New Year's in Niue? No way!
May 20, 2019, 1:17 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Ok let's finish this... gotten a few trips behind again! 
Jan 7, 2019
Flight: Wellington, New Zealand (WLG) to Chatham Islands, New Zealand (CHT); Air Chathams CV-580 economy
Hotel: Traveler's Rest; Chatham Islands, New Zealand
I didn't really have any plans for this morning before the flight to the Chatham Islands. For breakfast I headed back to Cuba Street up to Fidel's Cafe. Had a breakfast burrito under the watchful gaze of Castro and Che. After breakfast wandered back to the hotel. I still had a few hours to kill but was a bit worn out so decided to just head to the airport early. Checked out of the hotel and caught an Uber about 10AM to the airport. It was still way too early to check-in and my flight wasn't even on the monitors yet.
Fidel's Cafe, Cuba Street
Eventually the check-in opens, just a single desk. They handed out pre-printed boarding passes with no seat assignments, just my name scribbled in. Even after checkin I still had an hour to wait. The boarding gate 20 didn't even have security! I had gone down there but got confused when another flight was boarding there about the same time. Finally the Air Chathams flights boards via bus which takes us across the tarmac to where the plane is parked. Air Chathams operates ancient Convair CV-580s, built in the 1950s with massive rectangular turboprop propellers. Open-seating but the front few rows of the plane were full of cargo. The flight was only about an hour but the Chatham Island time zone is 45 minutes ahead of Auckland (GMT +12:45). I started chatting with the passenger next to me, he was a local and turns out he was Toni's father, she owned the Hotel Chatham. He showed me a story he had written about the NYE 2000 celebrations, Pitt Island is one of the first inhabited places to see in the new year and some tourists had paid an insane amount to see in the first sunrise.
The Chatham Islands soon came into view. Mostly flat, barren and windswept with few trees. We made a turn over the lagoon, which forms a large portion of the eastern side of the island, before landing at Tuuata Airport. The terminal was tiny, basically just one room. Above the entrance was a sign 'Welcome to the Chatham Islands - First to see the sun'. I met the hotel driver at the airport but they said they were still waiting on one more person. It turned out they just had my name wrong! So we soon set off for the ~30 minute drive into town. Other than a few paved sections near the airport and in town, most of the roads in the Chathams are gravel. There are no rental agencies at the airport, but (expensive - ~NZD$200/day) rentals can be arranged through the hotels. Transport to the hotel was NZD$40 return.
Chatham Islands airport, TCC #267
At the hotel, I found out I would be staying at the Traveler's Rest guesthouse up the hill as a big Korean group had booked out the hotel for the next day. They said it was Korean Survivor but found out it was the 'Law of the Jungle' series. It turned out a bit of an upgrade anyway as there was a huge room and bathroom (though no view from my room). One of the two stores was just next door, decent hours of 9AM until 5:30. Fairly decently stocked with a whole shelf of 'Old El Paso' burrito/taco supplies! One of the petrol stations was here as well. Diesel was NZ$1.85/L (US$4.78/gal) but gas was insane at US$8.65/gal.
There was a playground across the way so I setup my drone and grabbed a few overhead shots of the bay and town below. The weather had cleared and it was nice and sunny out now. The fine white sand beach stretched away to the north. The new wharf, just completed last year, was at the other end of town. After the drone flights, I wandered through the town a bit. Found the cafe which had 8AM-2PM hours posted, but it looked like it wasn't open at all. I continued back down across the bridge and river which was dyed brown with peat tannins. I came across the 2nd store, though it wasn't as well stocked as the first one it was busier. I continued walking to the edge of town with the 'Waitangi' sign. Then back across to the beach. Turns out I wasn't alone as there was a woman sunbathing some distance down the beach and a guy came along riding a dirtbike.
I was getting a bit hungry so went by the hotel restaurant for dinner. Ended up having the fish and chips and sitting with a group of hotel employees. All pretty chatty and learned some more about the local life here. Only one policeman here, on rotation from Wellington. The health department is provided from Christchurch, but most locals go to New Zealand for medical issues or to give birth. They said despite the amazing beaches that few people went swimming in the ocean due to sharks! The lagoon was safer for swimming. I also arranged an island tour for tomorrow.
