Darn. Sounds like I shoulda been there. I've had my son fly me in the
front seat of a helicopter over Niagara Falls so been there, done that.
But I think I'd skip the 60 mph boat ride in 6" of water. Sounds too
exciting for me. :-)
Chuck Norcutt
On 2/16/2011 6:39 AM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> I'm back. 6 aircraft in 72 hours - I'm knackered. The Japanese have
> this habit of cramming everything in -regardless of cost.
>
> Tuesday -Sleep deprived. Breakfast, New model launch seminar (paying
> the rent). 12noon - up to the Gondola Restaurant (by small cable car)
> on the escarpment. Queenstown is on the side of a huge lake in a
> glacial valley - Lake Unpronounceable is about 80km long and up to
> 5km wide between massive cliffs. Buffet lunch and photograph the hang
> gliders buzzing the restaurant. Then picked up by helicopter from the
> pad next to the restaurant (6 passenger Squirrel I think) and into
> the mountains. This was a severe challenge to my deep agnosticism.
> Massive ridges and deep valleys, small glaciers and blue mountain
> lakes. And every helo pilot in NZ worked on the Lord of the Rings of
> course and flies like it - this is where they shot lots of it. My
> first helicopter experience, I got the front seat. I don't think I'll
> bother again as it couldn't get better. Two stops ( one ridge, one
> lake, pix to follow). Third drop was to pick up the jet boats in the
> glacial river valleys. The rivers are typical wide and shallow
> glacial valley gravel rivers designed for huge spring flows.The
> drivers are aquatic hooligans who shouldn't be paid - they're having
> far too much fun. They're doing 40-60mph in six inches of water.
> Eeeek! Up river to a spectacular valley (on the Dart, Brian, up from
> Glenorchy) and then coach back to the hotel. At this point I managed
> to get together with Brian and Maggie for 45. First slow breath I
> took all day but I may have been babbling a bit by this stage. Beer
> helped calm me down. Finally coach out to a vineyard (winery) for a
> formal dinner complete with Maori dance troupe - Maori dances tend to
> involve threats to kill you, jump on the bloody remains and then eat
> the good bits.
>
> Now understand this - Brian lives in one of the most astonishing
> environments on the planet. It is more or less civilised (good food
> and beer), they speak English of a strangled sort and you look out of
> a hotel room each morning, over the lake, and choke. Go there. ASAP.
>
> The beer was Speight's Prestige Ale ( a heavy mellow style). Brian
> and his partner Maggie are absolutely charming people and it was a
> pleasure and a privilege to catch up with them. I'd have preferred to
> spend more time with them but it was the formal dinner of the tour,
> unfortunately. I left him with instructions to get out and about
> while the weather is good and get some pix of the place. I'll post in
> the next few days once i've had a chance to plough through several
> hundred files (yes, I took the E-P2 and Panny 8mm). Andrew Fildes
> afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
> On 16/02/2011, at 1:59 AM, Brian Swale wrote:
>
>> My fine lady Maggie and I went over to Queenstown and spent a very
>> pleasant 45? minutes with Andrew. Then he was whisked off to a
>> distant dinner venue. I'll just note here that he was blown away
>> by the landscape(s). I guess that since I have grown up with it all
>> around me I must have got blasé :-(
>>
>> Would have liked to spend more time with him; might have to go to
>> Melbourne :-)
>>
>> Ah yes, and he was quite taken by one of the local ales :-) I had a
>> pinot noir even though he was convinced that the climate in Central
>> Otago is too cold to produce a drinkable red wine. In the limited
>> time available I tried to convince him otherwise, but I'm not sure
>> I did.
>>
>> Brian Swale. --
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>>
>
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