Well, what a reaction, and to be honest not one I was expecting. I do realise that sometimes reasonable discussion can turn into name calling and self-ego-inflation, and I am sorry there is a lot of resentment held out there by people who don't fly in Queenstown and it may have to come out in the ways we have seen. But besides the odd charter I have never flown down there, and never had the inclination to either.
I never said in my first post that I was a mountain flying expert (or ace or whatever I have been refered as). By refering to the height of the Ureweras, I was meaning that most light aircraft would have the ability to fly over the top of them. When I was taught the fly in mountains over 10 years ago (yes I learned to fly in the southern alps, and still remember the first trip to 13,000' in a Pa28-140), I was told always have an alternative route or escape plan, the wind speed is only just more important than the direction, and the VSI is the most important instrument in the cockpit followed by the ASI.
Let the abuse continue....