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Post by Ykato on Apr 6, 2013 15:13:05 GMT 12
Checkers 6 ship Arrive Over Ham Airport a wee while Ago   |
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Post by Ykato on Apr 6, 2013 21:24:12 GMT 12
Checkers display looked Very from Deanwell Very as always. |
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Post by Ykato on Apr 6, 2013 21:54:38 GMT 12
Holding over most of the City prior to display   |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 6, 2013 22:31:51 GMT 12
I went to my first ever Night Glow event today. I was rather overwhelmed by the scale of it, I had no idea there was a rock concert, a carnival, cheerleaders, firebugs, and all the other stuff going on. The NC (some guy Bunting from Classic Hits FM) reckoned there were 80,000 people there. My estimate is he'd be close. What a frigging huge crowd. Some really neat balloons, the Red Checkers were superb as usual and gotsome great crowd reactions - moreso than at airshows as I guess most of this crowd didn't know what to expect - especially with the Spaghetti Break. There was some great music too, I hadn't seen Squeeze since they were the regular covers band in the good old days of the Prince Albert Tavern in Cambridge. they are still great, but when they finished the crowd didn't even give them a half decent applause which I thought was rotten of the audience as they were nailing it.
The whole day was great, but the journey back to where I'm staying turned into a nightmare when the 'expert' at the free bus loading zone told me if I got such-and-such a bus to Chartwell Square I could get the Orbiter to where I needed to go for there. A great theory, only when it arrived at Chartwell at 8.30pm the Orbiter and every other bus service through that stop had ceased for the day. Unbelievable, buses stop before 8.30pm on a Saturday night in hamilton? I thought this place was a city. Especially when there's a MAJOR event on. No wonder they have lost other big events like the V8's and X Games, etc. So my free bus became an $18 taxi ride.
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Post by Ykato on Apr 6, 2013 23:07:04 GMT 12
I went to my first ever Night Glow event today. I was rather overwhelmed by the scale of it, I had no idea there was a rock concert, a carnival, cheerleaders, firebugs, and all the other stuff going on. The NC (some guy Bunting from Classic Hits FM) reckoned there were 80,000 people there. My estimate is he'd be close. What a frigging huge crowd. Some really neat balloons, the Red Checkers were superb as usual and gotsome great crowd reactions - moreso than at airshows as I guess most of this crowd didn't know what to expect - especially with the Spaghetti Break. There was some great music too, I hadn't seen Squeeze since they were the regular covers band in the good old days of the Prince Albert Tavern in Cambridge. they are still great, but when they finished the crowd didn't even give them a half decent applause which I thought was rotten of the audience as they were nailing it. The whole day was great, but the journey back to where I'm staying turned into a nightmare when the 'expert' at the free bus loading zone told me if I got such-and-such a bus to Chartwell Square I could get the Orbiter to where I needed to go for there. A great theory, only when it arrived at Chartwell at 8.30pm the Orbiter and every other bus service through that stop had ceased for the day. Unbelievable, buses stop before 8.30pm on a Saturday night in hamilton? I thought this place was a city. Especially when there's a MAJOR event on. No wonder they have lost other big events like the V8's and X Games, etc. So my free bus became an $18 taxi ride. So called Bus Expert is a Freakin idiot. Grosvenor Park - Thomas Road (blue route) Roadside parking. En route bus stop locations: Opposite 373 Hukanui Rd to event, 373 Hukanui Rd from event. Hukanui Rd (opposite Westfield Chartwell shopping centre) to event, Hukanui Rd (outside Westfield Chartwell shopping centre) from event. 89 Crosby Rd to event, to the right of 100 Crosby Rd from event 204 Tramway Rd to event, 205 Tramway from event. At the conclusion of the event, buses will leave on a continuous, as-available basis until all patrons have boarded for their return journey. www.busit.co.nz/Service-updates-summary/Balloons-over-Waikato/also the night rider: www.busit.co.nz/Hamilton-routes/Night-Rider/ |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 7, 2013 15:24:55 GMT 12
That is the bus I took, and it got me to Chartwell Square fine as he predicted. It was the Orbiter bus onwards from there to The Base I needed, but by the time I got to Chartwell the Orbiter and all other services had ceased, something he failed to inform me of. I am not from Hamilton and had assumed that like other cities buses ran into the night, especially on Saturdays. I now know better, it's a third world bus service.
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Post by Ykato on Apr 7, 2013 16:25:18 GMT 12
That is the bus I took, and it got me to Chartwell Square fine as he predicted. It was the Orbiter bus onwards from there to The Base I needed, but by the time I got to Chartwell the Orbiter and all other services had ceased, something he failed to inform me of. I am not from Hamilton and had assumed that like other cities buses ran into the night, especially on Saturdays. I now know better, it's a third world bus service. Weird eh had another look at the route times your right looks as if the only service past 6pm is the orbiter up until 7.40pm & the night rider which seems to have a 3hr gap in service between 10pm - 1am very  really |
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Post by efliernz on Apr 7, 2013 16:44:46 GMT 12
I cant defend the buses. They are the reason I drive my car (with high school daughter) to work each day. I failed to make it last night. I'm glad (despite the bus crap) that you enjoyed it. There must have been a good southerly this morning. We had more than a dozen balloons cruise past our place in Flagstaff  Pete |
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Post by hardyakka on Apr 7, 2013 17:45:07 GMT 12
Yes, we've been caught out by the buses before. What we now do is pre-position a car on a nearby street pointing away from the event (earlier on in the day before the traffic restriction start). We then take the bus TO the event itself. Getting there is never a problem, only leaving by bus has been a protracted nightmare in other years. Once the fireworks is finished, we walk ten minutes to our car and away we go. We were home within 30 minutes of leaving the university grounds.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Apr 7, 2013 18:20:44 GMT 12
Working our way past the inefficiency of the Hamilton City bus service, where are this year's balloon photos?
Or did all you lazy buggers sleep in?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 7, 2013 19:48:25 GMT 12
There was hardly any morning ballooning Peter due to the weather.
When I get a chance I'll process some from yesterday, but I can guarantee my after dark photos will be rubbish as my camera doesn't like the dark.
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Post by hardyakka on Apr 8, 2013 8:47:54 GMT 12
At all the other aviation events I've attended, I've gotten so used to the "professionals" being there and taking excellent photos that I quite often don't even take a camera at all...
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 12:50:19 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 13:01:53 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 13:17:08 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 13:34:46 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 13:53:02 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 8, 2013 13:55:51 GMT 12
I hope that keeps the wolves from the door till some beter photos get posted.
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Post by Ykato on Apr 8, 2013 14:22:37 GMT 12
Awesome Pics Dave Thanks for posting them Very  |
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Post by Mustang51 on Apr 11, 2013 7:59:29 GMT 12
Dave, Did you hear my mate Trevor the Token Pom there? I knew he was coming over and he was trying to get to Omaka as well.
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really
