What an absolutely fabulous video. This was the most civilised coach journey I've ever watched compared to those in Europe. Even the coach driver was like a tour guide. And the multiple stopovers must have made it a pleasurable experience. Getting from A to B in the shortest time possible and as cheaply as possible has its drawbacks. Plus that scenery was stunning. Thank you, Patrick, for sharing this wonderful experience!
Wow, thank you! Those drivers know their detail and were so proud to present it. Yes, the slower pace was different to what I'd experienced on coaches elsewhere and very welcome.
I loved this video - I am glad you showed how spectacular our West Coast of the SI. One of the joys of traveling by coach across NZ is our marvelous Intercity bus drivers. I hope you enjoyed your time in QT, my home town!
Hi Patrick we have just found your channel and subscribed. We live in New Zealand and have visited Greymouth, Frank Josef, Haast, Queenstown many times but never done it the way you did it. Coach trips are not always a great way to travel but this looked like a great way to do it and if we are back on the South Island we will give it a go. You may have heard that the West Coast has suffered major flooding in the last 24 hours and the highway between Haast and Hoki is shut. We will go and check out some of your other videos now.
The West Coast is a hidden gem of NZ, Wild foods festival is a big hit, along with art works made from driftwood. The people of that area are certainly characters, but good natured and friendly. A lot of rainfall though.
Your video just popped up in my feed and I am so glad it did. What a wonderful journey. I like the frequent stops, even though it adds time, it definitely makes the journey part of the holiday. And much better for your physical well-being too. I have subscribed and am going back to watch some of your earlier vids! Thanks for sharing 🤗
Well, I'm delighted it showed up in your feed too. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I am a big fan of New Zealand and these trips were a lot of fun (I hope I share some honest feedback too!).
Thanks Patrick, a great ramble. A friend & I drove this route abt 40 years ago - and I don't think much has changed, except Queenstown. In saying that I do love travelling on a coach
Highly enjoyed this mate. Glad they have a bus service all the way to Queenstown from Greymouth. The bus service only use to run as far south from Nelson to Franz Josef.
The reason why that great sights bus was so good is that it was a locally owned company who ran that specific bus. By local I mean a few hundred or so buses but normally they are ran by conglomerates.
@@PlanetPatrick I highly recommend going rough and taking the intercity 12 hour bus from Auckland to Wellington. Some have sleeper beds but its best to do a day trip and just experience raw roading.
The journey from Nelson to Greymouth, Wanaka and Queenstown especially between Westport, the Haast Pass and Makaroa, is one of my favourite coach journeys, as the West Coast of the South Island is one of many unique travel journeys New Zealand offers. The South Island west coast is the country's most sparsely populated but also the wettest region's. as most weather patterns come from Australia. The Salmon Farm cafe has excellent salmon sandwiches.
@@PlanetPatrick I went with my Mum. She and my Dad had a chance to emigrate to NZ in the late 1940s but were pressured by family not to do so. They regretted it all their lives
The Guy Menzies story needs some correction - he originally announced he was going to attempt a flight from Sydney to Perth, because he feared that if he announced he was going to fly the Tasman he would have been refused. He did not build the plane he flew, it was a plane that had belonged to Charles Kingsford Smith, and was named the Southern Cross Junior. He was aiming for Blenheim rather than Christchurch, but the weather drifted him a long way south. Other than that, the story's pretty right.
Native Bush to the road side ... last time i drove this Route there were sections that were Gravel Surface ... oh and Towing a very large Caravan ... lol
Thank you so much! Why no commentary on Wanaka. I"m a Brit who lives there! Much better then Queenstown. .Beautiful as it is., but not a true reflection of New Zealand, in my view! Louis Viton shops for you? Bruce Bay for me! Are the drivers real or A!? Robotic or what! Cheers
I agree that must be the best way. There was so much fog I’m told that trips had been cancelled that day (although I hadn’t booked it tbh). Fascinating to see who visits where!
@ tbh, a helicopter flight and landing on Fox or Franz Joseph glacier is one of the musts to do anywhere. The bus trip looked great, shame it wasn’t fine as the view of the mountains is spectacular.
