RobiNZ Personal Blog

It's simple, when you know how | simplicity living . kiwi

It was great to visit the Simplicity Living Productivity Hub today and learn more about how they are building high quality affordable rental (they'll own), and rent to buy (they'll fund) housing that I own 0.0000[insert many more zeros]001% of via a portion of my Simplicity Kiwisaver (retirement fund) and separate small Simplicity Homes and Income Fund investment %) Two pours today on their Te Reiputa site with 297 new one and two-bedroom apartments in Mt Wellington, Auckland. Introducing Te Reiputa - Simplicity Living's biggest project yet | Simplicity Simplicity Living's Te Reiputa Mt Wellington Site Even better all their... Read more →

A fine tribute to 'New Zealand's Unknown Genius', Beatrice (Hill) Tinsley

A brilliant video, a fine tribute to a remarkable life. Years, no decades!, ago I vaguely knew of Beatrice Tinsley's work, on the life of galaxies, but would not have been able to name her. Then The Warehouse, who I worked for, rented some factory space in Beatrice Tinsley Cresent (Rosedale, Auckland) and I wondered who it was named for. Looked that up, made the connection and never forgotten. Several years ago I saw a wonderful performance of the 'Bright Star' stage play in Auckland. It was brilliant and portrayed the personal/career challenges she faced. I try and get to... Read more →

Cycling across town on Auckland's wettest day

Although a tropical storm was forecast it wasn't expected Friday January 27, 2023, would be Auckland's wettest day on record. Our average January rainfall, remember a summer month, is ~52mm and we got ~260mm on one day. It was raining all day but peaked in the early evening, at times over 60-80mm/hour depending where measured. It turned out to be devastating for many; four lives lost and massive property damage city wide. I was fortunate not to be impacted at all; the house was fine, and we just had an overnight power cut. This post isn't about the event, the... Read more →

West Coast Wilderness 02 | Hokitika Gorge & Cycle Dorothy Falls to Hokitika | Time Out 2021-22 West Coast

After overnight rain, the day dawned fine. After a great breakfast and coffee at WCSW we had a short flat ride into the Cycle Journeys depot at Hokitika to meet a shuttle. Today's ride would be back to Hokitika, with an overnight stay there. West Coast Scenic Waterways to Hokitika Ride First obstacle was getting out of the driveway, West Coast Weka rush hour morning traffic! Over the Mahināpua Tūwharewhare Bridge... And into the Cycle Journeys Depot. Kōwhitirangi Memorial A sad, significant, stop on the way to Hokitika Gorge: On 8 and 9 October 1941 Stanley Graham, a deranged local... Read more →

Tākaka to Hanmer Springs | Time Out 2021-22 Drive

I was sad to be leaving Golden Bay, but glad I was able to get out. The forecast storm wasn't full on yet, but the weather certainly was deteriorating. By the end of the day 200-300mm of rain had fallen (with another 250-380mm expected) and roads I had been riding around Golden Bay and Nelson were closed by the storm. On top of that, ten days later Cyclone Dovi struck NZ causing widespread damage. I was heading to Christchurch, to fly home for a week, but had a night in Hanmer Springs enroute. Back over Tākaka Hill, not a day... Read more →

Exploring Aorere Valley | Time Out 2021-22 Golden Bay Drive

The forecast was right, wet weather arrived but just a hint of the 'significant rain event' due tomorrow onwards. Source: Twitter.com/MetService/status My private rock garden was wet, but not enough for the little natural waterfall (light strip above the table) to flow. Fair weather thoughts for today were either a ride up Aorere Valley or drive/ride to Wharariki Beach. With the bikes already packed it would be a drive/walk day. Bravo'ing the wet weather on the road towards Collingwood. I hadn't visited Parapara Beach on my 'exploration ride', view from the lookout in the intermittent rain. Didn't need sunblock today!... Read more →

Hello Farewell Spit | Time Out 2021-22 Golden Bay Bus

Farewell Spit (Onetahua): the north-western feature of the South Island that resembles a Kiwi beak... * * Especially if you rotate the map a bit away from North like this! This massive sandspit is on the Auckland-Christchurch domestic flightpath and the only sight I'd had of it to date. I took this photo flying South for a ride in 2005. This shows Tōtaranui Beach (left), Wainui Bay, Tākaka to Farewell Spit from a flight North in 2012. Remember thinking then about going back to explore it. I booked a tour with Farewell Spit Tours because: "You can freely enjoy Puponga... Read more →

Where Was the Last Place Discovered on Earth?

The remarkable history of human discovery and a curious fact regarding Uranus and Antarctica. Read more →

The real Car magazine is back!

I really appreciated Car (magazine U.K.) making their digital copies available to non-digital subscribers while the presses where shut down due to COVID-19. Car Magazine (Android) But after a few months reading it, sort of, on the phone* I was so happy to see this arrive in the mail today: Car Magazine print edition * They only offer Android & iOS digital issues so having a Microsoft Surface Book tablet about the size of the print edition Car didn't help. Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 17–Wellington to Auckland, the long way round

I had a nice breakfast back at “Seashore Cabaret” on the Petone waterfront (opposite the lodge). Today was just the drive back to Auckland but by a different route than I came down. AHBART skilfully packed (OK, not really) for the long drive home. I use foam ‘pool noodles’ to both pad the bike bits near the interior trim and quell any bike rattles. One thing I learnt on this trip was to carry a 2l bottle of water (seen sitting on the engine below) for the screen washers. They are powerful (3 jets front, 1 rear) and it was... Read more →