I went back to the guesthouse where there was a woman and her mother sitting out on the porch. They invited me to share a glass of wine and were chatty about their visit. They lived in the South Island and were in the Chathams for 10 days, the woman's daughter knew some locals from the Chathams and was out camping.
After chatting a bit, I wanted to make it up to Tikitiki hill for sunset. It was about a 1km walk west of town to the old TV station then a scramble up the hill which overlooked the wharf below. Got some more drone shots of the coastal cliffs and sunset.
Jan 7, 2019
Flight: Wellington, New Zealand (WLG) to Chatham Islands, New Zealand (CHT); Air Chathams CV-580 economy
Hotel: Traveler's Rest; Chatham Islands, New Zealand
I didn't really have any plans for this morning before the flight to the Chatham Islands. For breakfast I headed back to Cuba Street up to Fidel's Cafe. Had a breakfast burrito under the watchful gaze of Castro and Che. After breakfast wandered back to the hotel. I still had a few hours to kill but was a bit worn out so decided to just head to the airport early. Checked out of the hotel and caught an Uber about 10AM to the airport. It was still way too early to check-in and my flight wasn't even on the monitors yet.
Fidel's Cafe, Cuba Street
Eventually the check-in opens, just a single desk. They handed out pre-printed boarding passes with no seat assignments, just my name scribbled in. Even after checkin I still had an hour to wait. The boarding gate 20 didn't even have security! I had gone down there but got confused when another flight was boarding there about the same time. Finally the Air Chathams flights boards via bus which takes us across the tarmac to where the plane is parked. Air Chathams operates ancient Convair CV-580s, built in the 1950s with massive rectangular turboprop propellers. Open-seating but the front few rows of the plane were full of cargo. The flight was only about an hour but the Chatham Island time zone is 45 minutes ahead of Auckland (GMT +12:45). I started chatting with the passenger next to me, he was a local and turns out he was Toni's father, she owned the Hotel Chatham. He showed me a story he had written about the NYE 2000 celebrations, Pitt Island is one of the first inhabited places to see in the new year and some tourists had paid an insane amount to see in the first sunrise.
The Chatham Islands soon came into view. Mostly flat, barren and windswept with few trees. We made a turn over the lagoon, which forms a large portion of the eastern side of the island, before landing at Tuuata Airport. The terminal was tiny, basically just one room. Above the entrance was a sign 'Welcome to the Chatham Islands - First to see the sun'. I met the hotel driver at the airport but they said they were still waiting on one more person. It turned out they just had my name wrong! So we soon set off for the ~30 minute drive into town. Other than a few paved sections near the airport and in town, most of the roads in the Chathams are gravel. There are no rental agencies at the airport, but (expensive - ~NZD$200/day) rentals can be arranged through the hotels. Transport to the hotel was NZD$40 return.
Chatham Islands airport, TCC #267
At the hotel, I found out I would be staying at the Traveler's Rest guesthouse up the hill as a big Korean group had booked out the hotel for the next day. They said it was Korean Survivor but found out it was the 'Law of the Jungle' series. It turned out a bit of an upgrade anyway as there was a huge room and bathroom (though no view from my room). One of the two stores was just next door, decent hours of 9AM until 5:30. Fairly decently stocked with a whole shelf of 'Old El Paso' burrito/taco supplies! One of the petrol stations was here as well. Diesel was NZ$1.85/L (US$4.78/gal) but gas was insane at US$8.65/gal.
There was a playground across the way so I setup my drone and grabbed a few overhead shots of the bay and town below. The weather had cleared and it was nice and sunny out now. The fine white sand beach stretched away to the north. The new wharf, just completed last year, was at the other end of town. After the drone flights, I wandered through the town a bit. Found the cafe which had 8AM-2PM hours posted, but it looked like it wasn't open at all. I continued back down across the bridge and river which was dyed brown with peat tannins. I came across the 2nd store, though it wasn't as well stocked as the first one it was busier. I continued walking to the edge of town with the 'Waitangi' sign. Then back across to the beach. Turns out I wasn't alone as there was a woman sunbathing some distance down the beach and a guy came along riding a dirtbike.
