New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[hayleyearth]

On 5/21/2024 at 11:54 AM, patham said:

Sure I can't tempt you? I'm not Mr Active, but there are a few other Brisbane based old Hubbers who do a lot more than me. Winters here are great (minimums around 10 on average), and max of 24, so good for long rides, etc. Rainy season is typically in the summer, with just the odd cold front with some rain in June or so. Rain in summer is typically very warm, so at least if you get caught out you are just wet, not cold and wet which is a lot more miserable.

February is normally terrible - hot & humid. Can't even beat the heat by going out at dawn, as it can be 24 degrees and 100% humidity at first light. Heatstroke material if you exert yourself too much as your body can't cool by sweating anymore, I think a lot of the active folk then take up paddle boarding, kayaking etc, so they can be out on the water where you don't feel it as much. The sea near Brissie is sheltered by some big islands, so not much waves. Hence no sand beaches or surfing close by, but good for the paddle boarders etc.

I am by the Mt Cootha forests, so good MTB trails, running trails - and if you have one, horse trails. Used to see loads of horses when I arrived in 2013, now they seem extinct. Which is not a bad thing, as horses and MTB's need a lot of space to pass each other - they are big creatures when you're on a bike.

 

 

How is windsurfing in brisbane?

[Lifer]

On 5/20/2024 at 2:00 PM, hayleyearth said:

It could be me writing this post! 

I feel the same and been thinking this so much lately. 

 

I want to show my kids how much I use to love it, but it's so damn hard.

Yeah, likewise, also been wandering about this. 

For me, I think it is a mix of:

• Move and resettling taking up time and diverting it elsewhere - new jobs, kids settling, meeting people, looking for houses, new friends with different hobbies etc.
• Distance to get to trail - I was spoilt living in Stellenbosch before leaving. I could jump onto world class trails for a lunch ride if WFH, or last minute just pop out to Jonkers from my garage with options of any length desirable. Now it's an hour in any direction to anything interesting (but there are options). We are currently looking at different areas to live, and closer to trails is a consideration for me, but put off by perceived lack of schools that would suit our kids. Last yr the weather lottery also mean't a drive + chance of mud fest meant even less inclination to go.
• Cycling buddies - As above, new friends have other hobbies. If I had some people nearby that were keen with the option of jumping into the car at short notice to go for a good session, then I recon I'd be more keen then driving alone for an hour to ride for a few and an hour back. Better still if the families gelled. My cycling buddy in STB before leaving's partner was friends with mine and kids similar ages, so a morning technical 50k was often followed by a family braai in the afternoon. 

None of the above is insurmountable, so I'm still hopeful to put the new bike I got just before leaving SA to decent use at some point...

Edited May 25, 2024 by Lifer

[hayleyearth]

5 hours ago, Lifer said:

Yeah, likewise, also been wandering about this. 

For me, I think it is a mix of:

• Move and resettling taking up time and diverting it elsewhere - new jobs, kids settling, meeting people, looking for houses, new friends with different hobbies etc.
• Distance to get to trail - I was spoilt living in Stellenbosch before leaving. I could jump onto world class trails for a lunch ride if WFH, or last minute just pop out to Jonkers from my garage with options of any length desirable. Now it's an hour in any direction to anything interesting (but there are options). We are currently looking at different areas to live, and closer to trails is a consideration for me, but put off by perceived lack of schools that would suit our kids. Last yr the weather lottery also mean't a drive + chance of mud fest meant even less inclination to go.
• Cycling buddies - As above, new friends have other hobbies. If I had some people nearby that were keen with the option of jumping into the car at short notice to go for a good session, then I recon I'd be more keen then driving alone for an hour to ride for a few and an hour back. Better still if the families gelled. My cycling buddy in STB before leaving's partner was friends with mine and kids similar ages, so a morning technical 50k was often followed by a family braai in the afternoon. 

None of the above is insurmountable, so I'm still hopeful to put the new bike I got just before leaving SA to decent use at some point...

How old are your kids?

[Lifer]

4 hours ago, hayleyearth said:

How old are your kids?

8&6

[Wayne Potgieter]

It's been a while since I hooned it around Woodhill.

Managed to get my 14-year-old son to spend the morning there yesterday. Had a whopper of a good time. We spent a stupid amount of time jumping the bikes at "chicken run" and just generally having a laugh.

I need to do this more often.

