RobiNZ Personal Blog

Hanmer Springs Walks | Time Out 2021-22 Hanmer Springs

I had to change motels today, but only had to pack a small overnight backpack so not a big deal to move. Found it good for overnight stays when driving; just the basics so could leave my main gear bag in the car. The day wasn't great; not worth getting a bike out, dirty, cleaning again for a short ride. There are plenty of other things to do around Hanmer Springs, even though had decided to avoid the hot spring pools. They were operating but, due to COVID, you had to pre-book a timeslot so they could manage numbers, separation... Read more →

Everybody Draws a Penguin Day!

I saw Sam's '3rd Annual Everybody Draws a Penguin Day!' tweet on Sunday afternoon just before was heading out for a bike ride. Sunday evening fired up Sketchbook and made a quick entry based on my favourite photo from the 2019 trip. From Antarctic Mission Log 07 With Ortelius cruising along the Neumayer Channel at about 10-11 knots (~20 km/h) it was amazing to see penguins overtaking us. Gentoo penguin can hit max 36 km/h when sufficiently motivated; chasing, or avoiding being, prey. The water was so still, so clear, I spent ages just watching them doing this. Read more →

'As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls' Fortieth Anniversary

Forty years ago, an iconic album was released. It was a couple of years later that I first heard it, courtesy of fellow design student Jeff Fisher at Unitec, and became a fan of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. The Arts Fuse have a lovely tribute to this album which, even after decades of listening, is still a musical adventure. One day it will be part of my US road trip playlist. Arts Remembrance: At 40, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’s "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls" Still Enthralls - The Arts Fuse "Released on April 27, 1981, As... Read more →

Ptolemy's Hubcap Penguin

I first saw Hubcap Creatures By Ptolemy in Car Magazine back in 2004 (even blogged about it) & loved them. Ptolemy Elrington crafts discarded/found hubcaps into works of art complete with the scratches and scars of their previous life. I loved them then, to the point of finding out the cost of freight (more than the price) made shipping to NZ unrealistic, but a mention in todays "The Motoring Podcast" had me back at the site again. Thanks to recent travels if I buy the right Lotto ticket would love to give the Penguin a home in New Zealand. Penguin... Read more →

Simply the best Citroën 2CV advertisement

Remember seeing this in Car Magazine sometime in the early 80s, brilliant. Read more →

MAMIL, Mark Hadlow's one-man show is a tour de force

It was great, as I'm one, to see Mark Hadlow in his one man 'tour de force' play: MAMIL (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) One Actor, Nine characters, two hours of non-stop brilliance. Simple staging, clever lighting, sound effects, and a couple of (live on stage) costume changes support the storyline which pivots around, but is not really about, the recreational cycling boom. Well it was nearly non-stop as, in one of the highlights, Mark briefly broke the fourth wall after he tripped over a line which required remembering a Hollywood actors name, 'what name?', then got it, and was... Read more →

The Pencil and the Battery Electric Vehicle

Had a chance, and interesting, coincidence today in my podcast playlist. Pocket Casts has my favourite podcasts set to auto-download and add themselves to ‘Play next’. Two episodes were ready to play when I left for the morning commute. The power of graphite; in pencils First up a new season of The Boring Talks* kicked off with ‘Pencils’: Brian Mackenwells on why we should all appreciate the pencil. Part of it (~0:05:00 onwards) told how a limited source of pure graphite (needed for pencils) in the 16-18th century made the British Cumberland graphite deposit a strategic asset. From its discovery... Read more →

Neko, Danco, Pingu, BBQ? | Antarctic Mission Log 05

After a perfect first day on the Peninsular we awoke to find similar weather on the second. It was still eerily calm and clear below a high cloud cover. I remember (from the 1990s) a book* of stunning Antarctic acrylic/pencil/watercolours works by NZ Artist David Barker and it seems we woke up in one. The clear water and muted light, thanks to that cloud, created a watercolour palette, absent of harsh sun glare, as we glided into the first landing spot of the day. My only rostered activity was not until after dinner, but there was plenty to see and... Read more →

Drake Passage Crossing | Antarctic Mission Log 03

After casting off, from Ushuaia, we headed East along Beagle Channel. It's about 73NM (135km) before you turn South across Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsular. Ortelius cruises at around 10.5Kn (19km/h) so we would not enter Drake Passage until sometime overnight. The channel was very calm and the forecast for Drake Passage promising, but nothing can be guaranteed once heading South of Cape Horn. Although not prone to motion sickness (never had it coastal sailing, inter-island ferry or flying) this was my first open ocean voyage. I had mild OTC 'Sea-Legs' and prescription Ondansetron motion sickness medications. Following the... Read more →

David Byrne, American Utopia in Auckland

Oh wow, David Byrne American Utopia Tour, so impressive. Kimbra opened, note the cables to instruments. None of that for David Byrne; entire 12 piece band used wireless connections, danced complex choreography while playing, the whole performance. Just astonishing Set list from www.setlist.fm I Zimbra (Talking Heads song) Slippery People (Talking Heads song) I Should Watch TV (David Byrne & St. Vincent cover) Dog's Mind Everybody's Coming to My House This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads song) Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song) Doing the Right Thing Toe Jam (Brighton Port Authority cover) Born Under Punches... Read more →