Daily Archives: May 28, 2010

Nelson please lift your sleeve up because…

I need to check your temperature. Couple of charts to show the temperature in Nelson.

Heaps more where this came from

Back to the main topic in the headline here…….the above chart explains, by way of housing prices how popular we are, whilst the below chart shows our temperature, according to data from ASB.

Click on graphic for the full size image

And if its climate temperature you’re after NIWA has just said that we can expect milder temperatures for what started yesterday…….well yesterday was the first day of 2010 that snow has fallen on the western ranges.

She left us 5 days before she was meant too

May 28th, 2010

That was the good news that the owners of the Interislander ferry “Arahura” were greeted with in the last few days.

You’ll recall she arrived in Nelson back at the beginning of the month to much fanfare from local “tender winning” engineering and other associated ship maintenance companies/contractors.

It was after all, the first time that this vessel had graced our shores. If you check out Vessel-Tracker or in the case of the situational awareness program of my choice, …….marinetraffic.com, you’ll notice that her flag is no longer domiciled in Port Nelson….its more than likely its somewhere between Wellington and Picton.

According to the Nelson Mail, not only was all the work – involving reconditioning of one of the ships main engines, an overhaul of the main stern roll-on/roll-off door, plus ballast tank upgrades, along with some re-plating work involving the ships rail decks, completed on time…….the best news was saved til last.

Heading Back to where she belongs

She was sent on her way 5 days ahead of schedule.

Just goes to show though although some might think we are a relaxed holiday town, when the pedal comes down to the metal……..we can match it with the best in NZ. I’d be surprised if this is this isn’t the first major contract we pull away from the so called major cities.

Logs Logs Logs what is it about the Wood

May 28, 2010

See, I don’t actually know here if it’s those polished wood floors catching the low wintertime sun and filling one with “memories of a childhood” long since lost, or else actuating a synapse somewhere in a gen X’er that says hey I don’t know what that’s about….but it makes me feel “homely” …………that makes beautiful NZ natural wood so attractive.

Can't Unload them Quick Enough

To that end it seems that its not just Kiwis that are participating in this resurgence of the naturally grown vertically sustainable product…..…it seems that it’s our cousins up in South East Asia that are also just as excited.

Almost couldn't load them quick enough.....

As long as I have been posting, I’ve postulated why the heck don’t we do the processing of the raw product here and then ship finished goods offshore to make extra profit – let alone the extra employment that would naturally be created by the process thus. But no, like Brazil we’ll just keep exporting the raw product…………though up until recently we here in Nelson did have one of the worlds largest MDF plants. That plant was doing exactly what I suggested – adding value to wood and shipping it offshore, usually utilizing the back loading of car-carriers to Nelson. All that wood seemed to be going to one place – Japan. However I’ve been informed this year that China is opening a new similar type of plant/factory each month…..so the metrics don’t quite stack up the same now.

Empty Ship Arrives as Fully Loaded One is Ready to Deaprt

Well Statistics NZ report today that we’ve just been doing all too well at this task.

Lately if you lived in Nelson, you didn’t have to look far too see that expansion in the logging trade, there’s been quite an increase in job adds for more Log Truck drivers, and most of the transport companies have activated double shifts for their vehicles to keep up with the demand. Its interesting to see that the demand side of the equation has returned to certain parts of the world.