercial
business activities also are inconspicuous and, to a large extent, are
dominated by the same large trading companies found throughout the South
Pacific. In September 1974, the country's first commercial trading bank, the
Bank of Tonga, opened. There are no patent laws in Tonga.

Rural Tongans rely on plantation and subsistence agriculture. Coconuts,
vanilla beans, bananas, coffee beans and root crops such as yams, taro and
cassava, are the major cash crops. The processing of coconuts into copra and
desiccated (dried) coconut was once the only significant industry but
deteriorating prices on the world market has brought this once vibrant
industry, as everywhere throughout the island nations of the south Pacific,
to a complete standstill. In addition, the feudal land ownership system
meant that farmers had no incentive to invest in planting long-term tree
crops on land they did not own. Pigs and poultry are the major types of
livestock. Horses are kept for draft purposes, primarily by farmers working
their 'api 'uta (a plot of bushland). More cattle are being raised, and beef
imports are declining. The export of squash to Japan once brought relief to
a struggling economy but recently local farmers are increasingly wary of
this market due to price fluctuations, not to mention the huge financial
risks involved.

Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector, upgrading
agricultural productivity, revitalizing the squash and vanilla bean
industries, developing tourism, and improving the island's communications
and transportation systems. Substantial progress has been made, but much
work remains to be done. A small but growing construction sector is
developing in response to the inflow of aid monies and remittances from
Tongans abroad. It remains to be said that the most significant contributor
to Tonga's economy are remittances from Tongans living abroad. In
recognition of such a crucial contribution, the present Tongan government
has created a new department within the Prime Minister's Office with the
sole purpose of catering for the needs of Tongans living abroad. Furthermore
the Tongan Parliament in 2007 amended citizenship laws to allow Tongans
especially those living overseas to hold dual citizenship.

Efforts are being made to discover ways to diversify. One hope is seen in
fisheries; tests have shown that sufficient skipjack tuna pass through
Tongan waters to support a fishing industry. Another potential development
activity is exploitation of forests, which cover 35% of the kingdom's land
area but are decreasing as land is cleared. Coconut trees past their prime
bearing years also provide a potential source of timber.

The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the government
recognizes that tourism can play a major role in economic development, and
efforts are being made to increase this source of revenue. Cruise ships
often stop in Nukuʻalofa and Vavaʻu.

Vava'u in fact is well known for its whale watching, game fishing, surfing,
beaches and is increasingly becoming a major player in the South Pacific
tourism market.

Tonga's postage stamps, which feature colorful and often unusual designs
(including heart-shaped and banana-shaped stamps) are popular with
philatelists around the world.

Real estate companies have also just started to spring up in Tonga; as such,
they were basically unheard of less than a decade ago. These have provided a
way of making income for many Tongans as nearly every male Tongan has plots
of land that he has never seen and the leasing of this valuable and
attractive land allows the Tongan to live in a comfort not experienced
before. There are also many Tongans who work as commission agents and earn a
living by finding available land parcels and bringing them to local ex-pats
or computer savvy Tongans to list on-line. Some of these so-called real
estate companies have done more harm than good and one would be wise to be
careful when dealing with them. However for the most part acquiring real
estate in Tonga is a simple, straightforward and problem-free process.

In 2005 the country became eligible to become a member of the World Trade
Organization, however on July 25, 2006 it was announced that Tonga has
deferred its membership of the WTO until July next year according to the
Tongan Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele.

The delay he said did not mean that Tonga was withdrawing its WTO membership
application, but to give Tonga more time to improve its tariff system.

The Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) was incorporated in 1996
and endeavours to represent the interests of its members, private sector
businesses, and to promote economic growth in the Kingdom.

Energy

Tonga is installing tailor-made policies to power its remote islands in a
sustainable way – without turning to expensive grid-extensions. A number of
islands within the Kingdom of Tonga are lacking basic electricity supply. In
view of the decreasing reliability of fossil-fuel electricity generation,
its increasing costs and negative environmental side-effects, renewable
energy solutions have attracted the government's attention. Together with
IRENA, Tonga has charted out a renewable energy based strategy to power the
main and outer islands alike. The strategy focuses on Solar Home Systems
that turn individual households into small power plants. In addition, it
calls for the involvement of local operators, finance institutions and
technicians to provide sustainable business models as well as strategies to
ensure the effective operation, management and maintenance once the systems
are installed.

