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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Sept 13, 2011 18:34:29 GMT 12
Len Brown wants answers. How about taking the blame Mr Brown? Anyway, great opening ceremony, fantastic effects and a credit to the organisers. If Auckland had got the extensive public transport scheme (including underground rail with more than one direct route into downtown Auckland) that Mayor Robbie was pushing for all those decades ago, the transport system would have coped. If I remember correctly, it was Rob Muldoon who put the kaiwash on that scheme. And the current government are once again trying to restrict the development of public transport to the standards required for a city of Auckland's size. I guess some things never change.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Sept 13, 2011 18:39:42 GMT 12
I think they made a huge error by telling everyone the train was the best option. I have always thought, if one train breaks down the whole system is f*cked. Hence the reason why the underground rail loop was needed decades ago (as in back when Mayor Robbie was pushing for it, before Rob Muldoon canned it). With direct rail routes into Auckland via both Parnell AND Mount Eden, you have the option to work around problems. The current government are trying to put the boot into foward thinking Aucklanders yet again who are trying to sort out the transport problems in their city. In fact, the current government even pulled-the-plug on a funding scheme which had been setup for Auckland local body politicians to use to self-fund transport system improvements. Then, the government tries to claim money is too tight for them to pay for all the improvements needed, yet they killed the scheme which would have mostly funded it from Auckland. You really have to wonder about the intelligence (lack-of) levels of politicians sometimes.
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Post by Chris F on Sept 13, 2011 19:36:12 GMT 12
The shambles that has left a bad taste over the weekend should be a show called "Oh Boy". When will we learn as a nation we have a drinking problem. To hear of the Waka crew and female one at that been "attacked"whether it be pushing or shoving is pure and utter disgusting. Until we one day face up to our drinking issues head on our nation on the big stage has been seen in bad light. You can have fun without the booze......Simple!
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Post by adzze on Sept 13, 2011 20:21:56 GMT 12
The shambles that has left a bad taste over the weekend should be a show called "Oh Boy". When will we learn as a nation we have a drinking problem. To hear of the Waka crew and female one at that been "attacked"whether it be pushing or shoving is pure and utter disgusting. Until we one day face up to our drinking issues head on our nation on the big stage has been seen in bad light. You can have fun without the booze......Simple! It's possible there's more than one side to this story though:
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Post by Officer Crabtree on Sept 13, 2011 20:55:04 GMT 12
What do you call a group of big men watching the RWC final? The All Blacks! (credit to someone on the RoF forums) Can't wait to see Italy vs Russia here in Nelson, Italy got one hell of a welcome (by our standards : ![:))](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cheesy.png) While we were doing car marshalling 23 sqn managed to get a woman heading for the airport trapped. She was not happy! Probably in a better mood than Aucklands traingoers, mind...
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Post by Peter Lewis on Sept 13, 2011 21:25:21 GMT 12
You can have fun without the booze......Simple! Face facts. The RWC is all about money. Booze creates money - think how much Heineken has paid for rights. End of case. Rant:Don't even get me started about public transport in Auckland. . . The Auckland public transport system is designed to carry people from the suburbs into the bottom of Queen Street (the CBD). Less than 6% of people in Auckland travel into the CBD each day. Why does it do this? Because the people who design, fund and promote the system work in the CBD. They cannot conceive of anything else. So, although they have to pay for it, more than 94% of people cannot use it as it does not go from/to where they go. Try traveling from a home in, say Birkdale, Howick or New Lynn to a workplace in, say, Albany, Otahuhu or East Tamaki and see how you get on with public transport. So most Auckland residents cannot and will not use the public transport system that they are forced to pay for. Any survey of the system always promotes how easily it is to travel from ( insert location here) to Britomart. Who the hell wants to go to Britomart? End of Rant.
