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alastairjnz.bsky.social
AlastairJNZ
@alastairjnz.bsky.social
340 followers 350 following 1.5K posts
Kia ora!
Aotearoa/ NZ.
-ai
Opinions my own and do not represent those of any employer etc.
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alastairjnz.bsky.social
Another spectacular lava fountaining event occurring at Kilauea volcano in Hawai`i right now

m.youtube.com/watch?v=tk0t...
December 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Looks like summer is here
View of a bay with clear turquoise and blue water and several recreational boats at anchor. At left are vegetated cliffs and a glimpse of sandy beach. All this is beneath a clear blue sky.
December 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
A bit stormy on this morning’s commute
December 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Dissonance on the timeline this morning as NZ government clings grimly to the past
Two adjacent Bluesky posts. The first from David Roberts @@volts.wtf states: "Official documents and expert conversations reference the growing belief that the fossil fuel economy has run its course, and that it can and should be replaced by a new, better system centred on manufactured goods that generate and run on renewable electricity." Core truth of the 21st century. The second from Newsroom NZ@newsroom.co.nz; Analysis: Meeting the Paris target without offshore purchasing would require the emissions equivalent of five GFCs - something the Govt will not undertake. With the news headline “Govt accused of breaching Paris climate deal after Willis rules out buying credits” newsroom.co.nz
December 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Plenty of rain forecast there over the next few days, and hopefully summer not too dry so some of the vegetation can begin to recover
Rain accumulation map from windy.com showing the Tongariro National Park area overlain in bright yellow indicating forecast rainfall exceeding about 60mm for the next 4 days. A location symbol near Mangetepopo Road shows a point value of 64.3mm
December 2, 2025 at 5:55 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Graphic representation of my modest 115 observations on @inaturalist.bsky.social so far this year
Observed taxa arranged as a hierarchical "sunburst" diagram. The base of the hierarchy is at the center, starting with "Life" and ending with species at the outer edges. The size of each arc is proportional to the number of observations of that taxon, and colors roughly correspond to iNaturalist’s usual taxon colors (green for plants, orange for insects, blue for most other animals, etc.). Over ¾ of the diagram is green, indicating my observations are predominantly of plants.
November 25, 2025 at 8:35 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Rain radar map of Auckland region at 7:20am, showing bands of rain in shades blue and yellow approaching the city from the south west. Hand-sketched red arrows indicate the direction of travel
November 13, 2025 at 6:40 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Big cloud energy
A towering cumulonimbus cloud looms over the Auckland waterfront skyline
November 13, 2025 at 6:35 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Bioluminescence at Mawhitipana/ Palm Beach, Waiheke Island last night
Predominantly black photograph with swirls of vivid blues outlining the silhouettes of rocks. The almost neon blue light emanates from masses of the bioluminescent marine plankton Noctiluca scintillans getting excited in the waves.
November 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Helicopter flight track gives an indication of the enormous size of the devastating fire burning at Tongariro National Park.
The indigenous vegetation destroyed here will struggle to recover against an influx of faster growing invasive weed species.
Maps via @flightradar24.com
Map of Tongariro National Park showing the repeated circular flight path of a Bell Jetranger helicopter around an area over 5km in diameter in vivid green. The map from flight tracking app @flightradar24 covers the area between State Highway 47 at left and Tongariro and Ngauruhoe maunga to the left, with a shaded relief terrain basemap. Closer view of Tongariro National Park showing the repeated circular flight path of a Bell Jetranger helicopter in vivid green, with State Highway 47 at left and the Mangetepopo Road and carpark at right within the helicopter track. This view, also from @flightradar24, has an aerial photography basemap
November 8, 2025 at 8:58 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Case in point…
Text from Psychology Today article about filtering out the noise and being intentional about what we don’t engage with, interrupted by a colourful screen-filling ad with the text “TOXIC PERSON INSIDE YOU according to your dopamine addiction type TAKE TEST”
October 28, 2025 at 6:09 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Going to be sticky in Auckland tomorrow
Thu 23 Oct 23° Day 15° Night 15.4mm [rain] Windy, with morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. Breezy to brisk West to Nor'West winds.