Demographics

Over 70% of the 101,991 inhabitants of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main
island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into
the only urban and commercial centre, Nukuʻalofa, where European and
indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and
kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life
is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the
Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities
cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution
declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Some Tongans are Methodists with
a significant Catholic minority and a number of members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The official figures from the
latest government census of 2006 (cf. www.pmo.gov.to/tongastats) shows that
the four major church affiliations in the kingdom currently stand as
follows: Free Wesleyans (38,052 or 37%); The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints ("Mormons") (17,109 or 17%); Catholics (15,992 or 16%);
Free Church of Tonga (11,599 or 11%). By their own church statistics,
Mormons claim 48 percent of the population to substantiate their claim that
Tonga is the most Mormon nation in the world, a phenomenon which has been
remarked upon in such publications as Salon.

Tongans, Polynesian by ethnicity with a very small mixture of Melanesian,
represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European (the
majority are British), mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There
were approximately 3,000 or 4,000 Chinese in Tonga in 2001, thus comprising
3 or 4% of the total Tongan population. In 2006, Nukuʻalofa riots mainly
targeted Chinese-owned businesses, leading to the emigration of several
hundred Chinese.

Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state
schools. Mission schools provide about 8% of the primary and 90% of the
secondary level of education. State schools make up for the rest. Higher
education includes teacher training, nursing and medical training, a small
private university, a woman's business college, and a number of private
agricultural schools. Most higher education is pursued overseas.

The Tongan language is the official language of the islands, along with
English. Tongan is a Polynesian language which is closely related to
Wallisian (Uvean), Niuean, Hawaiian, and Samoan.

70% of Tongan women aged 15–85 are obese. Tonga and nearby Nauru have the
world's fattest populations.

Culture and diaspora

Kava culture

Tonga has been inhabited for perhaps 3,000 years, since settlement in late
Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed greatly over
this long time period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the late
1600s and early 1700s, the Tongans were in frequent contact with their
nearest Oceanic neighbors, Fiji and Samoa. In the 1800s, with the arrival of
Western traders and missionaries, Tongan culture changed dramatically. Some
old beliefs and habits were thrown away, and others adopted. Some
accommodations made in the 1800s and early 1900s are now being challenged by
changing Western civilization.

Contemporary Tongans often have strong ties to overseas lands. Many Tongans
have emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to seek
employment and a higher standard of living. U.S. cities with significant
Tongan American populations include Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon;
Anchorage, Alaska; Inland Empire, California; San Mateo, California; East
Palo Alto, California; San Bruno, California; Oakland, California; Inglewood
California; Los Angeles, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Honolulu, Hawaii
Reno, Nevada, and Euless, Texas (in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex). Large
Tongan communities can also be found in Auckland, New Zealand, and in
Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. This Tongan diaspora is still closely tied
to relatives at home, and a significant portion of Tonga's income derives
from remittances to family members (often aged) who prefer to remain in
Tonga.

Tongans, therefore, often have to operate in two different contexts, which they often call anga fakatonga, the traditional Tongan way, and anga fakapãlangi, the Western way. A culturally adept Tongan learns both sets of rules and when to switch between them.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of
New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the
northern tip of the country.

It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in
the country, and has been renowned internationally for its big-game fishing
since American author Zane Grey publicised it in the 1930s.

Geography

The bay itself is an irregular 16 km-wide inlet in the north-eastern coast
of the island. A natural harbour, it has several arms which extend into the
land, notably Waikare Inlet in the south and Kerikeri and Te Puna (Mangonui)
inlets in the north-west. The small town of Russell is located at the end of
a short peninsula that extends into the bay from the southeast. Several
islands lie to the north of this peninsula, notably Urupukapuka Island to
the east and Moturoa Island to the north. The Purerua Peninsula extends to
the west of the bay, north of Te Puna Inlet, and Cape Brett Peninsula
extends 10 km into the Pacific Ocean at the eastern end of the bay.

