RobiNZ Personal Blog

eTrex Legend Colour

Garmin have updated the Legend to include a colour screen. I've got a Legend (Mono) and will be interested to see what difference the new screen makes. The promise of a longer battery life is interesting and the increased memory (from 8mb to 24mb) is a useful improvement. Garmin: eTrex Legend C Outdoor enthusiasts will love the latest improvements made to the eTrex Legend C: 256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details and see where you’re going Automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones, and icon-driven menus for finding points of interest (when combined... Read more →

NZ GPS Maps

Brent's New Zealand Street Maps for Garmin GPS are now available via his new site. I use them with my Garmin Legend and Mapsource software but they also come with a DOS loader if you don’t have Mapsource. Until Brent made these available Garmin Worldmap was the only up-loadable mapping for Garmin GPS in NZ. Compare the level of detail in the screenshot from Worldmap with Brent’s Street Map (Version 3). The street data is based on the LINZ database and with the assistance of partners at Where Are We Brent is also adding extra Points of Interest and other... Read more →

Waitakere Scenic Loop Ride

This is one of my usual weekend rides. It's a 46km loop (full route follows) that combines a mix of hill and flat roads, suburban and rural riding. There are some good climbs (400m) but the payoff is some fast descents. It follows the Scenic Drive which is scenic (duh) but has some narrow twisty sections that mean you have to be very aware of traffic. For the most part I've had no trouble but try and get round the blind corners as fast as possible. This is the first look I've had with the new Tumonz Height tool to... Read more →

In love with GPS?

I really like "my little Legend" and would be lost without it but love.... i dunno! I Am In Love With My GPS Tracking Gal Read more →

Tumonz Mapping & Cycle Touring

As an example of how TUMONZ can help with planning or recording cycle tours I have mapped a ride I did on both trips with Adventure South. This is "The Crown Range Road", the highest main road in New Zealand. Its a challenging climb that includes a steep "zigzag" thats fun going either up or down! I did this in the 2003 Milford Wilderness trip (Cadrona to Arrowtown)and the other way (Arrowtown to Cadrona) on the first day of the 2004 West Coast Escape. To map in TUMONZ I selected the start & finish point and it found the route.... Read more →

GPS NZ Mapping

Own a Garmin GPS? For a fantastic New Zealand road map suitable for Garmin units look at NZ GPS Maps Website Thanks to some wonderful work by Brent this is a great resource for NZ land based GPS use. I took my Etrex Legend for a 5500 km drive and about 300km cycle around the South Island using this map extensively. Even the most remote roads were accurate. I didn't even get lost in Christchurch! Read more →