Great video, you really drove straight past some iconic places such as the glaciers and natural beauty. I can't quite understand why you would bypass those places, but I guess you have your reasons.
I lived in Haast for 10yrs and the West Coast drive has some of the most spectacular and varied sights you'll see anywhere in the world.
Wow! How lucky!
What an absolutely fabulous video. This was the most civilised coach journey I've ever watched compared to those in Europe. Even the coach driver was like a tour guide. And the multiple stopovers must have made it a pleasurable experience. Getting from A to B in the shortest time possible and as cheaply as possible has its drawbacks. Plus that scenery was stunning. Thank you, Patrick, for sharing this wonderful experience!
Wow, thank you! Those drivers know their detail and were so proud to present it. Yes, the slower pace was different to what I'd experienced on coaches elsewhere and very welcome.
@@PlanetPatrick YT changed my visible username. It's Eoin! The Iceland fan.
@@Islandicus welcome back 😀 - why did they do that!
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I loved this video - I am glad you showed how spectacular our West Coast of the SI. One of the joys of traveling by coach across NZ is our marvelous Intercity bus drivers. I hope you enjoyed your time in QT, my home town!
Yes, I love QT - one of my favourite parts of the world!
Hi Patrick we have just found your channel and subscribed. We live in New Zealand and have visited Greymouth, Frank Josef, Haast, Queenstown many times but never done it the way you did it. Coach trips are not always a great way to travel but this looked like a great way to do it and if we are back on the South Island we will give it a go. You may have heard that the West Coast has suffered major flooding in the last 24 hours and the highway between Haast and Hoki is shut. We will go and check out some of your other videos now.
You’re very lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment
The West Coast is a hidden gem of NZ, Wild foods festival is a big hit, along with art works made from driftwood. The people of that area are certainly characters, but good natured and friendly. A lot of rainfall though.
Good tip for the festival!
What a great journey. New Zealand is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for showing
It really is! It's a beautiful country.
Hello😊
Great video and amazing capture 🎉😊
Greetings from Oslo my friend ❤😊
Thank you!
Your video just popped up in my feed and I am so glad it did. What a wonderful journey. I like the frequent stops, even though it adds time, it definitely makes the journey part of the holiday. And much better for your physical well-being too. I have subscribed and am going back to watch some of your earlier vids! Thanks for sharing 🤗
Well, I'm delighted it showed up in your feed too. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I am a big fan of New Zealand and these trips were a lot of fun (I hope I share some honest feedback too!).
Thank you Patrick. That was a great journey!
Glad you enjoyed it, Heather.
Thanks Patrick, a great ramble. A friend & I drove this route abt 40 years ago - and I don't think much has changed, except Queenstown. In saying that I do love travelling on a coach
Queenstown has definitely changed (the town though not the views)!
Highly enjoyed this mate. Glad they have a bus service all the way to Queenstown from Greymouth. The bus service only use to run as far south from Nelson to Franz Josef.
Glad you enjoyed it - I am definitely glad it was extended!
Haven’t been to Queenstown since the late 70’s..I loved it then ,they were happy days. 🥰
I bet it was a very cool place to be in the late 70s
19:22 that bus came all the way from Dairy Flat in North Auckland. Bayes.
Quite a journey.
Big distance!
Kiwi here i've never gone further south than Hokitika, looks like my next road trip, the scenery is epic
Such a beautiful part of the world.
The reason why that great sights bus was so good is that it was a locally owned company who ran that specific bus. By local I mean a few hundred or so buses but normally they are ran by conglomerates.
That seems like a fair point. The drivers were excellent
@@PlanetPatrick I highly recommend going rough and taking the intercity 12 hour bus from Auckland to Wellington. Some have sleeper beds but its best to do a day trip and just experience raw roading.
The journey from Nelson to Greymouth, Wanaka and Queenstown especially between Westport, the Haast Pass and Makaroa, is one of my favourite coach journeys, as the West Coast of the South Island is one of many unique travel journeys New Zealand offers. The South Island west coast is the country's most sparsely populated but also the wettest region's. as most weather patterns come from Australia. The Salmon Farm cafe has excellent salmon sandwiches.