I was getting a bit hungry so went by the hotel restaurant for dinner. Ended up having the fish and chips and sitting with a group of hotel employees. All pretty chatty and learned some more about the local life here. Only one policeman here, on rotation from Wellington. The health department is provided from Christchurch, but most locals go to New Zealand for medical issues or to give birth. They said despite the amazing beaches that few people went swimming in the ocean due to sharks! The lagoon was safer for swimming. I also arranged an island tour for tomorrow.
I went back to the guesthouse where there was a woman and her mother sitting out on the porch. They invited me to share a glass of wine and were chatty about their visit. They lived in the South Island and were in the Chathams for 10 days, the woman's daughter knew some locals from the Chathams and was out camping.
After chatting a bit, I wanted to make it up to Tikitiki hill for sunset. It was about a 1km walk west of town to the old TV station then a scramble up the hill which overlooked the wharf below. Got some more drone shots of the coastal cliffs and sunset.
May 20, 2019, 1:35 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Jan 8, 2019
Hotel: Traveller's Rest; Chatham Islands, New Zealand
I was up early this morning and went for another walk at sunrise. I had a basic breakfast at the hotel. There was another Kiwi couple there, they said they had been busy catching paua (abalone) just off the beach at the hotel.
I had invited the women along on the tour today to split costs. We finally got going about 9:30 with Mark the guide. The original plan was to hit three corners of the island.. the far northeast, the basalt colums at the northwest and then to the other town of Owenga at the southeast. We first drove out to Tikitiki hill where I had been last evening.
After there we drove north along the road to the airport, stopping at one point for a view back across the bay to town. Mark said this land also belonged to Toni. It was a gorgeous sunny day today. Our next stop was along the edge of the lagoon where you can find fossilized shark's teeth. Mostly it was stepping in stinky goose muck and mud. The guide did find a few teeth, I never would have spotted them otherwise as they were more needle type than triangle-shaped great white teeth.
We continued off along the northeastern shore, stopping at Ocean Mail beach, named after a shipwreck. The water was an amazing clear blue and white sand, anywhere else you would expect it to be packed with people. After the beach we continued east, passing several fresh and brackish lakes in the peat moors. Mark said a lot of the land is disputed ownership among descendants of the original owners. The Chathams were originally populated by the Moriori group, but many were killed or enslaved by Maori from New Zealand in the 1800s. Point Munning at the northeast was private land and you must pay the owners for access. The farm here seems to be where any piece of mechanical equipment ends up as there were dozens of old cars, tractors, plane fuselage, etc.
Ocean Mail Beach
We reached the point and walked along the short trail to the seal colony. I flew my drone out over the coast to get a better view. After going back to the car we had a boxed lunch the hotel had provided. We went back to the farm and into one of the huge barns. Got a surprise to see the remains of a huge Sunderland flying boat that crashed on takeoff in 1959.
Point Munning
After the farm we continued to the fishing port at Kaingaroa Harbor. There was a memorial here for a ship disaster that claimed most of the town. Crayfish (Spiny Lobster) are the main export from the Chathams. Mark said they keep the big ones for themselves and export the middle-sized ones due to frieght prices vs meat cost. There was a pier here with crayfish storage pots.
After Kaingaroa we went to the Moriori tree carvings near the old airport. There were carvings of faces and bodies, though a bit difficult to see. I continued along the trail to the beach at Hanson Bay which curves along most of the east side of the island. There was a weka bird walking along back at the car, Mark said they are legal to catch here unlike in New Zealand proper.
Unfortunately it was already getting a bit late and our guide said we wouldn't have time to visit the other two planned stops! The island is a lot bigger than it seems and with our stops we had already used up most of the day. We continued back to the hotel, stopping along the way to help out with a flat tire. Locals always stop to help out and there was a big group gathered around. We finally made it back to the hotel about 5:30pm. I had ordered a crayfish for dinner at the hotel but then Mark brought up one he had caught yesterday. Absolutely massive lobster and he gave us a demonstration on cooking it and shared it among the four of us. Delicious! Then went down to the hotel and feasted more on lobster.. though this one was fairly tiny in comparison.
After dinner went back to the hotel and was just relaxing on the porch when this weird guy came up and sat down. I guess he was working on one of the fishing boats but had suffered a head injury and was flying out tomorrow. Couldn't really understand him very well and he was acting odd.
Hotel: Traveller's Rest; Chatham Islands, New Zealand
I was up early this morning and went for another walk at sunrise. I had a basic breakfast at the hotel. There was another Kiwi couple there, they said they had been busy catching paua (abalone) just off the beach at the hotel.
