I have been thinking through how best to organise trip bookings to facilitate the variability of the weather. This is especially critical over winter when there is a significant chance a particular day will not be suited for travel.
My thinking is to break things down into weeks and have a fixed number of groups for that week representing not more that 70% occupancy (maybe 50% for the first year). These groups are then encouraged to work together to coordinate Turks, transport and other issues. I can throw in the odd morsel of advice which might best be ignored.
Turk maintenance
There is a small list of maintenance issues that need addressing at the Turks. The helicopter lifting process has unsettled the doors so they are a bit tight or catch slightly. I am looking for two small teams, one each from Wanaka (Motatapu and Hyde Turks) and Queenstown (St Just, Vanguard, Deep Creek and Crown Basin) to keep an eye on such things. You need to be familiar with the setup and be happy carrying some tools in your back pack.
I have been working to install the ventilation system in the Turks. This is an involved job since it involves lifting the floor, drilling holes in the side of the Turks and installing ducting. The idea is to blow warm air from the solar collector into the gravel below the floor.
The system is currently partially installed at Saint Just and Vanguard Turks. The controller units are not wired in yet so the fans are wired directly to the solar panels. When the sun goes down the fan stops but it can be a little annoying during the day. The final design has 4 temperature sensors (room, under floor, solar collector and outside), a quiet mode and will make optimised decisions about when and where to move air.
Meetings and financial year
The club’s financial year ends on 31 March so we will have the finalised accounts of what the project costs were and my report of how it all went (both of which are very good). The committee’s thinking is to have a meeting to present the results and plan the coming winter in mid May which will also serve as the AGM.
I’m also planning to organise a meeting in Wanaka since there are a lot people involved and interest from there. I’m open to presenting in other centres (Dunedin, Invercargill, Christchurch etc.) if people want to invite me. |