NZ trip

[marsgal42]

I'm currently in Masterton, New Zealand, and this place is infested with Delicas!

Most are L400s, with the balance L300s. I've seen several D:5s, which look much cooler in real life. Other interesting vehicles include Mitsubishi i and MGF.

I'll try to get some pictures, but since I'm driving, photo ops aren't exactly plentiful.

My rental car is an Aussie Ford Falcon XR6. Nice.

On Sunday I'm off to the Cook Islands for the eclipse.

...laura

[FalcoColumbarius]

Yeah, after driving a Ford I'd be inclined to go for the Mitsubishi Eclipse.... Do the D5s look as nice as the Ford Flexes?

Hey Laura, glad you're having a great time and I look forward to the photos... smiles.

Falco.

[marsgal42]

Here are a couple of pictures of an L400 I shot on Rarotonga. The slogan on the license plates is "kia orana", Cook Islands Māori for "hello". The equivalent in New Zealand Māori is "kia ora". Either way, pronounce it as one word, and trill the r.

L400, front view. Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

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L400, rear view. Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

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Our rental car in New Zealand was a Ford Falcon XR6. Aussie old-school: inline 6 in the front, rear wheel drive. Nice.

Aussie Ford Falcon, rental car in New Zealand.

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I went for a flight in this critter, a Cessna 180, from Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand. Kerri the instructor did the taxi and takeoff, then handed the plane over to me at about 2000 feet, we flew over the Wairarapa Mountains, saw Wellington off in the distance, saw both the mountains near Lake Taupo and mountains over on the South Island, and flew along Cook Strait. I flew the approach down to circuit altitude and Kerri showed me some circuits, then taught me how to taxi a taildragger. You can't see over the cowl on the ground, so you have to zigzag along, just like WW2 footage of pilots taxiing Mustangs and Spitfires.

Cessna 180 at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand.

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It was winter in New Zealand, with frost overnight. The Cook Islands are the archetype of a South Pacific island, with white sand beaches and palm trees. It was broken cloud the morning of the eclipse, so we experienced it more than we saw it. Wild light effects on the clouds and it got really dark during totality, with a persistent cloud bank in exactly the wrong place that only let go for a few minutes after third contact, showing us the Sun growing from a sliver back to a fat crescent. Next time: Queensland, 2012.

D:5s are very cool in real life. I saw a couple in New Zealand.

With all the best will in the world I still think taro tastes like cardboard, and the ukelele is a practical joke that got out of hand.

...laura

[Slimdog]

Sounds like a quick trip. How long were you gone?

I have moved from Vancouver to Wellington about 5 months ago. You are right there a tons of Mitsubishis down here. If I ever get a job I will be up grading to a L300 4x4.