Hello People!

We are now back in Queenstown after another active week but we have now completed all our adventure activities in New Zealand. Last Friday we went white water rafting on the Kawarau River which was lots of fun. We had to do grade 3 rafting as the water levels on the grade 5 Shotover River were too low but we still had to conquer a few hair raising rapids and all got very wet. Fortunately, back at the rafting base we took full advantage of the free sauna and hot showers as well as indulging in the complimentary cookies, sausage rolls, tea and fruit. We spent an extremely cold night in the rafting company's carpark and set off earky the next day purely so we could warm up by having the heaters on in the cabin. It was a long drive to Milford Sound so we stopped for a spot of lunch at Te Anau and parked up for the night an hour south of Milford Sound next to Lake Gunn.

We were booked on the 9.30am cruise from Milford Sound so it was another early start, evidently a little too early for Jen as she proceeded to reverse into a low lying tree stump whilst trying to leave our campsite - luckily we opted for nil excess on our insurance policy! So after scraping off the loose fibreglass and bark we set off for Milford Sound. The road was particularly windy and trecherous as you were forbidden from stopping as it was an avalanche danger zone. We also had to tackle a pitch black tunnel which not quite wide enough for two vehicles although there was no way of telling if anything was coming the other way as it was 1.5km long. We decided the best option was to speed through it which led to an extremely bumpy ride as the road was full of pot holes! We arrived safely (?!) at Milford Sound and hopped on our cruise liner (?!). Milford Sound is very pretty and we got to see some spectacular waterfalls and snow capped mountain Yet again we took full advantage of the free tea and muffins - yes, we have become cheapskates since being away! On the way out to the Tasman Sea we spotted some playful dolphins which swam alongside the bow of the boat and kept jumping in the air. After the cruise we headed back towards Te Anau as there is literally nothing but boats in Milford Sound. We spent the night on a campsite in Te Anau before heading to Dunedin the next day.

It was yet another long drive but to our surprise when we arrived at Dunedin we came across our first dual carriageway on our travels so far, having said that it was only about 3 miles long. It was rather overwhelming experience; we are a little apprehensive as to how we are going to cope with the M1 when we return to England. On Tuesday it rained all day long, however this did not matter to us as we had lined up a full day of indulgant indoor activites! First stop was Cadbury's chocolate factory where we had a tour of the factory and received a large volume of free chocolate. After a light lunch we then made our way to Speights Brewery where had another tour followed by half an hour of drinking free ale! Tuesday evening was also an indulgant one as we cooked ourselves mussels to eat with the wine we bought from one of the wineries in Blenheim. It was a very tasty meal and the wine went down well. 

Wednesday was another driving day as we headed back to Queenstown. It was our last night  in the van which was another cold one. On Thursday morning we went jet boating which was a lot of fun, although we all managed to get drenched as we were sitting at the back of the speed boat. We went down the Kawarau and Shotover River and did lots of 360 degree spins on Lake Wakipatu. The afternoon was spent packing up Lola and delivering her back to Ezy rentals. Despite our love for Lola we were all rather relieved to be giving her back as she was literally falling apart. In total we drove 2828 kms over the past 17 days, which we think is rather impressive. Last night we all had a legendary Fergburger which was delicious!

We are doing a spot of shopping today before flying back to Auckland tomorrow for our final night as a trio! We hope to finish off our travels together in style by going out for a slap up meal and then heading to the Minus 5 bar where everything is made of ice, even including the glasses you drink out of. 

We apologise in advance for the next couple of blogs as they may confuse you all a little as one will be from Jen and Becki in Chile and the other from Sam in LA.

We have had an amazing three months travelling together and it will be a sad moment when we are separated on Sunday!!

 Lots and Lots of Love From

Jen, Becki and Sam  xx xx xx xx xx xx xx