Letters to the Travel Editor
Bird, spotted Dear Sir/Madam, Just to correct an error with respect to Raoul Island’s red-tailed tropic birds “found nowhere else in the world” [‘Places to hide if Trump wins’, Travel, November 8, 2016]. They are also found in abundance on Lord Howe Island where they nest. I have taken several photos of them at very close quarters.
Lord Howe is worth a mention, even though it is close to home, because the birdlife has no fear of humans. There are varieties, which are peculiar to that tiny island, such as the once near-extinct Lord Howe Island woodhen which will walk over your feet if you are in their way. Others, like the red-tailed tropic bird and white tern, breed and nest there and are so uninterested in humans you can almost touch them.
Alarmingly large fish in knee-deep water on the surf beaches show the same disdain and you come away both delighted and amazed that they manoeuvre between your moving legs without even touching you.
Lord Howe is an enchanted island well worth a spot in your excellent magazine. Richard Kean, Ngongotaha travel@nzherald.co.nz Making a long haul longer Dear Sir, I would not accept a broken seat, broken light, broken entertainment on a 14-hour flight, for which I had paid $2700 [‘Flight Check’, Travel, August 8]. Upgrade or refund would ease the “pain”, otherwise I would be complaining to everybody, especially Qantas management! Krish Pillay Dear Sir, I found Tracey Bond’s report on QF63 interesting Lord Howe Island is home to amazing birdlife. to say the least. The flight goes from Sydney over Tasmania then down to Antarctica then to Jo’burg — the reverse of the old great circle route. I too have been asked to put shutters down as the glare of the South Pole fills the cabin with light. I find it one of the world’s best long-distance flights — pity though it’s an ageing 747 and not an A380.
Still, four engines are better than two, and I wouldn’t like to be in a Dreamliner over the Southern ocean. Regards, Wayne Styles The Travel Editor replies: I once read an interview with an ex-pilot (I think he was a former British Airways captain). He said his favourite plane on which to fly was “one with four engines”. When asked why, he responded: “Because they don’t make them with five.”