Shadowing Practice: Driving a GOLF CART on TRAIN TRACKS - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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This is the definition of my jaw dropped.
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This is the definition of my jaw dropped.
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This might be one of my favorite rail experiences in the world,
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with over 90 bridges to cross and passing through 20 tunnels in one of the most scenic countries in the world.
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I'm in New Zealand driving a golf cart on train tracks.
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Welcome to another episode of Downy Live!
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We're at the Forgotten World Adventures,
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about to try the rail cart journey.
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Look at this.
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Yes.
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Train wheels on a golf cart.
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This is what you want.
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It's like your own personal train.
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And what a place to do this.
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Look at it.
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Let's get them set up and get into it.
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Fire extinguisher and chainsaw, just in case something's fallen on the track.
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We want to keep going, so he's fully prepared.
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Shovel, blankets, first aid kit, defibrillator, snacks, coffee, tea.
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We've got a whole day out there to places that are not accessible by any other vehicle,
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path, any human, other than by this railway.
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So this is Vaughn.
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He's our guide.
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He's coming along with us.
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The first question I have are about the train wheels.
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So they're a custom wheel that we've made.
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And so, yeah, steel inners and steel flange.
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We have the molded with nylon and then this replaceable Teflon wear edge that we put on them.
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Why is that?
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To reduce the noise.
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Our original wheels we had were a smaller steel or alloy wheel and they were very noisy.
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So you sort of almost needed air plugs or something.
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And by the time you hit all the joins down the next 142 Ks,
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you'd heard quite a few bangs.
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All right, well, let's hop in.
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Seatbelts.
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Seatbelts on.
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You do need them here.
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You're going to go over a lot of bridges.
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We don't want any injuries.
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I guess I don't need the steering wheel, hey?
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No. But yeah, so when you guys are ready,
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you just turn your keel.
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You're already in gear.
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Just put it down a little bit.
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Awesome!
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We're off the morning.
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Woo!
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On to the Forgotten World adventure.
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Let's go.
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Is it too early to ask how fast does this baby go?
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Oh, I'm German.
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Woohoo!
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How do I stop?
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3, 2, 1, turn, Seb, turn!
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Turn left, turn!
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We're not turning!
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We're not turning!
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Okay, enough with the fun and games.
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Oh my gosh.
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It's exactly what I thought it would be.
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The little ticks of the track.
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Beautiful landscape.
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So nice.
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Oh, Seb!
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A little stop sign.
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Slow.
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I see why you have to go slow here the track bent a little bit.
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It doesn't feel real but it is.
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I'm at full speed right now.
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This is full speed?
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Yeah.
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Okay this is good.
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I mean this is quick.
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It's kind of like a it's pretty quick like a theme park almost.
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Yeah.
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That's right it does feel like an amusement park ride.
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So these are four person golf carts
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which means you can either have two more people in the back join you all in the same car
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or like us we brought our bags
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so we just we're self-contained we have everything we need with
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us oh cows almost as soon as we start the classic
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new zealand scenery is passing us by along with a little
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wildlife is it on the track we've got a sheep on
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the track slow down slow down easy easy maybe sheep well maybe wildlife is the wrong term.
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The best part of this whole experience is that we're driving and in control of our own personal train here.
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Sorry.
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This is the definition of my jaw dropped.
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It's just open all the time.
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Here's the first tunnel and a waterfall.
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Whoa.
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Here you're coming up.
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Good as you're fed off the pedals and I'll just drag you up.
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Tunnel 24.
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So this is the longest tunnel on the line we're we're gonna go into in a middle.
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1.5 kilometers long.
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Yeah so this tunnel was completed in 1921.
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Took them close to 10 years to dig.
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All done by hand.
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Started at each end, curves as you go in,
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then it's straight and then curves as you come back out the other end.
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Our first tunnel, are you afraid of the dark?
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No I'm not.
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Okay me neither.
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I love this stuff.
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Yeah.
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Alright we're good.
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When you're normally on a train in a tunnel,
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you can't see much, but we can actually see what the walls look like now.
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Oh, it's pretty dark in here.
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Not too fast.
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I mean, the nice thing is you could technically drive on this blind and the cart would just follow the tracks.
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It's nice.
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These golf carts have headlights.
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We can see quite well.
