Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

There's something very fishy going on with the promised tunnel at Hairini, presumably between the city council and NZTA, the
national roading people.

The worst kept secret in town is that a sneaky deal has been done, whereby 'The Agency” as they like to be called (sounds very Maxwell Smartish) will take over Route K and the $56m debt on the tolled road in exchange for the council letting them off the hook on the government-promised tunnel to Welcome Bay.

Now this may well be a good idea. Route K should be a national roading responsibility. It's an essential for the functioning of the nation's busiest port. It's also been an albatross around the current council's neck for years – even though it was their predecessors who committed to it. And rightly or wrongly, no one can argue that it was a plan with huge foresight. Left any longer and that valley would have been snapped up by developers and peppered with ticky tacky boxes faster than you could say 'Bob Clarkson”.

And the Welcome Bay tunnel promise, National's election showstopper when Simon Bridges rocked into the House, has kind of fizzled somewhat, since the traffic lights seem to be doing the business.

Well at least the letters to the editor complaining about the intersection ceased overnight once the lights were in. From where I sit, that's a pretty fair barometer. Does that mean it's a solution? And by the way, didn't a councillor vow to resign if the lights worked? Ah, how quick we forget! But I digress.

Assuming that the rumour mongers are correct and a deal has been done, is it a good idea? Looks like a good option to me. Apart from the bit about what is effectively a broken election promise. Or is it a broken promise if the local council has rolled over and accepted they'd rather be rid of the Route K albatross in return for dropping the tunnel?

Some will argue that it's a good result and that National aren't reneging, if the council's accepted the deal – or the ultimatum.

Our good mayor Mr Crosby is staying mum on the subject, even going so far as saying it hasn't been discussed. (http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/14273-hairini-route-k-deal-denied.html)

Mmmm, interesting. That's not what we're hearing. My guess is, the council quietly thinks it's the best of some bad options. Neither want to be seen as the bad guy. The only puzzling point; why is everyone denying it's even been discussed?

It will all come out in the wash. One fact remains no matter what your stance on Route K; it is a great piece of future-proofing and if it hadn't been done, we'd be moaning about it for decades. Just as we are now over the tunnel.

I remember talk of it when I was playing rugby in bare feet. If the traffic lights are doing the trick, then another few decades aren't going to make much difference.

The best option? The government accept that both Albatross Drive and The Tunnel are essential for NZ's fastest growing region and access to the country's biggest port.

The costs of Christchurch rebuilding will no doubt be tossed around as a reason not to do either, but ultimately, the longer these things are left the more they cost.

But then, how many governments have ever really planned further ahead than their likely terms in power?

Just flag it
In other news, there's been a fair bit of bleating lately about the flying of a Maori flag here and there, now and then.

More recently, the regional council decided it was okay for Tino Rangatiratanga to get the odd airing above the council buildings, which raised the ire of some.

I can see their point of view and technically they may be right – we are supposed to be one nation under one flag. But honestly, what harm is it really doing?

There's a whole lot of other flags and symbols out there that are really more inappropriate. Often we see boats flying the Jolly Roger. Now this may seem innocent enough on the face of it, but remember the skull and crossbones is really a nasty piece of works.

It's the old day equivalent of terrorism.

You'd be in hot water if you drove through the main street with a symbol supportive of the Taliban or KKK, so why do we think it might be okay to fly a pirate flag, even in modern times. And piracy is still a major threat these days.

A bunch of bloodthirsty mongrels cruising around taking treasure and money off innocent people; targeting those who'd worked hard for their meagre wealth and splurging it randomly with their loser mates on drunken junkets.
No, hang on, that was the Labour government.

Parting thought:
Finally, this parting shot from Auntie Sheryl, posted on her facebook suspiciously, around the time of a recent milestone in this editor's life:

MIDDLE AGE TEXTING CODES:
ATD-At The Doctors. BFF-Best Friend Fell. BTW-Bring the Wheelchair. BYOT-Bring Your Own Teeth. FWIW-Forgot Where I Was. GHA-Got Heartburn Again. IMHO-Is My Hearing-Aid On? LMDO-Laughing My Dentures Out. OMSG-Oh My! Sorry, Gas. ROFLACGU-Rolling On Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up. TTYL-Talk To You Louder. LSHIPM-Laughing So Hard I Pee'd Myself.