wsquared
05-20-2015, 05:21 PM
Dates: March 20- April 6/15
Travel Route: Ft.Nelson- Ft.St.John Drive, Ft.St. John to Vancouver Air Canada, Vancouver to Auckland, then Queenstown Air New Zealand
Outfitter: Shaun Allison/Ben Ferguson of Exclusive Adventures New Zealand (http://www.exclusiveadventuresnz.com/)
PH: Shaun Allison
This will be an abbreviated version of a trip report. The full version is on the Kuiu forum and Accurate Reloading http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5621043/m/7131039012
I had wanted to go to NZ for a long time, found EANZ on the Kuiu website, and began asking questions in Nov. 2013.
I asked Shaun about setting up a trip where my wife and two boys could enjoy hunting and non-hunting activities with me for approx. a week, and then once they were on the plane home, Shaun and I would head to the mountains for a week.
Shaun was very professional and prompt, in answering questions and coming up with options of what we could do, prior to nailing down the details. The plan was to hunt Red stag for me, an Arapawa ram for my youngest boy, Feral goat for my oldest boy. Varmint shooting ( rabbits, wallabies), Oxbow lodge activities, Hiking were on the menu as well. Tahr and Chamois were the mountain quarry. I was interested in a Fallow Deer if we had the time.
The dates chosen lined up with our Spring break from school, and the roar, but not the prime time for Tahr and Chamois. I was fine with having to work harder for mountain game, without having the prime winter coat.
Travel to NZ was straight forward, being calm and polite with airline employees having troubles with check in systems involving firearms got me extra baggage fees waived twice! Being not as calm, but firm and polite, and copies of airline policy for travel with firearms, got an airline employee and her supervisor to phone NZ police and admit they were wrong and I was correct. The young lady and her supervisor were convinced that the bolt for the rifle had to be in a separate location from the locked rifle case.
Also with an early flight into the country,allow several hours before your connecting flight. Police have to be called to airport for the firearms licence. Between the 45 min to get them there, paperwork and getting there customs, and boot inspection, were missed our connecting flight to Queenstown. We thought 1 hour and 30 min was enough. Got re-booked on next flight, no charge.
Despite these glitches, Air New Zealand is the nicest airline I've flown on to date! Made a 13.5 hour overnight flight Vancouver to Auckland in economy almost fun.
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_5086.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_5086.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4884.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4884.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4964.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4964.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4954.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4954.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_5118.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_5118.jpg.html)
Travel Route: Ft.Nelson- Ft.St.John Drive, Ft.St. John to Vancouver Air Canada, Vancouver to Auckland, then Queenstown Air New Zealand
Outfitter: Shaun Allison/Ben Ferguson of Exclusive Adventures New Zealand (http://www.exclusiveadventuresnz.com/)
PH: Shaun Allison
This will be an abbreviated version of a trip report. The full version is on the Kuiu forum and Accurate Reloading http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5621043/m/7131039012
I had wanted to go to NZ for a long time, found EANZ on the Kuiu website, and began asking questions in Nov. 2013.
I asked Shaun about setting up a trip where my wife and two boys could enjoy hunting and non-hunting activities with me for approx. a week, and then once they were on the plane home, Shaun and I would head to the mountains for a week.
Shaun was very professional and prompt, in answering questions and coming up with options of what we could do, prior to nailing down the details. The plan was to hunt Red stag for me, an Arapawa ram for my youngest boy, Feral goat for my oldest boy. Varmint shooting ( rabbits, wallabies), Oxbow lodge activities, Hiking were on the menu as well. Tahr and Chamois were the mountain quarry. I was interested in a Fallow Deer if we had the time.
The dates chosen lined up with our Spring break from school, and the roar, but not the prime time for Tahr and Chamois. I was fine with having to work harder for mountain game, without having the prime winter coat.
Travel to NZ was straight forward, being calm and polite with airline employees having troubles with check in systems involving firearms got me extra baggage fees waived twice! Being not as calm, but firm and polite, and copies of airline policy for travel with firearms, got an airline employee and her supervisor to phone NZ police and admit they were wrong and I was correct. The young lady and her supervisor were convinced that the bolt for the rifle had to be in a separate location from the locked rifle case.
Also with an early flight into the country,allow several hours before your connecting flight. Police have to be called to airport for the firearms licence. Between the 45 min to get them there, paperwork and getting there customs, and boot inspection, were missed our connecting flight to Queenstown. We thought 1 hour and 30 min was enough. Got re-booked on next flight, no charge.
Despite these glitches, Air New Zealand is the nicest airline I've flown on to date! Made a 13.5 hour overnight flight Vancouver to Auckland in economy almost fun.
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_5086.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_5086.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4884.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4884.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4964.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4964.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_4954.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_4954.jpg.html)
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq81/wsquared-north/DSC_5118.jpg (http://s436.photobucket.com/user/wsquared-north/media/DSC_5118.jpg.html)