Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.
All Whites going to the World Cup
For the third time in their history, the All Whites will be competing at the World Cup after beating New Caledonia 3-0 this week. It is no small achievement and it was a fantastic game, with a well earned result and some great goals; even if it was a nervous first hour with no goals scored. It will be fantastic to watch them compete in North America next year!
Qualification is great for New Zealand football, fans, and the team, with substantial financial benefits coming with qualification.
“It’s expected that participation in next year’s tournament in North America will be worth at least $20 million, with that number to increase if the All Whites can progress beyond the first round.
“”This qualification is phenomenal for the sport,” NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell told the Herald. “The game’s obviously going through another surge, another big growth period. It’s almost in an unstoppable position now from my perspective. We’ve been the biggest [participation] sport for a long time but to see our national teams go to World Cups, the flow-on effect that it has for fan engagement and obviously the investment that comes with this as well.” (Source: “All Whites, New Zealand Football set for financial bonanza at 2026 Fifa World Cup,” by Michael Burgess, March 26, www,nzherald.co.nz).
5 stars – competing on the biggest stage, playing the beautiful game – all upside!
Plane turns back after pilot forgets passport
Forgetting your passport is a common mistake – most times it can be remedied by having a family member or friend drive it to the airport, although sometimes it can scupper well-laid travel plans.
This week, however, one ‘traveller’ who should have known better, realised they had left their passport at home mid-flight, necessitating a return to the airport of origin.
“Flight UA 198 departed LAX at around 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, with 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard and headed northwest over the Pacific Ocean, bound for China’s largest city.
“About two hours later, the plane turned around and was redirected to San Francisco, where it landed around 5 p.m. local time, according to the website FlightAware. ‘The pilot did not have their passport onboard,” United said in the statement. “We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.’
“Yang Shuhan, a Chinese passenger on board, told CNN that she heard the pilot’s ‘very frustrated voice’ over the intercom, saying he ‘forgot (his) passport.'” (Source: “‘It’s quite embarrassing’: China-bound United flight turns around after pilot forgets passport,” by By and
5 stars – good to see that a rookie error doesn’t escape even the most qualified ‘travellers’.
Smart octopus hitches a fast ride
Proving once again that our animals pals are both ingenious and entertaining, comes a local story about an octopus hitching a ride, on the back of a shark.
While the event occurred in late 2023, it was only published this week. Researchers were studying feeding frenzies in the Hauraki Gulf and came across the mid-blowing sight of a Maori octopus taking a ride on the back of a shortfin mako shark.
“The marine scientist Rochelle Constantine was confused at first about what exactly she was seeing, thinking the orange patch on the shark’s head might be an injury. ‘At first, I was like: ‘Is it a buoy?’ Constantine told the New York Times. ‘Is it entangled in fishing gear or had a big bite?’
“A technician set up a drone for a closer look. As they drew nearer, they saw tentacles – thereby discovering the world’s first “sharktopus”. The Maori octopus is the largest octopus in the southern hemisphere. ‘You can see it takes a fair amount of real estate on the shark’s head,’ Constantine said.
“Octopuses are typically found on the seabed, which shortfin mako sharks rarely visit, making the incident even stranger. ‘We moved on after 10 minutes, so I can’t tell you what happened next,’ Constantine told Oceanographic. ‘The octopus may have been in for quite the experience, though, since the world’s fastest shark species can reach 50km per hour.'” (Source: “Octopus jumps shark and goes for a ride on its back,” by Marina Dunbar, march 21, www.guardian.co.uk)
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