Jet Boats and a Helicopter

Well, I am a few days behind with my posting. Finding accommodation with good internet service at a reasonable cost has been a challenge, so I have concentrated on eating and drinking, instead of posting!

We stayed in Wanaka in the centre of the South Island and had a terrific view of the lake from our room. In fact, we had a terrific room as we had been upgraded as the serviced apartment building we had booked into was very full. What a great view....

If the weather rhyme was anything to go by, the red sky in the morning meant the shepherds would be sending us a warning....

On the suggestion of a certain Mr James, we went on a jet boat / helicopter ride with Wanaka River Journeys. The boat travels up the river at 40 – 7- kph and I am told is relatively tame compared with some others....

The boat travels in just a few inches of water and needs to maintain a certain speed to keep it from grounding on the gravel. Fed by the glacier on the top of Mount Aspiring, the waters are a terrific colour....

The boat stopped part way up the river and we met the helicopter that took Jackie and I to see the glacier. We both enjoy helicopter rides....

Wanaka River viewed from above. The blue shows the current position of the river channel, which can move when the river floods in the spring snow-melt season....

Jackie in the front seat, nearing the summit....

The glacier and the waterfall run-off....

The two of us on an adjacent summit across from mount Aspiring....

Back down at river level, we looked up at the glacier and its waterfall....

Jeez, those crows feet are getting worse....

The river trip includes a lot of information about the geology and nature in the area. We went on a guided walk at the head of the river (or at least the furthest the boat could reach)....

Another of the jet boats rushing by....

In the afternoon, the wind picked up and create a considerable amount of dust from the gravel in the river bed....

How to park a jet boat....

Later in the day, we went to see one of the many waterfalls in the South Island....

After leaving Wanaka at 3pm and driving about 250 km the day was very busy. We went to bed very tired at the end of that day!

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Driving in New Zealand

I wasn’t sure what driving in New Zealand would be like.

The roads are generally very good. They are well maintained with good surfaces. The aggregate used in the roads is much more coarse than in Europe and I am sure tyres would wear out faster here in NZ. Road rash in NZ would be much worse than in other countries.

Generally, the main roads are two-way, with no central division. Outside of the towns, the speed limit is generally 100 kph / 62 mph. Most people drive at that speed, or slightly above. From what I have seen, drivers are generally courteous. Driving in NZ is on the correct side of the road, meaning the left. Coming from the UK, this of course presents no problems at all.

The big difference though is the scenery. On the South Island, the west side generally consists of mountains and the east side is flatter, but still hilly. The roads in the mountains are terrific to drive as they twist and turn, following the landscape. We are in a car and driving is great fun, but riding a motorbike would be fantastic.

According to folklore, the sky as we prepared to leave Te Anau promised poor weather, but it never came....

We drove along the side of Lake Wakatipu on a great road under a glorious blue sky. The car we have rented is a 12 year old Nissan Silvia Varietta with a folding retractable hardtop. It is an unusual car and it is growing on me....

How about this for a great looking road....

North of Queenstown, we took Highway 6 to Wanaka, also known as the Crown Range Road. Full of steep sections, the road rises and falls in dramatic fashion and is a joy to drive. One section has a series of hairpin bends...

Overall, driving here is a great pleasure.

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Stunning Milford Sound

We had been looking forward to seeing one of New Zealand’s highlights, Milford Sound.

The drive to get there from our overnight stop was very dramatic, with low clouds shielding the mountains we were driving through. At one point the clouds were very dark and created a strange light over the landscape....

Eventually the clouds dispersed and those remaining hung low over the land and roads. Driving into a cloud is a very strange feeling....

The scenery became more stunning the nearer we got to Milford Sound. The road passes through some great parts of the Southern Alps, with twists and turns that make the drive very enjoyable. It would be even better on a motorcycle. The road passes through Homer Tunnel, which has a 1:10 slope in a near-darkness. Great fun!

The fjord is 15km long inland from the Tasmin Sea and has sheers cliffs that rise 3,900 ft / 1,200 metres above the water. We travelled on the 40m long boat, Milford Mariner on a two-and-a-half hour sailing along the sound and back again.

Milford Sound is a World Heritage site, and it is easy to see why....

It was a good day to see such a great place, as this was our 15th wedding anniversary....

On the return journey inland, we saw seals....

The base of the 155 metre Stirling Falls. Trying to take a picture and keep the camera dry at the same time was impossible....

On the way back....

Milford Sound has an average annual rainfall of 268 inches. That is a staggering 22 feet or 6.8 metres, making it one of the wettest places in the world. We were blessed with a wonderful day, with blue skies and sunshine.

As we arrived back at the boat dock, we passed the second of the ever-running waterfalls....

A couple of pictures from the journey back. Who couldn’t like driving on roads like these?

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Burt Munro and The World's fastest Indian

Jackie and I went right down to the bottom of New Zealand’s south island and headed to 105 Bainfield Road. Why? This is where the legendary Burt Munro built his motorcycles in a simple shed. Now containing a family home, the small piece of land once was also home to a lemon tree....

Many readers of my blog will understand what this is about, but some will not.

Burt Munro was an eccentric New Zealander who at 60 years old broke the land speed record on a 40 year old motorcycle with an original top speed of 55mph. The first time he took his motorcycle to Speed Week, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, he broke the record at 179mph. His story was captured in a wonderful film, The World’s Fastest Indian. Motorcyclist or not, If you haven’t seen the film, it is simple – you must.

After Burt suffered a stroke, he sold his motorcycles to a local motorcycle fanatic. The bikes are kept at E.Hayes hardware store on Dee Street in Invarcargill, the town where Burt lived.

This is a replica of Burt’s record breaking bike, with its full slipstream shell....

One of Burt’s record breaking bikes....

Those that have seen the film, will no doubt remember Burt’s trailer that he moved his motorcycle around on. Here is the real trailer....

Burt had a set of shelves in his shed, where he kept the parts he hand-made for his bikes. With the words “Offerings to the God of speed” written on the edge of one of the shelves, I am not sure if the shelves were real, or made for the film. Either way, the shelves are now located in the hardware shop.

In addition to Burt Munro’s motorcycles, the store contains many other historical bikes and a few cars. It is quite a place and unlike any hardware store I have ever seen....

Finally, we went to see Burt’s grave in Invarcargill’s Eastern Cemetery....

What a rare, wonderful man.

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