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Post by Bruce on Sept 13, 2011 22:23:10 GMT 12
That Rant is exactly what I've been saying for years about public transport being designed by and for CBD Dwellers. Try getting public transport from Manurewa (or even Papakura) out to Ardmore!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 13, 2011 22:40:41 GMT 12
Bruce, you talk about the Government killing iniatives and schemes and free-thinking ideas, and then you added: "You really have to wonder about the intelligence (lack-of) levels of politicians sometimes." I don't believe it is the politicians in government who kill these schemes at all. It is the faceless civil servant beauracrats in the back rooms who make and break things, and tell the poloticians what to say as their scapegoat. Why? Because if all these great schemes were implemented, and everything ran smoothly and the country became a better place - then they are all out of a job. They are there simply to ensure things never go the logical right ways, so they get paid to "look at options", "conduct studies", "draft alternate plans" and all those pointless things they spend the taxpayers dollars on. Meanwhile when the public thinks enough is enough and votes out the people they think are to blame, the civil servants remained fixed in their offices to carry on their campaign to make the world more confusing and annoying. Mind you, this is all sliding towards a political discussion. We wouldn't want to be like our esteemed freind Mr Muldoon and mix politics with rugby, would we? ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 13, 2011 22:42:25 GMT 12
Sorry, the above-mentioned Bruce I mentioned was for Buce Scott, not Bruce Cooke who posted while I was thinking about mentioning the afore mentioned mentions by Bruce.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 13, 2011 22:43:14 GMT 12
And having said that, raptor how dear you say we have a drinking problem, hic! ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Bruce on Sept 13, 2011 23:02:15 GMT 12
Sorry, the above-mentioned Bruce I mentioned was for Buce Scott, not Bruce Cooke who posted while I was thinking about mentioning the afore mentioned mentions by Bruce. Its as bad as Monty Python - or the SAA Waikato Chapter! (5 Bruces at last count!)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 13, 2011 23:09:57 GMT 12
Meanwhile I saw a report that this week the World Economic Forum has downgraded New Zealand's railway system to Third World. I guess it brings it in line with the rest of NZ.
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Post by hairy on Sept 13, 2011 23:34:16 GMT 12
Try traveling from a home in, say Birkdale, Howick or New Lynn to a workplace in, say, Albany, Otahuhu or East Tamaki and see how you get on with public transport. You don't have to even go that far........... When I lived in Royal Oak and worked in Ellerslie it used to take 10mins. by car, 5mins. by motorbike ;D or an hour to walk but to take the bus was about 2 hours because you had to travel into Newmarket then wait around for another bus to go back out to Ellerslie. When I was living in Takanini I tried the train on 3 occasions to commute to work and on two of those six trips (3 x to work, 3 from work) the train broke down. The last time I tried public transport was because I was to be working on Princess Wharf and central city parking is about a bazillion dollars a day so I thought it would be simpler to catch the bus.................the bloody thing never turned up! ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png)
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Post by Tony on Sept 14, 2011 0:54:18 GMT 12
I would say its a great thing they didn't build a waterfront stadium -.... Works in Wellington. Okay 40k max plus party goers but see my point?
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Post by flyinkiwi on Sept 14, 2011 8:41:45 GMT 12
Well I've attended several of the minnow matches outside Auckland and I must say, the regional councils have done a fantastic job making their events as painless as possible.
I saw Fiji vs Namibia on Saturday in Rotovegas, then Ireland vs USA on Sunday in New Plymouth. New Plymouth especially was great, you park your car in a parking building downtown for free, then walk 50m down the road and jump on a bus to the ground for a gold coin donation. I'm heading back down there to see USA vs Russia tomorrow.
I only hope the HCC takes their queue from New Plymouth and not Auckland for Friday and Sunday's matches.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 14, 2011 23:34:57 GMT 12
Wow, I just watched the Canada versus Tonga game played at Whangarei today. What an excellent match, and I thought Canada were completely brilliant. I was so pleased they won, although I feel sorry for the Tongans who also seem to be a great bunch of guys and looked so upset at the end.
Interesting to hear that the Canadian coach is Kieran Crowley, he was a great All Black in his day. And it was also interesting to see what a great venue the stadium in Whangarei was, they should have more test matches there.
Sad to hear the news today that Dan Carter is out for the Hamilton test with a stuffed back.
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Post by Kenny on Sept 15, 2011 0:08:06 GMT 12
Except good ol mother nature provided a hill that packed much more people than that costly stadium... ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png) Well good to see my town get 80 minutes of fame ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) Sweet game, id like to see more 'upsets' throughout the tournament!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 15, 2011 12:05:05 GMT 12
Breaking News: Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina have both been injured and are out of tomorrow night's test. It was to be Richie's 100th test but now not to be.
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Post by Chris F on Sept 15, 2011 12:34:56 GMT 12
Great to hear you enjoyed been in New Plymouth flyinkiwi. The tourists here have flocked in huge numbers down to the coastal walkway....camper vans everywhere. Big "Cold War" game here tonight USA vs Russia...John Key and the Russian and US ambassadors will be there. Oh hope the injury toll on the AB's is not bad!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 15, 2011 13:59:45 GMT 12
At least it is only Japan that NZ plays tomorrow and not France!!
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