Sideswipe: August 25: Stuffed well before taxidermy

A very stuffed Kuri (maori dog). Photo / Supplied

Opinion

Following the grotesque-looking lion from Gripsholms Castle, here's New Zealand's very stuffed kuri (Maori dog), which looks equally disconcerting. "Apparently, she was dead for sometime before she was taxidermied so probably wasn't in the best [state]. It is on display at Te Papa in Wellington," says our reader.

Wellington's Facebook faux pas

The administrator of Wellington's Facebook page updated the page with a very personal opinion of New Zealand's big event. "The RWC hasn't even started and already I'm sick of it. Is it just me?" read the update. Wisely, the update has been removed. Sick of the RWC marketing and price gouging, maybe, but most of us are hanging out for the games to begin.

Pedestrians meet in the middle

Anne Martin of Helensville writes: "Stop for a chat on a pedestrian crossing? In central Auckland, you wouldn't dare, but in Thames I watched two couples meet on a crossing in the main street and stop to pass the time of day. The waiting drivers didn't turn a hair: there was no hooting, no raised voices or fingers, and I got the impression it was not unusual. Bless small towns."

Phone charges still a mystery

So we've established that Countdown promotional texts incur no charges. Noel, who complained about two charges of $7.75 on his Telecom prepay, was told by Telecom that the charges were from Countdown. Telecom says: "We got it wrong, which we discovered after a full investigation of Noel's account. We apologise for any confusion this has caused him ..." But Noel swears he has signed up only for Countdown promotional texts and Neighbourhood Watch alerts, so what were the two charges of $7.75 for? I asked Telecom, but unlike yesterday, when they were moved to action by their client Countdown, this query fell on deaf ears.