For our Southern friends...

[Edbear]

An initial draft of something I'm working on...

[EgliHonda]

Good on ya, I don't mind the place.
Not too sure about your reasoning though, suburban shopping malls are my idea of hell, but whatever floats your boat...

[Edbear]

Good on ya, I don't mind the place.
Not too sure about your reasoning though, suburban shopping malls are my idea of hell, but whatever floats your boat...

Yeah, but the point being you are not restricted and can find whichever you prefer, eh?

Written a little tongue-in-cheek of course...

[kit]

hmm.....I recall going from the northshore to orewa, it took 1.5hrs from the silverdale exit to get to orewa......I remembered why I love southland!

[LBD]

An initial draft of something I'm working on...

Your joking right? This is what passes for sarcasm up your way?

Te Anau NZ

You may ask “Why?” But there is no disputing Te Anau is a quiet little NZ town with maybe 5000 residents during the summer.
No dormant volcano’s or low areas subject to tsunamis and with only two roads into town (each with 1 lane in and 1 lane out) people from Auckland consider us to be a bit crazy to want to live here.
Rush hours and traffic jams in Te Anau? (We don’t even have a traffic light)
Aucklander’s are considered foreign emigrants….and rightfully so. An Aucklander’s perspective on life is so warped it take years before they can be assimilated into the mainstream NZ life south of the Bombays.
Most employment is 5 minutes walk…10 at most. (and you may have to wait for a car to pass before strolling across the road) There is no public transport infrastructure with drivers to go on strike and hold the towns commerce and ability to function, up for ransom. If there is a need to drive to work, free parking can usually be found within 2 or 3 parking spaces near the final destination.
So what gives? Why are so few willing to put up with relaxed un-hassled commuting, low real estate prices for buying or renting? To walk down the main street and recognise most of the people you are walking amongst, and be able to hold a conversation with, knowing they will understand the nuances in your voice and your dry sense of humour? Are we all forced to live here against our better judgement? Shouldn’t we move out? Move North to Auckland…. anywhere but here? (To quote Big Dave a while back…Gggggaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh…..THUD)(I think it was big Dave)
Well, truth is, I love Te Anau, and I’ll tell you why...
Everything you could want is here. A few friendly shops where you get what you need, and be served by friendly staff who know you by name. None of those impersonal giant shopping complexes that take hours to get to and work around, constantly being assailed by those who want to separate you from your $ by any means possible.
You want variety? There are a few good eateries…Indian Chinese Italian Korean and of course Kiwi cuisine to be had. If that is not enough variety, search the net for interesting recipes and wander down to the super market to pick up the ingredients to cook a tasty dish using those fresh venison steaks your mate gave you this afternoon. (Jill will point you to the Garam Masala and Galangal with a friendly smile) The meal and a bottle of great wine shipped in all the way from central Otago will probably cost 1/3 the cost of dining out and without the bother of dressing up, driving, parking, ordering dining, paying, walking toward the car, fending off muggers, getting into the car thinking you may have had to much to drink, (But You need the car in the morning for the 55 minute commute through rush hour traffic) fend of guilt feelings because your family is in the car and both you and they know how much you have drunk….
Walking, fishing, hunting, diving, painting, gardening, chatting with real mates, great motorbike riding, spending time with kids and family, rugby, netball, water sports, horse riding all right on your door step.
Art, film, live shows, music, furniture, electronics... 2 to 3 hour drive away in Invercargill , Dunedin or Queenstown…Makes for a good weekend away and… 6 hours travelling once a month pales into insignificance when compared to 2 hour commuting every day
What about noise you ask? You need noise, this place is so quiet and dead…..(Shift back to Auckland)
The Auckland Zoo visits Invercargill, Queenstown and Dunedin a couple of times a day in the guise of a direct Air NZ flight from Auckland….nah just kidding…but we do have fields of deer, wapiti, sheep, cattle and we have a national park full of all manners of native bird live that Auckland has been pretty much devoid of for decades. The bird song on Secretary Island has to be heard, to be believed. The Takahe and Kakapo numbers are growing. Cheeky Keas, Tuis, bats, Bellbirds, big wood pigeons and many more are all around, even outside the kitchen window.
Techno buffs and historians will enjoy the Edendale Crank up, the Burt Munro rally, War birds over Wanaka, The Earnslaw….the gold mining and settlers history, and exploring deserted ghost settlements…..
Do you really think Auckland’s parks and reserves, low and level or on one of the volcanic cones with walking tracks can compare with Te Anau?. (I guess Te Anau cannot compete with Auckland’s air pollution that you inhale deeply when exercising…I must concede that one)
Exercise you ask? Run up one of the many mountains (You don’t seriously call those hills around Auckland mountains, do you?
In Te Anau you have amazing views over land, lake and bush clad snow capped lofty mountains. Quiet and peaceful is right on your doorstep!
Love the water? Countless deserted beaches and bays on the many lakes in the area with no private beaches or riparian rights to argue over. The ocean is close by …Milford, Doubtful, Riverton, Boating and yacht clubs are few but marina berths in Te Anau are over priced at about $300 per year. (The public launching ramp is free.) The lakes and ocean are dotted with islands and marine reserves with a real abundance of flora, fauna and marine life. Chartered cruises for sightseeing, and fishing are readily found. Fishing? I need to bait my hook under the seat of the boat or a fish will be on it before I get it in the water…and that takes all the fun out of it.
130 year old stone cottages, 230yo evidence of Captain Cooks visit, Sacred Maori sites, are all in the area, albeit more than 5 minutes away but so much more meaningful when you get there.
The ultra modern…. we can leave that up north….
Golf? Several world-class courses are between 5 minutes and 2 hours drive away. No Auckland course can compare with the Te Anau for out look, located at the end of the lake on gentle slopes, it has unrivalled view of lake and mountains. Cheaper fees and much less crowded.
Flying, sky diving? Airfields for any type are in Te Anau and surrounds, and believe you me, a scenic flight around the valleys and mountains of Fiordland by either fixed or rotary wing is unrivalled anywhere else in NZ and possibly the world.
Are you a diver? Dive clubs and schools are right here in Te Anau. Black Coral in 60 feet, gathering Crayfish like filling a shopping trolley at the supermarket, clean water….
All sports are catered for with world-class of tennis, rugby, league, netball, basketball, sailing, cycling - power-boat, car and motorbike racing; it’s all here in the area….even occasional lower order internationals. And Southland is the home of Stags and Southern Sting (and Jimmy Cowen)
Want to get right away from everything? Te Anau is a quiet, country town, with deserted beaches and forests. Want to live in a nice beachside town or out on a farm but be close and handy to all important services……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ..I guess that’s where we differ, what you would call important and what I call important are poles apart….which is why you choose to live in Auckland and I will always call Te Anau home.

