Arriving in Queenstown early we thought we would check out the snow situation first hand and headed up Coronet Peak, one of the two snow fields in close proximity. As we arrived we noticed the snow was shiny thus suggesting ice - not something wanted by a beginner snowboarder. At the start of our trip we had decided that half way round we would spend a couple of nights in proper accommodation to have a break from life in the car. We Headed into town and checked ...

In the morning we continued our journey South. Passing by Lake Tekapo, we stopped to look at a church with the 'best view in the world'. It was positioned to overlook the length of the lake, with the Southern Alps for a backdrop. There was also a statue of a sheep dog to keep an eye on things. Pressing on, we took a detour along Lake Pukaki, which had an amazing emerald blue/green colour to it. This road hugged the lake all the way up to the base of Mount Cook. ...

Woke up and headed straight to the first tea and pie cafe we saw. Yum Yum! Heading in to Christchurch we were looking for the International Antarctic Centre where all expeditions to the Antarctic depart from. They also have a tourism wing where one can learn about and experience life in the Antarctic. We had the treat of being taken down to -18 degrees Cel in the "snow room" whilst sliding down a slide made entirely of ICE. Having frozen our tootsies ...

After a freeezing night in the car, we were woken by day break & tucked into our breakfast feast of baguette & hummus. Once suitably stuffed, we set off to see the sights that Kaikoura had to offer. On the way we saw some wild seals on the rocks of the shore line & we stopped to watch them for a while, as they are pretty funny & cute. Kaikoura is well known for it's whale watching. There is a selection of sealife, due to an abrupt drop in ocean ...

Having picked up our lovely "rent-a-dent" Nissan Pulsar the day before we headed off early from Havelock North in order to catch the afternoon ferry from Wellington at the southern end of the north island. Arriving just in time after a 4 hour drive (including a pie stop of course) we got our tickets and to our delight, got $60 off for being students. The pies in New Zealand are plentiful and our pies of choice are steak and pepper and apple turnover (ye...