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Geek Culture / New Zealand - anyone?

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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 01:16
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Anyone here live in or near New Zealand? I'm off there for 18 days leaving tomorrow afternoon from the UK. 22 hours in the air + 4 hours in Korea but I think it'll be worth it

I'm doing this tour: http://www.flyingkiwi.com/tours/hot-rocks/

and then stayign in Waiheke in a B&B for 3 days.

Has anyone been there before or does anyone live there? Any recommendations? Any hints on how not to piss off the locals? I've been told that New Zealanders do NOT like having Kiwi Fruits referred to as Kiwi's as they reffer to themselves as Kiwi's and its like you're calling them a fruit (or something to that logic... I think...)

Anywho - I'll check again tomorrow before I leave and I might get a chance to check the forum from Holiday - but if not, you all behave while I'm away, you hear me... No house parties and make sure you lock the windows and doors when you go out. If anything goes wrong while I'm away - I'll never trust you enough to leave again - you'll be stuck with me forever!!!

Something tells me I should sleep now...



PS: Has anyone use Korean Air before? Anything I shold be made aware of?


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Saikoro
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 01:49
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Have fun in New Zealand. I have a friend who lives there, and the sights are nothing but beautiful.

And the meek shall inherit the Earth...
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The admiral
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 03:46
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Yup i do

The admiral
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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 04:06
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Cool, have fun, I want to visit it some day, you know thats where Lord of the Rings was filmed

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spooky
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 11:52
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After having just got back from Australia after a 3 week hol I can tell you that the plane journey really does go on, and on, and on, and on. We had one stop off point in Hong Kong but one of the flights was still over 12 hours.

They turn the lights off for most of the journey to gently pursuade you to sleep but there's nothing worse than waking up hoping you are nearly there, turning on your tv and finding you only slept for an hour and still have 8 hours to go. That was really annoying.

What is weird that I got no jetlag going there but I was out of it for nearly 4 days after returning, so don't plan on doing anything energetic or work that need concentration, for at least a few days after coming back.

I assume immigration control in NZ is similar to Australia, so be prepared to go through all sorts of controls when you arrive there. Took us nearly an hour after stepping off plane, to finally leaving the airport.

Anyway, have a great time!

Boo!
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David T
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 21:35 Edited at: 14th Mar 2006 21:38
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I have a kiwi friend. Nice people. Even nicer country. Have fun!

Quote: "PS: Has anyone use Korean Air before? Anything I shold be made aware of?"


Interesting choice of carrier. Have fun on Seoul during the transfer. Check out http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/KE.htm for reviews. They're not bad, 4 stars.

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Me!
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 21:43
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just remember to put a chair under the door handle at night before you go to sleep, or those ringwraiths will be in and chop up your bedding before you now it (and watch out for guys in pointy hats asking you to run em errands...theres gonna be a catch )



if you listen you can hear the inter-dimensional zombies calling.....branes, branes......
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Jeku
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 23:15
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And don't forget the Asian airliners purposely hire attractive, single girls for stewards, so have fun


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Philip
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Posted: 14th Mar 2006 23:35
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Korean Air is fine.

I spent a year working in HK so I've been to Australia and NZ. Sadly I only ever got to see the North Island of NZ. Its a beautiful country. I'd recommend driving down to Rotorua if you have the time. Its a volcanic region and very, very interesting.

I got nicked by a traffic cop in the town near to where they filmed the Hobbiton scenes. Like traffic cops everywhere on the planet he had exactly no sense of humour. So my pleasantly delivered queries about whether he had hairy feet and liked to eat mushrooms went down like
a



lead balloon.

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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 31st Mar 2006 22:45 Edited at: 31st Mar 2006 22:46
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I just got back from NZ (got home about an hour ago)... God that was fantastic!!!

You were right about the flights - they take ages! Its strange - it got dark twice on the way out there and not at all on the way back!

I have to say - Korean Air is certainly a very good way to fly if you need to do long haul on a budget. The in flight food is very variable. Mostly it was edible - but there were a few meals which I had to leave bits of. I also learned that Korean porrige is NOT like western porrige... its more rice in gunky salty 'water'.

Here are a few photos...
Me, in a zorb - http://www.thingy-ma-jig.co.uk/photos/DSC_0006.JPG

Me, failing to sucessfully sandboard down a sand-dune into the sea... - http://www.thingy-ma-jig.co.uk/photos/DSCN0607.JPG (FYI: If you ever do this - NEVER, I repeat, NEVER put your hands in the sand in front of you to slow down. The result is a face full of high speed sand. It tastes gritty....)