[Slyer]

Auckland rocks.
Go North Shore though. ;)

[imdying]

It would be a better piece if:
a) It told the truth a bit more
b) Auckland wasn't filled with coons

Other than that, all good :thumbsup:

[LBD]

Auckland rocks.
Go North Shore though. ;)

Riverton Rocks! ....Good place for a swim, collect mussels, fish picnic...

[Edbear]

Okay guys!

LBD has posted a great response, anyone else got a piece about their place?

We get a lot of visitors here and I'm sure they'd like to see more of this!

I wrote that piece for a travel site and they've just published it virtually unchanged. Here's the link...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255106-r48520736-Auckland_North_Island.html

[oldrider]

An initial draft of something I'm working on...

Absolutely agree with you Edbear, I was stationed in Auckland for a few years back in the early sixties! (on the banana boat, MV Tofua)

Everything you said is true of today, just as it was then only much bigger now!

The reason I like Auckland most though is that is up there and I can visit it if I want to!

Likewise I like Aucklander's to visit us down here too but please leave "Auckland" up there with you!

Don't ever try to bring it down here and leave it behind, like Aucklander's did in Queenstown!

If ever a Southern gem, a beauty spot, was shattered by Aucklanders, it was Queenstown!

What a shit hole it is now, the real Queenstown is gone forever, never to be seen again!

We have all lost out as a result of that little mingling of North/South identities! (IMHO) :spanking:

[Edbear]

Absolutely agree with you Edbear, I was stationed in Auckland for a few years back in the early sixties! (on the banana boat, MV Tofua)
...

Don't ever try to bring it down here and leave it behind, like Aucklander's did in Queenstown!

If ever a Southern gem, a beauty spot, was shattered by Aucklanders, it was Queenstown!

...
We have all lost out as a result of that little mingling of North/South identities! (IMHO) :spanking:

LOL!!!! Just a wee bit different today...

Can't see Otematata getting overrun by Aucklanders, so I think you're safe.. Have to drive through when we can get down for our next SI trip...

[McJim]

Glasgow - where do I start?

Buildings. Probably the best example of grandiose architecture from the Victorian era anywhere in the world and I've been to a few places believe me.

Museums - whether it's the museum of transport (with a huge motorcycle section!) or the expansive Kelvingrove art gallery and museum or the enormous Burrell collection containing historic pieces from across the world and history there is something for everyone's interest.

