Well I've just returned from my 2nd trip to NZ, The first was so enjoyable I cashed in an insurance policy and off we went. Via Hong Kong this time.
Had to have a trip on the "Ding Ding" as they are known locally, great fun and cheap!



Had to try the street food although it's best not to read the translations for some of it!



The Peak Tram is a must



We went on the modern one!



Views not as good as we would have liked and it was quite cool



View from the tram gives you the gradient



Odd looking building at the top!



Enjoyed some excellent restaurant food and found some good beer!
Went to Stanley Market

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And found this unusual bar!



Then off to Christchurch via Auckland,  not the plane we went on!



Didn't have time to go into Christchurch this trip but heading south we came to Tinwald where they have the Plains Pioneer village and Railway Museum, unfortunately shut but we had a poke round and found  No 88 in the shed it hauled the first Christchurch – Dunedin express back in 1878, 'K' 88, or Washington, was built in 1877 by Rogers Locomotive Works, Paterson, New Jersey.



Also lurking in the shed was 'A' 64 which was built in 1873 by Dubs & Co, Glasgow, Scotland. It is a 0-4-0T and was one of the first 3" 6' (1067mm) gauged locomotives to operate in New Zealand.



And In trials on the 25th October 1940 Vulcan Railcar 'RM' 50 set the official New Zealand Railways speed record of 78mp/h, or 125km/h. This record is still standing today,

 I cannot get this picture to post portrait others I've had to reload and they've been ok?

Lurking in the back of this photo is 'Ja' 1260 which was built at Hillside Railway Workshops, Dunedin for the New Zealand Government Railways in 1952.



The Station being inspected by my good lady



Then it was off to Geraldine a lovely little town with a superb car museum and home to the company that made the jam that we took round on our travels (plenty of fruit). First a lovely little 6 cylinder MG



An early Black & Decker drill!



A Daimler used by the Queen (note the bumper badge) on her tour in 1953



And the last surviving 1929 Spartan biplane



Then it was on to Lake Tekapo



And with our hire car



The view from Mt John



Part of the observatory up there



And a view down to the town



Being in the vicinity of Mount Cook we had wanted to take a flight there but as last time the weather was against us however when we got down to Twizel we found the "Red Cat"



The intrepid aviators



A view in flight



And safely back on Terra Firma!



and that takes me up to beer time so I'll catch up with you later, Cheers 

Thank you for posting your pictures along with descriptive commentary. I would have loved to go up in the Red Cat, it must have been brilliant to be in an open cockpit like that. Were you given the chance to take over flying for a time?

I thoroughly enjoyed all your pictures, thank you.

Cheers John.

It seems you had a good time. A great set of photos.

MinzaPint

Brilliant pics. Glad you found the railways and enjoyed the country. Looking forward to your next report.    

As always, great hearing of your adventures, David! 

Great pics! You wouldn't get me up in that plane.... bet it was cold

Thanks for the comments folks  re the plane it used to be a crop duster so we were sat where the fertilizer used to go (quite appropriate!) with the jackets and helmets on it wasn't cold and the "cargo" bay didn't have any controls, I prefer to leave that to the experts!

will post more later 

Some fabulous views.  We visited Hong Kong on our way back from NZ in Feb/Mar 2011.  It was murky then.  Fascinating place though I cannot say I liked it.  Yes we were in Napier when the Christchurch quake hit, and just arrived in HK when the quake and Tsunami hit Japan.  I remember that car museum from our 1996 trip.

We loved the Glenbrook Railway (North island near our friends SW of Auckland).  And the Taire Gorge line from Dunedin.

Yep the gorge trip out of Dunedin is cool. 

Then it was off to Queenstown where we had been on our previous trip so this time we took in some other sites
A Kiwi and a Moa



 the Moa is at the back!

Went up in the chairlift where the trail riders hitch a lift up!



And inspite of the blazing temperatures in the North Island we were greeted with this view



As you leave the gondola there is the excellent Kiwi Birdlife Park which is well worth a visit, after which it was time for refreshment



Then through more lovely countryside, driving in most of NZ is very relaxing and enjoyable, taking us to Dunedin where we stayed just round the corner from the chocoholics dream



Rosemary's Prawn feast at the "Reef" on the main street



We also ate at "Gaslight" a very nice French themed place just round the corner from our digs. Then it was time to take in one of the few pre-booked treats a leftover from our last visit, "Speights Brewery"







The Egyptians apparently invented brewing as evidenced by



James Speight the founder was actually from Portsmouth but our host for the day was Graham



Who advised us to visit The Duke of Wellington just down the road.



Before we go the famous "Spring in the wall" where the locals get their drinking water supply.



Then we set of to Port Chalmers via the Carey's Bay hotel built by the Mayor of Port Chalmers in 1874 where we had an excellent lunch



The railway still works into the docks via the tunnel and aptly named hotel (sign in centre)





There is a very interesting museum with details of the ports history and some lovely ship models



And from the viewpoint on the northern hillside a view of the harbour



Also a plaque recording Scott's departure on his ill fated voyage



Then it was off to Oamaru which we visited on our previous trip, where this time we found Oamaru Steam and Rail, like a lot of interesting sites it was shut on the day we were there but we had a look round, the harbourside station



The end of the line at the dock



A restoration project?



