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Post by ellie on Oct 27, 2023 13:05:33 GMT
Just getting up to speed on your trip RP. Sounds like you’re having a fab time. Hard not to in NZ. Great pics too. Brings backs lots of memories for me. I want to go again!!! Meanwhile will have to make do with cheering NZ on in the Rugby World Cup final. I’ve (nearly) forgiven them for beating Ireland in the quarters. 😭
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Post by roverpup on Oct 27, 2023 15:33:18 GMT
Is this where they filmed The Power of the Dog? Pretty close to here, I think. That region, Otago, is just south of where we are. In a couple of days we should be there. It's next on our agenda after we leave the Franz Joseph area. When we end the tour we will be in Queenstown, which is the largest town in the Otago area (population about 30,000). The day before, we will be in the mountains nearby and stay overnight on a boat in "Fiordland" which is VERY isolated and unpopulated. It is an area of unparalleled beauty and very pristine forests. Should be very interesting!
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Post by ellie on Oct 27, 2023 16:08:10 GMT
Is this where they filmed The Power of the Dog? Pretty close to here, I think. That region, Otago, is just south of where we are. In a couple of days we should be there. It's next on our agenda after we leave the Franz Joseph area. When we end the tour we will be in Queenstown, which is the largest town in the Otago area (population about 30,000). The day before, we will be in the mountains nearby and stay overnight on a boat in "Fiordland" which is VERY isolated and unpopulated. It is an area of unparalleled beauty and very pristine forests. Should be very interesting! You’ll probably visit Milford Sound - the most famous bit of Fjord land. It’s gorgeous. .
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Post by roverpup on Oct 28, 2023 3:04:01 GMT
OCTOBER 28TH Saturday
Today started early with breakfast at 7 am and then we walked down to where we were meeting the helicopter people. After a short safety video we loaded up in the van (there were 5 of us) and we drove out to the owner's farm where the choppers were. This was a small family run business that operated 2 helicopters. We met our pilot and he helped us load into the chopper and put the headphones on so we could hear his commentary and instructions.
Dan and I have never been up in a helicopter and I was a bit nervous but once you were secure in the chopper, there was SO much excitement you didn't have time to be anxious!
Actually, with the headphones on and all the SPECTACULAR scenery, I found I was less anxious that being in a commercial jet!
We were soon in the mountains and gazing at the magnificent Fox and Franz Josef glaciers as well as the highest peak in NZ, Mount Cook! He flew all around tge ice fields and finally he set the helicopter down in a predetermined landing area, where we were allowed to get out and explore a bit and take pictures. Our driver as an expert in getting shots and it seemed like a long time before we had to get back in the chopper to fly back. In actuality we were only out about 10 minutes but it seemed longer!
The whole operation took about 35 to 40 minutes. The weather was absolutely PERFECT for flying and thr pilot told Dan that 3/4 of the time they has to cancel because of poor flying conditions!
The driver dropped us off at the centre where we had to check in for our morning boat ride. So we were very fortunate! We were originally scheduled for 3:30 and by the afternoon it was a lot more cloudyand there was a bit of a breeze kicking up.
I'm so glad we had the time changed!
After we got to the boat ride place we found out that Dan and I were the only two scheduled to ride on thT trip so we got a private tour!
Joe was our skipper and was extremely personable. We had a long relaxing boat ride around the lake and he had allsirts off fascinating facts to tell us about the lake. When that was done he took us on a quiet stroke in the rainforest. He was VERY patient with my pokiness. But as he explained, since we were the only two on the tour it gave us plenty of time to use.
He gave us a cup of tea and we headed back to the main building. We got back by noon.
Dan got a shower and then we had a relaxing lunch. After lunch we went to the Kiwi house and was that FUN!
We had already seen some Kiwis at the zoo but this time they were REALLY up close and the view was MUCH better! Just amazing! We're going to rest up for a bit and then go to dinner and have an early bedtime because we leave early tomorrow for "Fiordland"!
Talk to you later! ***************
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Post by roverpup on Oct 28, 2023 3:07:07 GMT
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Post by mllemass on Oct 28, 2023 3:56:11 GMT
What gorgeous pictures!
