woodstock
Final Approach
about an hour or so ago. had a great time, really tired. unbelieveable coverage from overseas of Katrina. 
home from NZ
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Diana
Final Approach
Welcome home Beth! When you get rested up you'll have to tell us how your trip went.woodstock said:about an hour or so ago. had a great time, really tired. unbelieveable coverage from overseas of Katrina.
woodstock
Final Approach
Hi Diana!
a few of the guests there were Grant and Leslie Prellwitz. I think you know Grant?
a few of the guests there were Grant and Leslie Prellwitz. I think you know Grant?
Diana
Final Approach
Grant and Leslie were planning to come to Gaston's, but at the last minute had to cancel because the Arrow was down for maintenance. I was looking forward to meeting them. Hopefully next year.woodstock said:
bbchien
Touchdown! Greaser!
Get some rest and do tell when you are able....
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
woodstock said:about an hour or so ago. had a great time, really tired. unbelieveable coverage from overseas of Katrina.
Sounds like you need some rest.
Pictures would be fun when you're able.
Ghery
Touchdown! Greaser!
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woodstock said:unbelieveable coverage from overseas of Katrina.
Yeah, all CNN in Tokyo all week. Hope you had something beyond that in NZ. Welcome home. Isn't that a beautiful country?
gprellwitz
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Grant Prellwitz
Elizabeth and I hooked up for lunch in Christchurch one day during the Ninety-Nines conference, and had a great time! Leslie and I got back on Saturday morning (6:00 AM) after a delay caused by fog in Auckland. We too had a great time in New Zealand! She and I had exceptional flying opportunities in New Zealand, including a cockpit tour of a 747 in Auckland from a 99'er, time in a Harvard (a T-6 for the Yanks) at Forest Field, and a week of flying with Matt McCaughan (and enjoying his wife Jo's meals) based at their Geordie Hill sheep station outside Wanaka. Jo just got her ticket a couple months ago!
In a nutshell, we
- landed on the beach at Big Bay
- landed at Milford Sound, flanked by 5000 foot peaks on both sides of a fiord
- saw more beautiful mountain scenery than you can shake a stick at
- enjoyed the Kiwis and their joie de vive
- and got cleared into gate 14 in a 172 next to a Boeing 747
- logged about 10 hours each of flying in New Zealand
We have nothing but positive raves for Matt and Jo at http://www.flyinn.co.nz and the people of New Zealand.
-- Grant
In a nutshell, we
- landed on the beach at Big Bay
- landed at Milford Sound, flanked by 5000 foot peaks on both sides of a fiord
- saw more beautiful mountain scenery than you can shake a stick at
- enjoyed the Kiwis and their joie de vive
- and got cleared into gate 14 in a 172 next to a Boeing 747
- logged about 10 hours each of flying in New Zealand
We have nothing but positive raves for Matt and Jo at http://www.flyinn.co.nz and the people of New Zealand.
-- Grant
Dave Siciliano
Final Approach
Lookin forward to details and pics. (Humm, wonder how one can get their plane over there for a couple weeks!!).
Best,
Dave
Best,
Dave
gprellwitz
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Well, it's possible to take a Baron over there; one of their clients did it. To be honest, I think they thought she was joking when she proposed it. It's a long, expensive flight! I think she wound up going back to the US via Europe, because they ran into her at the big airshow in England.
I also met Dee Bond-Wakelin in New Zealand. She's flown a Twin Comanche from New Zealand to the US. (She's also done a Mooney from Australia to England.) An incredibly nice lady, she actually went out to Canterbury Aero Club to pick up a WAC chart for me.
So yes, it can be done, but it takes time, perseverance, and a bit of luck.
I also met Dee Bond-Wakelin in New Zealand. She's flown a Twin Comanche from New Zealand to the US. (She's also done a Mooney from Australia to England.) An incredibly nice lady, she actually went out to Canterbury Aero Club to pick up a WAC chart for me.
So yes, it can be done, but it takes time, perseverance, and a bit of luck.
woodstock
Final Approach
a few emails, experiences...
two emails I sent to friends while on the trip. photos later.
Email 1: 16 hours ahead of EST…
look what we did yesterday!! fun stuff
I've decided that New Zealand should be spelled with an X - New Xealand - because they definitely put the X in X-treme.
that photo was at Thrillseekers Canyon near Hamner Springs. they have bungy jumping and all sortsa ways to kill yourself there. right near the center was a local cemetery, I joked that it was where they buried their mistakes. (actually don't laugh, in Zermatt Switzerland there was a climber's cemetery near my hotel, everyone who fell off the Matterhorn got buried there...)