Shopping. I've been to the big shopping centres of Europe and believe me the comnination of Sauchiehall Street, Buchannan Street and Argyle street just blitzes the Via Nazionale in Roma or Oxford Street London. All within walking distance of one another and containing covered shopping centres big enough to lose Sylvia Park in.

Eating. My favourite dish is Char Siu Chow Mein. Last time I was able to buy it was in Hong Kong Airport - You cannot buy authentic Cantonese cuisine anywhere in Auckland! I gave up looking after 3 years. Auckland is still stuck 20 years ago with deep fried sweet 'n sour and lemon chicken. Get some authentic cuisine in yer bellies - you might like it! Glasgow has a wide variety of truly authentic cuisine restaurants, Chinese, Thai, French, Italian, Turkish, Dutch, Indian, Pakistani, Greek, Spanish and Moroccan to name a few.

Pubs and Clubs. One of the most vibrant night life scenes in UK rivalled only by Manchester....sometimes!

Skiing. Winter sports available 5 months of the year - Glencoe - 2 hrs drive Avimore/Cairngorm 3 hrs drive. Alps 2 hour flight for about 30 quid.

There are lots more reasons to look at Glasgow. Go and take a look. Use the time you set aside to visit Edinburgh to visit Glasgow. Remember, The best thing to come out of Edinburgh is the train to Glasgow. :rofl:

[geoffc]

I remember hiking in to Isis Burn hut on the Keppler track a days walk in from Te Anau on the edge of Fiordland and listening to the Kiwis calling all around us in the evening. That was a spiritual experience.

[LBD]

Glasgow - where do I start?


There are lots more reasons to look at Glasgow. Go and take a look. Use the time you set aside to visit Edinburgh to visit Glasgow. Remember, The best thing to come out of Edinburgh is the train to Glasgow. :rofl:


Oi young Jummy.....And there I was (wrongfully) assuming you had made Southland yer home ...

Home is not where you were born or come from....home is where a man is prepared to die.

[Edbear]

Oi young Jummy.....And there I was (wrongfully) assuming you had made Southland yer home ...

Home is not where you were born or come from....home is where a man is prepared to die.

Interesting thought! Can't disagree with that.

[McJim]

Oi young Jummy.....And there I was (wrongfully) assuming you had made Southland yer home ...

Home is not where you were born or come from....home is where a man is prepared to die.

I'm fucked then....Family of 4...I can either make 1 happy and 3 unhappy or make 3 happy and 1 unhappy. I guess I'll just continue to be sad myself then.

I have 2 kiwi children and a kiwi wife. I'm not about to abandon them just coz I don't like New Zealand. Invercargill is a lot better than Auckland but I'm still homesick all of the time.

[LBD]

Got the same problem with me a Southlander and mine from Marlborough...

[sAsLEX]

hmm.....I recall going from the northshore to orewa, it took 1.5hrs from the silverdale exit to get to orewa......I remembered why I love southland!

This reminded me why I have a bike.

[LBD]

This reminded me why I have a bike.

And you would enjoy it more down south than in Auckland....

[Edbear]

And you would enjoy it more down south than in Auckland....

Surely you can't top mixing it with Auckland drivers on the Motorway every day... :woohoo:

[sAsLEX]

And you would enjoy it more down south than in Auckland....

High speed lane splitting is a special sort of fun you just wont get down there....

[oldrider]

Surely you can't top mixing it with Auckland drivers on the Motorway every day... :woohoo:

Well Ed, that's what I like about where I live, no matter how fast I go, I can never catch the car in front and the one at the back can't see me! :sunny:

[Edbear]

Well Ed, that's what I like about where I live, no matter how fast I go, I can never catch the car in front and the one at the back can't see me! :sunny:

You mean you drive a Fiat Bambina with no tail-lights....? :eek5:

[EgliHonda]

Glasgow - where do I start?

Buildings.
Museums.
Shopping.
Eating.
Pubs and Clubs.
Skiing.
There are lots more reasons to look at Glasgow. Go and take a look. Use the time you set aside to visit Edinburgh to visit Glasgow.

You forgot the Tardis... Was only in your fair city a short time, was impressed with the stone buildings, then I saw an actual blue police box.

Sadly, having grown up watching Tom Baker's exploits and having a thing for Leela and her leather panties, :shifty: that will always be Glasgow to me...

[oldrider]

You mean you drive a Fiat Bambina with no tail-lights....? :eek5:

Hey, steady there Eddy, you know I hate it when that happens, you've turned my own joke on myself! :eek5:

[Edbear]

Hey, steady there Eddy, you know I hate it when that happens, you've turned my own joke on myself! :eek5:

Sorry, mate! :innocent:

I LOVE the English language! :sunny: