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Hello there all
Well I made it around the South Island of New Zealand in one piece and I am quite happy not to see any lakes, waterfalls and mountains for a while!!! The scenery has been amazing, I have seen the most gorgeous landscapes and views in my life. We started in a place called Picton which is where the ferry dropped us after crossing the 'Cook Straight' from the North to the South Island. We cruise though the Marlborough Sounds which was nice - rich green little islands and hills either side of us. Immediately the weather was a lot warmer and our first stop was a vineyard for some wine tasting - at this point I had already decided I prefer South to North! We stayed a few nights in a pretty little town set in the hills called Nelson. It is the hottest place in New Zealand and gets the most sunlight. Our hostel was great with hammocks around a pool, a sauna and hot tub. I spent a few days chilling by the pool and managed to get myself burnt even when all creamed up. Just goes to show how much my skin has missed the sun!!
We continued South and stopped at the pancake rocks and saw the 'blow holes' where the sea crashes under the rocks causing them to blow the water up through the middle. We had to stay in Greymouth - crap, not even worth a mention really, apart from the hostel. We stayed in a hostel that has themed animal rooms. We had Giraffe room which consisted of a bed a TV and a few big Giraffes painted on the wall - it was a weird little place. We continued South down the West Coast and stopped at Ross to see an old Gold Mining town. We were showed how to do gold panning and had a look around an old house and the jail.
As we continued down the West Coast we headed up into the Mountains and stayed a few nights in Franz Josef which a tiny little town in the mountains. I was pretty damn chilly and the mountains were covered in snow. We again had a beauty of a room with a TV, video and free popcorn!! We did also venture outside and even got ourselves involved with a hike up the Glacier. We we dressed in over trousers, a jacket and hiking boots and given spikes to attach once we were up on the ice. It was brilliant, ou guide was great and took us up and into the glacier, we walked through really tight ice corridors and ice tunnels. The guides use an ice pick to create steps up and down the ice. The views were amazing and it was a fantastic experience.
Our next port of call was Queenstown 'The adventure Capital of the world!' On the journey down we stopped at the 'mirror lake' which was stunning. The lake was so still it gave a reflection of Mount Cook and the rest of the view behind it -ooooohhhhh it was gooorgeous!! Next stopped was Wanaka (be careful how you say it!) which again was very pretty with a big crystal blue lake with snow topped mountains in the background. We went to the airfield and watch some people on our bus do their sky dives which was fun - looked awesome but there is no way in hell I would be getting on that piddly plane!! I'm still trying to think how I can get home without having to set foot on another plane - suggestions welcome. On the way into Queenstown we stopped at the first commercial Bungy site and stood on the bridge looking down at the drop over the river below. I was all keen to get jumping but it was shut - oh well maybe next time!!!! Queenstown was beautiful... AGAIN it was set in the mountains with a massive crystal blue lake with snow capped mountains surrounding us! It was a ski resort and felt like it too, apart from it was hot and the ski fields were shut for summer. We spent 5 days there which was a hoot. We spent a few days wandering around town sampling mulled wine and admiring the views. We also went on a tour to the Milford Sounds. It was a long drive through yet more stunning scenery. We drove through 'Homer Tunnel' which was a rugged old thing running under a mountain. When we came out the other side the views were even more amazing than we had already seen. We were right amongst HUGE snowy mountains and saw a couple of avalanche tracks which is really common there. If fact the road was closed the day after we went due to avalanches. We stopped at a little stream and drank from it - the water was glorious! We then hopped on a cruise around the Sound which was amazing. We saw a Whale approach us and come right under the boat - it was massive and I was pretty scared. We also saw penguins and Fur Seals chilling out on the rocks. The Sounds were really something and there were massive mountains coming straight out of the clear blue water and we were surrounded by them and saw loads of waterfalls. There was one huge one that the boat drove right up to and then under it... I was on deck trying to get a picture and then had to run for my life downstairs as the force of the water hit the deck!! Another activity we did whilst in Queenstown was 'The Canyon Swing'. I went along a s a spectator and watch Ryan through himself off a cliff face!! The swing dropped for 109 metres and then across the canyon - it was awesome. He went from life size to a tiny dot at the bottom of the canyon in about 2 seconds!! We went out with our bus mates which of course was usual drunken fun.
We moved on to Dunedin where we spent a few nights. We went to the Cadbury's chocolate factory which was a BIG HIT and we got a load of chocolate - oh well, so much for preparing to get in a bikini again!! Dunedin was a cool town a bit like Endinburgh (so I am told)!! We did the old 'World Steepest Street' on the way out as we headed back inland and North again to Lake Tekapo. We stayed one night there which was really nice - AGAIN it was set in the mountains with a massive crystal blue lake with snow capped mountains surrounding us! Our hostel was a lodge right on the lake front. We indulged in too many bottles of wine and admired the view.
W e continued heading north up the East Coast and were dropped in Christchurch a few days ago. it has been a lot warmer here - even sporting flip flops and skirts again! We went to a market at 'The arts Centre' which was great - live music in the Sun, a delightful afternoon. We also have been to the museum which was really good and walked around the Botanical Gardens which were very pretty. Christchursch is a really nice town with a Cathedral and a river running though it with punting going on. There are a few old trams around and it's got a real 'Ye Olde England' feel - approved. We got a bus out to New Brighton which is a beach town outside of Christchurch and saw a brilliant firework display off the pier there on Bonfire Night.
It is our last day today and we're off to Thailand tomorrow landing in Bangkok where we stay a few nights then head South to Koh Phi Phi Island where we meet Jenna and Johan woooooo. I'm so excited and over New Zealand now - get me on that beach!!
Love to all, and till next time - see ya
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