Engineer by trade. Explorer by compulsion.
Kia ora — I'm Rob Couper, a mechanical engineer who designs things by day and chases mountains, rivers and far-flung airstrips whenever the chance appears. This is a record of the projects, the theory, and the adventures.
About me
From Whangārei to the world, via a workshop
Raised in Hamilton with an itch for how things work (and moderate adventure), I moved to Christchurch for my mechanical engineering degree and never really left. I started off at Izon Science designing scientific instruments, took two years off to be a professional ski bum, and now I'm working at the Christchurch Engine Centre, getting ready to overhaul Airbus A320neo engines — the PW1100G-JM Geared Turbofan (GTF). When I'm not at work I keep busy in other ways — building side projects with Te Atawhai and volunteering on ski patrol in between.
Always open to new opportunities, always looking for the next thing worth learning.
What now?
Back home, building things
Back in New Zealand and now working at the Christchurch Engine Centre, spending weekends on skis with friends and evenings on home projects with Te Atawhai. This site is partly a public portfolio, mostly a personal logbook — a place to reflect on what's been built, learnt and explored.
Latest from the workshop & the road
Featured
Projects, engineering write-ups and trip reports — all driven from simple Markdown files.
Home NAS Build
TrueNAS + Tailscale: centralised storage, media hosting and a platform for everything else.
Papua New Guinea, November 2019
Eleven days in the Highlands repairing a village water supply system in Koinambe.
Fiji, June 2025
The most relaxing layover ever!
Japan Mart, February 2026
10 days of skiing and exploring Japan with Te Atawhai and Seth Hewie.