Sichuan Airlines (3U) will begin three direct flights per week between Auckland and Chengdu from 13 June 2017.
The new 3U schedule will feature an A330-200 aircraft, with Business and Economy Class configuration and operate initially on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The flight will take 13 hours direct from New Zealand to the Southwest part of China.
The flights – coded 3U8910/8909 – will depart Auckland at 20:30 to reach Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport around 06:00, with a 01:55 overnight return leg arriving into Auckland at 18:45.
Sichuan Airlines Company was founded on 19 September 1986. Currently it has more than 215 routes, a well-operating network integrating main, secondary, international, regional and branch routes, contributing to the transportation system of the regional comprehensive transportation hub.
The new services mean there will be up to 75 flights a week between New Zealand and China, including Hong Kong and depending on the season.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
| A TravelInc release | February 21, 2017 ||
Boeing has whipped the (very long) covers off the latest addition to the Dreamliner family. The 787-10 was launched during President Trump's visit to the Boeing factory in South Carolina, and blends the outstanding fuel efficiency of the existing 787-8 and 787-9 with room for even more passengers.
Compared to the existing 787-9, the 787-10 has gone through a fairly serious growth spurt. The new plane is 18 feet (5.5 meters) longer, which helps free space for 330 passengers in a two-class cabin, a 14 percent improvement over the 290-passenger 787-9. Boeing also says there's also room for 15 percent more cargo than before, giving airlines even more space to overcharge for baggage they'll inevitably break.ADVERTISINGinRead invented by Teads
Maximum range is now pegged at 6,430 nautical miles (7,400 mi/11,910 km) which is a not-insignificant 1,205 nautical miles (1,387 mi/2,232 km) less than the 787-9 can manage. You can blame that on the extra capacity and size, both of which are the enemies of efficiency.
Although it can't match the smaller members of the Dreamliner family, the 787-10 is still much more efficient than planes of a similar size. Boeing says its new model uses up to 10 percent less fuel than its nearest competitor, and 25 percent less than the planes it's likely to replace. Not only does that represent a significant cost saving for airlines, it also should help cut emissions across the whole industry, something that benefits everyone.The 787-10 Dreamliner will seat 330 people
"This airplane, the most efficient in its class, is the result of years of hard work and dedication from our Boeing teammates, suppliers and community partners in South Carolina and across the globe," says Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. "We know our customers, including launch customer Singapore Airlines, are going to love what the 787-10 will do for their fleets, and we can't wait to see them fly it."
The new Dreamliner will be arriving with airlines in 2018 and, given that Boeing has already received 149 orders, they shouldn't be hard to spot at the world's airports. The plane will make its maiden flight in the coming weeks.
| Source: Boeing | February 19, 2017 ||
Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Cook Islands this week to undertake a range of meetings, including with Prime Minister Henry Puna and his Cabinet.
“My discussions with Prime Minister Puna and his Cabinet will cover a range of matters including New Zealand’s support to the Cook Island’s tourism sector, which accounts for over 60% of national GDP,” Mr McCully says.
“Ensuring the ongoing health of the tourism sector is a top priority in our partnership. For this reason, New Zealand has committed to projects designed to improve sanitation and water quality infrastructure, specifically in Rarotonga and Aitutaki.”
This visit will also provide an opportunity to hear from Cook Island representatives about economic development opportunities in the outer islands.
While in the Cook Islands, Minister McCully will also meet with members of the Opposition and attend engagements with the Cook Islands Tourism Board and key business leaders.
| A Beehive release | February 20, 2017 ||
New Zealand manufacturer XLam has developed a locally produced cross-laminated timber (CLT), which could cut construction cost that will be available by the end of 2017, according to the AFR.
The new CLT material and the way it is made, promises time, labour and wastage savings. Construction occurs offsite in the buildings with CLT. The timber is designed and shaped into panels, which can then be brought onsite and assembled.
The CLT will be produced at XLam plant in Albury Wodonga. It will be produced from local pine, which will be a boon for the local forestry industry.
The plant is expected to create 60,000 cubic metres of CLT annually and be built by April when manufacturing material is installed. It is anticipated to create 54 local jobs.
XLam chief executive Gary Caufield said that the new plant would have a direct jobs impact and also an economic multiplier for the Albury-Wodonga region.
| A Manufacturers'Monthly release | February 21, 2017 ||
See Also: NZ company XLAM to open manufacturing plant in Australia
Getting the first three steel girders for the new Kawarau Falls Bridge to Queenstown, from Napier, wasn’t an easy task, says NZ Transport Agency Senior Project Manager Phil Dowsett.
The girders, weighing in at more than 22 tonnes, were fabricated in Napier by Eastbridge , a firm which specialise in bridge steel fabrication.
“The original plan was to transport the girders by rail but the 14 November, 2016 earthquake left the main rail trunk line impassable between Kaikoura and Blenheim,” says Phil Dowsett.
“The McConnell Dowell team needed to find another way to get the steel girders to Queenstown efficiently, to ensure the project stayed on track. They looked at sea freighting for part of the journey, but the length of the girders and bracing made this uneconomical. Trucking became the preferred option.”
To minimise the risk of delays, McConnell Dowell constructed a new laydown area not far from site. This enables the project to receive the girders in plenty of time.
Trucking proved to be the best way to get the steel on site quickly. In all, 40 truckloads of steel girders will make the four-day trip between Napier and Queenstown.
A total of 880 tonnes of steel, in lengths of 16 and six metres, will be used in the bridge construction. The longest beam is 16 metres long - ie one-and-a-half times longer than a telephone pole, or eight king size beds laid end on end.
| An NZTransportAgency release | February 20, 2017 ||
Bruce Springsteen has provided the vital bit of inspiration for the revolutionary, new ROADOG motorcycling top and the inventors are keen to show their gratitude when The Boss is in New Zealand.
The Christchurch-based company has been in touch with Springsteen’s management team to present him with their ultra-light, super warm jersey.
“After all, Bruce is a fellow motorbike enthusiast, and our target mark, so we’d love to know what he thinks of our ROADOG jersey,” says director Glenn Rodgers, who has also offered to loan Springsteen Harley Davidson to take him on a ride around the beautiful South Island roads.
The ROADOG their experienced their a ‘voila moment’ riding back from the last Bruce Springsteen concert in 2014 on an icy cold night.
“We had been working on a special, light, new design to protect motorcyclists from the cold winds on long road trip, and had come up with a concept that combined New Zealand merinowith a Hydrotex layer to keep the wind out,” explains Rodgers.
“But that night, riding back from the concert in Auckland, we were still suffering and realised we needed something extra.
“Eventually discovered an amazing American material called Thinsulate that proved to be the crucial ingredient,” says Rodgers.
Springsteen will be in New Zealand for two concerts on February 21 in Christchurch and February 25.
The ROADOG jerseys have received rave reviews from riders throughout New Zealand. “And they all want to get their hands on one of them, so we are already looking at increasing our production.”
| A Roadog article | February 19, 2017 ||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242