(EP37) Napier, Taupo, Rotorua! New Zealand continues

[@frglee]

Thanks for a nice 'little burst of tourism' and a few bursts of 'been there, done that' from me. I certainly recall the pong of Rotorua and the steam vents in the tarmac in a car park (coming out from under the camper van which made me think I had a water leak). I asked a Rotoruan how they put up with the quite strong sulphurous bad egg gas smell everywhere and was told 'you get used to it and don't notice it after a bit' and I guess it gets better when the wind blows it away. Pretty place though, and there seemed to be lots of those little flightless black birds running across the roads in the tree fern forests south of the town.

[@mattwalker4034]

One of the best videos so far. Loved the ragtime, nature walk and the luge looked so much fun. Good times.

[@grenvillephillips6998]

Cooling lakes, importuning sheep and sulphurous effluvia, but the real fun starts at 16:05, when HubNut demonstrates the skills learned at the handlebars of his terrifying TWC Tiger.

[@macartm]

Plenty of hills in Wales and Scotland. Why can't we have some of them Luge things? Probably the HSE folks would have a fit :D

[@grenvillephillips6998]

My thought exactly - cue Helter Skelter!

[@gryfandjane]

Splendid, and one of my favorite NZ episodes so far! Firstly, you’re a motoring enthusiast who’s not immune to the beauty of the sky. We’re kindred spirits there. As for the luge rides, amazing... and not the first time this channel has featured adventures in a tiny vehicle steered with handlebars. ;-)

[@Mercmad]

We used to stay around the other side of lake Taupo at Motuopa bay. Trout fishing was amazing with some really big trout being caught. A really pleasant part of the world!and more of a little Village than Taupo town. My late Dad owned the only 24 hour gas station in NZ there in the early 70's With 15 pumps!. Yes a very touristy sort of place.. 😁 The Luge is just like your driving Ellie around the Welsh hill isn't it?

[@smoothmicra]

The luge looks like a hoot, so many tourist attractions turn out to be as exciting as cold porridge. I'm definitely doing that if I make it to NZ!

[@andrewfarrow4699]

Highly recommended. Well worth the price. They have modified it somewhat over the years to make it a bit slower and safer. Added crash barriers and slow signs to cover their ass. It used to be truly terrifying and a good way to injure oneself. But even now one needs some skills to go fast and use of the brakes is absolutely necessary to avoid painfullness.

[@michaelwright2986]

NZ is very good for adventure tourism because of our accident compensation scheme. You can't sue except for criminal negligence, so that means it becomes much easier to have bungy jumps and luge runs and some other terrifying thing in Rotorua where you're put inside a transparent plastic dome and rolled down the hill. No insurance companies involved when the luge hits the kerb.

[@Hundredakerwood439]

@@andrewfarrow4699 yes I couldn't remember so many signs and barriers when I did it in 2012

[@saintfunny]

I was waiting to see the sheep on the luge behind you...

[@robbyxp1]

Aww the sheep loves you Ian. She is just lonely and wants ewe for company!

[@grenvillephillips6998]

If the sheep had been The Angry Ram, the video would probably have gone viral.

[@cornishhh]

She's used to getting more attention from men on their own.

[@gruntabro1]

Q:Why did the ram fall off the cliff ? A:: It missed the ewe turn

[@Hanzilla75]

SO many fun moments in this video, from Ninja sheep to Luge downhil racing (someone needs to add some Initial-D music to that bit!). It's a pleasure to be along for the ride Mr. Hubnut. Take care of yourself, greetings from Copenhagen where a ´05 Suzuki Wagin R+ and a ´11 VW Caddy 1,2TSi are waiting for test drives ;-)

[@grayfool]

Now I have to go to NZ! Gotta play on the luge runs. Oh hell yeah! them geezers (!) is alwite too. Nice and relaxing stroll. Thanks Ian.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

There's another one in Queenstown and I know one of them has a jump but don't recall which one,they are a lot of fun!

[@crashbox7130]

If I ever spend 3 months in NZ it'll just be for that luge. I'd be on it every day, all day.

[@stewartjmurray]

I wish I could like this video twice. Spent a year in NZ back in 2002. Amazing place.

[@AllThingsAlex]

Great bit of Hubnut tourism! Fascinating to watch, especially the geothermic lakes. The sheep ewe should have christened "George the second" Thank you HN lol.

[@stevenjones19-m8i]

Hi Ian,that was a fun and awesome video,nice scenery to take in,I think that pig wanted to get a tour for itself lol,the Luge looks great fun, watching it with the camera it was fast going down.definately worth the money to have a go.

[@musicbill101]

Thanks for that. Seeing the luge footage reminds me of my visit to Rotorua back in March 2011.

