Tue, 03 Aug 2010 2:01p.m.
By Josh Heslop
When I woke up this morning the city had disappeared!
What used to be a sprawling cityscape outside my kitchen window was now a complete black hole. I couldn’t see anything. It was 6.30 in the morning and thick fog had stolen New Zealand’s biggest city.
While fog isn’t unusual in Auckland, it’s not usually as thick and long-lasting as this morning.
Even loud fog horns sounded through the misty air to warn ships away from the harbour bridge!
While the morning commute was slowed down a bit for those travelling by car, bus or train, the real drama was saved for air travellers. Fog and airports don’t mix - just ask those who regularly travel in and out of Wellington!
This morning 56 flights were cancelled at Auckland International Airport. Despite all the fancy equipment on airliners today, there’s one thing that pilots can’t be without to take off and land safely – their eyes.
It’s simply not safe to operate if you can’t see the runway in front of you, and that my friends, is a comforting thought! I wouldn’t want to be flying blind either.
The same goes to taxiing on the ground. Pilots use their vision to guide the airliner back to the terminal, much like someone driving a car slowly along the road. If visibility is so bad that the pilot can’t see clearly, there’s the possibility of a major accident. It’s easier to shut the airport down until the fog lifts. This is when the departure boards start displaying a word no traveller wants to see: Cancelled.
Yesterday’s lingering front over northern parts of the country created some very warm and moist air. That mixed with cool, clear skies and light winds made the perfect fog machine.
Fog usually has the habit of clearing once the day begins, but today the humidity still hadn’t dropped below 100 percent and the winds weren’t picking up either.
What’s even more interesting is the extent of the fog; Hamilton, Rotorua and Taupo are also in the thick of it.
Fog is essentially cloud that’s come to make a closer visit. We should feel special that it’s made the effort!
When I was little I used to think it was an opportunity for the Care Bears to jump out of their cloudy homes in the sky and step onto Earth.
No such luck unfortunately.
Instead we have the reality of cancelled flights.