I had invited the women along on the tour today to split costs. We finally got going about 9:30 with Mark the guide. The original plan was to hit three corners of the island.. the far northeast, the basalt colums at the northwest and then to the other town of Owenga at the southeast. We first drove out to Tikitiki hill where I had been last evening.
After there we drove north along the road to the airport, stopping at one point for a view back across the bay to town. Mark said this land also belonged to Toni. It was a gorgeous sunny day today. Our next stop was along the edge of the lagoon where you can find fossilized shark's teeth. Mostly it was stepping in stinky goose muck and mud. The guide did find a few teeth, I never would have spotted them otherwise as they were more needle type than triangle-shaped great white teeth.
We continued off along the northeastern shore, stopping at Ocean Mail beach, named after a shipwreck. The water was an amazing clear blue and white sand, anywhere else you would expect it to be packed with people. After the beach we continued east, passing several fresh and brackish lakes in the peat moors. Mark said a lot of the land is disputed ownership among descendants of the original owners. The Chathams were originally populated by the Moriori group, but many were killed or enslaved by Maori from New Zealand in the 1800s. Point Munning at the northeast was private land and you must pay the owners for access. The farm here seems to be where any piece of mechanical equipment ends up as there were dozens of old cars, tractors, plane fuselage, etc.
Ocean Mail Beach
We reached the point and walked along the short trail to the seal colony. I flew my drone out over the coast to get a better view. After going back to the car we had a boxed lunch the hotel had provided. We went back to the farm and into one of the huge barns. Got a surprise to see the remains of a huge Sunderland flying boat that crashed on takeoff in 1959.
Point Munning
After the farm we continued to the fishing port at Kaingaroa Harbor. There was a memorial here for a ship disaster that claimed most of the town. Crayfish (Spiny Lobster) are the main export from the Chathams. Mark said they keep the big ones for themselves and export the middle-sized ones due to frieght prices vs meat cost. There was a pier here with crayfish storage pots.
After Kaingaroa we went to the Moriori tree carvings near the old airport. There were carvings of faces and bodies, though a bit difficult to see. I continued along the trail to the beach at Hanson Bay which curves along most of the east side of the island. There was a weka bird walking along back at the car, Mark said they are legal to catch here unlike in New Zealand proper.
Unfortunately it was already getting a bit late and our guide said we wouldn't have time to visit the other two planned stops! The island is a lot bigger than it seems and with our stops we had already used up most of the day. We continued back to the hotel, stopping along the way to help out with a flat tire. Locals always stop to help out and there was a big group gathered around. We finally made it back to the hotel about 5:30pm. I had ordered a crayfish for dinner at the hotel but then Mark brought up one he had caught yesterday. Absolutely massive lobster and he gave us a demonstration on cooking it and shared it among the four of us. Delicious! Then went down to the hotel and feasted more on lobster.. though this one was fairly tiny in comparison.
After dinner went back to the hotel and was just relaxing on the porch when this weird guy came up and sat down. I guess he was working on one of the fishing boats but had suffered a head injury and was flying out tomorrow. Couldn't really understand him very well and he was acting odd.
Last edited by hauteboy; May 20, 2019 at 1:49 pm
May 20, 2019, 1:42 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Jan 9, 2019
Flight: Chatham Islands, New Zealand (CHT) to Wellington, New Zealand (WLG); Air Chathams CV-580 economy
Flight: Wellington, New Zealand (WLG) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL); Air New Zealand economy
Flight: Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to San Francisco, CA (SFO); Air New Zealand economy
Flight: San Francisco, CA (SFO) to Austin, TX (AUS); United economy
Today was going to be a long day.. I was going to be flying back to Wellington, then continuing onto Auckland before the flight back to the USA.. 5 flights on 4 separate tickets.. so hoped that things went smoothly! I had fairly long (3+hr) layovers in Wellington and Auckland though.
Breakfast at the hotel was busy this morning as the Korean group had arrived. I was a bit worried when they mentioned that pickup for the airport was now 11 AM instead of 9AM.. I checked the flight schedule and it did show a bit of delay. I asked about getting a 'Chatham Islands' stamp and the hotel had one! They also had a 'Dark Side of the Lagoon' shirt ala Pink Floyd logo which I just had to buy.