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Post by jbc12 on Oct 28, 2023 12:28:37 GMT
Loving how thorough your travel log is, RP! Great pictures as well.
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Post by roverpup on Oct 29, 2023 18:12:20 GMT
SUNDAY OCTOBER 29TH
Today was mainly a travel day but we did manage to see some VERY beautiful scenery along the way to Queenstown. We traelled further south in the South Island along the coast by the Tasmin Sea. We first had a stop and a mile hike to see a good view of the 3 highest peaks in New Zealand. It was pretty good but we had better views of it yesterday from the helicopter. And the hike was a bit arduous! A lot of it uphill and in a heavily treed area so you had to watch your footing for tree roots and rocks. Then it was baack on the bus and the next big stop was at a gorgeous waterfall called Thunder Falls. The water was sea glass colour (a green/blue colour) and the falls was very impressive! It was luckily just a short walk to the falls from the bus. We stopped for a short lunch (Dan and I ate a sandwich apiece and used the public toilets. The toilets were really modern and fully automatic - they talked to you and told you that you had to be done with your business in 10 minutes (they never said what would happen if you went over?!?) and een thanked you as you exited!
Then it was into the Crown range of mountains (they are the EXACT mountains used in The Power of the Dog movie!) located in the Otago region.
We stopped again in a mountain town that wwas VERY posh and the Americans on the trip all said it was exactly like Aspen. Dan and I got some delicious Gelato - I got lemon and Otago peach and Dan got Kiwifruit and Otago peach!
I also bought a new hat because I unfortuantely left my hat behind at the rainforest retreat when we had breakfast.
It's very nice and has a wide brim so it will be great out in the intense sunshine (but I still wish I hadn't forgot the other one!).
The other thing is I have caught a really nasty cold! I was feeling pretty misereable - hard to breathe, runny nose, coughing and a really sore throat. Dan has it too but he's had it a day or two longer than me and it is starting to subside. Pretty everyone on the bus (including our guide Nevan) has had it! By the time we got to Queenstown I was feeling really rough. Once we got settled in the hotel we sought out a Pharmacy and got some over the counter meds and some cough drops and it seems to have loosened the congestion quite a bit, so that's progress at least!
When we got back to the hotel I discovered that the nose drops I thought we already had were all gone, so I contacted Nevan and he said it was OK that this morning we'll stop into the pharmacy and pickup some more (those drops really help clear my nasal passages so I could get to sleep).
This morning after breakfast we are heading out Queenstown temporarily to go for an overnight cruise in a fjord in the national park on the coast. We'll be back in Queenstown in 24 hours for the last few days of the tour. The rest of the group will be going on to Australia and Dan and I will be going on to Tahiti.
But first we go to Fiordland! One other thing - there is a Boil water advisery in Queenstown" right now and I was a bit pissed that the only notification we had was a tiny note in our hotel envelope with our key! Dan and I both drank a couple of glasses of tape water before we saw the note! Then when we went to the front desk THEY CHARGED US FOR THE BOTLED WATER! They said it was because the water advisory was regional wide and not the fault of the hotel but I think it still stinks, especially since they weren't exactly forthcoming about the water situation (they had twice as big signs all around the hotel about their rewards programme!).
The rooms are comfortable and very large and the showers are the best of the whole trip, but the lack of drinking water is a BiG piss off especially with my cold when I am very dehydrated for most of the time.
This morning we have showered and are getting ready for breakfast. Then we'll get the pharmacy business settled with Nevan and be on our way to get on the Fjord boat for 24 hours.
You won't be hearing from me until we get back to Queenstown in a day because there is no reception in the area we are going to. So we'll get together again when we get back from the wilderness!
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Post by roverpup on Oct 29, 2023 18:19:48 GMT
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Post by mllemass on Oct 29, 2023 21:34:12 GMT
I do recognize the mountains from The Power of the Dog! Gorgeous!
I wanted to mention that years ago, my parents demanded some money back from their travel agent because they had booked a trip to someplace that didn’t have drinkable tap water. The were forced to buy bottled water the whole time away. They said that the travel agent should have informed them ahead of time.
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