NEW ZEALAND Summer News, Mar 05, 2012

Summer one of the wettest and greyest on record - Niwa New Zealand Herald By Hayden Donnell Out for a walk during heavy rain along Tamaki Drive in Auckland this summer. Photo / Jason Dorday Record-breaking rainfall and all-time low sunshine hours made last summer one of the wettest and greyest in New Zealand history, ... See all stories on this topic »

Growth maintained into 2012 and summer season Voxy Tourism New Zealand's Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says, "This saw a record January, with overseas visitor arrivals hitting 266800 for the firsttime. This is a significant result with both China and Australia continuing to show strong growth. See all stories on this topic » Voxy

Preserving summer's bounty Otago Daily Times By Charmian Smith on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 With crates of summer fruit at the market and at stalls around Roxburgh and Cromwell, and a glut of some veges in the garden, it's time to get on with preserving. A new book full of ideas for making the most of ... See all stories on this topic » Otago Daily Times

Tests: How SA, NZ shape up Independent Online By Zaahier Adams The Proteas hope to capture the No 1 Test rankings on the tour to New Zealand. At 10.30am New Zealand time on Wednesday, South Africa begin their quest for world Test supremacy at Dunedin's University Oval. See all stories on this topic » Independent Online

NZ high jumper Lamb misses Olympic mark Stuff.co.nz Olympic hopeful Elizabeth Lamb extended her unbeaten record in trans-Tasman high jump competitions this summer but unhelpful weather conditions in Melbourne have stymied her attempt to clear the qualifying mark required for London. See all stories on this topic »

Music titans build firm foundation Sunday Star Times It must also be a time of change for Smith, who continues to divide his time between the US and New Zealand, "avoiding the winters ... I have just had a fantastic New Zealand winter", but who will now enjoy much quieter Januarys. See all stories on this topic »

Farmers only ones to gain in cop-out summer New Zealand Herald Photo / Thinkstock Whether you live in New Zealand or Australia the weather these past few months has been a shocker for holidaymakers and summer-lovers. Yes, we've had a few glimpses of traditional summer but, for the most part, it was colder and ... See all stories on this topic »

'Longitudinal' wins passage to US champs Southland Times He would spend the next few months learning a new list of words, and expected to spend plenty of time poring over one of his prizes from the New Zealand final – the 5kg, 4700-word Webster's Third New International Dictionary, he said. See all stories on this topic »

Armstrong in fine form at Merco Classic Merced Sun-Star She knew it would take time to get her body back into top shape. Her eyes were always on 2012 and the London Summer Olympics. Fresh off winning the time trial stage at the Tour of New Zealand, Armstrong wrapped up the overall Merco Cycling Classic ... See all stories on this topic »

Basketball: Breakers have a pillar of strength New Zealand Herald ... 4.6 rebounds in about 12 minutes last summer, he's producing 8.0 points and 5.2 boards in 14 minutes this time round. Pledger has already nailed down a Tall Blacks starting spot and was named Most Valuable Player in the New Zealand NBL last year. See all stories on this topic »

Blokes & Their Boats - March 2012 Stuff.co.nz We did this a few times over the years we spent there on summerholidays. The best, at over a metre, was a real handful.” Alister and his brother Graham were still young when their father built the family's first boat, a plywood pram dinghy. See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

24 hours in Rotorua Brisbane Times In the late 1800s, the NZ government planted 170 species of tree to replace slow-growing native forests lost to farmland and timber plantations. Californian coastal redwoods, in particular, thrived in Rotorua's volcanic soil, growing three times as ... See all stories on this topic » Brisbane Times

Athletics: O'Shea concentrating on flat races with eye to future Otago Daily Times By Alistair McMurran on Mon, 5 Mar 2012 Hill City sprinter Daniel O'Shea will not attempt to regain his New Zealand 400m hurdles title in Auckland later this month. O'Shea (23), an accountancy student at the University of Otago, won his first national ... See all stories on this topic » Otago Daily Times

Nick Willis to contest 1500m in Melbourne Stuff.co.nz Willis has raced over a mile twice in New Zealand and will have his first metric-distance race of the summer against some tough opposition. Also in the field is reigning Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop and Andrew Rotich, both from Kenya, in form American ... See all stories on this topic »

Athletics: High jumper Lamb maintains unbeaten record New Zealand Herald Elizabeth Lamb maintained her unbeaten record on both sides of the Tasman thissummer, winning the women's high jump on the second day of the IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne last night. Lamb's winning height of 1.83 metres was good given the wet ... See all stories on this topic »