History

The first European to visit the area was Captain Cook, who named the region
in 1769. The Bay of Islands was the first area in New Zealand to be settled
by Europeans. Whalers arrived towards the end of the 18th century, while the
first missionaries settled in 1814. The first full-blooded European child
recorded as being born in the country, Thomas King, was born in 1815 at Oihi
Bay in the Bay of Islands. (There have been unsubstantiated claims that a
European girl was born earlier at the Dusky Sound settlement in the South
Island).

The bay has many interesting historic towns including Paihia, Russell,
Waitangi and Kerikeri. Russell, formerly known as Kororareka, was the first
permanent European settlement in New Zealand, and dates from the early 1800s
Kerikeri contains many historic sites from the earliest European colonial
settlement in the country. These include the Mission House, also called Kemp
House, which is the oldest wooden structure still standing in New Zealand.
The Stone Store, a former storehouse, is the oldest stone building in New
Zealand, construction having begun on 19 April 1832.

In a 2006 study, the Bay of Islands was found to have the second bluest sky
in the world, after Rio de Janeiro.

The Cream Trip

In 1886, Albert Ernest Fuller launched the "Undine" sailing ship in the Bay
of Islands to deliver coal supplies to the islands within the Bay. With the
fitting of a motor in the early 1900s, Fuller was able to deliver the coal
and essential supplies to communities as far out as Cape Brett.

In 1927 Fuller acquired the "Cream Trip" from Eddie Lane - with the facilities on board to transport cream from the islands, and by the 1960s, the newly commissioned "Bay Belle" started this run. Although a modern catamaran now takes this historical route of the original The Cream Trip, the Bay Belle continues to transport visitors and locals between Paihia and Russell throughout the day.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Auckland, New Zealand




From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Auckland metropolitan area in the North Island of New Zealand is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with a population approaching 1.4 million residents, 31 percent of the country's population. Demographic trends indicate that it will continue to grow faster than the rest of the country. Increasingly cosmopolitan, Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world, and has seen many people of Asian ethnicity move there in the last two decades. In Māori Auckland's name is Tāmaki-makau-rau, or the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana.

The 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 4th place in the world on its list. In 2008, Auckland was classified as an Alpha-City in the World Cities Study Group's inventory by Loughborough University.

Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two separate major bodies of water.

History

Early Māori and Europeans

The isthmus was first settled around 1350 and was valued for its rich and fertile land. Many pā (fortified villages) were created, mainly on the volcanic peaks. Māori population in the area is estimated at about 20,000 people before the arrival of Europeans. The subsequent introduction of firearms, which began in Northland, upset the balance of power and led to devastating inter-tribal warfare, causing iwi who lacked the new weapons to seek refuge in areas less exposed to coastal raids. As a result, the region had relatively low numbers of Māori when European settlement of New Zealand began. There is, however, nothing to suggest that this was the result of a
deliberate European policy. On 27 January 1832, Joseph Brooks Weller, eldest
of the Weller brothers of Otago and Sydney bought land including the sites
of the modern cities of Auckland and North Shore and part of Rodney District
for "one large cask of powder" from "Cohi Rangatira".

After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840, the new
Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, chose the area as his new capital,
and named it after George Eden, Earl of Auckland, then Viceroy of India.
Auckland was officially declared New Zealand's capital in 1841, and the
transfer of the administration from Russell in the Bay of Islands was
completed in 1842. However, even in 1840 Port Nicholson (later Wellington)
was seen as a better choice for an administrative capital because of its
proximity to the South Island, which was being settled much more rapidly,
and Wellington became the capital in 1865. Auckland was the principal city
of the Auckland Province until the provincial system was abolished in 1876.

Growth up to today

In the early 1860s, Auckland became a base against the Māori King Movement.
This, and continued road building towards the south into the Waikato,
enabled Pākehā (European New Zealanders) influence to spread from Auckland.
Its population grew fairly rapidly, from 1,500 in 1841 to 12,423 by 1864.
The growth occurred similarly to other mercantile-dominated cities, mainly
around the port and with problems of overcrowding and pollution.

Trams and railway lines shaped Auckland's rapid expansion in the early first
half of the 20th century, but soon afterward the dominance of the motor
vehicle emerged and has not abated since; arterial roads and motorways have
become both defining and geographically dividing features of the urban
landscape. They also allowed further massive expansion that resulted in the
growth of associated urban areas like the North Shore (especially after the
construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge), and Manukau City in the south.

