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Travelers
Digest World Tour
The next day, we were provided with large jackets and gloves by the Skotel Lodge. We then headed down the deserted road for about 10 kilometers. We approached the area where the airport was supposed to be and grew confused....there was no airport of any kind. The only existing building in the entire area was a small house. I suppose we were looking for what we conceived as a typical airport, small of course, but recognizable, surely. Still a little bewildered, we stopped at the small house with some sheds to the rear. On the front porch was a small sign that read...Mountain Air Scenic Flights. Must be the right place, but wheres the planes? If this was the place, it was one of the smallest air tour business I had ever seen. As we parked, I realized, that just maybe they would offer more personal service, since they were so small. We shall see! As we walked into their front office, we were greeted by a lady and
since we had made arrangements for the tour, introduced herself and we
were then lead out to the field. The pilot was pushing a small Cessna
aircraft from one of the sheds and onto the runway. Runway? It was a
pasture! But I loved it! This was going to be a As we gained altitude the wind became biting and vicious. But the only real sensation I was feeling was the rush of pure adrenaline going through my veins. THIS WAS LIVING! I loaded my camera's, starting filming and snapping photo's of everything below me. I was hanging from the plane with nothing but a small strap, anchored to the seat and with my right foot precariously resting on the wheel support bar, I hung on to my cameras and tried to steady my hands for the filming. The painful position was awkward and straining and it sure as hell wasn't easy, but it beat falling into a volcano from 5000 feet. These dangerous adventures are a big part of my job and I truly love every moment. The pilot and the staff at the Mountain Air are serious
professionals and want you to experience the ultimate thrill of flying
over a volcano. I was shooting about forty photos a minute and was trying
to manage even more, but my hands were freezing. The images were gray due
to the thick clouds, but I keep shooting. The whole experience was
thrilling and I wanted to try and get some photos, even if not perfect.
After several passes over the volcano and its neighboring peaks, the
This was a good day as I did manage to fulfill another one of my dreams. I have done a lot of wild and crazy things in my life, including jumping on top of a fast moving train from a bridge in Vancouver Canada, but this was different, this experience was constant and so unexpected. Travelers Digest toured this glorious National Park in June 2002 for
three days and are honored to have made friends at The Skotel Lodge and
with the professionals of the Mountain Air Scenic Flights. If you want to
experience some of life's soul inspiring Tell them Mike Smith and the crew of Travelers Digest said hello and unless you're a serious daredevil...ask them to keep the plane's door on! Click Here for Rates, Reservations, or just Inquiries! Review written by the touring editor; Mike Smith. This editorial in its entirety is the sole property of Travelers Digest and may not be distributed, sold or copied without prior written permission of Travelers Digest and/or its licensed representatives.
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After touring other beautiful areas of this
phenomenal country, we decided to drive south to New Zealand Tongariro
National Park in June 2002. This region of the north island is alive with
massive volcano's and raw terrain that is absolutely inspiring. While we
were here, we stayed at New Zealand's highest lodge, The Skotel. There is
no other country on Earth that offers the bizarre landscape of New Zealand
and there is only one hotel of choice while exploring this awesome national park. Our goal was
to film the volcano and we needed to get as close to it as possible. After
asking the manger at the hotel, we soon learned of a local air tour
company that would fly us over the actual volcano itself, Mt. Ruapehu.
Skotel's manager, called and made the arrangements for us and we were
scheduled to fly the next day. I have been involved in thousands of wild
adventures and this one was going to be great.
truly exciting
experience, not orchestrated by some large company driven solely by
profit. As we loaded into the plane, I was told to take the back seat,
since I was to do the actual filming. My two staff members piled into the
middle seat, directly behind the pilot. Everything seemed fine, but there
was one thing missing.....THE DOOR! I have pretty much always been up for
anything, but "no door?" realizing that it was for me to be able
to get unobstructed footage for my filming, I remarked in my heaviest
macho voice..."good for me...lets do it!" He strapped me in and
off we went.
clouds were
obstructing most of my shots, so we slowly started to flow with the wind
back toward the field. As we started our turn, I spotted, through the
sudden cloud break, a vision of turquoise and brilliant blue. It appeared
to be a beautiful lake sitting square in the middle of this ancient
volcano. The water was unnaturally bright with violet highlights and the
entire peak was bathed in scarlet white snow. The opening cloud cover
seemed to invite us in for a closer look. The pilot banked in low and
penetrating the remaining cloud bank we were witnessed to an impressive
sight. The volcano with its water filled cone was sitting in the misty
shadows of the clouds, alone, but retaining its mystical deity without
compromise. The pilot made a few more fly overs and I was proud to have
been there on that cold day in June, which is winter in this part of the
world. We had been treated to a rare sight and looked straight down into
the mouth of unparalled forces and natures overwhelming beauty.
adventures, you will have
to come to New Zealand, the land I call, "Heaven with Rainbows"
and while there, don't miss out on the flight over Mt. Ruapehu. It is
awesome and the great people of Mountain Air Scenic Tours will get you
there and back, safely. They have our vote of confidence. Life's greatest
adventures can be found anywhere and I would say...New Zealand is a good
choice to help fulfill some of your adventures. Visit new Zealand and
wander on down to Mt. Ruapehu National Park and take the flight of a
lifetime.....