General Chat

Made it back safely after our three week trip to New Zealand.

The trip was full on, being a bus tour of both the North and South Islands, and including, at least initially, a couple of dramas.

The scenery was fantastic with both Islands offering totally different vistas, but the highlight of the trip would have to have been meeting Persie and her husband.

Persie and myself have 'crossed words' over many years on this site and to have the chance to finally meet her was wonderful.

I can't say the same for Persie as she and her husband met these two jet-lagged people from WA whose conversation was extremely limited due to a six hour flight during which the pilot had to declare a medical emergency, which meant that we spent an extra two hours on the ground in Melbourne. So the flight took eight hours :-(

The delay meant that we missed breakfast in Auckland, and that coupled with a four hour time difference left OH and myself in a less than scintillating condition :-S

Poor Persie probably though that she was dealing with a couple of Zombies, which in effect she was.

Many thanks to Persie and her OH for the guided tour of Auckland :-D :-D

Glad you enjoyed your visit and meeting up with Persie would have been great.

It's a beautiful country and I hope to revisit before old age means the flight would be too daunting.

I'd love to meet fellow GR folk then, too.

Good Morning Allan,

Glad to see that you are both safely back - the flight out sounds horrendous, though I'm sure that was soon forgotten by all the wonderful sights you would have seen.
NZ is a truly beautiful country, as I'm sure you agree, and it's people so warm and welcoming, that you must have had a wonderful holiday.

I'm sure Persie and her OH would have appreciated that you weren't skipping and dancing after such a journey out.

Now time to recover, and plan the next adventure.

Take care,
Tec

glad you had a good time - in spite of the hiccups!!

my lovely OH toured NZ, both islands, and Oz from Sydney right across to Perth - he was with arguably the top Welsh Male Choir - Pendyrus - and all their concerts sold out, mostly to ex pats!!! He had a fab time and all paid for by the Sydney Festival of Music - or something like that!!!

Great to see you had a great time Allan....welcome back :-D

Gwyn, although not travelling on our flight there was a delightful couple from the UK who were on the bus tour.

Both were elderly, and in chatting to the wife I asked what they would be doing when the tour was over.

She replied that they would be returning to Auckland for a few days rest as the main purpose of their visit to NZ was that her husband could play in an International Table Tennis event. Her husband was playing in the Over 85's Veterans section!

A fantastic couple :-)

My thanks to you all.

Tec, the tour was great and all the people we met were extremely pleasant and a pleasure to deal with.

~~~ to AnnC and Mersey

...Ah.I've a good while to go to reach the over 85s, so perhaps I should start planning my visit......................

Gwyn

:-D :-D :-D

Welcome back Allan.

It seems you had a great adventure and met some lovely people along the way.

Wonderful memories to treasure.

<3

Thanks PH

It was full on and if I return to NZ it will be on a self-drive holiday. The coach was far from relaxing with each day starting at 6.00am with a wake up call :-0

Allan, I am disappointed that you didn't visit me! But then I don't suppose the bus would have wanted to come up our road, although we do have buses coming up and going over to the valley with trampers and others. Anyway, I have been out a lot so you might have missed me.

Hi Huia,

We very nearly missed meeting Persie! Once the coach trip started, which was on Easter Saturday, we were in the hands of the driver and tour guide. The only free days we had were in Wellington and again in Christchurch, where our tour ended. I would like to return and if I do as I say it will be under my own steam, then I can meet other GR members in NZ :-)

Welcome home Allan :-D

a 6am wake-up call every day for three weeks!! Are you sure it was a holiday and not an endurance event? :-D

NZ is beautiful, I hope to get over the ditch and meet cousins of mine.

<3

Hi Allan

Glad you had a great trip.

we've toured NZ under our own steam a couple of times .......... as well as being in OZ

I also still have hopes that we'll get down under again, int he next 2 or 3 years.

How lovely that you met my pal Persie and her hubby, Allan, I do think that meeting people during your holiday makes it better, especially if you sort of know them already. NZ is on my list if I ever win the lottery and many other places as well where I have old and new friends to catch up with.

I would never be able to go on coach tours as I need to pace myself but at least it gave you a start on NZ and now you can decide where you want to revisit or check out when you do self drive.

Have a little rest before you start planning your next visit,

Lizx

Hello to Scozz, Sylvia and PSD

We realise the early morning starts were necessary given the schedule and the number of places we visited, but it would have been nice just to stop at some of the pubs we whizzed past for a spot of lunch.

No complaints, however, as it was a truly memorable trip :-D

Welcome home, Allan - so pleased you have had a great holiday despite the flight over and have arrived home safely.

Meeting our Persie and her OH must have been a great experience :-D

But of course.. Sue xx

Persie :-)


We spent a very nice afternoon with Allan and his wife, both very well behaved and not at all zombieish (sic).

These coach tours are crazy, cramming so much into about 20 odd days is mind boggling and tiring. Just going to the airport, sitting around the airport for about 3/4 of an hour and then a one hour flight to Wellington, wait for bags and get to where we are going has me cream crackered.

It was lovely to meet you Allan and your lovely wife.

Persie :-D

Glad you had a good time and I am very envious that you got to meet our Perse. 6am starts are the bane of many foreign coach tours which is what puts us off them. Still it must have been great to see it all.

I hope the medical emergency was not too serious.