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Yeah so roughly where we are here in portal number eight
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so we're 750 metres in from each end and roughly 220 metres underground.
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What we'll do because of how it's curves there's no natural light in this tunnel
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so when you guys are ready if you want to flick your key off there.
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We cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel behind us or in front of us.
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So we're going to see how dark it is completely.
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All right, let's turn this off and then we'll turn the headlights off when you're ready.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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Ready, okay.
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The world has disappeared.
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And quiet as well.
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Yeah.
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You might think I've just turned off the screen,
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but that's not the case.
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You scared, Mike?
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I'm ready to put the lights back on and keep going I think.
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Alright, let's do it.
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Yeah, we're gonna carry on in and we're gonna head out towards Martini for some morning tea.
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Awesome, I'd like to have some of that.
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So now that we've done our first tunnel,
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I'm looking forward to our first bridge.
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Because if you're afraid of heights,
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there's a few bridges on this too.
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I hadn't really thought of that.
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Yeah.
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If you have fears, like if you're scared of the dark or scared of small spaces,
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the tunnels might not be for you.
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And if you're afraid of heights,
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the bridges might not be for you.
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I'm neither, so I'm good.
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I love this stuff.
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Oh, this is cool.
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Is this what I think it is?
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That is a Mini Cooper.
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I think we can restore it.
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Might be some tough work there.
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Imagine restoring that and putting train wheels on it.
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Yeah, that would be cool.
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Now we're talking.
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You think the guy that owned the Mini Cooper lived there?
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Small car, small house.
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Exactly.
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Must be a hobbit.
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Must have been a hobbit.
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Must have been.
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Speaking of which, I think it's just about time for second breakfast.
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I agree.
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Our first bridge, but not that high.
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This railway was originally built to connect the coal mines to the main trunk line,
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but then closed in 2009,
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which has turned into a unique opportunity for tourists like us to come try something pretty unique.
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Wildlife spotting.
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There's a rabbit or a hare,
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which as we know is slower than the tortoise,
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but faster than the golf cart.
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This might be some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen in the world.
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It really is leaving me speechless.
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I don't know how to describe it
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so I'll just I'll just show it to you
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but this is you gotta you gotta come see it yeah
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book your flights it is called the Forgotten World Adventure
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and it really feels like the Forgotten World here's our next tunnel
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this is a really clean one yeah it feels new yeah oh there's a nice brick at the end
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Go ahead, rubber duck.
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This is poutine and schnitzel.
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Yeah, Roger, we're all good.
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We just went through the second tunnel,
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still cruising along nicely, just enjoying it.
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Even though it is just tourists driving golf carts on these tracks instead of big heavy trains,
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they still have to maintain the tracks as if it's a functioning railway.
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Our second bridge over a little road.
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Stuff like this makes me so happy road has to go around
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and up
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and over on a bridge to go over us i mean
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i know it wasn't actually built just for this it was
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built 100 years ago over trains it still feels nice to feel special
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oh there's a huge turkey i thought i adapted to the canadian lifestyle
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but i had to put my jacket on
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because i'm kind of cold it's a bit of a chilly morning we're at the beginning of their spring
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and some of the tunnels are quite cold too.
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Plus, I think this thing goes a little bit faster than you expected it to.
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It's a little bit more wind.
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There's tea soon so warming up for that.
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There's a stop sign in 200 meters.
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Does that mean we're at the coffee stop?
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This is a town.
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There we are.
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He's getting the cloth out.
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That's a bartending.
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Wow.
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Tablecloth and everything.
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Top level service here.
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Some home baking.
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Midge in the kitchen does all our home baking.
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This is your guys morning and afternoon tea but I'm sure you guys can have afternoon tea.
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You can have afternoon tea for morning tea as well.
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So what is this?
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A little breakfast bar?
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Yeah, it's just her home baking that she does.
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That's good.
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That was great.
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I think she calls that,
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that's a mumble cake or something.
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Mumble slice that one.
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A morning mumble.
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I like that.
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I know why she calls it that.
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Because when you've got something in your mouth,
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you just, you can't really talk.
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That's a really good one.
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I understand that.
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It's called morning mumble.
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That was a great stop for a coffee.
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I think that means...
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You're the driver now.
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My turn to drive.
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You did well.
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Yeah.
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You were a good passenger princess there.
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Seatbelts on, because as I say, safety is sexy.
