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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