[inder]

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[premjit]

Hi all,

Thanks a ton for all the wonderful feedback. I was traveling to Kalimpong and hence couldn't get around to adding more pages. Will starts off again tomorrow. Stay tuned ...

Cheers
Premjit

[revvedup]

Some thread Premjit , did you see any art galleries there ? Does New Zealand have much to offer in terms of culture ?

Also the Kiwis are known for their DIY spirit, did you experience it one form or the other ? What were the temperatures there like , while you were there ?

[premjit]

Originally Posted by revvedup

Some thread Premjit , did you see any art galleries there ? Does New Zealand have much to offer in terms of culture ?

Also the Kiwis are known for their DIY spirit, did you experience it one form or the other ? What were the temperatures there like , while you were there ?

Hi There,

The North Island has a lot of Maori influence so you can visit the traditional Maori villages for a show in the evening. It has various dance forms such as the Poi and the Haka dance. This is capped off with a traditional Hangi dinner ( Mainly non veg). Regarding art galleries, am sorry but we went into none. It's just that there were so many outdoorsy things to do.

We traveled in November end, which was the onset of summer. Well, it was brilliant weather, ranging from the cold and windy (Christchurch) to the cool of Auckland.

I think thats the best season to go unless you want to go for the skiing in winter.

Cheers

[premjit]

Hi Folks, back after a weekend break to Kalimpong and it's time to get back to the writing. I am thankful for all the wonderful feedback I have gotten from the members and am really enthusiastic about being able to make more contributions in the days ahead.

Day 6: Inside Queenstown and Shotover Jet ride

The day started off late, with a lazy breakfast considering we would have a long day ahead of us. The day was long both in activities as well as time since the average sunset would happen at 9.20 PM. The sun rises at around 6 AM, so that gives an average daylight time of close to 15 hours

With 15 hours in hand, one does tend to get lazy and start late, but believe me, with so many things to do, you'll wonder where the time flew by.

After the said breakfast, we took a stroll into town to the main activity centre so we could go ahead with the bookings for the day activities.

I Site offices in every major spot all across NZ






Note: I site offices are the go to places to make bookings for activities, buy souvenirs or drop in for a coffee all across NZ. They are well equipped, have awesome friendly staff who love to help tourists.

After deliberation, we chose the Skippers Canyon jet, the jet boat that runs in the upper reaches of the Shotover river. Interesting movie trivia was that scenes of the Lord of the Rings Movie was filmed near the banks of the Shotover river in Arrowtown (close to Queenstown) and we thought it'd be ideal to go for this.

A word about these jet boat rides. In Arrowtown, you will find almost 10 different agencies offering jet boat rides with Shotover Jet being the most famous. Our reason for going for the Skippers Canyon was the longer duration, higher reaches of the River where the jet operated and the more thrilling reviews of the Jet Boat, which some reviewers likened to a "Stomach churning adrenaline rush that doesn't end till you delirious with fear"

Also, do try and make the bookings online. They almost always have special combos and offers which are not available in the booking office. To us they were so lucrative that we walked to an internet terminal and made the booking.

Skippers Canyon Jet: The Skippers canyon Jet boats are claimed to be the most powerful of the entire lot because they have to travel in the higher reaches of the river (Their claim, not mine) and have Chevy V8 Engines which make approx 450 BHP and run on ATF. The water is pulled in through an intake in the front of the hull and then is run through a Hamilton Jet which can pump upto 25000 litres of water per minute to give a claimed top speed of 85 KPH. Now isn't that a juicy tid bit?


















K Jet aka Kawarau Jet


With the high octane jet boat trip being completed, we were taken across to the suspension bridge which would be the start of the Bungee experience. Sadly, being newly married, we were too much in love to try and take a plunge and decided to give the Bungee a pass till we were sick of each other. Probably, the next trip would be ideal to make the Jump.

Soon we were back to Queenstown and decided to take a stroll along the lake after having parked the car at the town parking (1 NZD per hour). Here are some more pics of the town.

[Gokrish]

Dear Premjit

I hope you had a very good Honeymoon trip in-spite of the distraction called NEW-ZEALAND! Photographs were as good as your narration and has already sown the seeds in me for a possible trip there. By the way, I had taken the liberty to use some of these beautiful photographs as wallpapers on my laptop and tablet! Keep dishing out the travelogues in doses at regular intervals!

