Which side of the plane is the best, in terms of views, to sit on when flying from Auckland NZ to Queenstown NZ, and then from Queenstown to Sydney? I realize that the Queenstown to Sydney route is almost all over water, but a short part of it is over land.
Thank you!!
Pam
Which side of the plane should we sit on from Auckland NZ to Queenstown NZ?
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without a doubt, the IN side. it will be far too windy outside.
the left on the way down to queenstown, just to see the north island mountains near taupo it's worth it --looks like japan's fuji.
on the other leg if the question was from auckland, i'd say sit on the right to see the coast south of sydney and even the harbour if you know the scenery well enough to recognize the harbour. it will be up and to the right out the right hand side. obviously, circling is always a possibility, in which case it won't matter.
the airport is south of the city center, but you'll see the big buildings and the bridge and opera house as well, very easily, if you know where to look.
ask a flight attendant. they are quite friendly and happy to help.
kerikeri
oh dear kerikeri seems geographically confused. Sydney is in Australia - three hour's flight from anywhere in New Zealand you won't be seeing anyof that on your Auckland/Queenstown flight. It's a bit tricky, yes on the left to see the Tongariro mountains in the NorthIsland (if not obscured by cloud, obviously). However you'll mainly be flying righ over the really grand Southern Alps. Stick to the left - you'll see some mountains and the eastern side of the South Island. On the right you might mainly see the Tasman Sea. If you're going Auckland/Christchurch/Queenstown, sit on the right.
You will get some spectacular views of the Southern Alps no matter which side you sit on. Hopefully the weather will be fine for you.
Imagine kerikeri was answering second part of PE's question which was referring to Queenstown, New Zealand, to Sydney, Australia, and if so, she's perfectly correct.
ta, pat!
kerikeri
Sorry, I stand corrected - shouldn't be in such a hurry to do things!
Thanks for all your suggestions! So, it seems like the left is best from Auckland to Queenstown, and the right is best from Queenstown to Sydney.
Thanks!
Pam
Assuming your flight takes the shortest path, I'd definitely pick the left side of the plane from Auckland to Queenstown, to have the best chance of looking eastward toward the NZ coast, and not out to sea for a large portion of the flight.
As for Q'town to Sydney, it's really hard to say - depends on the wind, and therefore which runway and which direction your landing approach is. With any luck, you'll see Sydney Harbour, which is really quite a lovely sight from the air - especially welcoming to those (like me, typically) who've just done the grueling 14-15 hour flight from the USA.