Auckland & Greater Region - New Zealand

[Zelgadis 638]

The last two rocks you have chosen look good. I like the dark colors. They go well with Olympic. Now as for NZ, I don't know. But what I do know is that very, very few CJers use any dark rocks like that, so it does make you unique. Not that you need to appear more "unique," but there ya go.

I'll let you work out what that last bit is supposed to mean.

ISF

[WackoJak 0]

igneous is good, granite is better.

nuff said.

JUST JOKING! HA! Had you there!

Anyway, now for a real post. The first rock mod didn't blend in very well with the actual city, although it looked fantastic on the volcanoes.

I think I use somethingy Limestone by PEG, which I find works well with the development, however it just won't look as good as darker rock does wth the 'canoes.

Whatever, I think you'll make the correct choice for YOUR cj.

WackoJak

[homeandaway 1]

Stunning work my friend! - i relaly like how you have used the different selection of rocks and to see what will go better in Auckland ground! - cant wait to see more my friend!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Thanks all ... the granite it is.

It does work well and it looks good on the volcanos which IMHO is the most important thing to try and get right.

By the way... I think I have mentioned this before but for those of you who are a bit nervous about all those volcanos and whether they are active or not the answer is no. Auckland's volcanos are one shot wonders... (but they do think that Rangitoto erupted for about ten years...) so it is quite safe to live on or near one....

The trouble is that there is still that blob of molten magma...

Please say it like Dr Evil ... Maaaaaag Maaaaaaaaa...

...which circulates about 100 km below us in the deep tectonic foundations of Auckland. This basiclly means that Auckland WILL get another volcano one day - when no one knows and it will pop up like an angry teenage pimple right where you don't want it to at the most inconvenient moment. Like the day before the school ball or something.

Auckland's magma is a very runny and liquid and goes everywhere, when it finally makes its way through a weak fissure in the crust. A new volcano is expected to destroy an area 3-4 km in diameter but the effects will be city wide...

I will research a bit more and post some information when I find it...

[DarkEldar 6]

Is this all hand terraformed by you because they look quite life like to the real places especially those islands.your cities are also quite life like too just like the real thing from aerial view

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Luxury house plan in jeopardy over damage to Mt Eden

New Zealand Herald

5:00AM Friday July 20, 2007

The scar on the hillside. Photo / Kenny Rodger

The Volcanic Cones Society is demanding work stop on a luxury house on the slopes of Mt Eden after Auckland City Council officers overlooked an act prohibiting steep cuts on Auckland's volcanic cones and gave the nod to cut into the mountain.

Society chairman John Street said last night it was scandalous for the council to protect the western side of Mt Eden, "yet here they are hacking the [eastern] side of the mountain away".

Members of the society will meet council officers on the site in Glenfell Place today to complain about a 7m vertical cut into the mountain.

Senior council planner Paul Arnesen said when the council granted resource consent to build a house on the site in 2004 it took no account of a 1915 act prohibiting steep cuts on Auckland's volcanic cones.

The council started advising people of the act's existence and potential impacts for resource consent applications only after the society complained in March about a similar incident at a property in Market Rd, backing on to the Mt St John volcanic cone.

 

Mr Street said the council was incompetent and incapable of implementing the act and it should seek a High Court injunction to immediately stop work on the site, even if it meant compensating the owner.

The owner, Ai Wen Zhu, could not be reached for comment but his architect, Wanbin Sun, said stopping work on the $1.3 million site would be disastrous for his client.

Plans approved by the council show a large, five-level house stepped into the steep site within a 9m volcanic site line restriction. The resource consent said "any adverse effects of the proposed earthworks and excavation will be no more than minor".

Said Mr Street: "[Auckland Mayor] Dick Hubbard has waxed eloquently about the need to protect the cones. The council's general policy is supporting their nomination for world heritage and yet the bureaucrats are doing nothing about protecting them when the law is there and so is the district plan and the Resource Management Act.