A 1939 Drewry Shunter



And receiving a little TLC their pride and joy a 1924 Hudswell Clarke



view of the town from the hillside



Finally the Steam Punk exhibition which we passed on!



That'll do for this batch, more to follow, cheers for now  David

Fantastic photos! They bring back alot of memories.... time for another trip, methinks.

After going up in that little red plane, I would have thought you'd have jumped off that mountain in Queenstown with one of those paragliding folk!

The weather looks a bit dodgy, though.  On the day of my own visit to Speights Brewery it was pouring down. Good weather for a brewery visit!

For what it's worth, Speights is my favorite Kiwi beer. 

George

Another great set of photos. Never been south of the Equator but that makes it look very tempting.

Quote from: Bealman on March 04, 2016, 08:23:24 PM

The weather looks a bit dodgy, though.  On the day of my own visit to Speights Brewery it was pouring down. Good weather for a brewery visit!

For what it's worth, Speights is my favorite Kiwi beer. 

George

Have to agree on the Speights, got the T shirt! well rugby shirt really. While in NZ I kept trying different beers, with all the small breweries there's plenty of choice     Cheers  David

Travelling north we passed through Timaru to find a sign pointing to railcar running and shot off to find the Pleasant Point railway and this lovely 1926 Model T Ford beautifully restored



A view inside



And the controls



Heading down the line to the Keanes Crossing shed and works



Where we found AB 699 under going a refurb, built for the New Zealand Railways in 1922 by the Thames firm of A & G Price, carrying their maker's number 94. They expect to have her running again in 6 months.



The cab



And this lovely little loco a D16 2-4-0 engine built in 1878 by the Scottish locomotive manufacturers Neilson and Company of Glasgow.



One of the carriages in the shed



And some of the interiors



 reversible seats



The station at Keanes



The railcar running onto the turntable at Keanes



The signal box



The wagon turntable at Mount Pleasant, just right for the railcar



And TR18 built for New Zealand Railways in 1936 by the Drewry Car Company Limited of England;



A very enjoyable visit then it was off to Akaroa in the distance as we approached, view from the hilltop hotel where we had lunch and being so close I had a pint. Rosemary is definitely hooked on NZ cider.



Since the earthquakes cruise ships are unable to use Lyttleton harbour for visiting Christchurch and now come to Akaroa but the residents are prepared!



The old lighthouse has been moved here from the headland



But provides a nice panorama



We went on a harbour cruise



And spotted a Dolphin with it's calf



And a view back towards Akaroa as we left, it was one of our favourite spots



On the way up to Murchison we stopped for a coffee near Hammer Springs where they do Bungy jumping from this bridge and white water rafting



and a view along the valley



Stopped at the Murchison Lodge for B&B lovely quite location really nice owners and a good breakfast. After a good nights sleep we set off for Nelson but more of that later, cheers for now    David

How cool is that railcar!!  May I ask how far the line runs, please?

Akaroa looks nice... a place I don't think I've been to, or if I have I don't recall. Maybe I drove straight through without looking.  I'll bookmark it for next trip.

Wonderful photos once more. Looking forward to the next episode!   

George

Very interesting to see what has happened to NZ preservation since I was working there in the late 1970s when I was in the Merchant Navy.
First trip-July 1976-Bluff; only steam I saw was a dumped 'Ja' (?) outside Invercargill shed. But most of the locos hauling trains into the port were 'old' British built diesel locos.
Second trip; Dec 76-Feb 77; Auckland-MOTAT, which had a large collection of locos, but no (or very limited) running. I think the 'Bush tramway' locos were in the process of being moved to a new location.  The museum also had a large collection of aircraft. Glenbrook railway-first of two visits-lots of locos, but not a running day. I did help to take the tender tank off an ex logging loco.
Wellington; Silver Springs railway; a large collection, but very limited running. I think from their website they have now moved to the Hutt valley. Paekakarike; locos seen inside a shed. I think that at least one that I saw now runs mainline.
Lyttleton; I didn't get to the Ferrymead site; on my weekend off, I went sailing in Akaroa harbour instead....the radio officer did get there, however.
Timaru; on a visit to Mount Cook by road, we passed Pleasant Point, which at the time was just a strip of track in the station with the 'Ab' on the track. They seem to have moved on somewhat. Then, over a full weekend, two of us went from Timaru by train to see the "Kingston Flyer' on its original route from Lumsden to Kingston and back. Fantastic scenery; but on the way back to Timaru, strong winds caused trees to fall across the line, so we were very late back to the ship and only just got back in time to start work on Monday!
June/July 1978; now on container ships, with very limited time off, but I did get a second chance to go to Glenbrook; also a brief look around Auckland NZR diesel shed.
I still take an occasional look t NZ preservation websites, and i note that there are many more than when I was there, and also the mainline running which now happens.
Fond memories, and lots of pictures in the loft. Hopefully I will return after retirement!
Martyn