Google’s Street View service continues its spread across the globe with today’s launch in New Zealand.

Skycity in Auckland

Spotted any famous, cool or just weird sites in New Zealand? Let us know!

Scraping the bottom of the “world’s largest” barrel¹, it’s the awe-inspiring (former) World’s Largest Dump Truck!

Built as a prototype and dubbed the “Terex Titan”, the 20m long truck can carry a payload of up to 350 tons.

The manufacturer came up with loads of possibly untrue facts about the truck, such as being able to hold “2 greyhound buses and 2 pickup trucks”, or “1,000,000 golf balls”.

However amazing these facts, by 1990 the Terex Titan had outlived its useful life and was purchased by the town of Sparwood in British Columbia to be put on permanent display.

Read more on the Terex Corporation and the Terex Titan on Wikipedia, or watch an overly dramatic video of the truck on YouTube.

For more large trucks see our previous post on the Bingham Canyon Mine.

Apple’s recent iPhone 2.2 update has added Google Maps Street View to the already essential device.

With the iPhone’s pinch-zoom and finger-panning, the experience is even better than on the web.

The only downside is that the iPhone doesn’t automatically load Street View from Google Maps links. This means you have to manually drop a pin to get the Street View mode, and then pan around until you find what you’re looking for. Hopefully, Apple will address this in a future update.

However, as a navigational aide, I can see the iPhone Street View being invaluable – just as soon as they add UK Street Views!

Namibia’s Skeleton Coast is named so for two different types of skeletons that littered the beaches: whales and ships.

Thanks to the end of mass whaling the whale bones are now all gone, but the bones of ships remain, very slowing rusting away.

For example, the Eduard Bohlen ran aground here way back in 1909.

There are purportedly thousands of ships lining this coast, thanks to the gale force winds, thick fog and ferocious surf.

The Otavi ran aground in 1945, with a load of Guano she was shipping from Mercury Islands.

Once run aground, the sailors are usually also destined to add to the coast’s name, as the previously featured Namib Desert is totally inhospitable.

Despite this, someone once thought it was a good idea to build an oil rig just inland. But just like the whales, ships, and sailors, the rig is now a rotting skeleton.

Since 1971 the Skeleton coast has been a protected National Park, and the old rig does provide good shelter for the local bird population.

The most famous of the Skeleton Coast’s wrecks was the Dunedin Star cruise liner, which sank just off the coast in 1942. The dramatic rescue attempt included the additional wrecking of a rescue boat and small plane, and the whole story is documented in John Marsh’s book Skeleton Coast.

Thanks to sasroodkapje’s fantastic visible shipwreck collection and Artificial Owl, who have ground level images of the oil rig.

If you’ve always dreamed of being a world-famous blogger, then you can’t do better than “Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share Their Secrets”.

The just-released book by Stephane Grenier features interviews with 40 of the internet’s top bloggers, including the finest of all bloggers James and Alex Turnbull (that’s us!).

Packed with blogging tips, it will make the perfect christmas present (you know, for all those family members who already have the Google Sightseeing Book).

Available now on Amazon.com!