Lack of rain forcing power price hikes Southland Times In January, the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai shut down 25 of its 672 production cells, losing 6 per cent of its capacity, because of the high prices. General manager Ryan Cavanaugh said the shut-down would continue. The spot electricity price... See all stories on this topic »

Robertson best of Hamilton trio at track classic in Melbourne Waikato Times In his second competition of the summer, Farquhar came up against Commonwealth Games champion Jarod Bannister in the men's javelin in the IAAF World Challenge event and in another epic contest with the Australian he again had to settle for second. See all stories on this topic »

NZ: Boysenberry growers call it a day after 4 bad seasons FreshPlaza New Zealand's two largest producers of boysenberries have quite the industry, citing bad weather and the high value of the New Zealand dollar as the reasons for their decision. Their decision has a wide impact and will spell the end of seasonal ... See all stories on this topic »

Wet, gloomy autumn to follow grim, grey summer New Zealand Herald The seas are about half a degree cooler than what they should be for this time of year and more lows in the Tasman Sea is never good news for New Zealand." She said the combination of cooler coastal temperatures and winds from the Tasman would produce... See all stories on this topic »

Ask Lonely Planet: Tricky transit worth it for great rail ride New Zealand Herald Trains do get booked up, though, so if you choose this option you will need to spend some time in Beijing before departure. The busiest time is peak summer, between May and September. Reasonably cheap tickets can also be purchased through the China ... See all stories on this topic »

Keen actors keep meeting on stage Auckland stuff.co.nz Two young actors will share the stage for the third time next month when they appear in Auckland University's 49th Outdoor Summer Shakespeare production. Alex Macdonald and Lucy Smith both have big parts in the upcoming Shakespeare Under the Stars ... See all stories on this topic » Auckland stuff.co.nz

RNZAF exercise flight real lift Otago Daily Times By Sarah Marquet on Sun, 4 Mar 2012 The Royal New Zealand Air Force, with support from the army, has booked out the Alexandra airfield for a month for two training exercises before some of the personnel head off to Afghanistan. See all stories on this topic » Otago Daily Times

At home with Mai Chen Stuff.co.nz An immigrant whose family arrived from Taiwan with nothing, Mai Chen is one of New Zealand's highest-profile lawyers. DRIVEN: Mai Chen's Public Law Toolbox sums up 25 years of her experience at the bar and as one of the country's formost public-law ... See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Holiday happiness a formula away Stuff.co.nz Weather is the biggest factor for a positive holiday, according to the formula developed by travel site Expedia.co.nz. And because of miserable weather dominating much of the summer that ended on Thursday, it seems we were doomed to disappointment. See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Early diagnosis averts death sentence Stuff.co.nz The slogan, "March your mate to the mirror", focuses on men over 50 and the end of summer being a good time for checkups. - New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma in the world. - 2200 New Zealanders are diagnosed with melanoma every year. See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Plant slammed for continued sewage dumping TVNZ A New Zealand river, considered among the dirtiest in the western world, is finally due to be cleaned up but the sewage plant accused of polluting it has no plans to stop. Prime Minister John Key announced today the Government will contribute $5.2 ... See all stories on this topic »

Williams wants it wet for Taupo Ironman Waikato Times That might not endear him to many others, including most of his fellow competitors in the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand in the lake town, but Cambridge's Williams believes it his best chance for an outstanding performance against what he ... See all stories on this topic » Waikato Times

Telford Vice: Smith's 'real cricketing' insult offers New Zealand motivation New Zealand Herald "New Zealand is always an interesting place to tour," Smith said. "I think it's the different dynamics in terms of fields. You're playing largely on rugby fields; drop-in wickets most of the time." Nothing controversial in that, but stand by for the ... See all stories on this topic »

Johns dispels myth about Warriors fitness MSN NZ News ... of the New Zealand Warriors is one of the big impressions from his timewith the club. The former Kangaroos and Newcastle playmaker has been helping out with the Warriors halves over the summer and says his time in Auckland has dispelled a myth. See all stories on this topic » MSN NZ News

