US voters express frustration with economic hardship

It was to be expected that the US mid-term elections would see Democrats lose seats in the Congress to the Republicans - in the equivalent 1994 election Bill Clinton saw 52 House seats change hands, and the 60+ this time is no real surprise given the recession which so far has yet to show any real improvement for most people.

But - some of the successful candidates make you wonder...

Kapiti Coast idyll

While visiting one of our book printers, in Paraparaumu, a few days ago, one of our directors took this photo of the lagoon across the street. Among other birds, this shows a black swan (native to Australia), and a hen-like pukeko (native to New Zealand) almost hidden in the clump nearest the camera - his beak can be seen.

Early railways of Japan

Author Dan Free of New York City spent 25 years putting together this comprehensive illustrated account of the development of railways in Japan, which as most people know, were 3'6" (1067 mm) gauge like those of New Zealand. And of course, Japan is a rugged island nation on the "Pacific rim of fire" like New Zealand.

This book covers the period 1853 to 1914, and is pretty much the first one to provide comprehensive information on Japan's railways in English. Informative it certainly is, not just on the technical side but the social and economic side too. Dan Free has also included a large number of photos, maps, postcards, diagrams and drawings in the book's 288 pages, all of which are reproduced in duotone, or colour in the case of artworks and colored postcards. 300 x 220 mm, hardcover with jacket.

How's your day been - 2

Let's guess ... he's a person who has his mobile phone on Telecom's XT, and his landline is also with Telecom. Both have been down for 3 days, so he's rung Telecom's customer service line to ask for compensation. But their standard advice is to "f*** off". He is telling his PA to switch their business to another phone company.

Baltic ferries

While on the subject of ferries, here is a new book about those which have operated and presently operate in the Baltic Sea, or East Sea as it is known in Germany and Scandinavia. The book confines itself to the traffic between Sweden, Finland and Estonia, and is intended to mark 50 years of operations on the routes. It doesn't include Polish, German and Danish ferries on this sea.

The book has 128 pages in A4 format, most photos of the exteriors and interiors of the ships are in colour, hardcover.

The Auckland harbour ferry Kestrel returns to Auckland

A report from the Bay of Plenty Times is reprinted below. This was an Auckland icon for many years and is only one of two original steam ferries left, the other being the Toroa. The Kestrel was built of kauri sheathed in totora in 1905 and operated on the Waitemata Harbour for 98 years. The name is also of course that of a bird, but we are not sure if that is what Kestrel was named after.

Kestrel was reported as having received a multi-million-dollar refit before being moved to Tauranga where she was used as a floating restaurant. The write-down to only $1,000 thus seems rather severe. The photo by PhillipC shows Kestrel berthed at Tauranga. For pictures of her in action in Auckland refer to our book New Zealand Maritime Images the Golden Years.

....

The old wooden ferry MV Kestrel is understood to have been sold for $1,000 and is returning to its previous home of Auckland after sitting idle on the Tauranga waterfront for nearly two years.

Unable to secure a long-term berth for the iconic 105-year-old vessel in the city's downtown, owner Mark Scapens reluctantly put it up for sale - and it has been snapped up by the newly formed Kestrel Preservation Society in Auckland. "The lease had four years to run and the Kestrel didn't fit into the latest waterfront redevelopment plan," Mr Scapens said.

"I couldn't guarantee tenure to [new] tenants, and it had to move. What could I do? I brought it here wanting to do something different for the waterfront and I haven't been able to sustain it. It's a shame it has to leave Tauranga, but from a boating point of view, I'm happy that the vessel will once again sail on the harbour in which she was first launched."

The Kestrel, the former Fullers ferry which sailed between Devonport and downtown Auckland for more than 90 years, will now entertain passengers on Waitemata Harbour cruises.

The preservation society's steering committee has begun a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of getting the Kestrel back to Auckland - after the vessel left there in 2002.