[@furiousdriving]

I’d not heard of Napier, I’ll have to add it to my Art Deco bucket list

[@ClotEastwood]

I've been downloading your vids for my mother. . . .she's 86yrs old and loves your channel. . . . . Her name is Moyra and her dog is Molly . . she lives in Hull UK . . . . (a shout out would be a massive shock for her) . . . Keep up he good work my friend.

[@zugbug1986]

Mike Oxtinks: If Ian does a shout out by my reckoning it will be in about 5/6 weeks time as he's so far behind. Good luck.

[@bigalxyz]

Shame about the mic failure but I like the ragtime music 👍🏻

[@AndreiTupolev]

That's usually the kind of sky you see just before a tornado. I love the subtitles in Napier: "Buildings!" 😀

[@seancooke4127]

I'm sure that was a tidy Six wheeled Bedford TL tipper where the rebuilding was going on. No matter there will be plenty in Oz. Hubnut does it all, more excellent scenery, gushing waterfalls teeming with negative ions, cable cars, crazy luge runs, geothermal features. Victorian Maoris 🤔, a paddle-not-steamer, a lovely Merc SK truck and a Camry estate with the twin rear wipers. You will find one because these were built to run forever. Great find. PS. Take a break man!

[@chubbyroyston3880]

Very interesting seems the land is very active

[@threeparots1]

We have the same luge in Calgary, AB Canada. They show this location as their first I believe. They take advantage of the “mountain” used for the Canada Olympic park which already has a few ski lift. Quite the riot 😀

[@clintmullins4406]

Hubnut you are not the only one who loves Camry wagons. I missed a minty v6, 5 speed, with leather and 3 row seating for $1700us.

[@arthurfarrow]

$10 for a thermal walk! You were 'fleeced'.

[@richardharibo]

Great video as always. Thanks Ian

[@niklaswejedal463]

Yet another very enjoyable episode! The luge track was just amazing and the sheep was hilarious :D

[@brentfairlie9159]

The bird is a Pukeko. Or blue chicken as we call them

[@nainoswad2725]

Sean the sheep is a HubNut fan..the logo on it's wool was a dead giveaway..charming vid mate!

[@markpitt5248]

I think the sheep likes your shirt!

[@sfkarl]

When the Rotorua luge opened, the "advanced" route was the only track and some of the corners and cambers were very wrong. The "scenic" and "intermediate" tracks opened some years later after many tourists were seriously injured.

[@solway17carlisle]

Wow, that Luge looks fantastic - it's great to see your adventures and having good times 👍

[@gruntabro1]

The original luge course was pretty wild ,its been tamed down a lot to prevent people injuring them selves

[@gruntabro1]

32:00 Pokaka bird ..good to eat !

[@brentfairlie9159]

Glad you enjoyed Rotovegas. As we call it in NZ

[@devlad]

Been on the Queenstown luge many times. Although last time my brakes failed and I got flung into a fence. Hilarious now I think about it

[@philiplindley7384]

Travelling is an addiction, Ian, you're hooked now. Only old age and infirmity can cure it.😄

[@chunkybeats79]

I was watching the video hoping you would do the advanced course in the Luge. Had many a few trips there great fun!! I came off one of the corners while on two wheels! I see they have added some extra barriers and buffers as there was too many people flying off at the corners! Favourite section is when you fly for 3 seconds! Love the videos man keep it up hope Aussie is treating you well and I bet NZ is missing you!

[@martinnorth2680]

Hope you enjoyed being a tourist. I enjoyed watching you being a tourist.

[@neilforbes416]

11:23 "Singing Cliff"? Aah, Mr Richard! LOL

[@neilforbes416]

@Paolo G LOL :-)

[@brittenv1000]

You should see napier on art deco weekend. Cars for miles! Love the luge!

[@andrewhaines8603]

When you compare how much it cost to walk around a few steamy, smelly rocks & the Luge I think we all know which one is the best value for money and the main thing is Ian you had some fun!

[@ivanhowlett4907]

You should have tried to cadge a drive in that double trailer tanker, reversing would be fun, especially in tight spots! Yet another great travelvlog, riding the luge looked like great fun, good times.

[@loganmclaren8680]

was great to see you enjoying yourself Ian, should head to Tauranga enjoy the beach!

[@terabyte1695]

All i can say is what a lovely country NZ is, beautiful views laced with" HUBNUTOLOGY",Magic moments i think....farewell and take care Ian on your travels.

[@frothe42]

Brilliant! Spectacular scenery! The chair lift brought out my fear of heights, even though I am just simply watching! I did do a chair lift up and down our local mountaintop, to the top; the view was spectacular, but my overwhelming fear of falling off puts a little bit of a damper! I did have liquid courage (alcohol) going up; going down, it was wear off, so looking straight ahead helped a little bit. The view from the gondola was also amazing. And what fun going down on the luge 🛷! Felt like I was along for the ride! Happy that you went out, had a very good time, enjoyed yourself!! Our local library utilizes geothermal energy for heating and cooling, very expensive here in the US. And yes, we, as a global community, need to use our natural resources for heating, cooling and energy production. Of course, interesting architecture AND vehicles! Well done!

