The old road before the viaduct was built used to be scary! A narrow track basically on a constantly moving shale cliff! Was forever needing to be cleared of slips. I think the viaduct was opened in 2001. Otira was for sale years ago for $70.000. Yes a whole town for 70 grand!
It was originally on the market for $2m. It got down to $70K on complete lack of interest! It's been owned by a series of eccentrics since then, which is why the pub is so wacky.
And yet more Wow! and Gosh! What a wonderful place. Lovely to see that bug-eye Morris at the 'Most Interesting Hotel'. Well done in extracting Betty from that sand as well. Thanks HubNut.
That scenery rates a definite 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. You should get an award from the NZ tourist board for all your amazing work. Thanks again. Wonderful place.
What an amazing 12 minutes. Those mountains are something to look at, stunning. The random dog made you smile, that's a good sign. All is good in HubNut land.
The scenery in NZ is so much more spectacular than I would have guessed. Nice to see they have blustery conditions on the beach just like at here in the UK. Close call on the beach.
Reminds me of Vancouver Island, Cold Rainy, misty , crushed stone to keep the mud down, three inches of topsoil, rocks underneath But, Incredibly scenic, lots of vistas, great tea, and wonderful people. Cheers!!
It never occurred to me that NZ would get such British weather! Blipping the throttle to get unstuck is an excellent tip. I did read that applying the handbrake acts a little bit like a diff-lock, but the one time I did get stuck in a muddy field I forgot to try it out... Thank you for the video, I'm enjoying your visit! :-)
NZ seems to look like the perfect combination of the Alps and the English Lake District with a hint of the US Rockies. I think if I were Betty's next keeper, I'd be tempted to source a limited slip diff. Although with a light rear end (ooh matron again) it might make it just a bit too lively and prone to oversteer.
I haven't had to use the 'throttle tickle' for many years! Glad to see it done with such finesse! :-) Good video Ian, and it seems to be bringing more joy into your life! :-)
@@glennpowell3444 I just had to collect one in North Norfolk, and deliver it to Stowmarket! I'd've loved to have a play somewhere that I couldn't come to any harm though!
Hope you have found a good buyer for Betty ? Needs someone to recognise that she is not just any old Fairmont but HubNut's and therefore of major significance for NZ motoring history !
I have made this trip many times, Christchurch to Greymouth, following the steam train getting photo,s and video, scenery is magnificent, great roads not too much traffic. Years ago Otira had it,s hydro power and electric locomotives, to assist the trains thru the tunnel, about 20 years i guess they pulled out hydro power and electric locomotives and put polluting diesels in their place that sit there half the day idling doing NOTHING!!!! You were lucky to get out, thought you may have needed assistance.
Hi Ian, great video,well at least you got further than last time on your journey,some nice places there and views,I thought for a minute you got stuck but with knowledge you got out.
2:02 Porters, on the right, that's where we go tobogganing in the snow. Straight down and across the road if you're mad/lucky. And that last long climb just before this is the steepest part GOING to the West Coast. Series E Morrie 8, with the Lucas sealed beam headlight conversion. But we knew that. Wow to getting unstuck too. I got stuck in my MK2 Zody. A Mk 7 Jag simply drove into the same part and pulled me out. The West Coast on a sunny day is unrivalled. Plus they don't get that bloody ChCh easterly.
I once parked on the beach at Saundersfootor maybe Penine, I'm not sure which now, but the tide was on the way in and we got back to the car just as the water was creeping up to it and managed to drive away. Phew!
Arthur's Pass...Tick! Second time lucky:) The west coast always cops the weather. Hope you have fun in Australia too. (Remember to relax, have a cuppa when you can.)
That part of NZ in winter must be as cold as the proverbial part of the witch's anatomy. Good job unsticking Betty! On Betty, having grown up around Falcons (and Fairmonts), it's hard to perceive one as female. I'd have called it Bruce. It's a bit late in the piece now I suppose to be making this observation!