First, the society will see if it is feasible to recommission the engine in Tauranga, and failing that the Kestrel will be towed to Auckland - hopefully within a month.

Hugh Gladwell, the society's spokesperson, said the Kestrel would be fitted out and operated to maximise its use by the public. "Many Aucklanders will remember sailing aboard the Kestrel and will be thrilled to have her home."

Mr Scapens, who advertised the vessel on Trade Me, said he sold it for a nominal figure but there was some work needed to make it seaworthy.

It was understood the Kestrel was sold for $1,000 and it would cost about $25,000 to tow it back to Auckland.

Australian movies based on trains

Today is Melbourne Cup Day when briefly two countries do nothing but follow a horse race, so we thought we'd mention a couple of Australian movies set on trains.

Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1988, 91 minutes) is set on the Melbourne to Sydney and return overnight expresses.

The synopsis: From Monday to Friday she (Wendy Hughes) teaches art at a Catholic school, but come the weekend and she rides the overnight express, turning tricks - each trip in a different guise, but always the same rules: the men must leave her cabin by 3 am. And no sweet-talk next morning. She is saving the extra money for medical bills for her wheel chair-bound, morphine addicted ex-athlete brother Brian (Lewis Fitz-Gerald). But then she meets and falls for a man (Colin Friels) who is different: strong, willful and charming. And he, too, has a secret agenda. And it includes assassination, for money that would settle all her and her brother's needs.

Like the title, the movie is rather slow moving too, but it will impart the atmosphere of those overnight trains.

Last train to Freo (2006) is adapted from a stage play and entirely set on a suburban electric multiple unit from somewhere in Perth to Fremantle, which in Oz fashion is locally known as Freo.

The synopsis: At midnight, on a hot summer's night, two ex-cons board the last train to Fremantle. Bored, restless and looking for trouble, they start to poke fun at their mind-numbing existence. Until a beautiful young law student steps into the carriage, alone, and seemingly unaware that the guards are on strike.
But there's more to this young woman than meets the eye. And when two other passengers join the train further down the line, the balance of power takes an unexpected twist.

It is edited in 'real time', although a trip to Fremantle from any of the other Perth termini would only take about half the movie's 85 mins.

USS Enterprise Owners Manual

British publisher Haynes is known for its car workshop manuals, but here they present a manual for the USS Enterprises as featured in Star Trek. Well, it isn't so much a manual for Scotty and his successors as an all-colour guide book to the starships and their functioning.

It is an officially licensed product and compiled by people who should know their stuff. So... a technical book for those into transport a few centuries from now.

Lonely Planet says Wellington is world's 4th best city to visit

Well, we would say it wouldn't we, but now so does guidebook publisher Lonely Planet who describe Wellington as the "coolest little capital in the world".

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel in 2011 guide selected 10 cities based on the feedback from bloggers and travellers and the input of a panel of in-house judges, reports the New Zealand Herald.

Wellington was fourth on the list after New York in the top spot, then Tangiers (Morocco) and Tel Aviv (Isreal). Wellington's arts, cultural events, culinary and film scenes made it stand out, explained Lonely Planet writer Catherine Le Nevez.

Le Nevez wrote, "Its compact size energises its sense of community. Locals love their city ... and get a kick out of helping visitors fall in love with it too."
Wellington is New Zealand's "most innovative and inspiring city," said Lonely Planet editor Shawn Low.

Lonely Planet's top 10 cities for 2011 (yes, there are a few that surprise us too):

* New York, USA
* Tangier, Morocco
* Tel Aviv, Israel
* Wellington, New Zealand
* Valencia, Spain
* Iquitos, Peru
* Ghent, Belgium
* Delhi, India
* Newcastle, Australia
* Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chinese banknote from 1914 printed in New York

Another banknote with the theme of vintage transport is this Chinese one, except that it was printed in 1914 by the American Banknote Company in New York. The locomotive looks rather American too. Perhaps a reader can identify it?