New Zealand part 2 - Mt Cook and Queenstown
Discussion
Following on from this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
(Apologies for mountain and lake overkill...bit hard to avoid such pics on South Island...)
Lake Tekapo
Convergence of two glaciers
Tasman Glacier
Mt Cook from Tasman Glacier
Lake Pukaki (and yes, it is that colour, and was that still!!!)
Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki
Finally, something different (
) - Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown
(Apologies for mountain and lake overkill...bit hard to avoid such pics on South Island...)
Lake Tekapo
Convergence of two glaciers
Tasman Glacier
Mt Cook from Tasman Glacier
Lake Pukaki (and yes, it is that colour, and was that still!!!)
Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki
Finally, something different (
) - Lake Wakatipu from QueenstownThe funny thing about NZ is that people can go there totally independently and yet will come back with some photos almost exactly the same - I also have Queenstown from the skyline but I was standing a bit further forwards. I just looked at Queenstown on Google Earth and there's a Panoramio photo taken from the same balcony of the same guesthouse, but a few feet to the right!
Would it happen if you sent a few Kiwis to the UK with cameras? For any reading, if you'd never been here before, what places would you choose to visit?
Would it happen if you sent a few Kiwis to the UK with cameras? For any reading, if you'd never been here before, what places would you choose to visit?
Edited by Simpo Two on Sunday 17th May 23:16
Tricky, I'm guessing ...
London landmarks - the tower, tower bridge, palace, Westminster Abey
Stonehenge
Somewhere (accessible) lake district
Hadrian's wall
a.n. other castle not sure which would top the list, Edinburgh?
Prehaps Snowdon?
Not sure the UK has anywhere near such a well developed tourist route A/ tiki tour as NZ does.
Theres plenty of route B-Z's if you know where to look but doing a 2 or 3 week tiki tour you have to try hard to leave the beaten path.
London landmarks - the tower, tower bridge, palace, Westminster Abey
Stonehenge
Somewhere (accessible) lake district
Hadrian's wall
a.n. other castle not sure which would top the list, Edinburgh?
Prehaps Snowdon?
Not sure the UK has anywhere near such a well developed tourist route A/ tiki tour as NZ does.
Theres plenty of route B-Z's if you know where to look but doing a 2 or 3 week tiki tour you have to try hard to leave the beaten path.
RobDickinson said:
London landmarks - the tower, tower bridge, palace, Westminster Abey
Stonehenge
Somewhere (accessible) lake district
Hadrian's wall
a.n. other castle not sure which would top the list, Edinburgh?
Prehaps Snowdon?
Interesting, thanks Rob. As GB loses its identity and all we can think of is speed cameras and Gordon Brown, it's good to know that our cousins are still interested in bits of it Stonehenge
Somewhere (accessible) lake district
Hadrian's wall
a.n. other castle not sure which would top the list, Edinburgh?
Prehaps Snowdon?
RobDickinson said:
Not sure the UK has anywhere near such a well developed tourist route A/ tiki tour as NZ does. Theres plenty of route B-Z's if you know where to look but doing a 2 or 3 week tiki tour you have to try hard to leave the beaten path.
That's the answer of course - to the first timer on his 3-4 week tour NZ (thinking of South Island here) is pretty much a loop which you either do clockwise or anticlockwise. The part I liked best was the Bay of Islands, probably because it's the most different from here, and because it was also where the trip began.We hope you make it over Rob, and will be fascinated to see what you pick out.
bigburd said:
Hope you are keeping to the 100kph speed limit!
Well, now I actually got this nice little certificate from one officer saying I managed to do 130kph*!!! Had to pay a lot for it though (~200NZD), so I think I should probably frame it and look after it if it's valuable! (Approach to Manapouri - dry daylight conditions on a downhill stretch of a dead-straight road with NO other cars (except a copper under a tree 1/2-mile away!) and no junctions visible. Utter joke...but then aren't they always...)
Simpo - true, it is difficult NOT to play tourist, particularly if you want to see/experience the best stuff in limited time. I'll see if I've anything 'different' to show you in the final batch...
havoc said:
bigburd said:
Hope you are keeping to the 100kph speed limit!
Well, now I actually got this nice little certificate from one officer saying I managed to do 130kph*!!! Had to pay a lot for it though (~200NZD), so I think I should probably frame it and look after it if it's valuable! (Approach to Manapouri - dry daylight conditions on a downhill stretch of a dead-straight road with NO other cars (except a copper under a tree 1/2-mile away!) and no junctions visible. Utter joke...but then aren't they always...)
Simpo - true, it is difficult NOT to play tourist, particularly if you want to see/experience the best stuff in limited time. I'll see if I've anything 'different' to show you in the final batch...
reminds me I still need to frame my "Jay Walking" certificate from Melbourne
Edited by bigburd on Monday 18th May 21:10
Simpo Two said:
We hope you make it over Rob, and will be fascinated to see what you pick out.
I'm a Pom, but moved to NZ 4 years ago, I've seen a fair old chunk of the UK...F1sh said:
Seeing all that snow makes me wanna go snowboarding. 
