Yes to night flights at Queenstown
When it was gravel there used to be a rental car ban on the road too.
Actually, if you had read the fine print on rental vehicle hire agreements back then, it stated that driving the vehicle on the Crown Range Road, Skippers Canyon Road, or the Ball Hut Road (in Mount Cook National Park) was prohibited unless prior written authorisation was obtained from the vehicle rental company. I always used to ask for written authorisation to drive on the Crown Range Road whenever I hired a vehicle and was likely to be in the Queenstown-Wanaka area, and I was always given that written permission after convincing them that I was skilled enough to drive their vehicle on that particular road.
Join Date: Oct 2011
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That used to be a fun road to drive over....once upon a time....back when it was a gravel road with no crash barriers protecting motorists from the huge drops over the side. It resulted in bugger-all traffic on the road (the tourists were too scared to drive over it and went the long way around via the Kawerau Gorge instead, and many Kiwis likewise avoided it like the plague), which meant that those of us who actually know how to drive fast on narrow, windy gravel roads could get between Queenstown and Wanaka (and vice-versa) in super-quick time. Then, they upgraded the road, and now it is a slow trip due to all the road maggots (camper vans) and slow-drivers who crawl over the hill.
Got to the top of the pass with a leaking radiator and busted rear spring shackle, which caused the axle to slide along the spring, needing some well-offcentre steering to keep her straight
Consulted the rental agreement while enjoying the view, and discovered we were on one of only two roads we weren't allowed on in the entire South Island. An interesting drive down the other side into Queenstown and repairs. Since sealing, i've ridden it on a motorbike, the only way to travel it
It's definitely an interesting road.
A few weeks ago, I was driving from Wanaka over to Queenstown to catch a flight to Wellington and I stopped up the top to admire the view, including along the centreline of the runway at Queenstown Airport in the distance. While I was standing there, an Airbus A320 flew past about 1,000ft below on the approach to Queenstown. There probably aren't too many places around where you can look down on a jet airliner way below you like that while standing on terra firma.
A few weeks ago, I was driving from Wanaka over to Queenstown to catch a flight to Wellington and I stopped up the top to admire the view, including along the centreline of the runway at Queenstown Airport in the distance. While I was standing there, an Airbus A320 flew past about 1,000ft below on the approach to Queenstown. There probably aren't too many places around where you can look down on a jet airliner way below you like that while standing on terra firma.
Join Date: May 2007
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Is the concern for flying at night that icing could be more of an issue with the colder temps?
Looking at the video's out there it looks like it's got the chance for some serious cold weather!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sik1oASF9mw
Looking at the video's out there it looks like it's got the chance for some serious cold weather!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sik1oASF9mw