A large percentage of Auckland is dominated by a very suburban style of
building, giving the city a very low population density. Some services like
public transport are costlier than in other higher-density cities, but
Aucklanders are still able to live in single-family dwellings similar to the
rest of the New Zealand population, although lot sizes tend to be smaller
than many other centres.

Geography and climate

Auckland straddles the Auckland Volcanic Field, which has produced
approximately 50 volcanoes. These take the form of cones, lakes, lagoons,
islands and depressions, and several have produced extensive lava flows.
Most of the cones have been partly or completely quarried away. The
individual volcanoes are all considered extinct, although the volcanic field
itself is merely dormant.

Unlike the explosive subduction-driven volcanism in the central North Island
such as at Mount Ruapehu and Lake Taupo, Auckland's volcanoes are fueled
entirely by basaltic magma. The most recent and by far the largest volcano,
Rangitoto Island, was formed within the last 1000 years, and its eruptions
destroyed the Māori settlements on neighbouring Motutapu Island some 700
years ago. Rangitoto's size, its symmetry, its position guarding the
entrance to Waitemata Harbour and its visibility from many parts of the
Auckland region make it Auckland's most iconic natural feature. Few birds
and insects inhabit the island because of the rich acidic soil and the type
of flora growing out of the rocky soil.

Harbours and Gulf

Auckland lies on and around an isthmus, less than two kilometres wide at its
narrowest point, between Mangere Inlet and the Tamaki River. There are two
harbours in the Auckland urban area surrounding this isthmus: Waitemata
Harbour to the north, which opens east to the Hauraki Gulf, and Manukau
Harbour to the south, which opens west to the Tasman Sea.

Bridges span parts of both harbours, notably the Auckland Harbour Bridge
crossing the Waitemata Harbour west of the Auckland Central Business
District (CBD). The Mangere Bridge and the Upper Harbour Bridge span the
upper reaches of the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours, respectively. In
earlier times, portage paths crossed the narrowest sections of the isthmus.

Several islands of the Hauraki Gulf are administered as part of Auckland
City, though they are not officially part of the Auckland metropolitan area.
Parts of Waiheke Island effectively function as Auckland suburbs, while
various smaller islands near Auckland are mostly zoned 'recreational open
space' or are nature sanctuaries.

Climate

Auckland has a warm-temperate climate, with warm, humid summers and mild,
damp winters. It is the warmest main centre of New Zealand and is also one
of the sunniest, with an average of 2060 sunshine hours per annum The
average daily maximum temperature is 23.7 °C in February, and 14.5 °C in
July, the absolute maximum recorded temperature is 32.4 °C, while the
absolute minimum is -2.5. High levels of rainfall occur almost year-round
with an average of 1240 mm per year spread over 137 'rain days'. Climatic
conditions vary in different parts of the city owing to geography such as
hills, land cover and distance from the sea, hence unofficial temperature
records exist, such as a maximum of 34°C in west Auckland. On 27 July 1939
Auckland received its only recorded snowfall.

The early morning calm on the isthmus during settled weather, before the sea
breeze rises, was described as early as 1853: "In all seasons, the beauty of
the day is in the early morning. At that time, generally, a solemn stillness
holds, and a perfect calm prevails..." Many Aucklanders used this time of
day to walk and run in parks.

Cultures

Auckland is home to many cultures. The majority of inhabitants claim
European - predominantly British - descent, but substantial Māori, Pacific
Islander and Asian communities exist as well. Auckland has the largest
Polynesian population of any city in the world and a higher proportion of
people of Asian origin than the rest of New Zealand. Ethnic groups from all
corners of the world have a presence in Auckland, making it by far the
country's most cosmopolitan city.

[edit] Lifestyle

Positive aspects of Auckland life are its mild climate, plentiful employment
and educational opportunities, as well as numerous leisure facilities.
Meanwhile, traffic problems, the lack of good public transport, and
increasing housing costs have been cited by many Aucklanders as among the
strongest negative factors of living there, together with crime. Nonetheless
Auckland currently ranks 4th equal in a survey of the quality of life of
215 major cities of the world (2009 data). In 2006, Auckland placed 23rd on
the UBS list of the world's richest cities.