October 22, 2025 at 6:34 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Recent groundwater conductivity studies have indicated that heat remains at depth in the rock beneath Rangitoto volcano, ~600 years after it erupted. Any warmth is certainly not apparent at the surface this morning.
A very moody looking Rangitoto Island enshrouded in cloud this morning, with a single gannet in the sky and water of the Waitematā Harbour across the lower part of the image.
October 13, 2025 at 6:23 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
A little bit of historic (1920’s?) architecture in Auckland’s Albert St. The Dalgety building with it’s decorative ram a symbol of the wool trading origins of the company.
A four storey 1920’s concrete office building with various decorative elements and a much later 5th floor addition on top. The building is accented with bright dappled sunlight reflecting from a glass building on the opposite side of the street (behind the camera). More information on this building here: https://collection.fletcherarchives.co.nz/objects/52888/dalgety-co-ltd-new-zealand-premises-1930-auckland-office-albert-st-auckland
October 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Peculiar that copyright issues prevail over reaching an international audience for the BBC
Black frame replacing a video on the BBC website with the text “There was an error This content is not available in your location.”
October 3, 2025 at 8:27 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
The @metservice.com Westland rain radar suffered substantial damage from a lightning strike
Drone shot of spherical white rain radar dome torn open with a large jagged hole, revealing the radar dish inside. In the background is pine plantation, scrub and a couple of vehicles parked near the base of the radar installation. Photo via this NZ Metservice post on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DO7YMERjgkz/?igsh=MWRiOWh1em5qYWt4aw==
September 27, 2025 at 9:47 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Spring has sprung
Close up photo of a dense cluster of white puawananga flowers (Clematis paniculata), interspersed with dark green leaves.
September 26, 2025 at 11:24 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Far too cloudy to get even a glimpse of this morning’s partial solar eclipse
Himawari geostationary satellite real-time image showing NZ outlined in green with a swathe of white cloud covering most of the North Island. The image is black and white and represents the B13 infrared band of the satellite, so it shows cloud cover even at night.
September 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Wind gust prediction map for the South Island at 6am tomorrow.
Wind gust prediction map showing New Zealand’s South Island covered in vivid colours depicting different wind speeds. Scale not shown, but the highest wind gusts predicted are about 140kmph in an area west of Christchurch coloured nearly white. Forecast model ECMWF. Map via windy.com
September 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Atmospheric morning on the Waitematā
Nearly monochromatic photo showing a brooding cloudy sky with sunbeams extending downwards from behind the clouds onto a dark strip of water below.
September 9, 2025 at 7:37 PM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
A few flights delayed and circling in this windy weather
Flightradar24 map of Auckland with several aircraft nearby and the convoluted flight path of a circling Sydney to Auckland flight scribbled across the area
August 31, 2025 at 6:56 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Cartoon by Brendan Loper originally published in the New Yorker on January 27, 2022. Ink drawing shows a person wearing a lab coat alighting from a time machine with the caption "I went back to warn them, but they already knew and didn't seem to care."
August 23, 2025 at 4:22 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Nice that we are far enough through winter that the sun’s still up on my commute
The setting sun appears dramatically as a ball of fire immediately above the summit crater area of Rangitoto Island volcano, and reflects off the rippled waters of Waitematā Harbour in the foreground.
August 20, 2025 at 5:32 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
Beautiful day over most of ngā motu today.
NASA satellite image via go.nasa.gov/3UqOdwr
Colour satellite image of most of the North and South Islands of Aotearoa/ New Zealand, mostly clear of clouds with vibrant green lowlands and bright white snow on the Southern Alps. The surrounding sea is turquoise around the coasts and deep blue in the ocean, where it is visible between various patterns of white cloud.
August 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM
alastairjnz.bsky.social
E noho rā Matiatia
View from a commuter ferry departing Matiatia Bay, Waiheke Island, with a pink sunrise sky above and reflected on the water, and the wharf just visible in a strip of silhouetted land across the lower part of the photo.
August 6, 2025 at 7:15 PM