redwatch Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Hi Guys, Thought I would share a few pics of one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. My dad is from New Zealand, so he and my mom retired there several years ago. They spend 6 months in NZ and another 6 months in Canada during the summer. Please keep in mind, these photos were taken several years ago and well before my love of watches blossomed, so unfortunately there aren't any wrist shots. However, the pictures turned out really well and I thought I would share them with you all: The landscape of the two islands is remarkable. The north island contains a large portion of NZ's small population. I spent my trip in the south island which is quite larger than the north island, but has about 1/4 the population. It is a vast, very untouched, beautiful place! For the waterfall lovers out there, there are plenty! Of course, you couldn't see NZ without running into a few sheep! And see a sheep shearing Or try a little bungee jump Here's a little more scenery for you And then of course, there are the beaches! This particular beach, called Tunnel Beach, was made by a farmer who had land on the coast. He was quite high up on a cliff and his daughters wanted to be able to go down to the beach below. He spent many, many years carving out a tunnel staircase to get down to the beach. This is the result. Thanks for taking the time to check this out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Sweet! You've made that sale. ...And NZ have their own home-grown watch brand: Magrette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 sure is a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Sweet! You've made that sale. ...And NZ have their own home-grown watch brand: Magrette Yes, I really like the Magrette Regattare Moana Pacific! It's a nice and clean looking timepiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnkay Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Definitely on my list of places I must see. Lord of the Rings piqued my interest. Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 New Zealand truly does have more than it's fair share of beauty, another beautiful place that people often miss is a little island called Tasmania. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omni Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Redwatch: My wife and I spent half of March'08 on South Island, I agree, was just as spectacular scenery as I had imagined it would be! One thing I was surprised at is they raised venison the same as cattle, literally fenced pastures with huge deer herds, albeit the fences were much taller than what you would use for cattle. Thanks for sharing the pics, I've got my own but yours will do. Will add one I had posted last year. This is tandem paraglide ride from the top of mountain over Queenstown. Found out that my pilot had spent eight years on Maui so he jabbered in my ear all the way down about Hawaii! We did the Shotover riverboats but I passed on bungee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 That looks like quite a rush, Omni! I bet that was exhilarating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 The paraglide in Queenstown is pretty awesome! I loved the Shotover Jet Boat ride though. For those of you who haven't seen this, you need to check out this youtube video The boat can ride on a min of 3" of water! And the drivers are insane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omni Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 The boat can ride on a min of 3" of water! And the drivers are insane! You bet! We sat third row back and still wound up dizzy as hell. Also the "Lord of The Rings" shooting locations horseback ride was pretty enjoyable too. We stayed at the Sofitel in Queenstown with the now famous men's urinals! Men's restroom in Sofitel, Queenstown NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 oh that's nasty! My parents live about an hour outside of Queenstown in Alexandra. A nice little community of about 5000 folks. Great pubs and the most amazing deep fried blue cod and chips I have ever had! And of course, pints and pints and pints of Speights Beer! Oh yeah, and a fun NZ tradition. A good rugby match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omni Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Redwatch: You are extremely fortunate to have immediate family to go visit in NZ, especially parents. Didn't drive since they seem to have Formula 1 type speedy bus drivers, so missed Alexandra. What a polar difference from Los Angeles, all the better to appreciate it more. I also liked Christchurch, really very "English". Punting on the Avon, our Brits would be bored as its probably too much like home, except its the jumping off point for Antarctica. Did you ever get down to Fiordland Park...(some of your first pictures looks like from there) Te Anau, Doubtful and Milford Sounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Such a lovly place and 20 million sheep can't be wrong So, why is half the population here in OZ? Col. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Omni, Yes, the photos of the bay were from Te'Anau and Milford Sound. Didn't make it to Doubtful on this last run. Still haven't made it up to Christchurch. Most of my family live in Dunedin so spent quite a bit of time down there as well. Also hit up Invercargill where my sister used to live and then went to Fiordland as well. It is quite awesome having family there as it definitely helps curb the costs when visiting. Being in LA I am very fortunate to have my family in Canada and NZ. Lots of beautiful places to stay and visit! TB - as for the population, NZ government has very very strict immigration laws. It took my mom 2 years to get her papers and they were a real pain in the a$$. And they are married! Very weird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Another great spot is Mt Cook, although it's tough to see it as the weather is really odd there! And another shot from one of the southern most points on the island And this is just cool. There were some very old Maori paintings here on this rock, and I just happened to be taking a picture of some of the fossils in the rock and caught a nice shot of what looks like a hawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 A favorite uncle of mine visited NZ last year. When asked how he liked it he said that if he did not have grandchildren, here in the states, he would move there in a heartbeat. Looking forward to visiting wine country there ASAP. Thank you for the great photos and inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Alexandra is in the heart of some of the best vineyards in NZ. The Pinot Noir is getting some incredible reviews from that area! It is incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omni Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 TB - as for the population, NZ government has very very strict immigration laws. It took my mom 2 years to get her papers and they were a real pain in the a$$. And they are married! Very weird! Agreed, lot of young Americans working the resorts, but only allowed 1-year work permits, then its bye-bye. Aussies the same, only country that I've visited so far that required us Americans to have Visas to visit. (I try to stay away from war-zones) We also managed to snag a beautiful clear day for a helicopter tour of the Sounds which we also toured on the regular boat excursions. Just friggin' awesome! The NZ Pinots, we finished a few bottles while there, they were good. I think it is a personal matter of what you are expecting out of wine though. I was raised around the Napa Valley in California so I'm more attuned to the wine process there, although the best California Pinots are located further south from NP. Two different processes, two different growing regions will produce two different animals. The Europhiles are even more pronounced difference in tastes. They are all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gioarmani Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Gorgeous. Haven't been on vacation since '07. jealous... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 You seem to have a nice vacation happening in your apartment though! Those pics you posted recently are fantastic! Seriously though, you need to take a vacation somewhere sometime soon! It does wonders and really helps to clear the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 An older post...but I never saw it before. Thanks for finding this one again guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gioarmani Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 You seem to have a nice vacation happening in your apartment though! Those pics you posted recently are fantastic! Seriously though, you need to take a vacation somewhere sometime soon! It does wonders and really helps to clear the head. Thank you. Yes, the at-home vacation clears the pipes, but not the head. I just switched jobs and fly to Toronto for 2 weeks on the 14th, so maybe that will do a little something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted September 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 On nice! My homeland! Grew up in T.O. but now live in LA. Let me know if you need any tips on places to visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 Seeing the pic that Two Tone posted today made me want to re-visit this posting. Just a little bump to share some more pics of an incredible country! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 Just beware the spiders, otherwise yeah NZ Rocks! Spider bites man on penis A spider nestles in a pair of trunks discarded on the beach and bites their owner on the penis, triggering heart failure. http://www.smh.com.a...00514-v2hb.html The 22-year-old Canadian fell asleep in the sand dunes after swimming nude at a beach in New Zealand's far north. He woke to find his penis swollen and painful, with a bite mark on the shaft, news agency NZPA reported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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