wellington

It was a sunny weekend with lots of activities on so I took the chance to test out my new Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera. The camera's 12x optical zoom is a massive improvement over what I have been used to in the more compact digital cameras I have used. The camera is also very fast at focusing and shooting images and the end results are pretty impressive (as you can see from the bottom set of photographs).

In one afternoon we walked along the waterfront to checkout a dance festival, the Volvo Ocean Race and then headed up to the Westpac Stadium to watch New Zealand play the West Indies in a one-day cricket match. All in all a very good afternoon and evening (especially as New Zealand won the match).

This afternoon the decomissioned frigate Wellington was sunk off the southern coast of Wellington (just off Island Bay) to create a cool place for divers to visit. For the last five months the frigate has been tied up next to Te Papa and has been a floating night club and events venue (perhaps the best use for the New Zealand navy). Half of Wellington turned up to watch the explosion and the subsequent sinking. The actual sinking was a little late and when it did occur it was all over in a few minutes. It was worth the wait as it is not every day that you get to watch a ship of any kind sink.