I had some extra time to kill so walked up into town to the museum. Then luckily went back to the hotel and found out they were looking for me as the shuttle now was supposed to go at 10AM! Still had to wait on the bus to return from dropping off the Korean group somewhere. We took the shuttle bus this time as there was another big charter group arriving today, my guide had said 40+ people would be on tour tomorrow. At the airport and the plane was already waiting, so that's a good sign. There was a 'VIP Lounge' of sorts despite it being a tiny airport but no one was inside.
Crayfish cargo
Landed in Welly
We boarded the flight, which had the first 9 rows dedicated to crayfish cargo. The captain spooled up the engines, only to have them spin them down again. He came on the intercom and said there was an oil leak! Luckily it only took them a few minutes to sort out and mentioned they had overfilled the oil in Auckland on the previous flight. So turns out we only left about 15 minutes late and arrived into Wellington with plenty of time for my connection. There was no line at all for security to the Air NZ terminal and I headed up to the Air NZ lounge to wait my next flight.
The flight to Auckland went smoothly too, so 2 down and 3 more to go. It's a fair bit of a walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Auckland, or there is a shuttle bus. Still with plenty of time. I bought a t-shirt for miss hauteboy and hung out in the Air NZ lounge for a bit before going down to the gate area. It's a good thing I left plenty of time as the secondary screening line was huge! Took almost 40 minutes waiting in line to get through to the USA gates after a game of 20 questions.
The flight to SFO was otherwise uneventful and was quick through Global Entry on arrival. My next flight to Los Angeles wasn't for nearly 6 hours, then another connection onto Austin. I checked award availability to see if I could get back home sooner. There was a United flight via Denver that got in 4 hours earlier, or even a nonstop to Austin though it only got back 2 hrs. At the United club I did a last-minute award booking on the Denver flight. Then got to the plane and boarded, only to have them come on and say they had overfueled the plane! (what is it about overfilling today...). They claimed it would be quick but I didn't want to risk my connection now, so was offloaded and was able to get on the nonstop Austin flight. Finally boarded the flight to Austin and caught an uber, arriving home some 30 hours after leaving the Hotel Chathams.
NZ Y AKL-SFO
Flight: Chatham Islands, New Zealand (CHT) to Wellington, New Zealand (WLG); Air Chathams CV-580 economy
Flight: Wellington, New Zealand (WLG) to Auckland, New Zealand (AKL); Air New Zealand economy
Flight: Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to San Francisco, CA (SFO); Air New Zealand economy
Flight: San Francisco, CA (SFO) to Austin, TX (AUS); United economy
Today was going to be a long day.. I was going to be flying back to Wellington, then continuing onto Auckland before the flight back to the USA.. 5 flights on 4 separate tickets.. so hoped that things went smoothly! I had fairly long (3+hr) layovers in Wellington and Auckland though.
Breakfast at the hotel was busy this morning as the Korean group had arrived. I was a bit worried when they mentioned that pickup for the airport was now 11 AM instead of 9AM.. I checked the flight schedule and it did show a bit of delay. I asked about getting a 'Chatham Islands' stamp and the hotel had one! They also had a 'Dark Side of the Lagoon' shirt ala Pink Floyd logo which I just had to buy.
I had some extra time to kill so walked up into town to the museum. Then luckily went back to the hotel and found out they were looking for me as the shuttle now was supposed to go at 10AM! Still had to wait on the bus to return from dropping off the Korean group somewhere. We took the shuttle bus this time as there was another big charter group arriving today, my guide had said 40+ people would be on tour tomorrow. At the airport and the plane was already waiting, so that's a good sign. There was a 'VIP Lounge' of sorts despite it being a tiny airport but no one was inside.
Crayfish cargo
Landed in Welly
We boarded the flight, which had the first 9 rows dedicated to crayfish cargo. The captain spooled up the engines, only to have them spin them down again. He came on the intercom and said there was an oil leak! Luckily it only took them a few minutes to sort out and mentioned they had overfilled the oil in Auckland on the previous flight. So turns out we only left about 15 minutes late and arrived into Wellington with plenty of time for my connection. There was no line at all for security to the Air NZ terminal and I headed up to the Air NZ lounge to wait my next flight.
