It was Saturday 25th September and we were on our way by bus to the seaside town of Kaikoura, a small resort on the east coast reknowned for dolphin/whale watching and crayfish. The Pacific Ocean, which laps the shore is rich in nutrients attracting much marine wildlife. The sperm whales grow to about 20/30 metres long as a result of feasting on tons of krill each day. They generally travel within 20 miles of land making boat sightseeing trips possible. Our plan ...

It was Tuesday 21st September and we were on our way to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. We were told that it was okay to travel there after the 7.1 earthquake which took place on 4 September. To be honest, we were going to go even if we hadn't received any advice. During our coach journey we passed through many picturesque towns; Fairlie, Geraldine and Methven and then across the Canterbury Plains. Just as we entered Christchurch, we saw man...

It was Tuesday 21st September and we were on our way to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. We were told that it was okay to travel there after the 7.1 earthquake which took place on 4 September. To be honest, we were going to go even if we hadn't received any advice. During our coach journey we passed through many picturesque towns; Fairlie, Geraldine and Methven and then across the Canterbury Plains. Just as we entered Christchurch, we saw man...

We left Dunedin by Magic Bus on Monday 20 Sept at 08:20 heading for Lake Tekapo. We planned to spend just the one night there and how right we were. When we were told the main convenience store was the petrol station we knew the place would be small. On the way to Lake Tekapo we stopped off at Moeraki Boulders, which are huge rocks scattered across the seashore renowned for their spherical shape. Our 2nd stop was at Oamaru, a Victorian style village, just to go ...

It was Friday 17 September and we were on our way to Dunedin with only 4 of us on the Magic bus!! I can only think it was due to the weather as it was snowing very heavy. Before reaching Dunedin our coach stopped off in a small town called Alexandra so we could stretch our legs and have some breakfast. There really wasn't much in this town that's probably why we only had 30 minutes! We arrived in Dunedin which is the second largest city in the south island. Loo...