 

"Two years ago one of the justifications for putting up the rates was for the council to establish a volcanic cones department, which they have done. But from our point of view they don't do a bloody thing. All the protection is what we have to fight and battle for."

Mr Street also questioned spending an estimated $12 million to $17 million building a visitors' centre and providing transport to the summit of Mt Eden when they were "tearing the thing to pieces".

What went wrong

* The council granted Ai Wen Zhu permission to build a house on the slopes of Mt Eden in 2004.

* It did not take into account a 1915 act that prohibits steep cuts on Auckland's volcanic cones.

* Ai Wen Zhu started work with resource and building consent.

* The Volcanic Cones Society spotted the cut in the mountain and demanded work stop under the 1915 act.

* The society and the council meet at the site today to discuss the matter.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10452720

[jacqulina 162]

hiya sweety,yes im glad you have chose that rock it looks awesome with your terrain and i think its very suitable for what you are doing,interesting article about the volcano and the house thats being built there my friend.

[WackoJak 0]

Mmmyeah, volcanoes suck ae? Explosion 3-4kms in diameter? Just a few minutes ago( before I was rudely ousted from my position on the computer) I was lighting nuclear power plants on fire. The explosion's only 9 squares radius though, so thats like 126 meters in every direction.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

This website provides a simple clear explanation of Auckland's volcanic field.

http://www.gns.cri.nz/what/earthact/volcanoes/arc/index.html

[Schulmanator 5,815]

I prefer ice cream to volcanic when it comes to cones!

[Cleaner475 151]

yeah so do I, Ice Cream rules!

good work, nice info on volcanoes

keep it up,

Richard

[WackoJak 0]

Maybe you could do a volcano civil emergency demonstration on your sim-auckland? Of course, you do NOT save it.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Some more replies... man they mount up fast!

MsD: Hi Debs, thanks for stopping by...

Links - I will bear that in mind - good suggestion.

As for the extra photos,  this CJ is not just a pseudo recreation of Auckland, it is also an opportunity for me to let the WWW know a little more about NZ and what makes us tick...

Yes I agree that the page with all the Kiwiana stuff does take a while to load as every picture comes from a different website from all over the world..   I understand that could be frustrating for those on the abomination known as "Dial-up".

I do normally limit my updates to 6 or 8 photos...  you will not get 30 picture monster updates from this CJer...

I also welcome picture posts from other members ... I think it adds interest and to use Zel's word... "Uniqueness"...  

This is not a "Here is the latest load of Skyscrapers that I have just downloaded from the STEX" kind of CJ!

Anyway I appreciate your comment and will bear that in mind in future when I post pictures linked from other sites.

Jacky: Thanks! your advice is welcome and appreciated.  Waterfalls .... hmm I will have to practice up a bit in my sandbox.... before I take on the "Jackinator".

Yep the consensus seems to be the granite...

Schulmanator:  Actually I like both too...  the SW may have free roaming rights anywhere in this CJ.  She may even scratch on my trees...

Cleaner475:  Thanks - Rock on buddy!

Zelgadis: Thanks for your advice.  I agree the dark does look good and thanks for the comment that it is unique to the CJ section.  I do like the Olympic green mod - very nice indeedy.  

BTW - Unique - I shall take that as a compliement!

WackoJak:  Yep thanks for your input - the dark is what I have decided on.

Homeandaway:  Yes the rock saga has been a big decision... but onwards and upwards!

Abcvs:  Yeah it is about  time you decided on something... you were changing the rock mod more often than your undies for a bit there...

...and would you please stop going on about the  Maaaaaaaag  maaaaaaaa.....

It is making me nervous!

[Mor hor hor]

DarkEldar:  Welcome - another Kiwi!  Yep all by hand, no fancy map downloads for this CJer...

Abcvs:  That RL article really fits well into your CJ - good spotting!

Jacky: We aim to please Miss.

WackoJak: Setting nuke power plants on fire... now that is just plain reckless... *mutters something about the irresponsibile youth of today...*

Abcvs:  Nice link...