I digress as usual! This above was a jet boat - it skims the water surface and the drivers are crazy! they head straight for the rocks/trees/banks and at the last minute whip it around! he told us when he holds his hand up and makes a circle with it to hold on tight because he is going to do a 360! it's kinda like being on a motorcycle in the water, only you are high and have a death wish. our driver was hilarious - when we all sat down he said "so is it the first time for everyone?" and we all shouted YES! he said "me too! but I've seen it done!" hahahahaha and off we went! when we got back I said to him "so, did you enjoy your first time as much as we did?" and he said "yeah, it was great, wonder if they'll give me a job!" hahahaha
we went to Hamner Springs after, some people went in the pools, others went shopping (I have plenty of other opps to go into the hot pools on the trip, I'll do it later).
on the way back (it was a full day) we stopped at a winery - Pegasus Bay. that sounds familiar, wonder if we can get it in the US? I bought their 2002 Pinot Noir which has won many awards and accolades. yummy! (yes, I know I am not supposed to be drinking but I'm on vacation so **** on it)
that night we went to the International Antarctic Centre. oh my God! how cool was that! NZ is the closest point to the main bits of Antarctica (Argentina is technically closer but only to the one peninsula - Ross Peninsula I think? NZ is closest to the meat of it. There is a US Antarctic exploration center right there (took pics, will send later) and many flights leave from Christchurch/Queenstown. They had a lot of info on Antarctica in general and a simulator!! you go into this room that is full of snow, an igloo, and whatever those big snowmobiles are called (not skidoos, the really big ones, you know what I mean) and then they turn on the "winter storm" and it gets down to balls-cold. (it's below freezing when you walk in, before they turn on the "storm". winds howling, etc. I stayed in for a few minutes and said "I get it, it's cold"). I still wanna go to Antarctica though! there is a 30 day Antarctic cruise they offer, sounds cool although a month may be a bit long, I'll have to ask my friend Kavey what she thought of the cruise she went on. I got a squeaky penguin which I know someone's going to fight over when I get home - I don't know who to give it to. (I can't believe how big those Emperor Penguins are! they are as big as a 6 year old child! )
today we went to Akaroa which is also way cool. we went on a dolphin cruise but didn't see any dolphins. we did however see a bunch of seals and cormorants and I SAW A PENGUIN!! A REAL LIVE PENGUIN. he was kinda tiny though - blue penguin - and all by himself. everyone was leaning over the side of the boat snapping pics like crazy - kinda funny had we capsized.
the scenery is simply stunning. I mean really. rugged mountains, beautiful clouds... and the viz is GREAT. as we drove to Akaroa the guide pointed out the southern Alps - he said "those are 130 KM away - and we could see them fine. 130 KM viz! that's even better than when I was in Seattle last month. and the people are soooo cool here!
I found the "New Zealand - Down Under no more" map! (it has NZ at the top, totally different perspective - south on top. Nifty! I'm going to hang it somewhere.
Email 2: The first person in the world to see the sunrise…
or, nearly the first. we were in Napier, which is the second town in the world to get the sunrise (NZ is really close to the dateline - it's Wednesday afternoon here and Tues night at home...)
anyway, given the fact that there were maybe 3 people on the beach with me I'm thinking that I musta been in the top 40 of the planet seeing the first glimpse of the sun on the 30th... how neat is that?
our trip is actually coming to a close! I leave in 3 days. I took many addresses for postcards and sent them at least a week ago, you should have it if I knew your address, if not, and you want a postcard, drop me a line and I'll send one to ya.
more highlights: first of all, let me say, if you come here, put Rotorua high on your list of places. It is like an adult fun park. today we climbed up a volcano crater, peered over the edge, and walked/ran/slid all the way to the bottom on the scree (ohmygod was that fun - like wearing moon boots. seriously).
I JUST got back from zorbing and I will say that is THE highlight of the trip. you get in a massive, 12 feet tall bubble, they throw in a few buckets of water with you, and then they push you down a long zig-zag hill. the experience defies description but I'll try. I decided just to lay flat and go with it - some folks try to stay on their feet and run down the hill with it but that doesn't seem like as much fun. you are sloshed all over like in a washing machine, GIGGLING madly the entire way. sky, grass, sky, grass, sky, grass, water water everywhere, and it's so slippery you just let it throw you around. it's awesome - easily the most fun thing I've done this trip and we've done a lot!
well, I'll cut this short and fill in the gaps later. with photos. oh yeah we also did a luge ride here in Rotorua - also a lot of giggling. you are on a "luge track" down a mountain but are in little scooter/bumper cars. pictures will help explain. a blast!!
hope to see y'all soon. let me know if you didn't get a postcard yet (with address) and I'll send one along.
bye!
Beth
two emails I sent to friends while on the trip. photos later.
Email 1: 16 hours ahead of EST…
look what we did yesterday!! fun stuff
I've decided that New Zealand should be spelled with an X - New Xealand - because they definitely put the X in X-treme.
that photo was at Thrillseekers Canyon near Hamner Springs. they have bungy jumping and all sortsa ways to kill yourself there. right near the center was a local cemetery, I joked that it was where they buried their mistakes. (actually don't laugh, in Zermatt Switzerland there was a climber's cemetery near my hotel, everyone who fell off the Matterhorn got buried there...)
