Photos by Virginia Woods-Jack. Click on an image to enlarge it.
Monthly Archive for September, 2008
How windy is it right now? Check the Metservice Wind Map to find out.
The strongest wind speeds ever recorded in Wellington were at Hawkins Hill (just up from the wind turbine!) of 248km/h (134 knots) on 6 November 1959 and 4 July 1962.
October is Wellington’s windiest month.
The wind is pretty important for some people. Windsurfers, for example. Those last two facts come from a great page from the Wellington Windsurfing Association that asks: How windy is Wellington?
Te Ara: the encyclopedia of New Zealand has the story of Tawhirimatea, the god of wind and storms.
How windy is Wellington anyway? Te Ara says:
The capital is known as ‘windy Wellington’, but in fact average wind speeds there are not much higher than in other coastal cities such as Invercargill and Auckland. Its reputation stems more from the powerful gusts – over 60 km per hour – which blast the city 173 days a year, compared with 30 days a year for Rotorua and 35 for Nelson.”
But it looks pretty windy in this picture!
And the windy weather has caused several shipwrecks on Wellington’s coast.
And here and here are a couple of photos of Wellington’s wind in full effect.
Thanks to the teachers and parents of Brooklyn School, Ridgway School, Owhiro Bay School and Brooklyn Early Childhood Centre, the children of Brooklyn and surrounding suburbs have been making some amazing windmills to plant at the Wind Turbine. We look forward to seeing them all together on 27 September.
Brooklyn Early Childhood Centre kids with windmills they have made
“You can’t beat Wellington on a good day” is a phrase one hears a lot around these parts. The speaker normally means a still day as well as a fine one. But it’s time for Wellingtonians to stop being shy about the wind in their city, says Brooklyn resident Richard Thomson.
“We’re making the stand that Wellington’s wind is something to be proud of and to celebrate,” says Thomson, who is part of a team organising the city’s inaugural Wind Walk. “There’s nothing more life-affirming and soul-cleansing than a good bluster, and besides, we could argue we have the cleanest air in the country.”
The Wind Walk on September 27 is a family-oriented event that taps into all angles of the wind theme. Starting at 9am, participants make their way from Brooklyn village to the turbine, and are encouraged to fly kites, balloons and flags en route, decorate buggies with windmills and even play wind instruments. Kids can hunt for clues to the WindWalk Quiz, then help plant a windmill garden at the turbine.
There will be a fire engine, music and spot prizes at the top. After enjoying a sausage sizzle and a hot drink, families return to the Brooklyn Community Centre, where a children’s market is being held, with stalls, a bouncy castle and a maze.
Wind Walk participants buy a registration pack, which will include stickers, windmills and goodies from sponsors, with the registration fee raising funds to help the Brooklyn Early Childhood Centre renovate its premises to meet new government regulations.
“In this peak oil environment, we all should be out walking more. And you can catch the Number 7 bus to the start in Brooklyn. The WindWalk is a sustainable event that helps to build a sustainable community,” says fellow organiser Ben Zwartz.
The 4km ascent is estimated to take around 1.5 hours. A bus will be on hand to shuttle people down the hill if they prefer not to walk.
Click on an image to enlarge it.