9C in NZ summer? It's 11.5C in my back garden in Fishguard at the moment. Middle of winter! Sun's out, it's lovely today. Had loads of rain recently though. Even some frost on the car early one morning last week. I thought NZ was a hot place. Learning a lot from your videos :-)
Also, hate to use the old cliché, but Ian should have been here last summer. We were giving Aussie a run for its money. We had torrential rain in Wellington this morning. I wished it was over Australia instead, for more than one reason.
@@motleydude73 We're the opposite here in Wales, we get the mild air from the west from the gulf stream during winter. This time of year the nights are often warmer than the afternoons, it's quite odd getting used to it. Just the ocean air coming in. In summer it has a cooling effect so we don't get the scorching weather the east coast sometimes gets. Yes, we do get scorching weather in UK ;-)
@@TheMentalblockrock I think Ian can probably listen to, and enjoy music from many genres? I can, with the exceptions of Country and Western and hand-on-the-ear folk!
Weird stuff can happen when you're stuck in a car with a torque converter. I got my Honda Accord stuck in the snow outside my parent's house many years ago, and at one point while I was trying to free it I walked away from the car with it still in gear (with the handbrake on, obviously, I'm not totally mental), turned back, and the front wheels were slowly spinning while the car stayed in place because the surface was so slick!
very good ian,scenery spectacular,mic wasn't too bad, hope you get better weather in Australia, could have a 2 camera set up, one on windscreen and one on the side window,if it makes more work for you, dont do it...... mic noises and camera angles are part of Hubnutology and good luck and farewell........see you in another video, oh one more thing, did you sell Betty ?
@@HubNut Thanks for the update Ian, good news on Betty,dont change anything thats gonna take up more time and stress...... good luck and take care ... and thanks once again.
Allthough not really smart there at the end, it's a nice save non the less! Most people would just mash the pedal and dig in. I've managed to get out of tricky situations like that by just going between reverse and drive while maintaining a slichtly higher engine rpm. The manual that came with my Opel Senator said to do so, and it actually works! But your method is very nice too and works a charm.
I once got an electric milk float with a wheel stuck in a drain ! It didn't have the power to get it out - so use of F/R and accelerator to get it out !
It's looking almost like the highlands of Scotland some of that area you're going through in this vid. Just you know, less rain. Some of the straight roads are incredible though. A question - does that action cam inherently have soft audio or is that the mic? The high frequencies are really rolled off.
HubNut that’s clear and makes sense. But besides the diff there is someties the stability control and so on on more modern cars. What about that? Turning off?
Was the traction control on when you were stuck in the sand? You came unstuck brilliantly by the way, no embarrassment there at all, I'm quite fascinated actually.
@@kwerk2011 Aussie Fords are great ,I am talking from experience ,as I have had a few a lot actually and race a Au std xr8 the best race car I have had :)
Remember if you come here our roads are actually very dangerous, and many are the tourists who haven't returned home. Also on adventure tourism, just because they're charging top dollar it doesn't guarantee its safe.
The death rate of microphones in your possession is causing us some concern.. Do we need to call someone Ian? are you abusing microphones? A microphone is for life and not just for Christmas RSPCM
I thought the trick was to rock the 'box between Drive and Reverse with traction control off - usually works for me in snow with a RWD car. Oh... and PLEASE stop buying cheap microphones!
The old road before the viaduct was built used to be scary! A narrow track basically on a constantly moving shale cliff! Was forever needing to be cleared of slips. I think the viaduct was opened in 2001. Otira was for sale years ago for $70.000. Yes a whole town for 70 grand!
It was originally on the market for $2m. It got down to $70K on complete lack of interest! It's been owned by a series of eccentrics since then, which is why the pub is so wacky.
And yet more Wow! and Gosh! What a wonderful place. Lovely to see that bug-eye Morris at the 'Most Interesting Hotel'. Well done in extracting Betty from that sand as well. Thanks HubNut.
That scenery rates a definite 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. You should get an award from the NZ tourist board for all your amazing work. Thanks again. Wonderful place.
What an amazing 12 minutes. Those mountains are something to look at, stunning. The random dog made you smile, that's a good sign. All is good in HubNut land.
Fantastic drive that, You seem so much better. Super views. Take care.
The scenery in NZ is so much more spectacular than I would have guessed. Nice to see they have blustery conditions on the beach just like at here in the UK. Close call on the beach.
Judge you!? Man I've a new found respect for you! Old school dance. Now there's a man after my own heart.
Reminds me of Vancouver Island, Cold Rainy, misty , crushed stone to keep the mud down, three inches of topsoil, rocks underneath But, Incredibly scenic, lots of vistas, great tea, and wonderful people. Cheers!!
Nice get out from being stuck! Did well there!
It never occurred to me that NZ would get such British weather! Blipping the throttle to get unstuck is an excellent tip. I did read that applying the handbrake acts a little bit like a diff-lock, but the one time I did get stuck in a muddy field I forgot to try it out... Thank you for the video, I'm enjoying your visit! :-)
Thanks for another insightful drive from one side of the South Island to the other! Again dogged by the weather but beautiful scenery no less.
Beautiful scenery reminds me of the Scottish highlands.
a little bit higher!
@@TheMentalblockrock - Erm, OK says Steve. As he grabs his hubnuts, squeezes, then repeats: ''Beautiful scenery reminds me of the Scottish highlands''
Are you referring to the rain?
@@antw3565 exactly the road around Glencoe are very similar and last time we were there it was peeing down
I have really enjoyed your nz adventure, warts and all, and look forward to Oz. If the rains follow you there, win-win!
Nice work Ian i am very impressed with your off road skills
If that was me the car would still be there with the front wheels in the air
I did Arthur’s pass in winter in a Holden Astra. It was snowing and trucks where stuck everywhere. I managed it in the mighty Holden.
9 degrees, wind and rain? Sounds like a Welsh summer!
Scenery amazing, as per, but soft sand sink rescue was absolutely top notch. Excellent skills Mate. 👍👍
NZ seems to look like the perfect combination of the Alps and the English Lake District with a hint of the US Rockies. I think if I were Betty's next keeper, I'd be tempted to source a limited slip diff. Although with a light rear end (ooh matron again) it might make it just a bit too lively and prone to oversteer.
When you said it'd been raining cats n dogs I didn't imagine Labrador's. Thank god Betty doesn't have a Triangle of Doberman!
I haven't had to use the 'throttle tickle' for many years! Glad to see it done with such finesse! :-)
Good video Ian, and it seems to be bringing more joy into your life! :-)
@@glennpowell3444 Not only that, but I tend to stay on the firmer surfaces! :-)
@@glennpowell3444 I've only ever driven a tracked vehicle twice! I loaded a mini-excavator, once onto the trailer, and then off at the other end! :-)
@@glennpowell3444 I just had to collect one in North Norfolk, and deliver it to Stowmarket! I'd've loved to have a play somewhere that I couldn't come to any harm though!
@@glennpowell3444 Ida thought tracked would be better !
@@chrisskelhorn5727 I'm more of a fan of cherry pickers. Takes FUN to a greater height.
Spectacular scenery again (imagining being there). Excellent un-bogging technique too :-) Cheers
Hope you have found a good buyer for Betty ? Needs someone to recognise that she is not just any old Fairmont but HubNut's and therefore of major significance for NZ motoring history !
Would love Betty myself. Sloppy seconds after Ian, haha! Unfortunately live in UK.
I have made this trip many times, Christchurch to Greymouth, following the steam train getting photo,s and video, scenery is magnificent, great roads not too much traffic.
Years ago Otira had it,s hydro power and electric locomotives, to assist the trains thru the tunnel, about 20 years i guess they pulled out hydro power and electric locomotives and put polluting diesels in their place that sit there half the day idling doing NOTHING!!!!
You were lucky to get out, thought you may have needed assistance.
Hi Ian, great video,well at least you got further than last time on your journey,some nice places there and views,I thought for a minute you got stuck but with knowledge you got out.
Glad you made it up the pass this time , and I now have new knowledge how to get auto's out of soft ground. Cheers ian.
The technique works in manuals too.
2:02 Porters, on the right, that's where we go tobogganing in the snow. Straight down and across the road if you're mad/lucky. And that last long climb just before this is the steepest part GOING to the West Coast. Series E Morrie 8, with the Lucas sealed beam headlight conversion. But we knew that. Wow to getting unstuck too. I got stuck in my MK2 Zody. A Mk 7 Jag simply drove into the same part and pulled me out. The West Coast on a sunny day is unrivalled. Plus they don't get that bloody ChCh easterly.
I just learned a new trick for controlling wheelspin. Thank you HubNut
Awesome video Ian.... New Zealand really does look an amazing place. And judgr you on the music? It sounded rather damn good - 90’s house I suspect 😍
watch out for those cakes out in the rain that someone left !!
Oh , sorry that was MacArthur Park ..doh ! 👍🏻☮❤
I was thinking the same thing! :-O
Cool, calm entertainment - nicely done Ian. Cheers
Lovely Jubbly, I did have a wobble there, I did think you were stuck on the beach, never to be seen again. 😉
Flew over it once from chch to hokitika stunning
Cool video, reminds me of the same weather along the West Coast of Scotland 🙄☔ glad you made it with no landslides 😎
"Bracing" is the word that comes to mind...
Looks wonderfull mate. A bit like a dry Scotland lol expect for the straight roads lol
I once parked on the beach at Saundersfootor maybe Penine, I'm not sure which now, but the tide was on the way in and we got back to the car just as the water was creeping up to it and managed to drive away. Phew!
Arthur's Pass...Tick! Second time lucky:) The west coast always cops the weather.
Hope you have fun in Australia too. (Remember to relax, have a cuppa when you can.)
9 degrees Celsius - and that's in the middle of the Summer..! That would have me scurrying back to North Island PDQ...
I wouldn't have been there in the first place.
@@millomweb But you're not HubNut - he's quite intrepid, where I'm merely trepid...
That part of NZ in winter must be as cold as the proverbial part of the witch's anatomy. Good job unsticking Betty! On Betty, having grown up around Falcons (and Fairmonts), it's hard to perceive one as female. I'd have called it Bruce. It's a bit late in the piece now I suppose to be making this observation!
This mans talent has no end. I'll be calling on you next time I get my car stuck on a beach. ;-)
Yep, get stuck on the beach then give Ian a ring, "Wanna do an article on my car?" ;-)
I was hoping to see the hubodometer on the Isuzu. They're mandatory on vehicles in NZ above a certain weight. I always found them fascinating things.
We also failed to drive W.Coast due to a bridge washout at Haast. We did Chch to
beautiful country
Driving Arthur's Pass with one eye on the road and the other looking at whether the scenery is going to make you part of it!!
I've attempted to take Arthurs Pass 6 times but have only managed it 3 because of closures.
Yup, seems to be a way of life.
Skillfully done. You seem to be happier (maybe not the right word) in this video.👍
Thanks. I very much was, after a week-long break.
Cheers Ian I learnt something today.
Chch to Greymouth by train via Arthur's Pass. Landslides and washouts are a way of life in NZ. "No dramas, eh?"
I learnt a new trick from this video (blipping the throttle before the diff has time to engage).
Commendable sand recovery without Stage 2 deployment of hand scooping plus floor mats or Stage 3 tyre deflation........
A few cowboy, err, schoolboy errors to get in that situation. Attempting to set off up hill and also with full lock on.
@5:56 i first thought you was running from an avalanche haha.
Good video.
Nice again. The steering wheel to the extreme position also does not help in loose sand. But you came loose again Ian.
Yes, it really was a schoolboy error...
9C in NZ summer? It's 11.5C in my back garden in Fishguard at the moment. Middle of winter! Sun's out, it's lovely today. Had loads of rain recently though. Even some frost on the car early one morning last week. I thought NZ was a hot place. Learning a lot from your videos :-)
I was at a fair altitude, but while the sun can push temperatures up to the high 20s, there's usually a cool sea breeze no matter where you are.
A good summer day can push 35 degrees. The west coast gets a lot of cool air off the ocean so rarely gets to 25 in summer.
Also, hate to use the old cliché, but Ian should have been here last summer. We were giving Aussie a run for its money. We had torrential rain in Wellington this morning. I wished it was over Australia instead, for more than one reason.
@@motleydude73 We're the opposite here in Wales, we get the mild air from the west from the gulf stream during winter. This time of year the nights are often warmer than the afternoons, it's quite odd getting used to it. Just the ocean air coming in. In summer it has a cooling effect so we don't get the scorching weather the east coast sometimes gets. Yes, we do get scorching weather in UK ;-)
@@kwerk2011 I hear some of the smoke from the fires comes to NZ, does that affect the NZ weather in any way?
"Don't judge me" Well that got me 😆
So, what was the piece of music? :-O
@@chrisskelhorn5727 I thought Hub Nut was a rock music fan????
@@TheMentalblockrock I think Ian can probably listen to, and enjoy music from many genres? I can, with the exceptions of Country and Western and hand-on-the-ear folk!
I'm afraid I did... ;-)
@@AndyMarsh Uh-oh! Perhaps you'll get Too-Pac after you! Not to be confused with Tupac, this one resprays cars, hence Too-Pac! :-)
I couldn't see much out of the windscreen during the driving. I prefer the old camera setup looking straight out down the bonnet.
Yup, I ditched this view because I quite agree.
Weird stuff can happen when you're stuck in a car with a torque converter. I got my Honda Accord stuck in the snow outside my parent's house many years ago, and at one point while I was trying to free it I walked away from the car with it still in gear (with the handbrake on, obviously, I'm not totally mental), turned back, and the front wheels were slowly spinning while the car stayed in place because the surface was so slick!
Excellent technique to get unstuck!
Nothing beat a diesel Sherpa with sliding doors for getting out & pushing in snowy conditions with the engine driving the wheels in 1st as you do so.
I'm glad you didn't get properly stuck, but then again it would have added to the entertainment.
Dumping some air from the drive tires helps too
Use of a 'snow' setting on the gearbox would have helped too !
very good ian,scenery spectacular,mic wasn't too bad, hope you get better weather in Australia, could have a 2 camera set up, one on windscreen and one on the side window,if it makes more work for you, dont do it...... mic noises and camera angles are part of Hubnutology and good luck and farewell........see you in another video, oh one more thing, did you sell Betty ?
Two cameras massively increases the editing workload. Betty has sold but hasn't left me yet.
@@HubNut Thanks for the update Ian, good news on Betty,dont change anything thats gonna take up more time and stress...... good luck and take care ... and thanks once again.
Can we have an update on George please ?
What was causing all the clag?
Perhaps the Labrador was the beach rescue service, knowing that there's often idiots who drive onto that beach and get stuck...
You've gone a bit soft over there young man, 9 degrees cold? 😉 Spectacular
It's meant to be summer!
Ian's acclimatising , anything single digit is a refrigerator, anything below 20 is jumper weather.
If your ever in hokitika, visit the Industrial heritage park by the hokitika airport
Too late. Visited Hokitika very briefly on my previous trip to the West Coast.
@@HubNut Best you just move here, Ian.
Nice one pal, keep it up, 😁👍
10:21 Betty in perfect west coast beach camouflage mode
When you are that high above sea level could be wet and cold most of the time
your trying to get up "arthur`s pass" ??????? this could be misconstrued depending on your sense of humour .........................
Oh dear... there’s always one!
fnarr fnarr!
I can feel an "Oooh Matron!" coming on.....
Getting up "Arthurs Pass" I'll pass thankyou!
And the first attempt wasn't successful! :-O
Ooerr missus! :-O
Did you see the devil's punchbowl falls while you were in Arthur's pass
Nope.
Allthough not really smart there at the end, it's a nice save non the less! Most people would just mash the pedal and dig in.
I've managed to get out of tricky situations like that by just going between reverse and drive while maintaining a slichtly higher engine rpm.