Schulmanator: In NZ we have our own particular brand of volcanic icecream ... Hokey Pokey - it has lumps of "rock" in it.  Hokey Pokey is a kind of toffee...  it is made from liquid sugar  (golden syrup) and has baking soda added in the heating process....  it foams up and looks a bit like the insulation stuff that they put around hot tubs...  in fact it has a very close parallel to magma that is formed into scoria...  light rock that has lots of air trapped in it from the heating process.

Cleaner475:  Hokey Pokey icecream?

WackoJak:  Have you been reading my mind.....?   Shhhh! enough said....  my lips are sealed.

Vandy: Please come back it was it was a  joke honest! 

[crazyarchitect 7]

hm very nice rock textures you got going, yeah, ice cream is much better lol

[WackoJak 0]

Oooooooooooh! I'm a psychic! Anyway, looking foward to an update!

[Vandy 110]

Hi, Craig.

I believe you've made a good decision going with the granite rock mod.  It does look quite nice draped over your landscaping.

I must agree with The Schulmanator when it comes to 'cones.  Ice Cream would be much better than Vocanic, don't you know?  Thanks for the interesting information on the NZ landforms.  I found it a very good read.

My dear Craig, I never left so there is no need to ask me to come back.

I REALLY enjoyed viewing your preview of Huia.  What a beautiful and ruggesd countryside that must be.  Thank you for the "sneak peek".

Have a great day, Craig.

Regards,

Gary

[jacqulina 162]

hiya sweety you are welcome, i think you will do just fine at waterfalls and its allways good to practice,i cant wait to see your next update

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

A psuedo update... [this is the update you do when you are at work and dont have access to the your beloved disk 2....]

This is a photo of the RL Huia and the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges

Huia, Cornwallis and Whatipu, situated in the southern Waitakere Ranges is a great area to visit, with beaches that range from the calm, safe Cornwallis to the wild surf of Whatipu.









Replies

Crazyarchitect: Thanks I am glad you like the rock mod, it took me a while to find one that worked and gave me the look I was wanting.

WackoJak: Shhh!  I am sure that seismic rumble that I just heard was Tom's stomach...  (Well I hope it was...!)

Vandy:  

It does look quite nice draped over your landscaping.quote>

  
Your turn of phrase is simply delightful!

My dear Craig, I never left ...quote>

Phew!  

Jacky: The night shift bug has got me by the short and curlys, at the moment, but I am hoping to get back to the game later in the week... 

[homeandaway 1]

Nice! - i love this pic of Milford Sound, NZ

nice work on that terraforming pic!

cant wait to see more!

~Alex~

[jacqulina 162]

hiya sweety,those RL PICS ARE AMAZING,VERY BEAUTIFULL,looking great with the darker rock mod very nice work there i love the pic too my friend,thats not fair it having a grip on your short and curlys lol

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Your pseudo update has whetted my appetite for the big update.

And, where's my hokey pokey? You can't expect me to starve to death while I am waiting, can you??!!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

OK I so I do some replies and then I have to freaking well do more....

Alex: You have been lurking in Jacky's CJ and clicking on random links again - methinks.

Actually I think that when the creator was terraforming the South Island, he ducked out for a minute to go (well you know..) and one of the angels got a bit carried away with the "make mountain" button and held it a bit long and that is how we got Mitre Peak...

Jacky: Not for much longer my friend...  

Schulmanator:  Patience my friend - by the way how do you keep simple minded people in suspense...

Later.

Meanwhile...

*A very low frequency, distant sounding rumble can be heard...  hmm... it is either a seismic anomoly, or a passing Russian submarine on silent drive...  

...what do you think...?*

Option A:

Option B:

[Zelgadis 638]

A sub is more interesting.

But a volcano in NZ? Surely you can't be serious! How... unrealistic!

ISF

[WackoJak 0]

Wow, Psuedo....

Dude, I might start a CJ, and I got BAT and Sketchup Pro, and I'm gonna make some buildingz....