[palitrana]

Awsome! Subscribed now, just hope you update very fast. Just a question - Is it normal to just stop on the shoulder of the road at any point you want like in India? I see you stopped in a number of places and was wandering!

[vineshpikale]

The Wife has been suggesting New Zealand - subtly and otherwise :-p

But reading your travelogue has convinced me. Gotta make that trip!

On another note, do share with us the major parts of the driving regulations. I read you had some close shaves. Is adjusting very difficult? What about licence regulations? Do share your experience on these.

Cheers!

[sarthakmehrotra]

Thats a great Travelogue, I was confused about writing my own but now i'm convinced and I'm stealing a few ideas from yours. [Bologna(Ferrari, Lambo & Pagani) - Munich(BMW) - Ingolstadt(Audi) - Stuttgart(Porsche & MB) ]

That room in Queenstown and the roads have convinced me to go to NZ and i hate travelling. Hats off to a fantastic travelogue.

[praful]

Hey a quick question, I cannot find a NZD travel card. What did you use? I guess the only way is to carry a USD card ?

[Judemayne]

Dear Premjit,

Congratulations on your marriage, honeymoon, a well picturised and worded travelogue. Waiting for more especially your expenses, in detail, to cover airfare, cars, rides, motels and so on.

Please keep it flowing.

Thank you

Jude

[premjit]

Originally Posted by Judemayne

Dear Premjit,

Congratulations on your marriage, honeymoon, a well picturised and worded travelogue. Waiting for more especially your expenses, in detail, to cover airfare, cars, rides, motels and so on.

Please keep it flowing.

Thank you

Jude

Hey Jude, thanks for all the compliments (I noted 4..WOW). For the expenses, you can send me a message and I will be glad to respond. I do have an excel that I can send across as well.

Originally Posted by praful

Hey a quick question, I cannot find a NZD travel card. What did you use? I guess the only way is to carry a USD card ?

Hi, Yes we did use USD extensively. It isn't an issue at all. Best is to carry a mix of TC/ Cash. I am sometimes not too sure about these forex cards (if that's what you are referring to, since I've been ditched a couple of times in Turkey)

Originally Posted by sarthakmehrotra

Thats a great Travelogue, I was confused about writing my own but now i'm convinced and I'm stealing a few ideas from yours. [Bologna(Ferrari, Lambo & Pagani) - Munich(BMW) - Ingolstadt(Audi) - Stuttgart(Porsche & MB) ]

That room in Queenstown and the roads have convinced me to go to NZ and i hate travelling. Hats off to a fantastic travelogue.

Sarthak: Go for it !! I am sure it will be wonderful to say the least. The roads to Qtn and around, infact in the entire NZ are wonderful. Wide open roads, enough of stopping areas, rest stops and very decent speed limits.

Originally Posted by vineshpikale

The Wife has been suggesting New Zealand - subtly and otherwise :-p

But reading your travelogue has convinced me. Gotta make that trip!

On another note, do share with us the major parts of the driving regulations. I read you had some close shaves. Is adjusting very difficult? What about licence regulations? Do share your experience on these.

Cheers!

Hey Vinesh, I think you should take the wife's suggestion ASAP. Am sure you won't regret it. The driving regulations are pretty simple:

1. In order to hire a self drive car, an Indian DL is fine. They don't ask for any IDP etc. You need to submit a PP copy, Indian DL copy, Travel insurance paper as well as block some money on the Credit Card. It was around Rs 50000 for the Falcon XR6.
2. Driving in on the Indian side of the road, thanks to the Queen. Moreover, you don't have people jaywalking at will. On rural roads, animals cross from farm to farm and they have right of passage
3. Those going straight have right of way, and decent/ gracious driving is rewarded with a smile or a wave. In small town, there is a bell/ buzzer at the intersection which people can press when they want to cross the road. Do give them right of way and smile.
4. Speed limits are enforced strictly. I was given a ticket on the way from Qtn to Dunedin cos I was doing 117 Kph in a 100 Kph zone. However, the officer was kind enough to let me go since he saw I am from India and on a road trip, but not before giving us a small lecture over a cup of coffee at a village cafe. I wish cops in India are like that.

