Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON

29 June 2024

Inspired by a pic Jeremy @floregonian.com posted of the sea I’m starting a thread of sea / water related pictures I’ve taken. Bear with me as I add to it sporadically as I seem to have quite a few pics in my phone. Most were taken in Aotearoa New Zealand. I’ll start with my profile pic.

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Just voted! Although I’m in one of the bluest of blue electorates (Whangaparaoa) so the electorate candidate vote options are limited at least I know my party vote will count. #nzpol

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3. NZ has a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system which has: 3a. electorate candidates who are standing in a specific area 3b. Overall party votes that determine the number of candidates from each party in parliament 3c. Several minor parties trying to get over a 5% party vote threshold so they

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have representatives in parliament

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Just voted! Although I’m in one of the bluest of blue electorates (Whangaparaoa) so the electorate candidate vote options are limited at least I know my party vote will count. #nzpol

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For those in the US that might see NZ political posts: 1. Our “main” party colours are different - blue is the right leaning main party (National) and red is left (Labour) 2. Our “election day” is 7 November but voting has just opened so some of us are getting it done early

youtu.beSpearfishing Fundamentals- Grassroots Episode 1YouTube video by Grassroots Spearo

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Next on the list ... here's a clip put together by a friend of mine and current Spearfishing NZ President (and founder of the Spearfishing FUNdamentals club) youtu.be/sD47SjBIZXQ?...

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I've done a few things with Spearfishing FUNdamentals - very occasional training, the epic trip to Fiordland a few years ago was organised by Kerry and I've helped out as Competition Director for their "Spear & Cook" comp (and I'll be in the same role 21 November).

spearfishingfundamentals.comSpearfishing FUNdamentals

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If you are in Auckland and have an interest in learning how to freedive and spearfish safely then I recommend you look at this club: spearfishingfundamentals.com

waihekeradio.org.nzWaiheke CoastguardLisa Markwick, president of Waiheke Coastguard, talks about recent changes to safety rules for boaties.

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Here's an old friend of mine who is now President of the Waiheke Volunteer Coastguard unit ... talking about water safety and the relatively new NZ-wide life jacket regulations: waihekeradio.org.nz/podcast/waih...

Looks like my friends on Waiheke Rescue got a bit of entertainment from a Brydes Whale today.

This shot is epic! Pic from the Waiheke Volunteer Coastguard crew today (my old university friend Lisa is unit President). The coastguard vessels are always out helping folks but we don’t often get shows like this!

Came back from Waiheke Is. yesterday to go look after my gorgeous 2yr old grandson last night. My boat had sat in the marina unused for nearly 2 months & they get dirty while sitting so today is a cleaning day Then these guys turned up … full of helpful comments but no offers of help …

Note for the casual reader … these are my fellow volunteer mates on Hibiscus Rescue 1 - I’d be disappointed if they didn’t make helpful/smartarse comments.

😂 we had the biggest / only flags in Man O’War Bay (Waiheke Island) yesterday. (Made it easier to find the boat though )

Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON@ahafoka.bsky.social

Ready for Tonga vs. Lebanon tonight. Rugby League World Cup

Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON reposted

PJ Manney

@pjmanney.bsky.social

Friend looking for granny flat-type rental between Auckland CBD and Greenlane, like Parnell, Remuera or Mt. Eden. She's a medical professional with a new job in GL and has a lovely, well behaved dog. Any leads welcome. Thanks!

Ready for Tonga vs. Lebanon tonight. Rugby League World Cup

We’re hard to miss … bottom end of Waiheke Island. 😂 my knots are being tested at 25 knots …

The question is flawed & needs adjusting to: Were you going to vote for Labour/Greens/TPM? If so, are these gang stories changing your vote to the other block? That would get to the real difference as anyone already voting for NZ1st/Act/National that says yes are somewhat irrelevant to the impact.

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I did one of the quickest trips I've ever done from home to the Auckland Marine Rescue Centre and back by sea. Coastguard pager went off at 11:30am "URGENT TASKING" so I grabbed my boat shoes and drove to Hibiscus Rescue 1 as quickly as practical. Other crew were already there as skipper and I ran

The entire tasking time: - Pager going off 11:30am (while at home working) - Underway outside the marina 11:50am - getting to last known position - finding vessel - transferring patient - handover to ambo at MRC - return to Gulf Habour - refuel - wash down - put everything away - get home: 13:45

so 2 hrs 15 minutes complete round trip - pretty short everything considered.

costs etc. That's why we sell lottery tickets and really appreciate things like this from Westfield Albany. bsky.app/profile/ahaf...

Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON@ahafoka.bsky.social

This $20,000 will make a HUGE difference to my 100% volunteer Coastguard NZ unit.