The flight to Auckland went smoothly too, so 2 down and 3 more to go. It's a fair bit of a walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Auckland, or there is a shuttle bus. Still with plenty of time. I bought a t-shirt for miss hauteboy and hung out in the Air NZ lounge for a bit before going down to the gate area. It's a good thing I left plenty of time as the secondary screening line was huge! Took almost 40 minutes waiting in line to get through to the USA gates after a game of 20 questions.
The flight to SFO was otherwise uneventful and was quick through Global Entry on arrival. My next flight to Los Angeles wasn't for nearly 6 hours, then another connection onto Austin. I checked award availability to see if I could get back home sooner. There was a United flight via Denver that got in 4 hours earlier, or even a nonstop to Austin though it only got back 2 hrs. At the United club I did a last-minute award booking on the Denver flight. Then got to the plane and boarded, only to have them come on and say they had overfueled the plane! (what is it about overfilling today...). They claimed it would be quick but I didn't want to risk my connection now, so was offloaded and was able to get on the nonstop Austin flight. Finally boarded the flight to Austin and caught an uber, arriving home some 30 hours after leaving the Hotel Chathams.
NZ Y AKL-SFO
Last edited by hauteboy; May 21, 2019 at 8:33 am
May 20, 2019, 7:09 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Here's links to some of my other trip blogs
2005
Peru/Ecuador[#49]/Galapagos: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...agos-trip.html
Mongolia[#52]/Caucasus: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-mtskheta.html
2007
Andaman Islands (India): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-ixz-maa.html
St Vincent [#68], Grenada, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...h-guianas.html
North Korea[#76]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...oryo-trip.html
2008
Ethiopia[#78]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-airlines.html
Central America: Honduras[#88], El Salvador, Nicaragua http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-managua.html
2009
St. Petersburg, Baltics and Belarus[#94]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-st-pete.html
Canadian Rockies: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-rockies.html
2010
West Africa: Ghana, Benin [#102], Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ir-france.html
Guam, Palau [#111], Micronesia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-pacific.html
2011
Lebanon [#115], Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bangladesh: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...atar-econ.html
Pakistan [#122], Afghanistan: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ord-iah-y.html
2012
Nigeria [#126], Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...al-guinea.html
Central Asia -stans, Iraq[#136], southern Balkans: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...q-balkans.html
Iran [#141], Turkey: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...gallipoli.html
South Korea, Myanmar: A journey of a thousand (and then some) steps: Jeju and Myanmar (RGN fare)
2013
Yemen [#142], Djibouti, Somaliland, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...land-more.html
Saudi Arabia [#147], Eritrea: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-eritrea.html
Sudan [#149], Congos, Angola, Cape Verde, Sao Tome: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...go-angola.html
2014
Algeria [#155], Tunisia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...unisair-j.html
Fiji [#157], Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nuatu-png.html
Malta [#162]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...lh-j-km-j.html
Lesotho [#163], South Africa, Swaziland: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ther-coup.html
Romania [#165], Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Okinawa: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nh-y-oz-y.html
Madagascar [#171], Mauritius, Reunion, Mayotte, Comoros: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...mk-y-uu-y.html
2015
Maldives [#174] South Sudan via Maldives: NH F Square, TG A380 F, AI 787 Y, ET 787 Y, LH A380 Y
Chad [#175], Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...gal-niger.html
Poland [#181], Ukraine: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...auschwitz.html
Moldova [#182], Transdniester, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ng-europe.html
Central African Republic [#186]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-republic.html
Courthouses of Texas: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...urthouses.html
2016
Gambia [#188], Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Sudan: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...st-africa.html
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...blue-azul.html
Cuba: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...monterrey.html
Samoa [#195], Tuvalu, Nauru: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...countries.html
Channel Islands: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-j-gr-y-y.html
2017
Haiti: Long weekend in Haiti
Namibia, Kenya, Uganda: Sand Dunes and Safari, A trip to Namibia, Kenya and Uganda
2018
Ecuador: Long weekend in Ecuador. AA AUS-MIA-UIO/CUE-MIA-AUS
Tunisia, Sicily, Provence: Spring Break in Tunisia, Lampedusa, Sicily and Provence. UA/LH/TU/M4/FR/EZ/BA