...Why can't they call it Red December, my birthdays in december....

Jack

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

OK this is a ten shot update... bit like those Roman Candle Fireworks ... pretty while it lasts!

Over in a hiss and a roar...

There have been some changes downtown since you last visited... the motorway now connects to the Harbour Bridge the approach of which begins in the lower right hand corner.

The Mayor's house had to be relocated further back to allow the motorway through - even Mayor's are not expempt the might of the bulldozer if need dictates.

And just to keep our dear Cleaner475 happy a couple of night shots...

Scotty - you will notice that a couple more West Plaza buildings have showed up...  the virtual sim building selector thingy, controlling my plugin folder must really like that one... they grew all of their own accord!

OK there has now been some development around Mt Wellington.  There is now a loop road (as in RL) to the summit where there is a nice reserve and a park.  I have a wonderful memory as a child flying a kite on the top of that mountain...  it was the best kite ever and it flew the highest of all the others on that day...  the secret?  A tail made from nylon stockings....  true story!

West Side - there is now a small comunity living in the shadow of the collapsed crater where the old lava flow came out.  

In RL this side has a large (now worked out) quarry.  The quarry "hole" is now earmarked for residential development and parks.  At one time the council was thinking about making it into a landfill however the local residents of St John's and Ellerslie were not too impressed with that idea!  NIMBY! (Not in my back yard...)

Eastside facing the Tamaki river... this (and the southside) is the face I am most familiar with having grown up in Pakuranga.  Please note that the lava flowed the other way....

Southside  - I remember going for a bike ride as a kid up to the top...  Once.  Puff.

A look into the crater - you will see the remnants of the large scoria lava rocks that still litter the bottom of the crater...

And just because I like to show you under the hood occasionally....

You will see that my mayor rating is holding good ... it is now year 347.

We have good postive monthly cashflow, tax is currently at 9% however I have just recently ramped up the agriculture tax rate to 20%... the farm land is becoming ... well how did it go again...?  

"Too valuable for cows to poop on..."

No money cheats here - all this has been built fair and square with funds as they become available.

The only cheat I regularly use is the (alt+shift+ctrl > click on God mode) to allow me to use all the God mode terraforming tools again...

So there you have it!  I hope you have enjoyed the lastest installment.

STOP PRESS!

In news just to hand we have just had notification, that the seismonitors scattered around various strategic locations in Auckland have been recording some unusual activity...  please stay tuned for further developments....

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Hey, I LOVE Roman Candles! I am an aspiring pyro! lol!

Nice work on the updates. And, I like night shots too!

Nice details on the hills -- were they quarrying the rock to build something nice, say a large mansion for me???

Year 347?? Your profile is wrong. I thought you were only like 1/10 that age! Nursing must keep you young! :-P

PS: That rumbling is not the earth. It is my stomach... feed me breakfast!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Well I hope it is your stomach because quite frankly I don't think Granto has forgotten my well how shall I put this...

Mess that I kind of left washing up on his shore line the other week....

All I can say is that if indeed we do have a ballistic missile sub lurking around the Hauraki Gulf in the outer harbour then I believe we have a serious problem.... 

Oh by the way Bruce .... have you not met my alter ego Sister E. Nema - "No job to big or too dirty?"

I may be 38 but lets just say she is a little older...

Her other motto is "You got a hole we got a tube.  You aint got a hole? We will make a hole and stick a tube in..."

Be afraid - very afraid.

[jacqulina 162]

wonderfull work sweety really looking great and growing well,you are getting very good at this building and planning now arnt you,excellent work and pics my friend

[Cleaner475 151]

nice use of the obelisk - what a way to use highway, weird looking round that hill but cool how you did it

keep it up,

Richard

p.s thanks for the night pics, they really do make me happy

[MsD 0]

Again, it has been a little bit since I have been in my friend. You have done it again. More great pics. I love the Rock Mod you are using. Has a good realistic look to it.

I also love the History lesson you are giving us. Keep up the great work.