Tales from the front seat (Tour driving)

[Splitpin]

So strange to have all these memories come back to me in one great lump.

Sadly, any photos I had have been long since discarded....no digital stuff back then, but there are some sites that do have photos of types I drove, so all may not be lost.
After leaving the Air Force armed with the ability to drive/ operate/ and instruct on almost anything ground bound with wheels, I faced a whole new world.
The rank structure was gone, the formality was gone, the whole thing seemed odd.(my first civilian job)
Picked up a job with a local carrier company almost straight away, local delivery stuff around CHC, about a year into this I was given a heads up by a former NCO college , that a local company was looking for tour coach drivers.
Among Tour drivers the word bus is never mentioned...they are coaches, and those that operate them are Coach Captains...fine by me, I just need a job.
Rocked on up to an interview, only to be greeted by an ex RNZAF Senior NCO flight steward, who I knew well, but had no idea she had taken this path....
The yard was full of "coaches" (pre tour season), she passed me some keys, and said take whatever you like and get familiar....Oh, and sign here, and bring your measurements in tomorrow for your uniform.
And so it began.....

[Splitpin]

Over the next 8 hours or so I drove at least 6 different types around the airport (Depot was beside the Antarctic centre) and into the city hotels , that I knew I would eventually end up having to go to.
The most scary was the the now demolished, after the earth quake...Crown Plaza. If you were driving anything the size of a Mini, you were good to go.
If however you were in a 36-50 seat coach it was a whole new ball game.....100mm between the back window and a large piece of concrete.
You would think that the people who designed that hotel, would have thought about the the size of the coaches going up there to load pax.... but they didn't .

[Charl]

Always had the greatest respect for the coach driver fraternity.
Florence in Italy would be the Graduate Class.

Guess the Auckland Transport chappie would not qualify.
He transformed the front of my favourite bit of transport into a concertina mush by reversing his doubledecker onto it.
He later said he'd overshot the bus stop.
The queue behind me expressed gratitude that I'd taken one for the team.

[Splitpin]

Charl, that's one thing I never did ....no bus vs car incidents.
I did however, sadly, have a sheep strike. Was heading out of Mt Cook on a day trip back to CHC with a Japanese group.
Somewhere between there and Glentanner, I noticed a large mob of Merinos off to my right, heading for the road. Not unusual as there was a local station in the area, and the sheep went where they wanted, contained by cattle stops.
Its amazing how the brain takes over ....within seconds the calculations were done, taking into account my forward speed, the distance between us, and the angle they were coming from, all equalled an impact.
I managed to get a "hang on" to the tour guide, who relayed it to the pax, by which time I was braking hard just before seeing and feeling the first poor sheep airborne to my left, followed by 2 (from memory) more bangs from the rear.
By the time I got to stop, we were quite away past the carnage. My first concern, and I don't mean to sound sound callus , was the coach...which turned out to be only minor, and not requiring a return to Mt Cook.
About the same time that guide had been approached by several passengers about the sheep, and should we get a vet...she passed the question onto me...I said they were fine...the banging noises were just the bus wheels leaving the road to avoid the sheep, which it turned out to be what she had already told them....amazing, considering she was in the jumpseat to my left and saw the whole thing...quick thinking on that kids part.
As I was about depart an Intercity guy pulled up beside me , to see if I was ok...told him all good...to which he replied...and I'll never forget "if you want some free mutton, its all over the road about a k behind you"