Yeah me too, 2 weeks to go untill the start of the season! Mt Cook Ski Planes Done that twice now, will do it again.
I'll be much, much more careful in future
Done that twice now, will do it again.havoc said:
Well, now I actually got this nice little certificate from one officer saying I managed to do 130kph*!!!
My first one was for 150 (down the west coast), the second for 65 (in a 50, slowing down from 100).I'll be much, much more careful in future
Edited by cottonfoo on Monday 18th May 23:33
cottonfoo said:
I'll be much, much more careful in future
Which is the silly thing - I'll bet on neither occasion was there any real risk. Certainly in my case I felt I was going slowly, and there was zero risk. Of course, Madam Copper didn't see it that way...wonder if they're on commission or PRP down there?!?
havoc said:
Which is the silly thing - I'll bet on neither occasion was there any real risk. Certainly in my case I felt I was going slowly, and there was zero risk. Of course, Madam Copper didn't see it that way...wonder if they're on commission or PRP down there?!?
None except perhaps to myself had I had a blowout maybe, it was huge fields either side of a long, straight and completely empty road.However, it's their law, I knew the speed limit, I broke the limit and got caught (I did wonder why there was an old white Holden estate "rusting" at the side of the road as I cruised past ...) so, I shrugged my shoulders and paid the £70-odd.
Been four times, been sent letters to the UK twice, a 50% success rate
How long were you there for all in, and did you stay at the Hermitage while in Mt Cook?
About two weeks in NZ, with 5 days in the Cook Is. in the middle (awesome place...well, Aitutaki certainly). Will go back to NZ to see more at some point...really liked the country and the people...although less keen on the road laws! Place has some AWESOME driving roads (Coromandel peninsula - the first time I've EVER had enough of corners!!!) and little traffic!
Mt Cook - nah, drove through, overnighted in Wanaka (which is a nice and perhaps slightly-overlooked place, and where we had one of the best meals of the holiday). Hell of a drive that day - Christchurch to Mt Cook, flight up-and-onto the glacier, then back to Salmon Farm. Then on to Wanaka across that pass (Haast? Great road even in a rental Focus, and it was still just about in daylight). Did well over 300km's I think.
Place has some AWESOME driving roads (Coromandel peninsula - the first time I've EVER had enough of corners!!!) and little traffic!Mt Cook - nah, drove through, overnighted in Wanaka (which is a nice and perhaps slightly-overlooked place, and where we had one of the best meals of the holiday). Hell of a drive that day - Christchurch to Mt Cook, flight up-and-onto the glacier, then back to Salmon Farm. Then on to Wanaka across that pass (Haast? Great road even in a rental Focus, and it was still just about in daylight). Did well over 300km's I think.
havoc said:
About two weeks in NZ, with 5 days in the Cook Is. in the middle (awesome place...well, Aitutaki certainly). Will go back to NZ to see more at some point...really liked the country and the people...although less keen on the road laws! Place has some AWESOME driving roads (Coromandel peninsula - the first time I've EVER had enough of corners!!!) and little traffic!
Coromandel is great but it does get tiring. Did you get stuck at the bridge? We were lucky, 25 minute wait only. A family member has a house in Pauanui, we spent new year there. Place has some AWESOME driving roads (Coromandel peninsula - the first time I've EVER had enough of corners!!!) and little traffic!havoc said:
Mt Cook - nah, drove through, overnighted in Wanaka (which is a nice and perhaps slightly-overlooked place, and where we had one of the best meals of the holiday). Hell of a drive that day - Christchurch to Mt Cook, flight up-and-onto the glacier, then back to Salmon Farm. Then on to Wanaka across that pass (Haast? Great road even in a rental Focus, and it was still just about in daylight). Did well over 300km's I think.
Haast Pass Highway is a great drive but I think you missed the best part, from Haast down to Wanaka. I recommend the Hokitika to Wanaka drive (potential speeding ticket central). We did Hoki to Queenstown which took 10 hours due to photo stops Wanaka is one of my favourite places so I left it until near the end of the holiday. We also did Stewart Island (and White Island in the north) this time. Where did you eat in Wanaka, White House by any chance?I have not long finished uploading some of the 5200 pics I took in January, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cottonfoo/, there are some from all four trips there (somewhere).
You were bloody lucky to see Lake Pukaki so still, I'm jealous
cottonfoo said:
Wanaka is one of my favourite places so I left it until near the end of the holiday. Where did you eat in Wanaka, White House by any chance?
You were bloody lucky to see Lake Pukaki so still, I'm jealous
It may have been Hokitika, can't remember - whatever the road is from Mt Cook directly to Wanaka - quick-but-twisty through some big hills (as opposed to proper mountains), very nice drive. Unfortunately didn't do any of the west coast (well, Doubtful probably doesn't count), but good excuse to go back (that and Abel Tasman).You were bloody lucky to see Lake Pukaki so still, I'm jealous
Pukaki - cheers...and yes, I thought we might have been...the weather co-operated pretty-much everywhere except Taupo/Tongariro (which was a near-total washout with ultra-low cloud...how can you completely fail to see three big volcanoes FFS???).
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