St. Arnaud and Hanmer Springs (56k Beware)

Spin Echo · Post by **Spin Echo** » 2007-06-17 11:10pm

Took a trip to Hanmer Springs this weekend, though we made an unexpected overnight in St Arnaud due to weather. I managed to snap some absolutely beautiful pictures.

Easty of the Marlborough Sounds. There was a bit of low cloud and drizzle as we were going past.

Sunset in St Arnaud. The colours aren't nearly as spectacular on the camera though.

Lake Rotoiti

The plane I was flying in, an Piper Arrow

View over Buller River

Lake Rotoroa

A valley southwest of Lake Rotora

The Cessna in our little caravan

Not quite sure where this pic was taken. Somewhere south of Lake Rotoroa and North of Hanmer Springs

The third plane in our caravan

Landing in Hanmer Springs

Near Molesworth Station

Edit: typo

Redleader34 · Post by **Redleader34** » 2007-06-17 11:16pm

So, how does this formation work?

fusion · Post by **fusion** » 2007-06-17 11:17pm

Even though you said the sunset was not what you truly wanted, I still think 'tis the best.
Overall nice vacation pics

Spin Echo · Post by **Spin Echo** » 2007-06-17 11:27pm

Redleader34 wrote:So, how does this formation work?

Well, mostly an awful lot like:

EIF: FHQ, where are you?
FHQ: Passing between Mt. Glenlee and Mt. Tappy
EIF: ... That's where we are. What's your altitude?
FHQ: 54 hundred feet
EIF: %*&# We're at 53 hundred feet. Can you see us?
FHQ: Negative ... Oh wait. We're actually passing between Mt. Turks and some other mountain. We're about 10nm behind you.

We actually didn't ever formate too long; The Arrow that we were in was faster than the Archer, which in turn was faster than the Cessna 172. I went to take a picture of one of the times all three of us were in formation, but my instructor thought it would be fun to throw us into a max rate turn unexpectedly. I'm hoping someone in the other planes got a good shot of that.

Spice Runner · Post by **Spice Runner** » 2007-06-18 10:48pm

Wow. I've definately gotta visit New Zealand someday. That is something beautiful.

Spin Echo · Post by **Spin Echo** » 2007-06-18 11:33pm

Spice Runner wrote:Wow. I've definately gotta visit New Zealand someday. That is something beautiful.

Unbeknownst to you all, I am actually an undercover New Zealand tourism agent

New Zealand is beautiful country to visit; there is so much to see packed into two little islands. You just have to time your visit properly. The scenery here can be spectacular, but the weather can be downright craptastic sometimes.