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Alright.
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That is a weird feeling.
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I know it is.
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You just sit back, control the speed.
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Now this is not a perfectly smooth ride.
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This is not a luxury train experience.
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It's Forgotten World Adventures.
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This is an adventure.
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Okay, I gotta slow down here.
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I gotta slow down.
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these road crossings are easy to have rocks and stuff kicked in.
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And so you could derail.
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We take these slowly.
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And the rest is, I mean,
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it was a real working railway.
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It's a little bit bumpy,
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a little bit clickety clackety.
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That's why I'm out here.
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We're not allowed to stop on the bridges,
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but we will go slower.
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All right, back to full speed.
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whoa okay doesn't doesn't really throw us back
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but it puts the wind in your hair what is this i don't know it looks a couple stop signs
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or snow signs yeah we got some warning signs
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no wonder is this our lunch spot time is flying by wouldn't say no to lunch
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You'll never say no to food, I know.
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We are in New Zealand and so there are plenty of sheep.
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Most of them aren't interested in us,
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but some of them are.
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Blah!
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It's working.
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Look at the little one.
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Blah!
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Blah!
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Hi!
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Blah!
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Blah!
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As we carry on, I realize there's not much else out here.
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Like it's just us, and yes,
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these gorgeous farms, but they're not even farms, it's just pastures.
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I gotta admit though, it looks like pretty good living for the cows and sheep out here.
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Oh wow, high risk area,
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because this is an old switch.
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The track splits to an old siding.
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Let's not derail.
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Yeah, go slow.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Alright, we made it.
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We're good.
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That is how you know this is real though.
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Just like old infrastructure that's still there.
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They haven't refitted this.
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Be careful, man.
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Here's where it rejoins.
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Easy.
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You can feel it a little bit.
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Yeah.
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Okay, I think we're on.
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We're good.
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Yeah, we're good.
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Hit it!
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Whoa!
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Ah.
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And now it's our turn to go over the road.
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I know we're alongside a road again,
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but we have not seen a single person all morning.
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After lunch is even more remote than what we've done today so far.
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This is our lunch spot.
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Welcome to Tuggerina.
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We have Joe over there feeding the horse.
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Hello, how are you?
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Hi Joe.
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He's posing for you.
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Yeah, he sure is.
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He's beautiful.
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He really is.
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We're making all sorts of friends out here today.
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Gotcha.
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Oh, that's good.
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Get some scritches in there.
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Oh, he likes that.
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Hemi.
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Oh, that's a good name.
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Powerful name.
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Thanks, Hemi.
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Nice to meet you.
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Alright, let's check out some lunch.
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So this is an interesting part.
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We are going in this direction,
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but there is another group just arriving, coming towards us.
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Obviously there's only one set of tracks.
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We've got to get past each other somehow.
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So they pushed our carts back up onto this turntable device,
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rotates it to the siding,
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then we roll our carts off onto the siding to get our carts out of the way,
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and then they're able to just push their carts up and over this turntable, thus bypassing us.
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And now we're gonna put our carts back onto the main tracks,
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and away we go.
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But while that's all happening,
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we get to lunch
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and for lunch we have a handy dandy little system of make your own sandwich how about
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that good looking sandwich how's this have you've been hungry so good i already took a bite
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that was a good lunch i had like three sandwiches uh
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but vaughn here who's guiding us today he says this next stretch is his favorite stretch of track
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so i think it's about to get good yeah i'm excited for it
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if it hasn't already been great it's about to be yeah
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And it got hot like I need the wind now to cool down.
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Yeah we both have our jackets off it's really heating up now.
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The tunnels are nice because as it gets too hot outside you get this like moment of cool air to cool off.
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I'm loving it right now.
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Such a cool breeze.
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It's like such a cool breeze.
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I almost got too cold in the tunnel.
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Then you come out immediately into the warm air again.
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Sheep on the track.
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They've escaped.
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All right, so all of this area has been a lot of sheep farms.
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We are about to enter tunnel 11 and this is Vaughn's favorite part
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because it's essentially a portal hole into a whole new world.
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And as we come out on the other side,
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I'm told the scenery is going to be completely different.
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I hope I'm not building this up too much.
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I don't know how that's possible,
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but I'm in for a surprise.
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We're up for it.
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Wow, there are no sheep's fields anymore.