Here's our vessel track for today - so that those of you in New Zealand can get some idea of where I'm talking about (the AIS transponder doesn't always poll so no - we didn't go overland across North Head).

and the ambo assessed the patient. He was diabetic and had been given some chocolate so was pretty good when we handed him over - so a good result! Finally a slightly slower trip back north to Gulf Harbour (38 knots / 73 kph) to refuel, wash the boat down, pack everything up ready for the next

tasking if needed. HIB1 used over 180 litres of petrol - she's pretty thirsty at wide open throttle ... (but still a lot cheaper than Police Deodar III who would have been sent if we hadn't been around). Police reimburse us for taskings like this but the unit raises money to fund our training

and hit pushed the two 300hp outboards to get us up to 45 knots (83kph). It didn't take long to get to the position we had been given but the boat wasn't there - they were making their way toward the city. We spotted them and caught up, chatted to the charter skipper then came alongside to transfer

the person who had collapsed and his companion onto HIB1. Once they were comfortable on board and in PFDs we headed down to the Marine Rescue Centre at close to the same speed (slowing down a bit as we crossed boat wakes etc. for the comfort of our guests). Ambulance and Police met us at the MRC

to the boat. Quickly putting on PFDs, we left the berth and were outside the marina at 11:50am - 20 minutes after being paged so a pretty quick response time. We had a bit more detail by then - a person had collapsed on a fishing charter vessel that was not too far from Rakino. We put the coords in

Spearfishing? It's one of the more sustainable methods of taking fish. I've agreed to help out as "Competition Director" for two comps this summer. 1 - Spearfishing FUNdamentals Spear & Cook - 21 November in the Hauraki Gulf. The idea is to connect new spearos with experienced, pairs (or triples)

and the catfish generally get turned into fertiliser (they are different to the catfish in the likes of the US.)

For more Rosemergy Catfish Cull info: spearfishingnz.netlify.app/catfish

- 4 hours of in water time targeting a great fish list. - as a team prepare a cooked dish, raw dish and one using the whole fish. Prize giving is amazing and you get to eat and judge all the delicious dishes. I like this as it aligns with my ethics (and I'm helping out a mate)

Here's a pic from last years Spear and Cook. The dishes prepared were awesome!

Then there's the annual Spearfishing NZ Catfish Cull in Lake Taupo on 13 February. Catfish are an introduced invasive pest and if you catch one it's illegal to return it to the water. This is the only comp in NZ where sheer numbers of fish taken is the measure of success. DOC are very happy with it

It was interesting helping out with the racing. As the race briefing was finishing one of the scorers asked if her 93 yr old grandfather could come. Turns out that the bloke was Ron Archer - a legend I had heard of a while ago.

Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON@ahafoka.bsky.social

Gulf Harbour, Whangaparaoa- Offshore Powerboat race 1 Start. I’m helping out as the Start-Finish line boat with lap scorers and the chequered flag on board.

The #kiwilegend insisted on climbing up to the bow to handle the bow lines while I docked the boat - 93 yrs old and still out there doing it! @snugbucket.bsky.social I've borrowed your hashtag again - but Ron Archer deserves it.

😅 Ron also complimented me on my boat ... so he's welcome aboard next year ...

Tony Hafoka Ao NZ TON@ahafoka.bsky.social

Gulf Harbour, Whangaparaoa- Offshore Powerboat race 1 Start. I’m helping out as the Start-Finish line boat with lap scorers and the chequered flag on board.

He helped introduce water skiing & power boats to NZ in the 1950s. Set the "Round New Zealand" speed record in 1994 (at the age of 60). That would have been an epic 4 day trip!

I figured I'd better keep my boat handling / close quarter maneuvering sharp with him watching ... He was on the boat for a few hours and was quiet, unassuming but also obviously very knowledgeable - came across as a really nice guy.

This $20,000 will make a HUGE difference to my 100% volunteer Coastguard NZ unit.

ferugby.esLa Selección M18 se concentra en Valladolid para preparar la defensa del título de Campeones de Europa - Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby UnionLa Selección Española de Rugby XV M18 arranca su camino hacia el Campeonato de Europa con una concentración del 26 de octubre al 5 de noviembre en Valladolid, donde ultimará los detalles de cara al to...

Bro sent me this overnight. Malakai (his son) is the promotional pic for the Spain U18 rugby side. They’re taking a large squad into a training/selection camp. He got invited last year too but stayed in Auckland for exams. He’s playing & studying in France (LOU Rugby) now ferugby.es/la-seleccion...

Malakai will be 2 days late to the camp due to exams. This proud uncle reckons he’s got a good chance of being selected as he’s already played for the U20 team at the Junior World Championship

bloomberg.comThe Birds I Waited 45 Years to SeeAn evolutionary biologist returns to New Zealand to find the rare birds he dreamed of seeing as a child making an extraordinary comeback.

Such a good piece. Sadly some of the overseas cat (and other mammal) don’t get why we (NZ) have to take the conservation approach we do.

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com

Kia ora, my friends in Aotearoa! This piece is my love letter to the avifauna of Aotearoa and my expression of gratitude all of you whose efforts have preserved so many species that might otherwise have been lost. I hope you enjoy.

Go to your camera roll and search “boat” and then post a picture of a boat you like. 😂 my phone is chock full of boat pictures… Here’s Hibiscus Rescue I (the Coastguard New Zealand boat I volunteer on) alongside Mānava (my own boat) during a training exercise. (Coastguard NZ is akin to the RNLI)

Larky McRory 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺@lmcrory.bsky.social

Go to your camera roll and search “boat” and then post a picture of a boat you like. Kirkwall lifeboat in Kirkwall harbour.

😂 I haven’t flown these flags in the last few months … time to do that now for the Rugby League World Cup … Two years excellent teams to support in Tonga and New Zealand

*two excellent teams to support this year (That’ll teach me to hit send too soon)