>It wasn’t difficult to spot him.

Propping up his shovel on the side of the road, sporting a nifty digital camera and keeping an eye out for the next photo op, while the rest of his crew slaved away, patching up State Highway 3 in a very professional manner. So it’s no wonder that he cuts such a fine figure.

I’d have expected a more weather-worn character, but it just shows how wrong you can be. But his mates had the highway well up to scratch for our inspection – some token rock falls , the Awakino river nicely viscous as it transported a few up-country farms down to the Tasman somewhat earlier and more rapidly than their owners had anticipated and a goodly-sized washout.

Given the advanced notice, I thought they could have arranged a decent slip , though.