Now I have a new obsession

Helicopters.  In Queenstown, there are helicopters everywhere. Yesterday I went in one, today I stood watching while one landed and took off while making a car commercial. To quote a Kiwi, they are “sexy as...”.

Heli coming in to land

Tomorrow morning I will have been here a week. It’s my second visit to Queenstown and infinitely calmer than the first. The first was for Jim and Vicky’s wedding six years ago, when I was sort of an honorary best man for Jim along with his two good buddies Dom and Jennings (the real best men). We spent an entire week getting very drunk every night and all my plans for an adventurous time in QT went completely out of the window. In 2005 I think I managed a ride on the Shotover Jetboat and a BMX ride around the lake. And a lot of lie-ins. (I was young.) Thank goodness I’d seen more of NZ before that…

Grown up Jim: the pace is more sedate this time...

Vicky and Toby: we've been doing lots of walking in this glorious place

This time though, it’s different. We’re older — I would like to hope wiser but I think the jury is still out on that one, for me anyway — and Jim and Vicky now have Charli and Toby. So it’s been much more chilled and I’ve been doing lots of walking, cycling, yoga, reading (of my RYA Navigation book) and yesterday I took a heli up the mountain and white water rafted my way down.

I wanted to go white water rafting in Mendoza, Argentina, but the two Scottish girls I hung out with suggested I might find it a little boring after spending a day cycling after me around the vineyards. I’m glad I saved it…

The beginning of yet another obsession

Kitted out in wetsuits, about ten of us waited on the side of Coronet Peak for the helicopter to arrive. I could tell we were in for a good ride when the pilot swooped in sideways to pick us up. “Hey cool, it’s Dave,” said one of the rafting guides, “you’re in for a good ride”. I’m normally quite tough when it comes to these sorts of things but when Dave swooped around the canyon, swinging us sideways between narrow rocks while snaking along the top of the river my stomach was quite literally in my mouth. And not from adrenalin. We also “buzzed” the rest of the rafters making their way by road to the base station. Pedestrians.

Thanks to Jim and Vicky’s neighbour Damon, who works for Queenstown Rafting, I was lucky enough to get a 30% locals discount, but the heli ride was still a treat — and worth every penny. The rafting wasn’t so bad either — grade four and the river was pretty high after the pouring rain we had Sunday night. Just slightly spoilt by the group of 18-year-old Germans I was put with, many of whom screamed their heads off and refused to listen to any of the guide’s instructions. The situation slightly improved after one fell out, but the experience did nothing to dampen my xenophobic tendencies. Oh, and I got a blister from the paddle.

Heli filming the new Audi A8 on the road between Queenstown and Wanaka

Today we drove to Wanaka and on the crazy s-bend road on the way over came across a crew filming a commercial for the new Audi A8 for China. Luckily Toby (six weeks old) needed a feed so we HAD to stop right where the helicopter (with huge, cool camera attached to front) landed. After I’d taken a few pictures and the beautiful helicopter had taken off again, the directors asked me not to put the pictures of the car on facebook. They were relieved to learn I was taking them to send to my friend Paul who is a director of Audi UK. However I did omit to say they would be splashed all over my blog.

r

The road they were using for filming the commercial 

So, two more days in Queenie. Sniff sniff. I’ve loved waking up every morning in the mountains. New Zealand is breathtaking — it has to be one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. But next time I visit I’m coming for the winter season and some heli skiing. Unless Jim and Vicky find me a helicopter pilot for a husband, that is, and I’ll be back sooner (sorry mum).

On Sunday it’s up to the Bay of Islands for my coastal skipper course. It runs from 14-18 February and after that I plan to do a little diving around the Poor Knights Islands along the coast — named by Jacques Costeau as one of the top ten places to dive in the world. Then into Auckland in time to catch up with my friend Rebekah before heading to Thailand.

The great news this week is that my Christmas dive buddy Sabrina (see blog one) is joining me to travel around Cambodia and Laos, before we head back to India together for the last 10 days of my trip. It’ll be great to have the company and I can’t wait to see Sab again. Trouble is my trip is going too damned fast…

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!