I digress as usual! This above was a jet boat - it skims the water surface and the drivers are crazy! they head straight for the rocks/trees/banks and at the last minute whip it around! he told us when he holds his hand up and makes a circle with it to hold on tight because he is going to do a 360! it's kinda like being on a motorcycle in the water, only you are high and have a death wish. our driver was hilarious - when we all sat down he said "so is it the first time for everyone?" and we all shouted YES! he said "me too! but I've seen it done!" hahahahaha and off we went! when we got back I said to him "so, did you enjoy your first time as much as we did?" and he said "yeah, it was great, wonder if they'll give me a job!" hahahaha
we went to Hamner Springs after, some people went in the pools, others went shopping (I have plenty of other opps to go into the hot pools on the trip, I'll do it later).
on the way back (it was a full day) we stopped at a winery - Pegasus Bay. that sounds familiar, wonder if we can get it in the US? I bought their 2002 Pinot Noir which has won many awards and accolades. yummy! (yes, I know I am not supposed to be drinking but I'm on vacation so **** on it)
that night we went to the International Antarctic Centre. oh my God! how cool was that! NZ is the closest point to the main bits of Antarctica (Argentina is technically closer but only to the one peninsula - Ross Peninsula I think? NZ is closest to the meat of it. There is a US Antarctic exploration center right there (took pics, will send later) and many flights leave from Christchurch/Queenstown. They had a lot of info on Antarctica in general and a simulator!! you go into this room that is full of snow, an igloo, and whatever those big snowmobiles are called (not skidoos, the really big ones, you know what I mean) and then they turn on the "winter storm" and it gets down to balls-cold. (it's below freezing when you walk in, before they turn on the "storm". winds howling, etc. I stayed in for a few minutes and said "I get it, it's cold"). I still wanna go to Antarctica though! there is a 30 day Antarctic cruise they offer, sounds cool although a month may be a bit long, I'll have to ask my friend Kavey what she thought of the cruise she went on. I got a squeaky penguin which I know someone's going to fight over when I get home - I don't know who to give it to. (I can't believe how big those Emperor Penguins are! they are as big as a 6 year old child! )
today we went to Akaroa which is also way cool. we went on a dolphin cruise but didn't see any dolphins. we did however see a bunch of seals and cormorants and I SAW A PENGUIN!! A REAL LIVE PENGUIN. he was kinda tiny though - blue penguin - and all by himself. everyone was leaning over the side of the boat snapping pics like crazy - kinda funny had we capsized.
the scenery is simply stunning. I mean really. rugged mountains, beautiful clouds... and the viz is GREAT. as we drove to Akaroa the guide pointed out the southern Alps - he said "those are 130 KM away - and we could see them fine. 130 KM viz! that's even better than when I was in Seattle last month. and the people are soooo cool here!
I found the "New Zealand - Down Under no more" map! (it has NZ at the top, totally different perspective - south on top. Nifty! I'm going to hang it somewhere.
Email 2: The first person in the world to see the sunrise…
or, nearly the first. we were in Napier, which is the second town in the world to get the sunrise (NZ is really close to the dateline - it's Wednesday afternoon here and Tues night at home...)
anyway, given the fact that there were maybe 3 people on the beach with me I'm thinking that I musta been in the top 40 of the planet seeing the first glimpse of the sun on the 30th... how neat is that?
our trip is actually coming to a close! I leave in 3 days. I took many addresses for postcards and sent them at least a week ago, you should have it if I knew your address, if not, and you want a postcard, drop me a line and I'll send one to ya.
more highlights: first of all, let me say, if you come here, put Rotorua high on your list of places. It is like an adult fun park. today we climbed up a volcano crater, peered over the edge, and walked/ran/slid all the way to the bottom on the scree (ohmygod was that fun - like wearing moon boots. seriously).
I JUST got back from zorbing and I will say that is THE highlight of the trip. you get in a massive, 12 feet tall bubble, they throw in a few buckets of water with you, and then they push you down a long zig-zag hill. the experience defies description but I'll try. I decided just to lay flat and go with it - some folks try to stay on their feet and run down the hill with it but that doesn't seem like as much fun. you are sloshed all over like in a washing machine, GIGGLING madly the entire way. sky, grass, sky, grass, sky, grass, water water everywhere, and it's so slippery you just let it throw you around. it's awesome - easily the most fun thing I've done this trip and we've done a lot!
well, I'll cut this short and fill in the gaps later. with photos. oh yeah we also did a luge ride here in Rotorua - also a lot of giggling. you are on a "luge track" down a mountain but are in little scooter/bumper cars. pictures will help explain. a blast!!
hope to see y'all soon. let me know if you didn't get a postcard yet (with address) and I'll send one along.
bye!
Beth
Dave Krall CFII
Final Approach
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Dave Krall CFII SEL SES, Cmcl HELI
What a trip Beth ! You'll have to give some more details of the flying part if you get time...