Frankie Lawrence

Hey if anyone is traveling in nz and wants some work in one of the best spots of the country then give us a shout. Working forf the best firm in town some good kit, good work and a good boss!

Only people who are actually in town or defiantly going to be need apply send us a pm.

start at the top and work your way down and round like peelng an orange is the way I was taught... so you can drop the stuff through the crown if you cant get it out of the tree easily this way you can get all the hangers out on the way around and you havent spent ages getting a nice growth point only to smash it off with the top of the tree... try having a look from the top of the tree before you get down usual gives you a good idea give the groundy a shout to check if unsure.. one day itll just click i know it did with me just need practice

You can get them cross credited via the NZQA I believe. That's how I did mine. Shouldn't be $1500 though.

Do you remember how much and the process of it? i only really have nptc tickets and nvq apprentership... im a bit confused weather to count any certs towards my points system as with them i get the magic number to get auto picked out and without them im not... why is it that they are world recognised certs except in nz??

Not sure if it's changed recently but I believe you can keep pumping out work visas for as long as you have a sponsor and suitable NZ staff can't be found. I believe you can also look at getting a three year work visa in the first instance but that also might have changed. Been a long time since I worked on visas but worth checking out with immigration.

Has anyone else had issues getting there nptcs recognised here?im considering going for residency.. to get my visa I had to prove my work experience and advertise the job etc as my qualifications where not recognised? Also a guy i knew who went through his residency couldnt get his qualifications recognised so had to get points otherways... i know you can get them tested but been quoted around 1500 bucks...

I think if your attached to tree and standing in the basket and the platform falls its going to increase injury.

Ive been in a platform when it toppled and think I could probably have broke a back/neck anything else or been cut in half by the basket if I was anchored to something else. luckily walked away with nothing but a grazed ass.. Sure I know I was lucky but Id take that chance anyday than being anchored to something.

In 20 years I've not had a tree I've climbed fail on me and if I can get the price of a MEWP on the job I put it in my pocket as profit

:thumbup:

Touch wood I'ive never had a tree fail on me but I've had a mewp fail and only just managed to walk away....

If that was near me I'd do it for pretty much nothing (I only do jobs for my own consumption anyway). Reason being that there is unlimited space (easy to remove fence and avoid cable) and disposal isn't going to be a problem.

 

Take the stock fence out, shoo the ewes away, fell, dismantle, put fence back, burn waste on site.

 

If it was me I'd negotiate a percentage of the wood for myself.

 

I know not particularly helpful to a pro pricing a job with overheads etc but if the customer has that field then they have the upper hand.... they've got room to deal with it how they like.... if you price it at £500 then they bung the farmer £100 to smash it down with a back hoe

 

It's crap I know but that just looks to me like a fairly non specialised job which means he can risk cheaper labour...

 

Alex

I almost thought that post was a joke because it really sounds like it...

we may aswell just all stop doing what we do to earn a crust and do what you do and do it for the wood. After all its a non specialised job and when someone like yourself who is obviously as trained and experience and has the same insurnace premiums as all the other competitiors going for this job it make it a really level playing field doesnt it?

As usual for you it doesnt particually effect you much because you get your firewood ( which, for the time you spend doing all the leg work, probably breaking a fence, taking down a power line your better of getting some split logs of a firewood seller.

Can't belive some folk are saying a whole day for that! I reckon it is half a days work sounds like they want it cheap so make small brash piles where ever it lies id imagine it's mostly cut and chuck so not much cutting for groundie... chuck the wood in a pile rung up and get the cash.

Good vid, very professional. I particularly enjoyed seeing the place without the lack of the trademark fragrance of "smellyrua"

haha yeah it abserloutely stinks there! Really put me off it actually the surounding areas are amazing though and the redwood place is really cool!

nice vid!

Don't focus too much on dashing around like a stabbed rat. Keep steady, plan your work as you go, and watch other climbers. If you keep it up one day you'll be slick and efficient and you won't have even noticed the transition.

 

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

This!

I used to really want to become fast and was told I needed to be quicker... A few times I almost stopped climbing altogether because I thought I just wasn't cut out for it... Then after going for another job climbing almost seem to fit into place... My main problem I think was I rushed everything to try and become quicker and get in a tizz because It just didn't go to plan... I got thrown into the deep end being the only climber for a firm and made quite a lot of mistakes but I learnt a hell of a lot now without ever really thinking about it I have become a quick and component climber...

Most other things have been covered about learnin off other and what they do and planning your routes etc

Thanks for the replies re insurance. A lot of websites said that medical insurance was mandatory on a working holiday visa, but I assume then that that rule does not apply to those travelling from the UK?

