NZ - BACK TO QUEENSTOWN

ALSO A NICE PLACE TO REST WHILE EVERYBODY ELSE IS TRYING TO BURN SOME CALORIES

NOVEMBER 2001



"QUEENSTOWN - In September 1999, President Clinton was the first US president ever to visit Queenstown. So what?..."


"QUEENSTOWN GARDENS - piece of rainbow"




"WAKATIPU LAKE is to be coolly cruised. Jetboating, riverboarding, rafting, kayaking, funyak or bungee jumping are to be «enjoyed» nearby. Here the lake can be seen at different times of the day, but it was not rather sunny..."


"EARNSLAW - The cruise is to be made on the Earnslaw. Built by J.McGregor and Co in Dunedin, the TSS Earnslaw cost twenty thousand eight hundred and fifty pounds to complete in 1912..."


"WALTER PEAK FARM - The sun shines for sheep shearing, sheep dog demonstration and complimentary morning or afternoon tea!"


"THE HERITAGE HOTEL - Brilliantly positioned, the Heritage has magnificent views. That's all!"




"THE HERITAGE HOTEL - The views are actually magnificent, even if these were taken from a suite with a side view to the lake. The rest, as far as I can remember - staff attention, services, reservation handling, etc... - is better to be forgotten"


"DOCKS, with cruise ship"



"ARROWTOWN - Twenty-one kilometers from Queenstown, Arrowtown is a combination of historic buildings and quiet charm. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust protect the historical heritage of more than 70 buildings in Arrowtown, including The Lakes District Museum"


"GOODBYE QUEENSTOWN"

NZ - DESTINATION FIORDLAND

NEW ZEALAND'S SOUTH ISLAND IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PIECES OF LAND ON EARTH, AND FIORDLAND SHOWS WHY - NOVEMBER 2001



"ON THE ROAD TO MILFORD SOUND - One of the most incredible features of Milford Sound is the journey to get there. The Milford road is a stunning alpine drive. This morning, when we left Queenstown, the weather was not helping, and the journey until many miles after Te Anau, was made with a completely overcast sky. However, as we were approaching Milford, the blue came out, and the spectacular scenery and the sheer scale of the landscape was shown"




"GETTING THERE - Milford is by far the best known of all of the fiords and the only one that can be accessed by road, which has the added value of the providing you with the experience of crossing the Homer Tunnel, built in the 1930s. Although the photos were taken at the end of Spring time, there was some snow in the peaks. Nice to compare with some photos from Norway and the Norwegian fiords, which will be shown soon at the "Blogtrotter Revival - The 80's"


"TITANIC MASONS - The Maori were the first to attribute the creation of the fiords to a “titanic mason”, Tute Rakiwhanoa who hued out the steep sided valleys with keen edged adzes. No other explanation seems to fit, as it is impossible to comprehend the sheer breadth of geological events that created this seemingly perfect sculpture, as sheer cliffs rise vertically upward from the ocean"



"MILFORD SOUND - It is approximately 16km from the head of the fiord to the open sea, which means that you can comfortably travel the length of the fiord to open ocean and return on one of the many cruise options available in one and a half to two hours cruising time"


"CASCADE - One of the many interesting features of Milford are the cascades. This one is brings down much more water than it seems just by looking at it"


"THE LION - At least it looks like..."


"MITRE PEAK - Wet or fine Milford is incredibly grand. Mitre Peak is the must for photographers"

NZ - MAGNIFICENT SOUTH ISLAND

QUEENSTOWN - NEW ZEALAND'S ADVENTURE CAPITAL - NOVEMBER 2001


"LAKE TEKAPO - Driving from Christchurch to Queenstown you'll see this lake with a magnificent view of the Southern Alps - the longest and highest mountain range of New Zealand (550 km in a somewhat north-east to south-west orientation) with Mount Cook. Provided there are no clouds..."


"QUEENSTOWN is situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by the majestic Remarkables mountains"


"QUEENSTOWN-REMARKABLES - A remarkable destination"


"QUEENSTOWN SKY-GONDOLA"



"QUEENSTOWN - Deservedly, the most popular holiday destination in New Zealand for international visitors"


"QUEENSTOWN SUNSET - Once seen, you can rest, go asleep or for the beer..."

WONDERFUL ANTIPODES!

NEW ZEALAND - IT’S PERFECTLY DOABLE, AND WORTH WHILE!

You just get to the airport in Lisbon on a Friday afternoon by 1:00 pm, local time, because you like to enjoy the British Airways former Concorde Lounge at London Heathrow. Arrive at LHR around 4:45 pm, change from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4, and you’ll have plenty of time to take advantage of all the facilities of the said Lounge, pouring champagne included, before flying to Singapore on BA 15 at 9:45 p.m. You’ll get there by 6:20 p.m., local time, on Saturday!
Depending on your budget (flying one airline all the way to spare or making it a big splurge changing airlines), you have two choices: either you continue on BA 15 to Sydney (it’s better via Singapore than via BIA – Bangkok; the airport is nicer. Flying NZ via Los Angeles is out of the question) at 8:05 p.m. arriving Sydney airport on Sunday morning, at 6:35 a.m., local time, and afterwards continue to Auckland on BA 7339 (operated by Quantas - the 7337 at 7:25 is to tight for a connection) and get to Auckland on Sunday afternoon, at 2:20 p.m.; or you take a Singapore Airlines direct flight to Auckland – SQ 285 – at 9:05 p.m., and get there at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday.
OK, it took you 36 hours or more to get there (don’t forget the time difference), but you're on Portugal's antipode, a fabulous country with a magnificent scenery.


WELLINGTON - NOVEMBER 2001


"WELLINGTON - the world's most southern capital and the only capital in the "Roaring Forties" latitudes. Nearly all Wellington residents are within 3 km of the sea"


"TE PAPA TONGAREWA - When you get to Wellington you're immediately caught by the odd architecture of New Zealand’s national museum"


"TE PAPA is a must see. Inside you can profit from ICON to have a nice meal, with a fabulous harbour view"


"CIVIC CENTER - Wellington is the most "fully wired" city in the most "fully wired" country in the world. At the Civic Center you've no problem to be wired"


"THE LIBRARY BUILDING - Built in 1899 of brick, cement and plaster, it survived the 1907 fire which destroyed the adjacent wooden Parliament Building, but was badly damaged by another fire in 1992"


"THE LYNX - When you've seen all, you may leave windy Wellington and take the Lynx to the South Island"