Leisure

Auckland is popularly known as the "City of Sails" because the harbour is
often dotted with hundreds of yachts and has more per capita than any other
city in the world, with around 135,000 yachts and launches. Around 60,500 of
the country's 149,900 registered yachtsmen come from the Auckland Region.
Viaduct Basin also hosted two America's Cup challenges (2000 Cup and 2003
Cup), and its cafes, restaurants, and clubs add to Auckland's vibrant
nightlife. With the sheltered Waitemata Harbour at its doorstep, Auckland
sees many nautical events, and there are also a large number of sailing
clubs in Auckland, as well as Westhaven Marina, the largest of the Southern
Hemisphere.

High Street, Queen Street, Ponsonby Road, and Karangahape Road are very
popular with urban socialites. Newmarket and Parnell are up-market shopping
areas, while Otara's and Avondale's fleamarkets offer a colourful
alternative shopping experience. Newer shopping malls tend to be outside
city centres, with Sylvia Park (Sylvia Park, Auckland City), Botany Town
Centre (Howick, Manukau City) and Westfield Albany (Albany, North Shore
City) being the three largest.

The Waitemata Harbour has popular swimming beaches at Mission Bay, Devonport
Takapuna, and the west coast has popular surf spots such as Piha and
Muriwai. Many Auckland beaches are patrolled by surf lifesaving clubs, which
are part of Surf Life Saving Northern Region.

Sport

The most popular sports in Auckland are rugby union and cricket. Auckland
has a considerable number of rugby union and cricket grounds, and venues for
motorsports, tennis, badminton, netball, swimming, soccer, rugby league, and
many other sports.

Economy

Most major international corporations have an Auckland office, as the city
is the economic capital of the nation. The most expensive office space is
around lower Queen Street and the Viaduct Basin in the Auckland CBD, where
many financial and business services are located, which make up a large
percentage of the CBD economy. A large proportion of the technical and
trades workforce is based in the industrial zones of South Auckland.

The largest commercial and industrial areas of Greater Auckland are in the
southeast of Auckland City and the western parts of Manukau City, mostly
bordering the Manukau Harbour and the Tamaki River estuary.

Housing

Housing varies considerably between some suburbs having state owned housing
in the lower income neighbourhoods, to palatial waterfront estates,
especially on the Waitemata. Traditionally, the most common residence of
Aucklanders was a bungalow on a 'quarter acre' (1,000 m²), however
subdividing such properties with 'infill housing', has long been the norm.
Aucklanders' housing preferences resulting from a lack of apartments and
poor public transport has resulted in a large urban sprawl and reliance on
motor vehicles. This will probably continue, as the vast majority of
Aucklanders live in low-density housing, which is expected to remain at up
to 70% of the total share even in 2050.

In some areas, the Victorian villas are being increasingly torn down to make way for large plaster mansions with tennis courts and swimming pools. The demolition of the older properties is being combated by the Auckland City Council passing laws that cover heritage suburbs or streets. Auckland has been described as having 'the most extensive range of timbered housing with its classical details and mouldings in the world', many of them Victorian-Edwardian style houses.

Tauranga, New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North
Island of New Zealand. Settled by Europeans in the early 19th century, and
constituted as a city in 1963, Tauranga City is the fifth largest urban area
in New Zealand, with an urban population of 118,200 (June 2009 estimate).

The city lies in the north-western corner of the Bay of Plenty, on the
south-eastern edge of the Tauranga Harbour. The city expands over an area of
168 square kilometres (65 sq mi), and encompases the communities of (west to
east) Bethlehem, Matua, Otumoetai, Greerton, central Tauranga, Maungatapu,
Welcome Bay, Mount Maunganui, Bayfair, and Papamoa.

Tauranga is one of New Zealand's main centers for business, international
trade, culture, fashion, horticultural science, education and entertainment.
It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional
and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic places,
with the largest port in New Zealand, the Port of Tauranga.

Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest growing cities, with a 14% increase
in population between the 2001 census and the 2006 census.

History

First settlers

The earliest known settlers arrived in Tauranga from the Takitimu and the
Mataatua waka in the 12th century.