Tibet, China: 10 days in China. Tibet, Sanya and Guilin! All three alliances Y UA/CA/MU/HU/KA/AA
Prince Edward Island, St. Pierre et Miquelon, Nova Scotia: Long weekend in the Maritimes. Prince Edward Island & St. Pierre et Miquelon
2005
Peru/Ecuador[#49]/Galapagos: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...agos-trip.html
Mongolia[#52]/Caucasus: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-mtskheta.html
2007
Andaman Islands (India): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-ixz-maa.html
St Vincent [#68], Grenada, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...h-guianas.html
North Korea[#76]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...oryo-trip.html
2008
Ethiopia[#78]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-airlines.html
Central America: Honduras[#88], El Salvador, Nicaragua http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-managua.html
2009
St. Petersburg, Baltics and Belarus[#94]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-st-pete.html
Canadian Rockies: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-rockies.html
2010
West Africa: Ghana, Benin [#102], Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ir-france.html
Guam, Palau [#111], Micronesia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-pacific.html
2011
Lebanon [#115], Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bangladesh: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...atar-econ.html
Pakistan [#122], Afghanistan: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ord-iah-y.html
2012
Nigeria [#126], Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...al-guinea.html
Central Asia -stans, Iraq[#136], southern Balkans: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...q-balkans.html
Iran [#141], Turkey: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...gallipoli.html
South Korea, Myanmar: A journey of a thousand (and then some) steps: Jeju and Myanmar (RGN fare)
2013
Yemen [#142], Djibouti, Somaliland, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...land-more.html
Saudi Arabia [#147], Eritrea: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-eritrea.html
Sudan [#149], Congos, Angola, Cape Verde, Sao Tome: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...go-angola.html
2014
Algeria [#155], Tunisia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...unisair-j.html
Fiji [#157], Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nuatu-png.html
Malta [#162]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...lh-j-km-j.html
Lesotho [#163], South Africa, Swaziland: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ther-coup.html
Romania [#165], Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Okinawa: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...nh-y-oz-y.html
Madagascar [#171], Mauritius, Reunion, Mayotte, Comoros: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...mk-y-uu-y.html
2015
Maldives [#174] South Sudan via Maldives: NH F Square, TG A380 F, AI 787 Y, ET 787 Y, LH A380 Y
Chad [#175], Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...gal-niger.html
Poland [#181], Ukraine: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...auschwitz.html
Moldova [#182], Transdniester, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ng-europe.html
Central African Republic [#186]: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-republic.html
Courthouses of Texas: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...urthouses.html
2016
Gambia [#188], Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Sudan: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...st-africa.html
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...blue-azul.html
Cuba: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...monterrey.html
Samoa [#195], Tuvalu, Nauru: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...countries.html
Channel Islands: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-j-gr-y-y.html
2017
Haiti: Long weekend in Haiti
Namibia, Kenya, Uganda: Sand Dunes and Safari, A trip to Namibia, Kenya and Uganda
2018
Ecuador: Long weekend in Ecuador. AA AUS-MIA-UIO/CUE-MIA-AUS
Tunisia, Sicily, Provence: Spring Break in Tunisia, Lampedusa, Sicily and Provence. UA/LH/TU/M4/FR/EZ/BA
Tibet, China: 10 days in China. Tibet, Sanya and Guilin! All three alliances Y UA/CA/MU/HU/KA/AA
Prince Edward Island, St. Pierre et Miquelon, Nova Scotia: Long weekend in the Maritimes. Prince Edward Island & St. Pierre et Miquelon
May 21, 2019, 3:42 am
#23
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
Wow, flying in the 60+ year old Convair must have been a bit of a thrill
)!
Great to see a part of NZ where 99.99% of my fellow countrymen have never been too.
The drone pics are cool and give a new perspective, you'll have to take it on more travels now
.
)!Great to see a part of NZ where 99.99% of my fellow countrymen have never been too.
The drone pics are cool and give a new perspective, you'll have to take it on more travels now
.
May 21, 2019, 8:45 am
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Definitely some tourism potential there.. I luckily managed to pick two days between big tour groups coming in. They left the day I got there and the next group came the day I left.
I need to figure out the drone better, getting better exposure, etc. Good to hear you didn't have problems with yours in Nicaragua!
Still can't figure out how to calibrate the forward sensors, the DJI Assistant calibration tool won't work on my laptop, etc.