Robwalker

I spent 6 weeks in NZ over christmas and had the most amazing time of my life. I landed in Christchurch and went: Geraldine - Mt Cook - Queenstown - Milford sounds - Queenstown - Franz Josef - napier - Abel Tasman - Napier - Blenheim - crossing - Wellington - Taupo - Auckland - Rotorua - Auckland - Paihia - Auckland - Heathrow. There are lots of reaons to my route, which i shalnt go into too much. I was traveling around by coaches, you'll find that most backpackers will use the likes of Kiwi experience, magic bus, contiki etc, however these are expensive to use and can be very restrictive as the routes are all pre defined. I managed to get a cheaper and better deal by using what is essentially the national express of NZ. It's called an intercity flexipass, you purchase it in hours (i had 60) you can top it up, and each time you book travel the time is deducted. You can book right upto two hours before the coach departs, and you can cancel two hours before and not be charged for the fare. It may however be worth getting yourself a car or a van if you'll be there in excess of 2 months. Accommodation Hostels are ridiculously cheap, good laugh and you meet loads of people Camping can be even cheaper, there are DOC (department of conservation) websites dotted all around NZ, however these tend to be outside of the main towns and i would not recommend using these unless you have a car. You also wont meet as many people camping, however if oyu are travleing in a group it probably wouldnt be much of an issue. Christcurch was shit boring, i had booked three nights in the hostel and only ended up spending 2. Unfortunately because of the devastation there, there isn't a great deal to do. There are a few cool things to look at, they've made a small shopping centre out of brightly coloured shipping containers, and the museum and botanical gardens are worth a look into, but i wouldn't spend too long here. Geraldine was the most tranquil place i have ever been to, the whole place moves at about 2mph, i only ended up here because it was where the rafting place operated from. Not much going on, one night was enough but wouldnt be a shame if you missed this. Mt Cook, i stayed in the DOC campsite there, unfortunately it rained horrendously, which ended up in a stargazing trip i had booked being cancelled. One night would be enough to look around the very good and interesting visitor centre. There are a few walks you can do also. QT - literally the best place in the world. be SURE to hit up the DH trails. I could have spent a week just riding them, such and awesome set of trails assisted by a wonderful gondola system. Nightlife there is really good, and for christ sake if there is one thing you do in NZ - GET A FURGBURGER. The Nevis bungee is also here, do it! Milford sounds - there is one restaurant hotel, a hostel, a ferry terminal and a few residents. That is it. It's a beautiful place to see, and most people tend to do so on a day trip, usually heading out from QT which involves a coach ride into milford, a boat ride around the sounds, and the the drive back. This is nice however i don't think it's the best way to see the place. I ended up staying at the hostel overnight and waking up very early (around 5am?) to go for a kayak tour. No one else was around, it was peaceful just to be out with 6 others and have nothing but the nature around. I'll write some more up tomorrow. Goodnight.

TM1 TM2 Courtesy of a Mr Jonny Jones, some of the best work i've ever seen!

I think it was called TM1, Johnny.... someone filmed and editied it, and then i think he done TM2 and then there was the big 'our summer' dvd release which i managed to bag a copy of. If anyone has a link or copy of TM (trials media) 1 or 2 i'd be very grateful!

haha, it's not to say it's the wrong way to do it, i just think it's far more difficult and doesn't really provide a good connection.

Also his method of soldering is terrible. For tabs like that i have always found it easier to place solder on the tab first. Once this has set, you can then prepare your wire length for conneciton. Heat the solder up and place the wire on the tab (not through the hole). This will ensure a good connection. You should never rely on solder connection for mechanical strength, the importance is in making a good connection to the tab. Also if you are able to 'tin' the wire with a tiny amount of solder first, you will find it much easier to make the connection. I'm not sure if he done it or not, i couldn't bare to watch til the end, but the two tabs that are at the opposite end of the jack, are there to be folded over and lightly pressed down on the external insulator. It is this that is used to provide the mechanical integrity of the jack plug. Of course this is never going to be as good as the factory sealed jack that the headphones came with, but it will ensure that your solder joints last longer / are not put under stress.

It covers it in that video, but just be sure to remove the enamel from the cores! Not only will you find it impossible to solder the joint, but the enamel will insulate the signal and not allow it to get through to the transducers. The bare copper will be the earth/common, and the blue and green enamelled copper will be left and right sound channel. You can identify the correct polarity by looking at the pinout of your old jack and measuring with an ohm meter. Generally speaking on a 3.5mm jack the connector at the furthest point (the tip) will be the left audio, and then the next connector down (after the black insulation) will be the right. The final conductor will be the ground, or return, which is common to both the LHS and RHS signal - hence why common is sometimes used instead of 'ground' in DC networks.

The equation is mathematically incorrect, and therefore has no solution. Simple.

it's pretty gay. but that's just my opinion. or fact.

After the first initial acceleration - where he reached 800-odd he will only decelerate, and his velocity will begin to reduce as he enters 'thicker' atmosphere. He could have carried on for longer as he was decelerating. This could have been aided by his body shape.

http://www.club100.co.uk/calendar_complete.htm

Best looking out for hire kart championships/events at your local place and getting to meet a few of the regulars, then see what sort of championships happen around your way. Wouldn't jump into buying a kart straight away. I work down at Buckmore Park myself.

I hope it eats you. Lions shouldn't be allowed to be kept as pets.

Sorry i've not explaned it very well. The song in the video Bononbo - Flutter, was a backing track for a song that i'm trying to find.

This was the backing track for a UK Hip Hop kinda song, i'm sure it featured on a few videos about 5 years ago now - wow time flies - Think it might have been Phi Life Cypher, but can't seem to find it...

If the website domain didn't actually have trials in - i'd forget why i ever came on here in the first place. I rarely venture outside the comforting walls of chit-chat, and although i'm not as active as many of you, it's nice to feel part of a unique community. Thanks TF