Aspects of New Zealand

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32498, 7 January 1971, Page 3

Aspects of New Zealand

Sleeping out

Dozens of young persons on holiday are sleeping in the sandhills and lupins along Ocean Beach at Whangamata, on the Coromandel Peninsula. They have been forced to do so because most motorcamp proprietors in the area will not allow single persons to camp in their grounds because of damage in the past, the Press Association reports. Constable M. J. Canons, of the Whangamata police, said that there were as many persons sleeping on public property as there were on camping grounds. “At present kids are sleeping on the beach and our problem is increased by broken glass and other litter,” he said.

Constable Canons said that he understood why camp owners had refused to accommodate young persons. There had been a lot of trouble in the past. Body power “Mr New Zealand, 1971,” Mana Garland, aged 34, is a health fanatic, and probably New Zealand largest consumer of hard-boiled eggs and yoghurt, an Auckland message says. ‘lf you’ve got a problem, eat six hard-boiled eggs a day,” he says. Mr Garland trained for eight years, building his

physique. For much of last year he trained five hours a day, seven days a week. He is dedicated to body building as a sport and even for a former New Zealand judo representative, a boxer, and. a Rugby player, body building is rugged. He rises early most days, and runs 10 miles a week. Every day is diet day—no breakfast, yoghurt and eggs for morning and afternoon tea, and a meal at night. “Competition is very much alive in Auckland,” says Mr Garland. “In many ways winning the ‘Mr Auckland’ contest was a much bigger deal than winning the New Zealand title.

“People don’t really know what is involved. When I walked on the stage for the ‘Mr New Zealand’ show the audience didn’t known they were looking at eight years of hard training.

“But I have become so dedicated to the training that I can’t leave it alone —if I do I begin to think I am going bald, or getting flat feet.” As holder of the “Mr New Zealand” title, Mr Garland is eligible for the “Mr Universe” competition in London.

His victory on Monday was celebrated at a dinner with his wife and friends—two glasses of wine and one or two cigarettes. But that was just a special treat. Training will now continue as usual, and hard-

boiled eggs and yoghurt will remain the staple diet. "Mr New Zealand” is determined to build himself into “Mr Universe”—if he can find a sponsor to get him to London. White pellets

Thousands of mysterious off-white pellets found on Auckland beaches in recent weeks have been identified as polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon—bulk material for plastic products. It is thought that they were washed ashore after having been dumped by ships leaving the harbour. A supervisor for a North Shore plastics company, Mr F. D. Culliford, said that bags containing the pellets were often damaged during unloading at the Auckland wharves. Pilfering

An Auckland importer, Mr R. J. La Varis, was told yesterday, in an anonymous telephone call, to watch his step in his campaign against thefts in transit from import consignments. Since he spoke out on Tuesday against pilfering he has received a number of calls. One, from a man who said he was a watersider, informed Mr La Varis that part of a consignment to be unloaded today would be pilfered.

I The caller told Mr La Varis that the pilfering was . organised. He said water- ’ siders were told to lift a [ specified number of cases. , Other calls were received from importers. “From what they tell me, the losses are staggering. Someone has got to stop them,” he said. * Traffic trouble ; The answer to Wellington’s J peak-hour traffic jams and ; average speeds of four miles an hour through the central city could be an over-all ’ computer-controlled traffic ‘ signal system costing about i $500,000.

Wellington city traffic 1 engineers offer this solution ' in a report to be presented 1 to the Wellington City Coun--1 cil, probably next month. ■ With a National Roads 1 Board subsidy for an area traffic scheme, the cost to the city would be about $272,000. Most of the city’s transport movements are by road. It is estimated that 160,000 vehicle trips are made each day, equivalent to cars bumper-to-bumper for 250 miles out of the city. Traffic volume will increase by 25 per cent in only four years and will double by 1982.

The scheme envisages a central office co-ordinating and controlling traffic movement over 12 miles of inner city roads and through 60 controlled intersections.