The Green  Gecko house has been going for 4 years now so I decided it was about time we finished the renovations.  The laundry / toilet / cupboard have been ripped out and all framed.  Putting in a 4th bedroom, new toilet and moving the laundry.  

Watch this space, it's going to look great. 

I'm currently renovation the laundry and 2nd toilet at the rear of the Green Gecko house.  

This has little impact on most guests as there is a toilet inside the house and the laundry is at the rear of the property.  

However as it would annoy some guests we are offering the house at a very good rate of $95 per night for two guests.  

This special will run from the 18th to 31st of July.  

If you have friends or family visiting suggest this to them.  

It's cheap.  

Kind regards

Drop three of my boys off for an adventure yesterday.  An overnight hike into the Mount Somers area.  Starting at the Sharplin Falls car park they walk into Pinnacles Hut and onwards to the Woolshed Creek Hut.  

The walk has a posted time of 6hrs.  Most people visiting the Woolshed Creek Hut walk in from Jig Road which is a short distance inland from Mount Somers on the Mt Somers Hakatere Road.  Walking in from this entrance will taken you between 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. 

After an evening of cards and marshmallows the plan was to be up and hike up to the Bus Stop and traverse the South Face of Mt Somers through open tussock hill country and beech forest before descending back into the pick zone of the Sharplin Falls carpark. 

I've received a text suggesting that I buy them ice cream at the Staveley store which has always been given as a reward after a trip into the hills either hunting or walking.  

What an adventure and one I'm sure we're about to hear about.  But not till after they have showered! :-( 

I wonder how many Pokemon they captured in the Winterslow Range? 

If you interested in a walk either short 20-30 minute stroll to an epic multi night excursion you can find out more by visiting the Department of Conversation website.  It has a great site with walking tracks and huts marked on it for all of New Zealand.  

Regards

​JW

New traffic monitoring cameras will help keep an eye on Ashburton’s state highways and main intersections.One new camera has been installed at the intersection of Havelock and West streets and another will be installed on new traffic lights at the intersection of East and South streets when Countdown’s new supermarket is built there later this year.

Another camera is proposed for the Walnut and West streets’ roundabout.
The three new cameras are in addition to an existing camera at the intersection of Moore and West streets.

All are operated by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

Canterbury West Coast journey manager Lee Wright said the extra cameras would provide a broader, better and real-time picture of traffic issues in Ashburton.

The camera locations are the places most affected by congestion and where delays can occur at peak hours.  The camera at Moore and West streets had been the only eye on traffic flow in Ashburton for several years.

The camera is remotely operated by the NZTA’s Christchurch transport operations centre, which operates the town’s traffic signals as a one-network operation for the NZTA and the Ashburton District Council.

Ms Wright said the installation of the new traffic observation cameras would help aid the operations centre to optimise traffic signal operation, assist NZTA observe traffic flows, respond to incidents, better communicate to emergency services and better communicate and report in real time any issues on the network with Ashburton drivers.

“The key goal is to improve the information back to our customers.”

The fixed cameras can be accessed by the public for one-minute updates on the Transport for Christchurch website (http://tfc.govt.nz/current-conditions/cameras/ – look about halfway down the camera list for Moore West).

​– By Linda Clarke

Source: Ashburton Guardian. 

The warm weather is not that welcome by the ski fields but other low landers aren't complaining.  And to think last year we experienced one of the coldest winters!!!

Personally it's allowed us the chance to catch up with some external painting which would have been un-heard of during most years.  So my "Mona-Lisa" is almost complete.  

We've also purchased some new furniture for Meg's Place which will up-spec the house a little.  Picture to come. 

Guest numbers have been low the past couple of months but bookings and inquiries are certainly picking up.  If you need some accommodation in Ashburton for family, friends or for yourself, drop us a line. 

Regards

JW