[@rydermike33]

Enjoyed that very much. Thank you. The Luge was brilliant but I think those 'Gezzers', (sorry), were a bit cheeky charging $10 for the thermal walk!

[@shaunw9270]

No surprise the sheep wanted to tag along. They can tell you're from Wales 😂

[@harrisonhunter7512]

Great video of these beautiful towns in nz makes us appreciate where we come from 👍

[@micheltebraake7915]

The funny "Downhill Race" holiday outing, childhood memories in the Netherlands and Germany. And a few rare cars at the end.

[@donnageorge-henderson5419]

Aww, the sheep spied you 🐑😂 love harnessing the geothermals. Mildly interesting detour 🤣 aww we have a bluebelle chicken called Winnie (friend to Mrs Agnes Brown the ex-battery hen). Very cool ride downhill and about time you did touristy things 😍 cool Luge!!!!! How does it brake?? "I'll be your friend" - Kia Ora 😍 Scooby is like a sleeker Fox 😎 great video 👍

[@mrpalm54]

You are a giggle a minute in your jandels .. main thing is you survived and thank you for the tour, enjoyed the Luge excitement!

[@joaofarinha7953]

Nice to see you having some fun , after all , you are also human and surely you deserve it 🙂

[@revolution1one]

Not sure I've heard of a Luge. Looks like it is similar to a bobsled but with wheels. I love seeing those older lorries. What was the blue one off in the distance at 31:00?

[@tedavco]

Loved it. Cheers buddy lol👍🏻🙂

[@paulbennell3313]

That luge looks awesome! Well worth getting up early for.

[@Shane_Marsh]

What a cool video Ian. Magic just magic.

[@phillipsharpe6459]

That toboggan looks fun , bringing out the child in all of us , got to be done 😁👍

[@joannegray5138]

When you mentioned the Singing Cliff, I half expected you to encounter the Bachelor Boy himself :)

[@robertl2856]

A fascinating tour....thanks for taking me along

[@moviebod]

To be fair, I think the rapids in the thermal park were marginally quicker than the Nissan Lafesta CVT. That Luge run looked fun!

[@gevmage]

2:55 I'm fascinated by the electrical plugs. The pin pattern is the same as plugs in China but the receptacle plates have switches built-in like the UK ones, which outlets in China don't. Love the video so far, Ian! keep up the good work!

[@kevinnye5132]

Ian that Luge looked brilliant and I bet you felt like a 12 year old again, sort of thing as you get older you need to push yourself to do to feel young , looked just fantastic. Great to see you got back on form before leaving New Zealand. Love that video because as you said it was tourist stuff and fun too. Super 😉🛷

[@Laz_Arus]

The woolly creature mistakenly thought she had found her brother, the other black sheep (of the family) 🐑

[@graemew7001]

Thanks Ian, not only am I going to be thinking about how beautiful New Zealand is but I'm going to be singing the Ki-ora song all bloody day now......thanks!! 😂

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

Thoroughly enjoyed that 😁🤣👍

[@pauldavies6037]

Great travelogue and road test on the Loge that was scary

[@MCallsen]

Those subtitles in Napier were hilarious :D

[@rob1971]

The Rotorua luge is one of my favourite things there... And apparently there are more accidents on it than three are on the bungie jumps 😮

[@cainsy8124]

Well, that's lovely. It's a long time since I've been in those parts but I remember the luge well.

[@AndreiTupolev]

16:35 "Slow down" that's easy for them to say. Is that Luge thingumy like a rally stage, where each participant is released at intervals and you hope you get to the bottom without coming across anyone else?

[@HubNut]

I overtook a few people on one run. You do get some steering control.

[@briankelvindiffey3006]

That sheep knew you are a Welshman...😁

[@dlittlester]

Even without Wellies? Sorry. Old joke.

[@briankelvindiffey3006]

No worries, old shaga shaga jokes are allways good😁

[@piperdoug428]

Good fun, I’ve seen lots of pics of relatives hurtling down that track

[@gkstanfield]

Another great video Ian! I loved Rotorua when I visited with my Dad in 1991...but I had no idea about the Luge...what fun! Did you not have a soak in one of Rotorua’s many mineral baths..? Very relaxing for the body, soul and mind! Next time, then..!

[@robinwells8879]

That was like the alpine New Zealand of my imagination from before you showed us so much more of what exists there.

[@alanfunt4013]

Really lovely. The luge - tricycle of doom!

[@bentullett6068]

It's ok for a experienced invacar driver like Ian. It's a similar vehicle as it has three wheels and handlebars.

