quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:


In regard to cars, the need for more per family may in fact be a sign of deficient public transport and local services.

That would not be the primary factor. High population densities are required for efficient local public access transport, which is not the case for extra-urban populations in huge areas like the Western USA or Austrialia. Also, rural agriculture will always have more vehicules per person than urban dwellers (trucks, pick-ups, tractors, mechanized farm implements all count) in the statistics I referenced, as opposed to just cars.

Public access local transport levels is not a meaningful statistic for economic development. It is a function of population densities (urban versus rural) and extra-urban economic activities when viewed at a macro-economic level. For the urban dweller it can however be very convenient and sometimes more efficient in terms of energy consumption, pollution levels and transit times.

There's no denying the rural transport thing, Wink - I have cousins in the country who have multiple vehicles per property, partly because they don't trade them in, just drive the old ones around the farm without registration and buy new ones for going to town - but there are fewer and fewer people out there as time goes on.

Despite the huge, open spaces, Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world. Trouble is our cities are also some of the world's biggest urban areas and public transport often lags way behind the dispersed housing developments. Also, for decades many people preferred to drive their cars to work, even if a train was going the same way.

These days Melbourne's reputation as 'most liveable' has come to bite it on the arse. People have flooded in and the clogged roads are seeing more people on PT, so many we almost need train stuffers at peak hour. Most of our train lines were built in the 19th Century; there are some more-recent underground lines but they might only look good next to Athens and Rome, where archaeological antiquities hold up any new extensions. Whether to spend infrastructure money on public transport or ever-wider freeways is a political football, bouncing left or right depending on which side is in power (there's no cache in finding a train seat to match a Beemer or Mergatroyd your tax dodges have already paid for).

I think some boffins argue that improved public transport such as trains is meaningful economically, if only because it leaves the roads clearer for trucks and the captains of industry. The latter would also benefit from road-congestion taxes, which mean nothing to them bar more room for their Rollers.

These situations probably don't apply to NZ - but they may soon.

Some cool links there wink.

another factor re car ownership, Kiwis and i presume Aussies are outdoor people and part of our culture is getting out and driving to where we want to be. often for many hours and the things we want to do are not serviced by public transport or our recreational tools, Skis, surfboards, rifles, boats etc are not conveniently cartable by public transport.

My grandfather, like very many other kiwis, spent 3.5 years fighting through the list of battles in your link, and for my fathers and my generation who have a direct link to those people we are very aware of the sacrifice and toll this took on those people and the nation. But there are just not enough people who want those stories told on a global scale unlike the bigger nations so we hardly ever get a mention in popular culture and the focus is generally on British or American involvement.

I didn't know that Jimmy had a twin from Texas !

One of them was right handed I see.

quote:

Originally posted by gryphon1:
Not all Texans are bad boys...SRV came out of TX and what a master he is/was too. I just played it again..again!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsrQ-yZIVL4

Most people anywhere are really good people. Americans are mostly fine people.

It only take a few idiots to destroy a whole generation on earth. Take Hitler and the Nazis or the Communists for examples.

I am not going to offend the good Americans by starting a Trump controversy.

However I have to share this article from 2007 as it explains a fair bit.

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/tr...ont-travel-overseas/

quote:

Originally posted by skb:
It is a sad fact that many Americans view the world as A.J. Hydell. No other word for it except ignorance. NZ is full of beautiful places, wonderful people, great beer(often over looked) and amazing sporting opportunities. I have been twice and hope to return possibly as early as next year.

Steve

New Zealand is indeed such a great travel destination that I am leaving - again- shortly for South America and then North America.

Its just too damn crowded down here with all those damn visitors , that I have to leave before I get claustrophobic ...

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
The issue is not tourists per se - its the Freedom Camper tourists who arrive , buy an old van and throw a mattress in it. * * * They congregate in the evenings where ever they may be , and - not having self contained toilets like real camper vans or RVs - either use the community bathrooms or simply go and shit in the woods like a bear.
Now , the nature reserves and gardens around the places these folk congregate is one big cesspool of toilet paper and shit - and reasonably enough the locals have had enough.