Vernon Philander poised to plunder Black Caps Stuff.co.nz South Africa's nucleus has been involved in a Twenty20 and ODI series' win in New Zealand and now the test squad is looking for the same, buoyed by its specialist players. The stand-out performer of the home summer was Vernon Philander, who forced his ... See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Cricket, rugby, NRL & concerts - the battle for your buck New Zealand Herald Across town, Vector Arena hosts a growing number of international acts such as Lady Gaga and Radiohead, while local musicians and festivals wrap up a busy summerseason. "I think everyone understands there's a lot of activity, and times are a bit ... See all stories on this topic »

Skinny Mobile re-tools with 'killer' data plan, talks online launch dates National Business Review Skinny boss Paul O'Shannessey told NBR his company would begin online sales through Skinny.co.nz in "three to four weeks." Mr O'Shannessey's major focus was on getting online sales live in time for "O-week" - universities' orientation festivals, ... See all stories on this topic »

Brothers compete for Auckland supremacy Harness Racing Weekly By Michael Guerin Barry Purdon is hoping to halt his brother's seemingly unstoppable run of form at least a couple of times at Alexandra Park this evening. Purdon is New Zealand's most successful ever harness trainer but even he plays second fiddle to ... See all stories on this topic »

In-form batsman is finally breathing more easily Stuff.co.nz Last summer was a bust, for the same reason; then this time round it was runs, rather than luck, that deserted him. New Wellington coach Jamie Siddons rightly dropped him from the team and it was time for Brodie to display some of the resilience that ... See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Weddings of the week Stuff.co.nz Tell us about the proposal: "Running a design publication and design company consumes the majority of my time and life," says Kyra. "I am quite difficult to surprise and always notice when things are out of the ordinary. However, Ben did exceptionally... See all stories on this topic »

Star Auckland Pirates dunker to light up NBL Stuff.co.nz SHATTERING GOOD TIME: Auckland Pirates import Isma'il Muhammad has already made an impact on New Zealand hoops, shattering a backboard at Mt Albert Grammar in Auckland. It hasn't taken long for new Auckland Pirates basketball import Isma'il Muhammad to ... See all stories on this topic » Stuff.co.nz

Online hangout brings stutterers together Globe and Mail The three-to-four-times weekly Internet sessions bring together people with the speech disorder from as far as Australia, India, New Zealand and Croatia. Daniele Rossi, a Toronto illustrative designer who co-founded the group this past summer, ... See all stories on this topic » Globe and Mail

New livestock virus in UK and Europe, unlikely to reach NZ Science Media Centre (blog) “Reported cases of deformed lambs and calves show that the Schmallenberg Virus spread very effectively across northern Europe in the summer of 2011; the most recent information indicates that it spread southwards, about halfway across France. See all stories on this topic »

Why an Indian summer failed to shine Brisbane Times Instead, what we got was an Indian summer without the good weather. This season seems to have lasted forever. There have been brief moments of sunshine. The second Test with NZ was a thriller and the Big Bash brought the crowds back. See all stories on this topic »

Tunnel journey troubles New Zealand Herald New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman Ewart Barnsley said the average journey north between Greenlane and the entrance to the harbour bridge via the tunnel was taking about two minutes longer between 5pm and 6pm since the opening. See all stories on this topic »

Surprises from a long-time favourite The Australian After 50 years' enjoyment of consuming riesling - visiting all the major parts of Australia (and New Zealand) where it succeeds best, and making many pilgrimages to its Germanic homeland, to Austria, and to Alsace - I was pretty comfortable with my ... See all stories on this topic »

Not just skin deep The Nelson Mail That was no worse than all the other cancers he's had – and there have been hundreds – but this time, it's different. "It looks as if the melanoma may have shot some seeds off." Three weeks ago, he felt a hard lump on the side of his neck. See all stories on this topic » The Nelson Mail

ESL News New Zealand » Our summer weather By Pat Syme It was also a wet summer for most of the North Island and the upper South Island. The North Island and the east coast of the South Island have also been very cloudy with temperatures a few degrees below normal for this time of year. However ... ESL News New Zealand

Australia and NZ's daylight saving ends April 1 Daylight saving time (DST) in Australia and New Zealand begins at 2am local time, when the clocks move forward to 3am (03:00), on Sunday, April 1, 2012. www.timeanddate.com/news/.../australia-nz-end-dst-2012.html

Days getting shorter as Summer heads towards closing time - Yahoo ... The mornings are darker and the evenings shorter as the number of daylight hours starts to dramatically reduce towards the end of summer. nz.news.yahoo.com/.../days-getting-shorter-as-summer-heads-t...

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