Early trading

Traders in flax were active in the Bay of Plenty during the 1830s; some were
transient, others married local women and settled permanently. The first
permanent trader was James Farrow, who traveled to Tauranga in 1829,
obtaining flax fibre for Australian merchants in exchange for muskets and
gunpowder. Farrow acquired half an acre of land on 10 January 1838 at
Otumoetai Pā from the chiefs Tupaea, Tangimoana and Te Omanu, the earliest
authenticated land purchase in the Bay of Plenty.

Missionaries

During the 1820s, missionaries from the Bay of Islands visited the Tauranga
district to obtain supplies of potatoes, pigs and flax. In 1840, a Catholic
mission station was established. Bishop Pompallier was given land within the
palisades of Otumoetai Pā for a church and a presbytery. The mission station
closed in 1863 due to land wars in the Waikato district.

New Zealand land wars

The Tauranga Campaign took place in and around Tauranga from 21 January to
21 June 1864, during the land wars. The Battle of Gate Pa is the best known.

Modern age

The population at the June 2009 estimate was 118,200: the city has tripled
in size in a little over 25 years. The population increase is due mostly to
retirees and to sun and surf seekers. It is also a popular lifestyle city.
Although the population has increased dramatically, the city is
proportionally underrepresented in businesses other than retail, which is
over-saturated, and the CBD reflects a city of less than half its population
This is mainly because many outer suburb areas have shopping centres,
including Fraser Cove, Fashion Island and Palm Beach Plaza, spreading retail
dollars thin as property values and rents are very high.

Under the Local Government (Tauranga City Council) Order 2003, Tauranga
became legally a city for a second time, from 1 March 2004.

Geography

Tauranga is located around a large harbour that extends along the western
Bay of Plenty, and is protected by Matakana Island and the extinct volcano
of Mauao.

Situated along a faultline, Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty experience
infrequent seismic activity, and there are a few volcanoes around the area
(mainly dormant). The most notable of these are White Island and Mauao
(Mount Maunganui), nicknamed "The Mount" by locals).

Climate

Due to its sheltered position on the east coast, Tauranga enjoys a warm, dry
climate. This has made it a popular location to retire to. During the summer
months the population swells as the holidaymakers descend on the city,
especially along the popular white coastal surf beaches from Mount Maunganui
to Papamoa.

Population

Tauranga is the ninth largest New Zealand city and the centre of the fifth
largest urban area, recently overtaking Dunedin urban area (Dunedin City
still has a larger territorial population), growing at a rate of 1.5% in
2008.

In 1976, Tauranga was a medium-sized urban area, with a population of around
48,000, smaller than Napier or Invercargill. The completion of a harbour
bridge in 1988 brought Tauranga and 'the Mount' closer (they amalgamated in
1989) and has promoted growth in both parts of the enlarged city. In 1996
Tauranga's population was 82,092 and by 2006 it had reached 103,635.

In 2006, 17.4% of the population was aged 65 or over, compared to 12.3%
nationally, but there are many in their teens and twenties. The city hosts
five major head offices – Port of Tauranga, Zespri International, Ballance
Agri-Nutrients Ltd, Trustpower and Craigs Investment Partners (formerly, ABN
AMRO Craigs).

Local industry

Much of the countryside surrounding Tauranga is horticultural land, used to
grow a wide range of fresh produce for both domestic consumption and export.
The area is particularly well known for growing tangelos (a grapefruit /
tangerine cross), avocados, and kiwifruit. Recent years have seen the
establishment of boutique vineyards and wineries.

Religion

Because of Tauranga's large multi-ethnic population, a wide variety of faiths are practiced, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, various Eastern Orthodox Churches, Sufism and others. Immigrants from Asia have formed a number of significant Buddhist congregations.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Napier, New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Napier (Ahuriri in Māori) is a port city in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It has
a population of 58,100 as of the June 2009 estimate. Less than twenty
kilometres separate the centres of Hastings City and Napier, and as such the
two are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities". The population
of the urban area of Napier-Hastings is 122,600 which make Napier-Hastings
the fifth largest urban area in the country, closely followed by Tauranga
(116,000), and Dunedin (114,900).