[@robertngreen6]

Fantastic! Although I would have been much slower on the luge! So glad you are able to have some tourist days. NZ Tourism should give you a few quid (or dollars?) as you have shown so much of a stunning Country!

[@waynekerr5815]

"Betty i lost the sheep"

[@BarryAllenMagic]

Classic!!!! 😂😂😂😂 I think it may go over some heads though.

[@waynekerr5815]

Barry Allen i am glad you caught it, would of been great with the last shot showing him driving down the road in Betty shouting.lol proper UK humour

[@happyhermit2022]

That gadget looked awesome...its very important to voluntarily risk you life in a foreign country at least once....:)Great video thank you

[@MGBetts1]

Enjoyed the musical interlude - I suppose that's what can happen with on-the-fly. That hill track would have been a schoolboy go-karter's dream - until he comes to the sign saying "Slow Down!" and he has no brakes! (I speak from experience.)

[@robinforrest7680]

Lonely sheep spotted a Welshman ... Must be great to go "skiing" without having to wear huge ski boots and freezing your knackers off 😁

[@michaelwright2986]

The bird is called the pukeko, and it is a kind of swamp-hen jobby. I agree about Taupo--40 years ago it was fun to visit, with really old school tourist facilities and hot baths and the wonderful lake: now it's just a scab of cheap industrial building, spoiling the view. Whereas Rotorua has gone much more out for tourism (including many adrenalin-stimulating ways of going down hills), but still has some real character. The sheep, by the way, was part of the under-cover tourist police. It wouldn't have been nearly as accommodating if you had not paid your $10. But all this is overshadowed by the fact that, the day before your video was posted, GM announced the end of the Holden brand. I assume you will be able to give us on-the-spot reports on the Mood of the Nation: it will be a traumatic event for Australia, since 34.7% of all people born in Australia were conceived in a Holden.

[@chrisskelhorn5727]

It was great to see you enjoying yourself Ian! :-)

[@1066gaz]

The luge ride reminds me when i went to alton towers in the early 80's with the school great that was. Some kid crashed in front of me and gashed his head open nasty. He was alright though afterwards. Great video that was.

[@gti505]

The question is> Did the sheep pay the 10 New Zealand Dollars as well for the walk? Liked this one, showing that being a tourist, having fun, is also very nice! Appreciated! Thursday evening I will leave to Argentina. Hope in Wales everything is ok? Heared about flooding area's. Be safe!

[@lunarsnz6915]

I’m quite bummed I didn’t discover this channel when he was in Taupo where I live!😂

[@HubNut]

I'll be very upset if I don't manage to visit again one day.

[@ianmunro2168]

Thanks for that ,I believe you were at an event in Tauranga/Mount Maunganui will there be a video ?

[@HubNut]

Yes, separate video to come on that.

[@ianmunro2168]

HubNut awesome look forward to that .😊

[@Turnbull50]

Love the travelogues, now with added music, best 49 dollars ever!!!

[@LarryBees]

Fab Loges. gravity is King..(whats the brakes like)? sheep pal 'Mildly interesting ramble', pleasant ragtime tho..🚙

[@MrButtonpresser]

The best thermals near Taupo are "Orakei Korako Geothermal Park & Cave". You only need to see one, this is the one.

[@____stu____]

Really enjoying these videos Ian glad to see you are having a good time, but please get some shut eye 👍🏻

[@HubNut]

Oh don't worry. I'm taking it much easier these days.

[@fasthracing]

That Luge thing is I think the most exiting thing I have thus far seen during your NZ trip! When are the Aussie vids coming?

[@bigted1955]

Good video Ian.

[@Astonvanquishs]

That Ragtime was unexpected! nice though!

[@bigalxyz]

I’ve been to the Rotorua luge place - I was there in 1994. It was terrifying!

[@stevewilson8467]

24.24: Good job you didn't make that noise near the sheep, it might have mistaken it for a mating call!

[@RWBHere]

Thanks Ian. Touristy but still fascinating. And the sheep clearly recognised the fact that you live in Wales. There are more sheep in NZ than people. Allegedly. I lost it at 13:40. Hot chicks indeed!

[@nazdagg2027]

no zip line? good lines in the luge corners. best, so far, for me, was you doing Sterile Moose(aka Stirling Moss) impersonation on forgotten world highway (that's a bikers road). I just saw a story on Reuters where GM is pulling out of down there. local reactions?

[@paulmaclachlan6960]

excellent views Ian

[@arthurfarrow]

Art Deco: exquisite!

[@stepheng8779]

Really enjoyed that, thanks 👍

[@robertmaitland09]

I went on the luge at Queenstown last time I visited NZ but the one at Rotarua looks far better!

[@terrycrick3600]

Breaking news... man from Wales runs AWAY from sheep!