Originally Posted by palitrana

Awsome! Subscribed now, just hope you update very fast. Just a question - Is it normal to just stop on the shoulder of the road at any point you want like in India? I see you stopped in a number of places and was wandering!

Hi, Well, I am sorry but am not sure whether it is normal to stop. Actually the shoulders are pretty wide and hence I decided to stop. Also, the road traffic is very sparse so it isn't a problem.

Originally Posted by Gokrish

Dear Premjit

I hope you had a very good Honeymoon trip in-spite of the distraction called NEW-ZEALAND! Photographs were as good as your narration and has already sown the seeds in me for a possible trip there. By the way, I had taken the liberty to use some of these beautiful photographs as wallpapers on my laptop and tablet! Keep dishing out the travelogues in doses at regular intervals!

Gokrish, Thanks a tons. Please do use the pics by all means. They belong to everyone as much to me.

[premjit]

Day 7: Queenstown to Milford Sound

Back after another travel session and am trying to write up Day 7 of this epic adventure. Thanks for the feedback to date and I hope to be able to put up more such travel stories soon.

Day 7 of our trip involved a 600 kms day trip to Milford Sound, which takes us right to the mouth of the sound with the Tasman Sea. The one way trip from Qtn to Milford is around 300 kms and can be done in around 4 hours at a sedate speed.

About Milford Sound: Sound is basically a fjord that connects the mainland to the Tasman Sea. The Maori name for this fjord is PioPioTahi and it refers way back to Maori culture where PioPio is known to be a now extinct bird which came and shed tears at this very place. This place is one of NZ's most visited tourist sites and you have tour buses and private cars reaching here every morning to take ferries that take you deep into the sound to see the amazing natural beauty of the place and also witness seals and walruses going about their daily business.

Milford Cruises: It is important to note that there are many cruises, such as Milford Sound Cruises, Southern Discoveries and Milford Sound encounter. Some run really large boats that cannot move to the interiors of the fjord and are more commercial in nature. However, I found the Milford Encounter to run a smaller boat with lesser number of people and that went into some really unvisited areas of the sound. It all depends on whether you want a luxury boat or something that takes you closer to nature.



The Roads to Milford: The roads to this wonderful location are rumored to be some of the best driving roads in the world. You take HWY 94 from Queenstown, drive past Lake Wakitipu, going past some amazing farmland vistas as you drive along. My favourite stretch was the one between Te Anau and Milford, which consists of some lush wide valleys which then give way to narrow, twisty and forested roads before going into the Homer Tunnel (There is a stop area just prior to the tunnel, you must stop here) on the exit of which you can get some fantastic views of the Southern Alps.

Please note some pics posted below are on the return from Milford

Early morning skies before we set off


Breakfast time


The plethora of cruise boats








Me, Pleased as punch






The Mrs drove too


About the Cruise into the Sound:

Most of the cruises run upto 3 times a day, more in the summer months because of the day light factor. However, we were advised to take the earliest cruises which started at 8 AM. These would be less crowded, since the tourist buses with their machine gun like camera SLR's wont arrive till noon. During the early morning, most of the cruises run small boats and you can be rewarded for the long drive with some free breakfast and some awesome rates on the cruises. The cruise gets into its own around 9.30 AM when the sun comes out and you can see most of the seals and walruses coming out to sun themselves on the rocks. Its really wonderful to see these lovely creatures from up close.

Enjoy the pics for now...











The Great Tasman Sea


Southern Alps








Thats me on a wintry Sunday


Where's my sun tan oil?


Me, Cannot believe such a place exists






Post the Milford cruise, we made our way back to Queenstown, albeit much slower than while going there, stopping to take in the sights and the sounds. Some pics have already been posted and I will put up a writeup on the remained of our return trip shortly. Stay posted friends...

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Nice travelogue and some amazing pictures there man! This really looks like a heaven on earth. Amazingly beautiful and clean!

[praful]

Excellent update. Thread rated 5 stars!

Looking forward to more updates.

Thanks for the info on USD card, I will do the same.

PS: Booked my tickets today. Super excited