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.

NZ restaurant makes influential list

For the first time ever a Kiwi eatery, Otago’s Amisfield restaurant, has been included in the prestigious ‘world’s best’ list.

“William Drew, director of content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said the extended list ‘showcases the depth and diversity of the global culinary scene’.

“Amisfield owner John Darby said the ranking is an ‘extraordinary honour — not just for Amisfield, but for New Zealand as a whole. It marks a proud moment in our journey, as the first restaurant in the country to join this global stage. For our family, it’s the realisation of a long-held vision: to share the unique flavours and spirit of Central Otago with the world. This recognition is a tribute to the passion, perseverance, and continued support behind Amisfield — and we’re deeply proud to be part of that story.’

“Amisfield, which is situated between Queenstown and Arrowtown, also made headlines recently when it was named the third-best restaurant in the world by influential US magazine Food and Wine. The publication’s annual Global Tastemakers Awards highlighted Amisfield for its bold dishes and ‘unparalleled dining experience.'” (Source: “For the first time ever, a New Zealand restaurant makes this influential ‘world’s best’ list,” by Alan Granville, June 6, www.stuff.co.nz).

5 stars – a fantastic nod to one of the best of the best of New Zealand’s restaurants. Great stuff!

Waikato speedster looking to break land speed record

72 year old Dave Alexander has spent the past nine years building a turbo-charged machine that he hopes will break the land speed record for its lakester category at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, in the United States. The Mangatāwhiri man will head over to the US next month and is hoping all his dedication, skill, and hard work pays off.

“‘Nine years is pretty long time to be working on it. My wife thinks I live down there, but, yeah, it is a labour of love. It’s just one of the bucket list things, something you’ve got to do,’ Alexander told RNZ’s Nights.

“With the lakester class, ingenuity is also encouraged, he says. ‘The wheels have to be outside the body, which is a little bit of a disadvantage.’ It’s not Alexander’s first trip to the famous salt flats, he says. ‘I built a I built a copy of a very famous American car back in 2000 and we took it to Bonneville. Broke the record three times in a week, which was sort of pretty well unheard of.'” (Source: “Waikato man’s mission to break Bonneville land speed record,” June 6, www.rnz.co.nz).

Dave says he is hoping to follow in the footsteps of famed Kiwi speedster, Burt Munro, who also made his mark at Bonneville.

5 stars – Dave’s lakester is a thing of beauty and his commitment is first rate. Total upside!

Heavy sleeper fails to notice ship turning up his garden

As a light sleeper I’ve always been envious of those who can sleep through every type of noise and disturbance. A Norwegian gentleman takes that to a whole new level, however. Johan Helberg lives in Trondheim and when a 135 metre container ship ran aground in his front garden, he slept through the whole thing. It was only when a neighbour rang his doorbell that he was alerted to the substantial intruder.

“‘The doorbell rang at a time when I don’t really like opening the door,’ Mr Helberg said. ‘I like to go back to sleep. But it was a very insistent ring, so I finally went to answer it. And there’s a guy I know very well standing there, looking at me in amazement and saying: “Have you not seen the ship?” But I hadn’t. So I went to the window and saw this [the ship].'” (Source: “Seriously deep sleeper not woken up by ship crashing in his garden,” May 23, www.news.sky.com).

5 stars – luckily nobody was injured and Johan may regret that his deep sleeping prevented him from witnessing a rather spectacular event.