User talk:Malia30

Hello! Welcome to Wikipedia! I noticed that you have some content that may be greatly appreciated in the Encyclopedia section of the site. Please, feel free to search for any of the things you have written about, and add or revise content on those pages as you see fit. If you need any help, just send me a message by clicking on "talk." Thanks! Gwickwire (talk) 04:49, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

All Blacks The All Blacks are New Zealand’s number one national rugby side and have rated amongst the best in the world for well over 100 years. Their name and distinctive all-black playing strip have become well known to rugby and non-rugby fans worldwide.

The first New Zealand team was selected in 1884, for a tour to New South Wales. The team played its first match at home, against a Wellington XV, before recording eight wins in eight matches in Australia. Otago prop James Allan, who played eight matches for the 1884 team, has been immortalised as All Black No 1.

The 1888–89 Natives team that played 107 matches in a marathon tour of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom was not a genuine national selection. However, it did a great deal to raise the profile of New Zealand rugby, particularly in Britain, and set the scene for the famous All Blacks tours to come.

In 1893, the first official NZRU-sanctioned New Zealand team was selected, for an 11-match tour to Australia. The team lost just once, to New South Wales in Sydney.

In 1894, an official New Zealand team hosted visiting opposition on home soil for the first time, in a match against New South Wales at Christchurch won 8–6 by the visitors.

In 1896, New Zealand beat Queensland at Wellington to record its first home win against visiting opposition.

In 1903, New Zealand played in its first Test match, against Australia in Sydney. New Zealand scored three tries to one in a 22–3 win.

In 1904, New Zealand played in its first Test match on New Zealand soil, beating a Great Britain side 9–3 in Wellington.

New Zealand’s 1905–06 tour to the United Kingdom, France and North America might be considered the most important in New Zealand rugby history. The team played 35 matches in total, losing just once. In the United Kingdom especially, the team’s largely confident, attractive and comfortable wins made a strong statement about the quality of rugby in the colonies and New Zealand in particular.

Moreover, the 1905–06 tour gave rise to the famous “All Blacks” moniker, as the fame surrounding the black-clad team spread. Nowadays, this team is known as “the Originals” – they were the first team to demonstrate the power and skill of New Zealand rugby, the first to make rugby a part of New Zealand’s cultural identity, and the first to be known as All Blacks.

The 1905 All Blacks’ loss to Wales was the team’s first in a Test match. The All Blacks didn’t lose a Test match at home until 1913, when they were beaten 16–5 by Australia in Christchurch.

In 1921, the All Blacks played South Africa for the first time, drawing a three-Test series in New Zealand.

In 1924–25, the All Blacks embarked on a 32-match tour to the United Kingdom, France and Canada. Going one better than the 1905–06 Originals, this team won all 32 matches, including Test wins over Ireland, Wales, England and France, and earned the nickname “the Invincibles”.

In 1956, the All Blacks won a Test series against South Africa for the first time. The Springboks were the All Blacks’ greatest traditional rivals and had delivered some of the All Blacks’ worst defeats. After splitting the first two Tests of the 1956 series, the All Blacks won the third and fourth to clinch a famous, long-awaited victory.

In 1959, the All Blacks played in their 100th Test match, a loss in Auckland to the touring British Isles.

In 1978, the All Blacks achieved a Grand Slam for the first time. For southern hemisphere sides like New Zealand, a Grand Slam includes victories over the four Home Unions – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – in the course of a single tour. The team achieved a second Grand Slam in 2005, 2008 and 2010.

In 1981, the Springboks toured New Zealand amongst protests and torrid political debate concerning the ethics of hosting a team from apartheid-ruled South Africa. The All Blacks won two of the three Tests, but the 1981 Springbok tour is remembered as a period of social strife and as a stark illustration of the unique and intractable relationship between rugby and society in New Zealand.

In 1987, the All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

In 1996, the All Blacks achieved their first Test series win over the Springboks in South Africa, four years after South Africa’s return from sporting exile.

In 2006, the All Blacks became just the second team, after France, to score 10,000 Test points.

There are three invitational sides to have played Test match rugby against the All Blacks. The British and Irish Lions team is a composite team selected once every four years from the playing ranks of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Lions last visited New Zealand in 2005, playing seven matches against provincial teams, an international against New Zealand Maori and a three-Test series against the All Blacks, which the home team won 3–0. A Home Unions selection first toured New Zealand in 1888, has made 12 visits in total, and is not scheduled to return to New Zealand until 2017. Although it is commonly how the team is known, the 2005 side was the first to be officially named “the Lions” – earlier sides travelled as Great Britain, the Anglo-Welsh and the British Isles.

In 1992, a World XV, featuring players from eight other Test rugby nations, was selected as part of the NZRU’s centenary celebrations. The All Blacks won two of the three Tests.

