Photos from an aborted hike. Streams were all swollen…
Author: Default User
Stroll around Puhinui Reserve
Short mid-day solo stroll around Puhinui Reserve. Solo in that I was the only human in the park for the majority of the time.
Visit to Gibbs Farm
Hiking markers
We did have an incident in the Hunua’s last weekend where a 2 hikers from our group got separated and supposedly went down a possum trapping track. Probably worth mentioning that in terms of the Auckland region at least. Most trails are marked with…
- An Orange plastic Triangle marker with the most pointy tip marking the direction of travel.
- Or an Pole (Orange or faded orange)
Please be aware, the Pink Triangles and ribbons are not the ones to follow (unless you are a trapper)
If one finds them off the track, in the bush, with no clear path direction and no orange markets, it would be wise advised to retrace your steps until you find Orange Makers.
Eden Park – Random
Random photos.
Lower Mangatawhiri Track
Moderate loop track around southern Hanua. Click picture below to view photos from the trip.
User Interface (UI) quirk
Trying to update my Skype Account using their Web Interface… Changed my primary Email address from my Gmail one to my “young.zone” Email address and received this Gem upon typing in my password and clicking “Enter”…
The line of thought that popped in my head “Of course, it’s invalid Email address because it isn’t a blooming Email address!!”
After much time spent prodding around, turns out it doesn’t like domain email addresses ending in “.zone”, But who would have known from the above dialog?
Too close to reality
The Original piece appeared to come from here http://www.math.psu.edu/tseng/progcycle.html
1. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free.
2. Product is tested. 20 bugs are found.
3. Programmer fixes 10 of the bugs and explains to the testing department that the other 10 aren’t really bugs.
4. Testing department finds that five of the fixes didn’t work and discovers 15 new bugs.
5. Repeat three times steps 3 and 4.
6. Due to marketing pressure and an extremely premature product announcement based on overly-optimistic programming schedule, the product is released.
7. Users find 137 new bugs.
8. Original programmer, having cashed his royalty check, is nowhere to be found.
9. Newly-assembled programming team fixes almost all of the 137 bugs, but introduce 456 new ones.
10. Original programmer sends underpaid testing department a postcard from Fiji. Entire testing department quits.
11. Company is bought in a hostile takeover by competitor using profits from their latest release, which had 783 bugs.
12. New CEO is brought in by board of directors. He hires a programmer to redo program from scratch.
13. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free.
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Bread and circuses I tell ya, bread and circuses I tells ya! Ye masses are addicted to Pokemon Go. More distraction and entertainment by the ruling classes to keep ye mindless numb skulls happy and away from the real and wider issues that ultimately affect us all.
Outdoor Training New Zealand – Navigation course
Outdoor New Zealand (OTNZ) Navigation Training (practical component)… https://nui.nz/2016/08/07/otnz-navigation-course/
Clevedon Scenic Reserve shots
Stroll around Clevedon Reserve, photos here… https://nui.nz/2016/08/07/clevedon-scenic/
Pukapuka Track
A little explore around Pukapuka Track (Hunua Ranges) https://nui.nz/2016/07/28/pukapuka-track-explore/
About
This is private household / personally operated website for our personal use. This site does not represent any organisation and was originally a Forum for family / friends to act as an alternative to using Facebook).
As always, any views expressed here are our own and (unless otherwise explicitly stated) we do not purport that any of our views to be factually correct and opinions on any given topic are most certainly subjected to change.
The intended audience of this blog is Family and friends and the content here should be regarded in the same vein as a series of personal public Facebook posts as opposed to a fully-fledged blog.
The posts are not thoroughly researched articles and are predominantly general public thoughts from ourselves as a private household / private individuals.
Active “Intent”
Active intention…
Apples and Oranges
This is a “living” Post (Meaning this post will keep changing as I investigate…)
Important: Please read the disclaimer before continuing to read this post
Take one asset class… Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) and then another… Direct Investment into Residential Real Estate.
It would appear that Commercial / Industrial REITs as a broad asset class has well and truly under performed against Direct Residential Real Estate investment in Auckland. But why, I’m not quite sure and hence why I am now investigating.
Points of difference I currently see (over direct residential investment)…
- Auckland Residential rental yields are low. (3% may be 4% Gross). REIT’s rental income are around 5-6% NET across a given REIT’s portfolio. (As a side point, other costs aside, Dividend yield is around 5-6%)
- REITs are already inherently leveraged to some degree (30-40%)
- Appears to be Less Work involvement with managing this. (Managers of REIT do must of dirty work and heavy lifting as it were, Less complicated Tax Returns to file at the end of the year).
- A minor advantage is perhaps the liquidity. You can exit your investment quickly.
In terms of say Goodman Property Trust (Ticker GMT on the NZX)(I use Goodman in this example because it is perhaps the REIT that I am most familiar with), There was fairly modest to significant declines in valuations from around 2009 to 2012 (where the Auckland residential market was already rocketing away). While flat Valuations persisted until around 2014 before the valuations very very started slowly turning around and then started taking off at a modest 8% for the 2015-2016 financial year. None of this sustained 20% year on year price increase as seen in the Auckland Residential Housing Market… Yet.
On the surface, it would appear to make some sense (for me) to invest in say the likes of Goodman Property rather than continuing to chase the Residential Property Market up, by buying another rental…
…But More to come I guess. (As I investigate further)
Disclosure: Current Investor in Goodman Property Trust (as well as other NZX listed REITs), Planning to add more.
Fonterra #431AM
A little promotional (“Gimmick”) photo for Fonterra’s #431AM theme taken at Fieldays at the Fonterra Tent, Richie is super imposed on the picture.
Fonterra Tent’s always been popular with the folks. (Prior years, they were giving out cups, fridge magnets, etc). Probably a little bit less this time, but they were certainty still giving out tons of free Yoghurts and product samples which are always appreciated by visitors to their tent.
New VW Speed Camera Vans
Short little note, appears that the NZ Police are changing over to using VW / Volkswagen Transporter vans as their speed camera vehicle of choice.
“The web we have to save” – Hossein Derakhshan
Scorchio
Air conditioning fails at work + Sealed space with no way to open the windows = Scorchio. 28°C
Believe it or not, I wasn’t the one who broke first, the Engineers Next door capitulated first (they had the hottest room at 29°C) and the Engineering Manager (Who was understandably was pretty enraged about the heat) hopped down to Bunnings and kindly bought the entire office some fans.
Pictured is the Software Development office from where I set at my desk…