 

http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz/articles/new-zealand-travel-insurance.php

As Drew said it doesn't matter you'll be covered in nz... Not sure I've meet anyone who had travel insurance here....

Haha German isn't widely spoken here at all but seem plenty of German backpackers, specially in qtown! We seemed to attract German backpackers while travelling round the South Island... Tree stuff is real exspencive here and the wages are average you'll be earning similar to the uk if you work it out like that but in my experience so far it's a much more chilled out working enviourment...

Enjoy whatever!

It's a great country, (althou gettin dearer the last time i was out)

 

 

 

I would check with customs/DOC out there i would imagine not very keen on u taking any climbing gear out unless severely disenfected etc and even then they probably not accept ropes/harnesses.

 

 

 

Others on here might be able to give u more info but i would defo look into it first as very strict on bio-security, and rightly so.

 

Wish we were half as strict in this country might not have half the diseases now cuasing major problems

 

 

 

If i was younger would off immigrated loved it out there u'll have a ball.

Yea they are pretty strict on outside kit but aslong as it's clean there fine.

Work wise id say christchurch is your best bet in South Island due to population and Ammoubt of companies I'd also look at dunedin a bit more going on and a lot less of a sassauges fest and plenty of student girls knocking around!

Enjoy

In the past few months I've developed a pretty constant muscle pain in my back, I get pretty bad symptoms of white finger and seem to have mullered my knee... All of this at 20!

It looks alright from my house.....

Agreed. Main centres that would be reasonable accurate depending on the firm but further out in the sticks you might be looking that as top whack if you're lucky. Unfortunately, in some of the back waters were still seen as glorified lawn mowing contractors. Usual look of surprise followed by "how much?".

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Haha yeah know exactly what you mean!!!

I've always wanted a vw but the price at home really put me off getting one coupled with the notorious breaking down but one day I'll get one and get around Europe in one!

As for the momment I'm rocking this beast for my generally motor and travelling nz I have two friends getting here in March and were gonna do the whole country ( let's just hope it makes it!)

My grandparents actually meet in the line for the army.. My nan who was seeing an Irishman ( she's predominately English with an Irish parent) accidentally went in the quee for the welsh guards as opposed to an Irish regiment... My grandad obviously showed his charm and married her after the war and remained together for ever... He was very well respected in the welsh guards and while I've never meet him ( passed away) was real character! As was she when my mum asked what she'll give up for lent she said "sex" shed been widowed for 20 years and was 85!

Great video! We do a lot of Douglas firs and old man pines and poplars which can get Pretty boring some days I do miss a nice open beech or oak... I've done more eucs in the uk than I have here...

25 degrees, no cloud and no wind...

I would probably be interested if I was doing 200' gums in Oz.

Not worth it here.

To true! People may think it'll save time but I highly doubt it will... Train your groundie well enough and his first job is always to get the ladder of and to the first branch!

This is totally arse about over here in "good old blighty " ! The T540 saws used here are not " trial saw though " they are production run saws . We have a 201 and the T540 is bloody light years ahead of it .......

The saw we have is not a prototype or trial saw or anything you want to call it. It's a "production run" saw as you put it and should work as such just because it's not in " dear old blighty". I was a real crictic of a 201 so choose words as such carefully that I think it's better than the husky saw even on times when it is running well the balance of the thing is all off and it's not as easy and comfortable to use.

First time we left it with them. They didn't seem that interested in looking at it there and then for us but just kinda shrugged and said leave it with us.They sent it back to HO in Auckland as it was a trial saw being given a run through a couple of different outfits. That was about three months ago. Just got it back for the second shot. We asked what was wrong first time and the local place just said it was dodgy fuel. They wouldn't or couldn't expand any further. I hate to be picky but this is exactly why we choose Stihl over husky in NZ ( generally speaking). The service we get from the Stihl rep is top notch. Not so much from husky.

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Know what you mean about last bit!! We had a trial one Nd thought it was ok. We've now actually got one of our own and it's not great at the momment. We assumed I may just need a tune on the lappy toppy or something but the shop said it won't need tuning it's just dirty filters! So yep ours does similar to yours can be a pain to start splutters all the time etc. The 201 believe it or not comes out first compared to it!

I've sat on that beach!

It's pretty cool Stevie constantly busy at the momment even though the summers not great yet!

There are more firewood merchants guys who just do wood here than the uk I reckon but ranging with the professionalism there's a lot of guys who price tree work against us who do it Purely for the wood and they leave sites in some shocking states that generally we clear up or they don't have the knowledge to do the work and get us in!

Where abouts you travelling in nz?