Ask Phoebe: Pimp my bus and call it a waka

This design is based on a mural in Otara.

When I was in South Auckland recently I saw buses with what seem to be Pacific art on the sides and back. Are these for a particular school or general use, and what do the designs represent? Heather Abbott, Remuera.

This is the new livery for buses that serve the Counties Manukau communities. It's called Waka Pacific or vessel of the Pacific.

The design pictured is based on a mural in Otara Town Centre. A second bus design, with bright colours and floral emblems, portrays the lava lava worn in the area and a third represents the five iwi in the Papakura district. It depicts water, land and air and links the region's three pa sites.

NZBus is holding a public competition to produce a fourth bus design. For more information visit www.nzbus.co.nz.

I saw a strange thing recently. I spotted a taxi stopping beside a metal cabinet on the side of the road like one of those traffic signal boxes. The driver got out with a large bag like a mailbag, unlocked and opened the cabinet door and put the bag inside. He then drove off. What was he doing? Owen Frewin, Te Atatu South.

NZ Post tells me it's a mail drop box. Posties can't always carry all the mail for their round in one go. The overload is left in safe places for them to collect along the way. Mailbags are delivered to these safe boxes by various means, including courier vans and taxis.

For security reasons I have not included the location of the box you told me about. NZ Post says it is not unheard of for these boxes to be broken into and mail stolen.

I've been driving around the North Shore and have seen drivers practising misguided courtesy at roundabouts. Drivers travelling straight ahead indicate "right" as they enter the roundabout, then "left" as they get off. My understanding is if you are going straight ahead you should indicate only as you leave the roundabout. Is this correct? Matt Hancock, Auckland.

Absolutely correct. The Road Code says that if you are going straight through, you do not signal as you come up to the roundabout, but you put your left indicator on as you pass the exit before the one you want to take, giving as much notice as possible.