Finally - Me (and my better half) at the Sulphur pools at Rotorua... http://www.thingy-ma-jig.co.uk/photos/DSCN0651.JPG (btw, I dont normally blink during photos )

If anyone here is thinking of goign to NZ - I cant reccomend it enough! The last few days on the Island of Waiheke was so relaxing!


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Chris Franklin
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Posted: 31st Mar 2006 22:55 Edited at: 31st Mar 2006 22:55
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w00t wish i could go on holday to here

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TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 00:14
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lake tahoe is my choice......its where i hope to retire to when that day comes in a looooooooooooooong time, hopefully by then the lake is still as clean as it is now......

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Peter H
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 01:11 Edited at: 1st Apr 2006 01:15
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Quote: "We had one stop off point in Hong Kong "

Quote: "I spent a year working in HK "

that's odd, i didn't think anybody else had been there... (i spent 5 weeks there, stayed in the "new territories" for the first 4 weeks... mong kok, mei foo, and kowloon tong ring any bells? )

yeah, korean air is fine... i'm pretty sure that's what we took from japan to HK... but then again that doesn't make much sense... (korean air flying from japan?) but that's what i seem to remember...

just don't get the fish... (unless you like it ) the sushi is good though.

i've never been to new zealand... but it sure looked like a really nice place from the LOTR movies and if i ever get the chance it's a place i'd like to visit sometime

"We make the worst games in the universe..."
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Saikoro
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 09:48
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I'd have to say that NZ is perhaps the most beautiful country I have seen. It's got the wonderful scapes as seen in LOTR, goregous beaches, and beautiful islands. Can't wait to go there

And the meek shall inherit the Earth...
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 12:18
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Its funny - everyone keeps saying about LOTR... Although I didn't see the bit where LOTR was filmed in the south, I went to the Tongarero (spelling?) Crossing for a hike which was called off due to poor weather, but we went on a smaller one anyway and supposedly a bit of LOTR was filmed there. It looked uncannily like Scotland! The most beautiful bit of NZ I saw looked nothing like LOTR - they looked better and also a lot less "hell-like"


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David T
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 17:00
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Quote: "w00t wish i could go on holday to here"


Please, if you want to show off you went there last summer then start a thread about it.

Nick - NZ looks amazing. Wish I could go there. Better start saving the air miles, hehe!

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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 22:48
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If you want to go there - I cant recommend Flying Kiwi enough. They are excellent. If you do book with them, ask if you can have Lisa as they guide. She was EXCELENT. She knew what she was talking about not just because she was a genuine Kiwi, but she actually seemed to have an interest in the country and all the facts. The guy we had for the last day (we changed guides in Wellington when Lisa went south and my girlfriend and I had to head back north to Auckland to finish our tour) wasn't so good. He showed very little interest and wasn't very inspiring... It was almost like he was pointing out the window and going "mountain.... lake.... sheep...". Thing is, as my girlfriend pointed out to me, I might be looking at him wrong - he might not be BAD, but he certainly isn't as good as Lisa. They have other guides too - I'm sure that Lisa isn't the only brilliant one.

Doing a tour with them is great fun - you actually make friends on it. I met people that I can see myself keeping in contact with. I've even offered to make a website for our group so we can keep in contact and share our memories and photo's easier.


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gbuilder
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 23:08
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Yep, I'm a Kiwi and live in the Coromandel area. I recommend visiting the Coromandel Peninsula and trying the bush walks, especially from Fletchers Bay through to Stony Bay. You'll be blown away by the scenery. Also the South Island walks like the Milford and the Routburn tracks are spectacular. There are no nasties like snakes etc. in NZ so it's safe treking too.

gbuilder.

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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 23:46
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gbuilder - have you ever been over to Waiheke? I loved it there - so peacefull and friendly! We stayed at Tawa Lodge in Little Oneroa. Its up on a hill and when you look out of the veranda next to the bedroom you get a view of Blackpool AND Oneroa Bay!

Our tour took us through Coromandel (we camped there the night before heading on to steamy Rotorua).


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gbuilder
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Posted: 1st Apr 2006 23:58 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2006 00:36
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Yep, I've been on Waiheke plenty of times. The Hauraki Gulf has lots of nice peaceful islands. The hydro-foil service visits many.
Sounds like you enjoyed yourself in this land they call.."God's Own".

gbuilder.

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