Great tip on the salmon sandwiches! It's one of the most unique places I've had the pleasure of visiting.
Another awesome 10/10 plus, Patrick video., best country in the world New Zealand👍
It’s a great country to visit
Did this journey on a similar tour back in 2004 it was fantastic. Your video brought back some great memories
That's a lovely comment to leave, thank you.
@@PlanetPatrick I went with my Mum. She and my Dad had a chance to emigrate to NZ in the late 1940s but were pressured by family not to do so. They regretted it all their lives
The Guy Menzies story needs some correction - he originally announced he was going to attempt a flight from Sydney to Perth, because he feared that if he announced he was going to fly the Tasman he would have been refused. He did not build the plane he flew, it was a plane that had belonged to Charles Kingsford Smith, and was named the Southern Cross Junior. He was aiming for Blenheim rather than Christchurch, but the weather drifted him a long way south. Other than that, the story's pretty right.
Very interesting, thank you!
Brilliant!
Thanks!
Native Bush to the road side ... last time i drove this Route there were sections that were Gravel Surface
... oh and Towing a very large Caravan ... lol
That would have been a tough haul!
Great trip.
It was!
That was fantastic ...thanks for sharing.
What background music do you use?
It’s from a paid service called Epidemic Sound
Great video Patrick. I hired a car and did it in two days as well. Wish I had taken my time and taken longer..
I think it might be worth a couple more, but sure it was great to get the two!
@@PlanetPatrick you are right.
West coast is Great place to go to in New Zealand Good people to. I live in Deep South of South island
Definitely good people!
You would have to be mad to miss the West Coast (from an Aucklander). It's just the best, even if the glaciers have more or less vanished.
I’m lucky to have visited the glaciers before.
Cool videos, Cant help hearing that your voice sounds just like Rory off Mrs Browns Boys.
I don’t know who that is but I’ll take it as a compliment!
That bus driver had his facts a bit wrong. Lake Hawea is only 69 metres higher than Lake Wanaka.
Good to know, thanks!
Did this trip by car from Picton to Queenstown via Franz Joseph . Took 3 glorious days. Thank you for reviving the memories, excellent video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you so much! Why no commentary on Wanaka. I"m a Brit who lives there! Much better then Queenstown. .Beautiful as it is., but not a true reflection of New Zealand, in my view! Louis Viton shops for you? Bruce Bay for me! Are the drivers real or A!? Robotic or what! Cheers
Good to draw attention to Wanaka!
No Louis Vuitton for me, either!
Does anybody know if a Maori guy named Steve, still does this bus run? Has a great sense of humour
Following!
The best way to see the glacier is by helicopter. There are always plenty of Germans travelling around NZL
I agree that must be the best way. There was so much fog I’m told that trips had been cancelled that day (although I hadn’t booked it tbh).
Fascinating to see who visits where!
@ tbh, a helicopter flight and landing on Fox or Franz Joseph glacier is one of the musts to do anywhere. The bus trip looked great, shame it wasn’t fine as the view of the mountains is spectacular.
Great video, you really drove straight past some iconic places such as the glaciers and natural beauty. I can't quite understand why you would bypass those places, but I guess you have your reasons.
Well, I wasn’t driving, and I’m sure I’d have designed a personal drive differently. The goal was to get to Queenstown.
If you’re on a bus you don’t get to choose where it stops. It can be frustrating.
He was a passenger on the bus, the passengers don't get to choose.
there are some nice activities around Hokitika its better than Greymouth.
The driver spoke very highly of Hokitika
pack deluxe toilet paper
Added to the shopping list.
No such place as Aotearoa NZ it's just NZ. We're not Aotearoans.
You’re something
Oh shuddup
Agree !
Very enjoyable
Glad you enjoyed it
The haast pass is amazing on two wheels and one of the best rides in the country it use to be the crown range but the boys in blue ruined the fun
There were quite a few people cycling the route and I’d imagine it’s beautiful to have much more time there and a better perspective