Dude, just a quick follow-up, but has the Officialdom of Kiwis been able to contain the 'shit-storm' these so-called 'Freedom Campers' and LOTRs fans are, ahhh, ... dumping on the walkways and roads in your otherwise beautiful country?

Always open to new experiences, but having to side-step steamin' stinking piles of feces while sight-seeing ain't one of them. I can do that in San Fransico.

Yep, you won't see that shit - no pun intended - happening in Singapore or Dubai, or any country that seriously values tourism.

Just sayin'

As you say,they are visitors NOT Kiwis and I suspect that some are actually from the US of A leaving turds behind also!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Poor New Zealand.

They have been getting far too many visitors from their northern Big Brother, and somehow they think all people of the world are similar; ie. ex-convicts!


I remember clearly reading a while back about some obnoxious New Zealand character committing all sorts of crimes in Australia, and they rightly sent him back home, with a not top never return again.

His comments was "why am I being sent to New Zealand? I have never been there!"

I kept wondering how the hell was going on!

Bizarre sort of post. What have ex convicts got to do with New Zealand? What? Or some obnoxious Australian chap?


This thread is a little skewed.Most people hardly ever see much of these tourists in NZ frankly, unless you actually live in Queenstown. And the 'problem' with freedom campers is not really much of a problem. Your talking about some Czech kids in a camper van. If that's all that wrong with the country we're doing pretty good I reckon. We'll have to look for a proper problem to get our teeth into.

Someone has made out that New Zealand survives by 'selling its scenery' which is total horseshit, NZ is the third largest exporter of dairy products in the world, apart from major exports like meat and logging. And NZ have a higher quality of life than nearly anywhere. If you want to see poor and homeless people, you'll have to go somewhere else, we don't really have them. Seven mentally ill people in Auckland don't really count.

Really don't see what the problem is frankly. Whats this thread about again?

quote:

Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
* * *
* * *
Really don't see what the problem is frankly. Whats this thread about again?

Dude, what planet have you been living on?

If you'd actually read the initial post by AnotherAZWriter, the dude linked an WSJ article in which complaints are made about foreign 'hippy' tourists flying into NZ to do a 'Travel-Celebration' tour of alleged locations where scenes in the LOTRs trilogy were filmed.

These hippy ingrates rent a van or SUV, travel hither & yon to various LOTRs film sites, pretend to be hobbits, elves and such, all as an excuse to live-off-the-land, panhandle, beg for food & beer, toss trash all over, and drop trow and shit wherever they like in your public areas, apparently without response from NZ police or your sanitation authorities.



Focus, dude. This 'shit', no pun intended, is happening in your backyard right now.

You think you're upset;consider what the out of towners are doing to Austin + worse moving here + bringing their ways with them.Trashing the property values along with their road rage driving (mentality?)+ just plain lack of manners + just plain being here.I was fortunate to have lived here in Austin's Golden age but I hate to see the way it's going now.

quote:

Originally posted by A.J. Hydell:

quote:

Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
* * *
* * *
Really don't see what the problem is frankly. Whats this thread about again?

Dude, what planet have you been living on?

If you'd actually read the initial post by AnotherAZWriter, the dude linked an WSJ article in which complaints are made about foreign 'hippy' tourists flying into NZ to do a 'Travel-Celebration' tour of alleged locations where scenes in the LOTRs trilogy were filmed.

These hippy ingrates rent a van or SUV, travel hither & yon to various LOTRs film sites, pretend to be hobbits, elves and such, all as an excuse to live-off-the-land, panhandle, beg for food & beer, toss trash all over, and drop trow and shit wherever they like in your public areas, apparently without response from NZ police or your sanitation authorities.



Focus, dude. This 'shit', no pun intended, is happening in your backyard right now.

Hey "Dude" If you read my post you would find out whats actually happening in my backyard, which you have no idea about, because, if I can be deliberately specific, you're in fucking Texas.

Dude, I know your a troll, but at least be a competitive troll. Focus your efforts. Have some pride in your work. Be passionate. Let it show.