Thanks for the info. and photos. I did do a quick Google but it wasn't clear to me whether the train had run since 2021.

Pity about the hydrofoil being left to rot.

Chris

Hi Chris,
according to their site, and reviews from this month, they are still running, ?

A group of enthusiasts go together and bought the trains from a previous private owner who had restored the Flyer was just letting them rot. He was a bit of an oddball and was apparently hard to deal with. The trains were rescued in the nick of time. The flyer now runs only round the lakeside for about 14km and back. They were wanting to run it back on the original route over the island to Dunedin, but I think they had problems with TransRail and their freight operations, plus the cost of replacing/upgrading a lot of track. Did have all the info somewhere from a guy in Aust.

I was corresponding with the Guy in Sydney around 2011 (ex Sydney harbour ferry skipper) who bought the old Rodriguez PT20 Hydrofoil harbour ferry 'Maunu-Wai, in Auckland, and shipped it to Sydney. He repaired it to run passengers for a while on Sydney harbour. Later, things went a bit south for him, and he was trying to get something going with the previous Flyer owner. He was proposing to run the Maunu-Wai on the lake, and connect with the Flyer, but the guy was being too difficult and mucking him round.

Unfortunately, the Manu-Wai had the big 1300hp MTU V12 493 seize - caused by a mechanics mistake in Sydney , ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$) which helped kill the idea, and it is now rotting away on a mooring in Berrys' Bay.

Shame, as it was supposed to be the last operating PT20 in the world.
Here's a vid of it running when he was operating passenger trips in Sydney in the 90s.

Pics are 1.2.3 in NZ
pic 4 & 5 in running Sydney, and as it is now.
JB

https://www.thekingstonflyer.nz/ (Re-opening vid in the home section)

Thanks JB, hopefully there's a cheque in the post from the tourist board! 😀

Thanks for the information on the boat.

It's a pity that the Kingston Flyer doesn't run anymore, especially where the track used to be from Queenstown towards Southland. But I suppose fire is an issue nowadays.

Chris

Doug,
Yeah ... as far as I know, Mountain Oysters are for seamen (sp?) 🤣
Dave

Dave, Re "I'll pass on the "oysters"".
VERY wise!!😮

"Mountain Oyster
most likely originated in Australia or new Zealand, due to one of the main livestock being a sheep.
A sheep's testicles
You can't eat mountain oysters...unless you're into that.
by ikayama October 10, 2004"


"Rocky Mountain Oysters

Bull nuts. Idiots eat them.
"Hey Joe, lets make us some tasty Rocky Mountain Oysters.
Aren't they bull nuts, Fred?

Yes..."
by Anonymous May 2, 2003"

Bon appetit!😝

😎

Hi Chris, great pics, you must be going for the NZ tourism ambassadors award 😁

Re the motorsailer in your pics at Lake Wakatipu, she is Yvelda, built in Scotland by McGruers in 1936, shipped to NZ. Here is a link to her history on the NZ Waitemata Woodys classic boat site https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/03/16/yvalda-msa103085/

You can find the history of hundreds of NZ classic boats here if you know the name, even those which no longer exist. Also just a pic of a boat will be enough for someone to put a name to it (like Yvelda)

If anyone is interested in seeing some of our hundreds of classic NZ launches and yachts documented on the site as well, just keep scrolling down and clicking links, - there are thousands. When you get to the bottom of the page, click 'older posts' (or 'previous' posts at the top) and you can keep going forever. If you are interested you can subscribe for free and get new boat stories almost every day via email. Type in Waitemata Woodys.com in Google, and you will see the email/join up here down on the right hand side.

JB

JB

JB,
I'd love to come.
But .... "try our 'mountain oysters' if you come" ....🤔 I'll pass on the "oysters" 😝

Couldn't help myself, here's a few of the scenery to further whet the appetite!

First three are from our first visit in 2017. The rest are from around Queenstown on the last one. During the last couple of days it rained overnight and we were were lucky enough to wake up to some snow on the mountains, lovely.

That's the story Dave, come on down,- we recommend you try our 'mountain oysters' if you come, a local delicacy, lol 😉

JB

Now you've gone and done it ....
I need to schedule a trip to NZ!
That looks like an awesome experience, and what a beautiful landscape ....
I'm officially jealous!
Dave B

Hi Chris,

nice pics, sounds like you enjoyed yourselves.

There is a kiwi steam enthusiast who worked with the Earnslaw crowd , who I saw on a YT vid recently working on one of the the last puffers in the UK. He also worked with restoring the Kingston flyer steam train here. Seems to get around a bit,- picked his kiwi accent and looked him up.

JB

Thanks JB.

Another photo of the Shotover jet showing the launch tractors on the gentler part of the run i.e. not through the narrow canyon!

Also the other major operator, KJet with the yellow boats that start from the lake in Queenstown. This is a gentler ride, though the lake can get very choppy and then goes down the river for some distance. The inlaws said going through the bridge supports and dropping down into the river was a bit hairy though! There is also a third operator, Realnz - I didn't see many of their boats so I think they are quite small.

Lastly, a photo of a nice motor sailer moored on the lake, which would make a nice model.

I won't bore you with any more! I've got hundreds of photos to go through now and sort out of the stunning scenery etc. to give copies to the inlaws.

Chris

Unfortunately not Bob! Have another niece there but she got married in the UK before emigrating. Likewise with a nephew in Oz.

To be honest I don't really fancy the long flights again, unless I went business class, which is unlikely. Especially as we had problems at Dubai, for the second time due to weather conditions, which had a knock on effect with other connections and an additional flight. We were shattered by the time we got there. No problems on the way back but very tired due to little sleep. It's a long old haul but probably one of the reasons it remains unspoiled.

Chris

Brilliant pictures Chris.......got any more family members in NZ you can persuade to get married-off - so you can plan another trip? 😂
Bob.

Glad you enjoyed yourself Chris, especially the Shotover jet. Not sure if they still are, but they were running the original jet boat tours in Fiji up the Nadi (Nandi) river mid 90s , starting at the Sheraton on Denarau Island ) They stopped around 2000 due to the last coup and a few other factors.

A new operator with boats built in NZ to the shotover designs seems to be be running on the Sigatoka (Singatoka) river, further south, which would be a great day out. Not so much of a brown trouser ride I would think.

JB

Looks like you had a great time.
Scamp
😀