|
|
Post by postscript on May 24, 2007 10:09:53 GMT
Your post raises a very interesting point Gene. Remember to look at the sky as well as the scenery! Viewing is not only for daylight!
Peter S.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mark on May 24, 2007 14:53:10 GMT
Hi everyone Thanks for your fantastic photo's Thomas - I really want to go now i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif It looks suh a wonderful country, its just the very long flight  Its a great Idea for a thread though and one that I am sure people will add too over the years, maybe even me  Mark. |
|
|
|
Post by thomas on May 24, 2007 18:45:08 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by thomas on May 24, 2007 18:54:57 GMT
The next day we already had to leave Wanaka again and headed to Fiordland to visit the Milford Sound. Here is a picture of the first NZ sheeps we've seen. They were quite close to their fence but as soon as we stepped out of the car they ran away.  i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif Scenery between Wanaka and Queenstown.  Our first look on a Queenstown suburb at Lake Wakatipu. We didn't go to Queenstown on that day, we decided to do that on our way back.  At the southern end of Lake Wakatipu is the little town Kingston. There is a train called the Kingston Flyer which goes twice a day to a neighbour town and back. We didn't do the trip but it was nice to see an old train like this. Wouldn't that be something for you, Grant when you to NZ?  Behind Kingston there isn't much interesting to see until you reach Fiordland. We planned to stay in Te Anau for the next two nights but everything was booked out there. So fortuneately we found a great accomodation in Manapouri, a smaller but much nicer town than Te Anau. Manapouri is the starting point for the Doubtful Sound but we haven't done that trip because it didn't fit in to our schedule anymore.  Hopefully next time. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifManapouri:  Lake Manapouri:  To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
|
|
|
Post by grant on May 24, 2007 19:03:52 GMT
Beautiful pictures Thomas. I read about the little train in my New Zealand Guide book so Kingston is already on my itinerary!! Good to see a picture of it though i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifBest wishes Grant |
|
|
|
Post by thomas on May 24, 2007 20:04:33 GMT
On the following day when we wanted to visit the Milford Sound it was raining in the morning and we thought: "Oh, dear! That starts to be a "nice" day". And a nice day it was.  The rain stopped during the morning and the moisture in the air created some nice clouds in front of the mountains.  To visit the Milford Sound you can also fly from Queenstown or Wanaka to Milford Sound, do the boat trip and fly back. But I recommend to do the complete tour by car. The scenery on the drive to Milford Sound is even more beautiful than the Milford Sound itself.   This was our boat for the trip on Milford Sound. You go to the end of the Sound until you reach the open sea and back again. The tour takes about 1,5 hours and it's not a bad idea to call Real Journeys 1 or 2 days before and make a reservation.  The Mitre Peak must be the most photographed mountain on Milford Sound.    It's hard to take a good photo of a dolphin. They are so quick.   A little seal is having a break. We even saw a group of three penguins but they were to far away for a good photo.  And a last one for today.  To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
|
Joe
Administrator
Supporting Hayley since 2003!
