HKdolphinwatching粉紅海豚

「印度太平洋駝背海豚」，又稱「中華白海豚」繁殖及棲息於珠江三角洲河口，介乎香港及澳門一帶，而只有東面的群種才有顯著的白或粉紅的顏色。

Why are the dolphins pink?
The best theory we've heard is that they're actually white, but they look pink because they're blushing. All cetaceans are warm-blooded, meaning they regulate their own body temperatures. When they create excess heat from exercise, such as chasing fish, they flush blood to the outer layers of their skin, to get the heat from their body core out beyond the insulating layer of blubber, so that the heat can disperse to the water. This "blushing" makes them look pink.
I will go Hong Kong on 7th Dec and plan to join dolphin watching tour on 11th of Dec 2007. Will share more detail about tour after I come back from the tour.
Cheers.

Tips to buy 2nd Car in New Zealand

If you do decide to buy a used vehicle - and it may be the cheaper option for you - there are some key pointers you should take note of. There are some things you should check before you buy, to make sure the car has no debt on it and is owned by the person selling it to you.There are also some tips below on how to avoid buying a 'lemon' (a car that doesn't work too well!).

Please read the guidelines below and take the necessary pre-cautions when buying a second-hand or used car - especially via private sale!
1. If you're not sure about how well the car runs or if it has some major mechanical problems, you can have it checked out by an expert for a fee. They will check all the main areas of the car and provide you with a report about what doe and does not work well. This report should also contain information about anything serious that may need to be repaired or replaced in the very near future. This is called a Pre-Purchase Vehicle Inspection Report and can be obtained from organisations such as the New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) or Hometune.
2. If you're buying a second-hand or used car you should ring a service called Vehicle Information Report - tel. 0800 843 847 - to check the history of that car.
This service checks:
· Whether there is any money still owing on the car;
· If the car has been stolen;
· If the odometer reading has been altered;
· The history of the car।
All you need is the registration number (on the number plate) and the make of the car. Information about the car will be advised over the telephone and followed up by a formal written report sent through the mail. This service costs $25.
Anyone who buys a stolen car or one that has money owing to a finance company runs the risk of having the vehicle repossessed by its original owner. If that happens, you lose your money and the car. It is also important to know that it is a serious crime to knowingly purchase a stolen vehicle or stolen vehicle parts.
3. If you are buying a vehicle privately - most often these sales are advertised in the newspapers or on the Internet - be cautious when dealing with a seller who only provides a mobile phone number.
4. Go to where the vehicle is on sale rather than have the person bring the vehicle to you. A dishonest seller is unlikely to allow a prospective purchaser to visit a home address. When at the address where the vehicle is, try to work out if the seller actually lives there.
5. Always be careful when checking the vehicle registration papers against the driver's license to see if they belong to the same person.
6. Get the vehicle's Certificate of Registration from the seller. Complete the change of ownership form (MR13 or MR13B) and give it to an LTSA agent, such as the Post Office within seven days of buying the vehicle.
7. Always obtain a proper receipt. Ensure the receipt is detailed, showing name, address, and a description of the vehicle. Include the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), chassis number and the engine number, sale price and signature of the seller.
8. Always ask the seller for personal identification. Try not to pay cash and, if paying by cheque or money order, address it to the seller of the car. By doing that you will have a better chance of tracking down the seller if you later discover the car was stolen.
9. All cars in New Zealand must have a valid Warrant of Fitness (WOF) and a Motor Vehicle Registration to be able to be used on the roads. It is your responsibility to ensure that these two items are obtained before driving the car, or you could be fined $200 for each offence.

Lake Tekapo──南极光 Aurora Australis

Church of Good Shepherd

南极光每年出现在 Lake Tekapo 只有数次，多是在冬天。英语多称北极光称為 Northern Lights，南极光為 Southern Lights；但亦有一個转门的名词來称极光── Aurora。北极光叫 Aurora Borealis，南极光叫 Aurora Australis。Aurora 是罗马黎明女神的名字，而 Borealis 是來自希腊，北风之神 Boreas 的名字，意思是北极的；Australis 來自拉丁词语，南边的意思。
极光会在夏天出现吗？会的，出现机率比冬天更多。但夏天日长夜短，极光又只会在两极附近出现，两极的日照時间在夏天特別长，就算出现也因天空仍亮而看不到，所以多在冬天看到。

Aurora Australis

This is the name of the southern lights often seen at the lower latitudes of New Zealand on a clear dark night। The phenomenon begins at the sun where a particularly large coronal outburst creates a strong stream of charged particles known as the solar wind। The solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field lines at the altitude called the magnetopause and the charged positive and negative charges are then associated with the Earth's magnetic field, creating a large charged electric field concentrated at the poles। In the southern hemisphere the field lines are streaming out of the Southpole which is like a north pole of a magnet। Current flows between these electrical polarities, through the ionosphere, across the polar region and back। The streams of electrons which are the negatively charged particles are flowing - spiraling, along the magnetic field lines and intercepting the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper atmosphere। These excite the oxygen and nitrogen atoms causing them to fluoresce, just as they do in a conventional neon fluorescent light tube. The only difference is the excited oxygen atoms emit a greenish white light, and the nitrogen molecules which are excited by more energetic electrons are made to emit the red to pinkish colours. Ionised nitrogen gives off a blue violet light. The light emission or fluorescence from atoms is caused when electromagnetic energy strikes an atom raising the electron orbital level to a set, higher energy level, which may then collapse back again emitting a photon of light of a particular wavelength. This determines its colour.(Written by Peter Cattell 31 May 2005)