The manual that came with my Opel Senator said to do so, and it actually works! But your method is very nice too and works a charm.
I once got an electric milk float with a wheel stuck in a drain ! It didn't have the power to get it out - so use of F/R and accelerator to get it out !
Great way to get your self unstuck i will remember this now if this ever happens👍
Like Wales with bigger mountains ⛰️ 😀
The last miles for Betty. What will you be driving in Australia?
This was nearly a month ago, I imagine he's done a fair few miles since then!
Indeed. I've covered a lot of miles since this was filmed. I won't be buying in Aus, but I do have some very exciting test drives lined up.
It's looking almost like the highlands of Scotland some of that area you're going through in this vid. Just you know, less rain. Some of the straight roads are incredible though.
A question - does that action cam inherently have soft audio or is that the mic? The high frequencies are really rolled off.
I think it's the mic. It was having serious issues at this point. I bought a new one in Wellington so hopefully things will improve.
If you did get stuck at that hotel, there'd have been a Poirot-esque murder mystery I'm sure with all them bikers about... :P
...You’re funny!... 😁
Nicely unstuck the car! What do you advise with a manual?
Same principle, but dip the clutch. Used that technique to unstick a BX in a ditch once...
HubNut that’s clear and makes sense. But besides the diff there is someties the stability control and so on on more modern cars. What about that? Turning off?
I can't say I have much experience of such electrickery.
I hope "Arthurs Pass" isn't cockney rhyming slang, but it was well worth it for those views.
Looks like North Wales in places
It does, but turned up to eleven.
Was the traction control on when you were stuck in the sand? You came unstuck brilliantly by the way, no embarrassment there at all, I'm quite fascinated actually.
No. I had to turn it off because it doesn't help! It just shuts engine power off entirely, so you go nowhere.
Not a fan of Fords, but I kind of like this one.
Aussie Fords are pretty bad, everything eventually dies, but the engine will live in perpetuity.
@@kwerk2011 Aussie Fords are great ,I am talking from experience ,as I have had a few a lot actually and race a Au std xr8 the best race car I have had :)
Remember if you come here our roads are actually very dangerous, and many are the tourists who haven't returned home. Also on adventure tourism, just because they're charging top dollar it doesn't guarantee its safe.
That crackling Mic 😬😬
Yeah, imagine my joy when I heard that in the edit suite...
Has Betty already found a good new home?
She hasn't left me yet, but a buyer is lined up.
Cool 😀
It seems hilarious that the traction control is so bad that you turn it off when the surface is slippery.
It might have done him a lot of good on the beach !
It wouldn't have helped at all on the beach. All it does is cut the power. Completely.
@@HubNut So, basically useless
RAVE!
didnt notice any signs warning of orc`s or hobbits crossing ???
I told the golems Betty was made out of Elven rings, they will come and buy Ian's car now. MY PRECIOUS!
The death rate of microphones in your possession is causing us some concern.. Do we need to call someone Ian? are you abusing microphones? A microphone is for life and not just for Christmas RSPCM
Wasn't stuck that bad....The car mats never got deployed 😂
Betty doesn't have any!
Rain...,cause New Zealand.
Has anybody else come here to watch Ian in his £1000 ford after watching Harry Metcalfe in a £700,000 porsche? 😂
Which did you prefer?
Electrowave no favouritism from me!
Ian is more relevant and entertaining, Metcalf whilst knowledgeable is getting too old to be peddling cars for the younger generation
Maybe a 4x4 should be your next vehicle of choice. You and (Houseless not homeless) like pushing your look.
How is houseless different to homeless?
If at first you don't succeed.... 😁
I thought the trick was to rock the 'box between Drive and Reverse with traction control off - usually works for me in snow with a RWD car. Oh... and PLEASE stop buying cheap microphones!
That did not work.
*judging*
If I ever get stuck in the sand on a beach in my MX5 I'll have to try that trick 😉
If I get stuck on beach in my Jeep, I'm screwed 🤣
First viewer haha
gold star for you
Nice one