Posts: 6,715 
|
Post by Joe on May 25, 2007 4:27:50 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by thomas on Jun 3, 2007 20:10:30 GMT
After visiting Milford Sound we went back to Queenstown. It was the same way back like we came before. Before we left we had a nice breakfast in our accomodation in Manapouri and THIS view. What more do you need to start a new day?  Back in Queenstown we did a little walk along the lake and through the city but I didn't like Queenstown very much. Too overcrowded it looks a little bit like an artificial "tourist city". But the weather was nice again. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif  But outside of Queenstown it's even nicer. There are the Deer Park Heights that we visited the next day. A few scenes of Lord of the Rings Part II were filmed on Deer Park Heights. Welcome to the Kingdom of Rohan! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThis lake was shown in LotR part II together with people of Edoras on their escape to Helm's Deep. There are even poles showing the camera position. Guess where I stood when taking the picture. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif Are there still Orks in Rohan?    Later we continued our trip to Wanaka. We liked that town so much so we decided to stay there for another night. On the way we saw the bungee facility of A.J. Hackett. If you like to do a jump THIS is your chance. To say it directly we didn't jump. We saw a few other guys jumping of the bridge and decided that we didn't need to the same.  To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
|
|
|
Post by thomas on Jun 3, 2007 20:29:48 GMT
The next day we continued our tour to the West Coast along Lake Wanaka. This is the south end of the Lake Wanaka:  And this is the north end:  As soon as you reach the west side of the Alps the scenery becomes greener again with lots of rainforest.  We stopped that day in Haast because the tour from Wanaka to the glaciers was too long for one day. Unfortuneately in Haast isn't much to discover except tons of sandflies. Sandflies are blood thirsty little beasts that are especially interessted in tourists. So when being outside never stop moving! When you plan to go to NZ the West Coast is an absolutely MUST what you can't leave out. So there's no way to avoid sandflies. To get rid off those nasty biting insects there are a lot of products you can buy. If you prefer a product that works against sandflies it should include an ingredient called DEET. We used a product which had a concentration of 80% DEET and it worked pretty well. But if you go you should make your own experience. The green nature of the West Coast and the sandflies belong together. There isn't much to discover in Haast but there was Haast Beach, another village directly by the sea. Haast Beach is the only village I photographed which fits completely into one photo. Left hand side there's the entrance, there's accomodation, a restaurant, a petrol station and that's it. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif The village is small but the beach is even bigger. A wide beach, white sand and just a few people there. A perfect beach to spend the rest of the day if it hadn't been so cold.   To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
|
|
|
Post by meldy on Jun 6, 2007 5:00:04 GMT
Beautiful pictures Thomas, now I really want to visit New Zealand!
Meldy
|
|
|
|
Post by thomas on Jul 1, 2007 19:43:41 GMT
Hi! Our journey continued along the west coast to see the Fox Glacier and the Franz Josef Glacier. A "Must See" when you're on the South Island. My sister in front of the Franz Josef Glacier:  Somebody climbing the glacier in the bottom left of the picture:  We went to the Fox Glacier on the same day but the weather wasn't the best so we did it again one day later:   There is a nice walk around Lake Matheson where Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman are reflected in the water in case that there are no clouds.  This is the farm where we had B&B for two nights. This was the best accomodation during our whole trip. We had an excellent breakfast and the hosts were very friendly. When I mentioned Hayley Westenra our host showed us immediately her CD collection. Very loyal fans.   Stuart, Grant and whoever is interested, I can give you the address and phone number of this and of other places as well. Just write me a PM when you plan your journey. To be continued ... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifThomas |
|
|
|
Post by Stuart H on Jul 1, 2007 19:59:22 GMT
Hi Thomas
Thanks for posting these great pictures. I certainly will be in touch when I start planning my trip for February!
Stuart
|
|
|
|
Post by dutchjoyce on Jul 1, 2007 20:23:47 GMT
Hi Thomas.
A wunderfull story and nice pictures, that reminds me of my NZ trip Januari and Februari 2006.I think that most of your trip, is exact the same, we did before ,one year earlier.Since than, i am in love with this country, and saving money for a new visit!!!
By the way, the most beautifull moment of my NZ Holiday,was
Hayley"s Concert at Founders Theatre in Hamilton, 28 januari,2006.Greets JOYCE.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mark on Jul 1, 2007 20:55:53 GMT
Hi Thomas
Thanks so much for your lovely photos and descriptions of your travels. If I ever get to NZ, I will certainly be in touch with you for the address of that great little place to stay. If they are Hayley fans, thats got to be a good reason for staying there.
Best regards
Mark
|
|
|
|
Post by grant on Jul 1, 2007 21:33:05 GMT
Thank you Thomas for more great pictures. I particularly love glaciers having seen my first one in Alaska a few years ago! (The Mendenhal)
The place you mention looks wonderful. I can see we're going to be asking for a lot of important details when the time comes Thomas. Hopefully, it won't be long!
Best wishes
Grant
|
|
Its a great Idea for a thread though and one that I am sure people will add too over the years, maybe even me 
Hopefully next time. 