The Pacific Islanders team is a composite team selected every second year to include players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The All Blacks first played the Pacific Islanders in 2004

Some baklava for you!
Maritime New Zealand has ordered Interislander's Aratere to stop operating until mechanical system failures are resolved and it is safe for passengers and crew.

Today MNZ imposed conditions on the ship to prevent it from sailing until surveyors are satisfied the ongoing problems have been resolved and the vessel is safe to operate.

The Wellington-bound Aratere suffered reduced power in the Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds about 7.20pm yesterday.

It is the second time in a month the newly refurbished ship, which received a $53 million makeover earlier this year, has had mechanical problems.

Maritime Safety inspectors had been monitoring the situation over the last 24 hours and staff were working with KiwiRail to resolve the issues, said maritime services general manager Sharyn Forsyth.

"Safety of the crew and passengers is paramount. We will be monitoring the situation closely and can assure the public that the vessel will not operate commercially until we are sure it is safe to do so," she said.Transport Minister Steven Joyce supported the decision.

"It is a significant issue and a significant safety issue and that is a concern," he told TV3 today.

Inspectors were onboard the vessel this morning during a sea trial in Wellington Harbour when it experienced another failure thought to be unrelated to previous events, said Ms Forsyth.

Maritime New Zealand may also require further conditions to be met before allowing full commercial operations to resume, such as freight-only sailings or requiring a route through the northern passage of the Marlborough Sounds.

During yesterday's mechanical failure, the captain continued sailing into the Cook Strait at a reduced speed of three knots.

Power was restored to the engines shortly afterwards but another malfunction struck during the strait crossing.

A fuel control module failed when a pipe fractured, spraying out fuel vapour and setting off a fire alarm.

There was no fire but the ship's engines were shut down while an alternative fuel supply was switched on.

The Aratere then continued its crossing at up to 13 knots and was met by a tug at the heads of Wellington Harbour as a precautionary measure.

The ship berthed without assistance at 11.40pm, about two hours later than scheduled.

Interislander general manager Thomas Davis said the crew and 142 passengers aboard the KiwiRail-owned Cook Strait ferry were never in any danger and were kept informed throughout the sailing.

Mr Davis said the captain made several announcements during the voyage to reassure passengers.

The incident comes after the Aratere had a problem with its port shaft and needed assistance from tugs due to bad weather on October 6.

The Aratere returned to service in September after a five-month, $52 million refurbishment in Singapore that added a new bow and 30m to its mid-section, boosting its capacity.

Mr Davis said the problems were not directly linked to the ship's recent extension.

He apologised to passengers and freight customers who were disrupted but said safety was paramount.

"The causes of the incident will be identified and fixed before the ship sails again. We apologise to our customers, and are contacting them to move to other sailings.

"We are disappointed to have these disruptions in our service to our customers, and we are working hard to rectify them."

Interislander ships were professionally crewed and KiwiRail would co-operate with any investigations.

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of ocean in the South Pacific. Fifty-two of the islands are inhabited.[3] The Kingdom stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 mi) in a north-south line located at about a third of the distance from New Zealand to Hawaii. Tonga also became known as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit there in 1773. He happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but could not agree on a plan.[4] Tonga is also the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonisation.[5] In 2010, Tonga took a decisive step towards becoming a fully functioning constitutional monarchy after legislative reforms paved the way for its first ever fully representative elections which resulted in the election of Noble Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō as its first democraNo written record exists documenting the creation of the Tongan Coat of Arms. The following information was obtained from persons who were present at the installation of the Tonga Government in 1962. The King’s grandson, Prince Uelingatoni Ngu Tupoulahi, was given the task of designing the Royal Standard and Tonga’s Coat of Arms.

The Coat of Arms includes three stars, a crown, dove and chestnut tree leaves.

Three Stars The three stars represent the three lines of Kings who ruled Tonga – the Tu’i Tonga, Tu’i Ha’atakalaua and the Tu’i Kanokupolu. The present monarch, King Tupou V is a descent of all three lineages. The three stars also represent the three main island groups, namely Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u, all of which are ruled by the Sovereign.

Crown The crown represents the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Dove The dove depicts Christianity.

Chestnut Tree Leaves It is said that a Tongan appealed to a Chief for his life whilst wearing chestnut tree leaves around his neck. Chestnut tree leaves now symbolise sovereign submission to divine will. The words of the motto are Ko e ‘Otua Mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofi’a or “God and Tonga are mine Inheritance”.tically elected Prime Minister.

A kitten for you!
these kittens are so kute

Malia30 (talk) 06:25, 2 November 2011 (UTC) 

A kitten for you!
i loveeeeeeee kittens

Malia30 (talk) 06:28, 2 November 2011 (UTC) 