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Not a bush.
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This is jungle.
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This is forest.
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Look at these trees.
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That's neat.
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Now the other nice thing about New Zealand is they don't have any predators.
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There are no bitey or poisonous animals on the islands here.
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So there are no bears, cougars, snakes, wolves, anything.
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We're not really worried about anything jumping out and attacking us.
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Yeah, makes your life way easier.
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This is like a very comfortable ride.
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It's also really warmed up.
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I'm down to my t-shirt now.
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So Seb, I've taken you on a lot of train trips so far.
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Am I slowly converting you to appreciating rail travel?
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Yeah, I like it.
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I liked it before this one,
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but this really, you get to feel everything.
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The other ones are good too,
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but this one I like because I like wilderness, outdoor, hands-on.
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This is my favorite by far.
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That's exactly how I'd put it.
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It's a hands-on experience as opposed to a luxury train ride.
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If we do any other videos together other than something to do with trains,
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I don't think so.
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No, because you haven't invited me on a trip yet.
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Germany train?
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Yeah, you're going to invite me on a hike.
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Yeah, stay tuned for that video.
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Stay tuned, subscribe to find another thing.
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This experience isn't particularly fast,
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but it's the most hands-on-rail adventure
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I have ever taken and to me there's nothing more fun than being fully immersed in an activity.
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Tengarakao, the biggest small town of the 1920s.
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But I might be getting a little too immersed in this.
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Excuse me, can you tell us why this is the biggest small town in the 1920s?
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I know I should know,
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I should do my research beforehand.
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Sorry, thank you.
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Brown sheep?
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Oh yeah.
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They're the ones that make brown wool for brown shirts.
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Really?
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Where are the red sheep then?
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Yeah, the red, the blue,
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the purple sheep are all behind the hills.
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I should say this is not a small adventure.
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It's a full day of riding rural rails with tunnel after tunnel after tunnel.
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And a few of them keep an eye out for leaking water.
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I mean, this has taken us eight hours to drive today,
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so this video can only really scratch the the surface of what we've seen.
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But my favorite part has been the bridges.
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Many, many, many bridges.
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The only rail experience this is lacking is an at-grade rail crossing.
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Oh, we've got a railway crossing, like an actual one.
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No cars, good to go.
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That is so cool.
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That's the first road crossing, huh?
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So, I think it's pretty clear this gets rated as one of my top rail experiences in the world.
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But if you have an idea for where I should go next,
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leave it in the comments.
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And as I always say,
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I don't know where I'm going,
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but I know I want you there with me.
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I'll see you next week!
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This exciting video provides a unique opportunity for English speaking practice, using the captivating context of driving a golf cart on train tracks through breathtaking scenery in New Zealand. Engaging with such vivid experiences allows learners to practice speaking by visualizing the setting, which can enhance vocabulary acquisition and improve conversational skills. Additionally, the video's lively tone and informal dialogue provide a relaxed atmosphere for learners to mimic and respond, making it an excellent resource for IELTS speaking practice. As you learn, consider how you might describe a similar adventure, which can bolster your speaking fluency.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video features several grammatical structures and expressions worth noting, which can enhance your understanding of spoken English:
- Use of present continuous tense: Phrases like "I'm in New Zealand" and "We’re at the Forgotten World Adventures" illustrate an ongoing action, making the conversation feel immediate and engaging.
- Informal questions: Questions such as "How fast does this baby go?" show casual speaking, which is essential in everyday conversations.
- Descriptive adjectives: The use of adjectives like "scenic" and "custom" provides a vivid picture and helps learners understand how to express opinions and descriptions effectively.
- Sequential phrases: The speaker says, "Look at this," and "Let’s hop in," which both encourage involvement and motivate listeners to visualize the action.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice your shadow speech with this video, pay special attention to these tricky words and accents:
- "Rail cart": This term might be difficult due to the quick transition between the 'l' and 'c' sounds.
- "Teflon": The combination of sounds in this word can be a pronunciation challenge; practice saying it slowly at first.
- Regional accent: The speaker’s accent may differ from what learners are used to, especially if they are familiar with American or British accents. Listen closely and practice repeating phrases to get used to the rhythm and flow of the speech.
Utilize the shadowing technique with this video to mimic the speaker's intonation and pacing, which can significantly improve your pronunciation and fluency in English.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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