Yes, I went on my gravel bike. I think I might need to look for a second hand dual sus.

Edited May 26, 2024 by Wayne Potgieter

[hayleyearth]

New bike day in our house yesterday, my daughter turns 6 next month!! And she has now outgrown her little Prevelo completely. She also needed gears and now I am looking forward going proper MTBing with her! Here is her bicycle development since she was 2 years old..

 

 

[patham]

On 5/24/2024 at 4:48 PM, hayleyearth said:

How is windsurfing in brisbane?

Windsurfing- are you stuck in a time warp from the 90’s, that fad must be about 2 or 3 behind the times😉

 

I think there is some element of wind surfing in Brisbane proper, but probably not the advanced stuff you saw in the old cigarette ads, the barrier islands protect the bay from high winds and seas.

The current cool kids are kite surfing at Noosa-  a 2 hour drive north from Brisbane, combination of both sheltered and exposed waters, and more people to impress being a holiday hotspot.

 

[patches]

On 5/24/2024 at 6:48 PM, hayleyearth said:

How is windsurfing in brisbane?

 

On 5/31/2024 at 4:32 PM, patham said:

Windsurfing- are you stuck in a time warp from the 90’s, that fad must be about 2 or 3 behind the times😉

....

 

Maybe she means sokkie dancing?

Is there an underground sokkie scene in Brizzie? 😅

[patham]

13 hours ago, patches said:

 

Maybe she means sokkie dancing?

Is there an underground sokkie scene in Brizzie? 😅

Luckily my rooinek status means I have never been sent an invite to one of those. 
 

But then again, the first rule of Sokkie Club is that we never talk about Sokkie Club!

[hayleyearth]

Already 2 weekends ago , but Layla loved the trails at Woodhill. She's not strong enough yet to pedal the little uphills on the trails, but that will come.

 

....Hugo still doesn't want to know anything about bing on his own bicycle 😢

[Wayne Potgieter]

On 6/21/2024 at 8:02 AM, hayleyearth said:

Already 2 weekends ago , but Layla loved the trails at Woodhill. She's not strong enough yet to pedal the little uphills on the trails, but that will come.

 

....Hugo still doesn't want to know anything about bing on his own bicycle 😢

This is awesome!!!

[patches]

Dammit, I need to get out and about on the bike!

The other day I was shuffling things around in the garage and had to move the MTB's and dirt bike out. The levels of dust and cobwebs on them is unacceptable!

[Wayne Potgieter]

Anyone wanna buy a tesla model Y?

[patches]

3 hours ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

Anyone wanna buy a tesla model Y?

Wait, what happened to the Carnival? Or is the Model Y in addition to that?

[Wayne Potgieter]

19 minutes ago, patches said:

Wait, what happened to the Carnival? Or is the Model Y in addition to that?

LOL - I change cars often.

The carnival was bought purely as a temp measure when my Mother in Law and Father in law were visiting. We just needed a larger vehicle for that and I did not want to pay for car hire. At the time, there was a waiting list for Carnivals, so I ended up buying one and selling it with a total loss of $1,000 across the 3 months. Given that hiring a van would have cost me around $4k for the month that the inlaws were here, that was a pretty sweet move.

 

I replaced the Carnival with a new Tesla Model Y. I love this car. It is amazing. I have had it for 16 months. Unfortunatley, I need a 7 seater. My Brother In law and his son have moved here and we frequently need to move the nephew around and my kids are simply too big to squash together.

 

So I am in the market for a 7 seater SUV again and will sell the Tesla.

[patham]

5 hours ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

LOL - I change cars often.

The carnival was bought purely as a temp measure when my Mother in Law and Father in law were visiting. We just needed a larger vehicle for that and I did not want to pay for car hire. At the time, there was a waiting list for Carnivals, so I ended up buying one and selling it with a total loss of $1,000 across the 3 months. Given that hiring a van would have cost me around $4k for the month that the inlaws were here, that was a pretty sweet move.

 

I replaced the Carnival with a new Tesla Model Y. I love this car. It is amazing. I have had it for 16 months. Unfortunatley, I need a 7 seater. My Brother In law and his son have moved here and we frequently need to move the nephew around and my kids are simply too big to squash together.

 

So I am in the market for a 7 seater SUV again and will sell the Tesla.

Hopefully you don’t lose too much on the Y. The depreciation in Aus on the Tesla’s is pretty high over the last few months given the large price cuts in the new ones.