The city is 320 kilometres (by road) north-east of the capital, Wellington.
It has a population slightly smaller than the Hastings District, but as
Hastings is administered as a district, Napier is the only official city in
the Hawke's Bay region. Napier is the largest cross-bred wool centre in the
Southern Hemisphere and is the export servicing area for Hastings District
which is one of the largest apple, pear and stone fruit producing areas in
New Zealand. It has also become an important grape growing and wine
production area with the fruit passing from the growers around Metropolitan
Hastings and then to Napier for exporting. There are large frozen meat, wool
pulp and timber tonnages passing through Napier's port.

Napier is a popular tourist city, and has one of the most photographed
tourist attractions in the country, a statue on Marine Parade called Pania
of the Reef. Her statue is regarded in Napier in much the same way that the
Little Mermaid statue is regarded in Copenhagen. In October 2005 the statue
was stolen, but it was recovered a week later, largely unharmed. Thousands
of people flock to Napier every February for the Art Deco Weekend event - a
celebration of Napier's Art Deco heritage and history. Other notable tourist
events attracting many outsider's include the region's annual Wine & Food
Festival (named Harvest Hawke's Bay), and Mission Concert at the Mission
Estate Winery in the near by town of Taradale. Past artists have included
Chris De Berg, Olivia Newton-John, Eric Clapton, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles,
and Rod Stewart.

History

Māori history

Napier has well-documented Māori history. When the Ngāti Kahungunu party of
Taraia reached the district many centuries ago, the Whatumamoa, Rangitane
and the Ngāti Awa and elements of the Ngāti Tara iwi existed in the nearby
areas of Petane, Te Whanganui-a-Orotu and Waiohiki. Later, the Ngāti
Kahungunu became the dominant force from Poverty Bay to Wellington. They
were one of the first Māori tribes to come in contact with European settlers


Chief Te Ahuriri cut a channel into the lagoon space at Ahuriri because the
Westshore entrance had become blocked, threatening cultivations surrounding
the lagoon and the fishing villages on the islands in the lagoon. The rivers
were continually feeding freshwater into the area.

European history

The first European to see the future site of Napier was Captain James Cook,
who sailed down the east coast in October 1769. He commented: "On each side
of this bluff head is a low, narrow sand or stone beach, between these
beaches and the mainland is a pretty large lake of salt water I suppose."
He said the harbour entrance was at the Westshore end of the shingle beach.
The site was subsequently visited and later settled by European traders,
whalers and missionaries. By the 1850s, farmers and hotel-keepers arrived.

The Crown purchased the Ahuriri block (including the site of Napier) in 1851
In 1854 Alfred Domett, a future Premier, was appointed Commissioner of
Crown Lands and resident magistrate at Ahuriri. A plan was prepared and the
town named after Sir Charles Napier, hero of the Battle of Meeanee in the
Indian province of Sindh. Domett named many streets in the settlement to
commemorate the great colonial era of the British Indian Empire.

The town was constituted a borough in 1874 and development of the
surrounding marsh lands and reclamation proceeded slowly. Between 1852 and
1876 Napier was the administrative centre for the Hawke's Bay Province, but
in 1876 the Abolition of Provinces Act dissolved provincial government.

Development was generally confined to the hill and to the port area of
Ahuriri. In the early days Napier consisted of an oblong mass of hills
(Scinde Island) almost entirely surrounded by water, from which ran out two
single spits, one to the north and one to the south. There was a swamp
between the now Hastings Street and Wellesley Road and the water extended to
Clive Square.

1931 earthquake

On 3 February 1931, Napier was levelled by an earthquake. The collapses and
ensuing fires killed 256 people. The figure would later rise to 258 as two
people were missing, presumed dead following the quake. The town centre was
destroyed and rebuilt in the popular Art Deco style of the time. Some 40 km²
of today's Napier was undersea before the earthquake raised it.

Although a few Art Deco buildings were replaced with contemporary structures
during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, most of the centre remained intact for
long enough to become recognized as architecturally unique, and from the
1990s onwards had been protected and restored. Napier and South Beach in the
US city Miami are considered the two best preserved Art Deco towns, Miami
Beach being mainly in the later Streamline Moderne Art Deco style. As of
2007, Napier has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the
first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated.

Modern history

In January 1945, the German submarine U-862 entered the Port of Napier
undetected. That event later became the basis of a widely circulated
post-war myth that Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Timm took his crew ashore near
Napier to milk cows to supplement their rations.

Napier Hill was the scene of a police siege of an armed offender in May 2009
with one police officer and the gunman killed, and two police officers and
a member of the public wounded.

Geography and climate

The town is on the Bluff Hill headland and the surrounding plain at the
southeastern edge of Hawke Bay, a large semi-circular bay that dominates the
east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The coastline of the town was
substantially altered by a large earthquake in 1931. The topography
unfortunately puts Napier in danger from a tsunami, as the centre of the
commercial city is near sea level, should the sea ever crest the marine
parade the sea would run through to Ahuriri. Napier also lacks any (natural)
sandy beaches (sand is imported to maintain a small ~50m beach near the
port). Luckily for Napier residents, nearby Hastings District features some
of the premiere beaches in New Zealand.

Several smaller towns lie close to the city, the closest is Taradale the
location of some of the region's oldest established wineries. Other
surrounding towns include Bay View, to the north, Clive, to the south,
Flaxmere, west of Hastings, and Havelock North. As a territorial authority,
Napier City is surrounded by the much larger Hastings District.

The town enjoys some of the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand (second to
Nelson), the warm, relatively dry climate the result of its location on the
east coast, a Mediterranean climate delivered from the waters to the north,
and its strategic position in Hawke's Bay. Most of New Zealand's weather
patterns cross the country from the west, and the town lies in the rain
shadow of the North Island Volcanic Plateau and surrounding ranges such as
the Kaweka Range. However, the town is prone to the remnants of tropical
cyclones from the central Pacific Ocean, which occasionally are still at
storm strength by the time that they have reached Hawke's Bay. Thunderstorms
are not very common in Hawke's Bay with less than 10 thunderstorms a year.
They are most common in the summer caused by the sometimes extreme surface
heating. Hail from thunderstorms can damage vineyards and orchards. The
hailstorm of 2 March 1994 created hailstones up to 3 cm in size and caused
around NZ$10.8M worth of damage to orchards and vineyards. It remains New
Zealand's most costly hailstorm.

Tourism

Napier's major tourist attraction is the town itself, which draws Art Deco
and architecture enthusiasts from around the world. The rebuilding period
after the 1931 earthquake coincided with the shortlived and rapidly changing
Art Deco era and the Great Depression, when little 'mainstreet' development
was being undertaken elsewhere. As a result Napier's architecture is
strikingly different from any other city; the other notable Art Deco city,
Miami Beach, has Streamline Moderne Art Deco. The whole centre of Napier was
rebuilt simultaneously. In many ways it resembles a film set as it has whole
streets of 'in period' buildings, but it is a real city and the buildings
are original.

Economy

The range of industries in Napier and its environs include the electronics
industry, the surrounding area wool trade, and the manufacture of fertilizer
and wine. Napier was home to one of New Zealand's largest smoking tobacco
plants. On 9 September 2005 British American Tobacco announced it would
close the Rothmans factory, due to diminished demand. Production has moved
to Australia. The art deco-style factory had been producing up to 2.2
billion cigarettes a year for the New Zealand and Pacific Island markets. In
March 1999, 19 people lost their jobs there because "fewer people are
smoking".

Napier suffered a double blow from service amalgamation towards the end of
the century. The local newspaper, the (Napier) Daily Telegraph, was combined
with the (Hastings) Herald-Tribune to form a new regional newspaper Hawke's
Bay Today. The Napier offices were closed down in favour of locating the
offices in Hastings City. The next rationalization saw the closure of the
Napier Hospital, and the services where amalgamated with the Hastings
Hospital creating the Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital located on the
preferable Hastings site.

Local Government reform was mooted in the late 1990's and a referendum was held in 1999 proposing an amalgamation of the Hastings District Council with the Napier City Council. Although supported by approximately two thirds of Hastings voters, Napier voters rejected the proposal by a similar number. The referendum was defeated. The Mayor of Hastings [Lawrence Yule] has announced he will be standing for Mayor again in 2010 on the platform of local authority amalgamation.