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Instead of spending more days in Queenstown, me and the Surrey Girls decided to go on a 4 night road trip through the Southlands. So we hired a Nissan Sunny, filled up on supplies and on Valentine’s Day set off for Dunedin. The first bit of driving duty belonged to myself. I decided not to freak the girls out by bringing up my lack of experience and after a chuddary start with a sensitive gas pedal we made our way eastwards. Like on Fraser Island I was surprised at how natural it felt, driving a automatic was a bit strange though. The drive was uneventful and we arrived at Dunedin without any bumps. I was quite proud of myself; driving properly since I passed my test 4 years before, nearly 250km completed, I felt great and shattered. After a quick walk around Dunedin we relaxed for the night at the hostel.
The next day we got up and went to Baldwin Street, officially the steepest street in the world. After that we set off to Invercargill. It was Amie’s turn to drive so I navigated. Shortly outside Dunedin we left the I1 and joined the Southern Scenic Route. First we stopped off at Nugget Point where we saw the lighthouse and some lovely views of the Southern Coast. After another brief drive we stopped off at the Lost Gypsy Gallery which was a cool little roadside museum filled with strange and wonderful homemade gadgets. The next stop was the best of the day; Porpoise Bay. Here we got up close and personal with two sea lions. We waited patiently at the sand dunes for them to return form playing in the waves and then took some excellent photos. They then disappeared behind the dunes for what we imagined was some ‘hows your father.’ The next stop was Slope Point, the most southerly point of the South Island. After grabbing a quick photo behind the Equator/Antarctica sign it hit me how far away from home I was. Not only was this the furthest south I was ever likely going to be on this planet, it was definitely the further I was ever going to be from Mossfield Road. As we walked back to the car I also realised that this was the start of my trip home. Up to this point I had been moving further and further away from the UK but afterwards I would be getting closer to Liverpool with everyday. I had mixed feeling about it. On one hand the thought of making my way home was exciting but the thought of that moment being the beginning of the end of my trip was also saddening. That was the last stop of the day, after that it was a short drive to Invercargill where we spent the night.
The next day our road trip took us to Te Anau. After a quick stop off at the park we took the Southern Scenic Route along the coast to McCraken’s Rest then headed inland where the terrain changed to rolling green hills and towering snow capped mountains. A little after 3 o’clock we reached Lake Te Anau where we spent the afternoon relaxing. The next day the gorgeous weather that allowed us to sunbathe when we arrived had abandoned us; even so we piled into the Nissan Sunny and headed to Milford Sounds. Anna drove us alongside lakes and through rainforests; we stopped along the way for some photo opportunities before reaching the Sounds at lunchtime. We stayed there for a while, taking in the incredible scenery and having a bite to eat before returning on the couple of hours trip to Te Anau. When we arrived back at the hostel the clouds were still out so we couldn’t sunbathe. Instead we just chilled in front of the TV and ate some Rocky Road Chocolate Cake. I also had some time to myself on a swing in the park watching the clouds change colour at sunset.
The next morning it was my turn to drive again and after a couple of hours we were back in Queenstown and our road trip was over. The four days we spent exploring the Southlands were really enjoyable and everyone had a great time. I got on really well with the girls and apart from the constant complaining about being cold and tired they were wicked travel companions that kept me entertained throughout the trip. I had also clocked up about 300 miles behind the wheel which was cool, I even parallel parked! Admittedly it was an automatic but it was good to know that when I finally get a car back home it won’t feel so alien.
So we returned to QT for a couple of nights before I was to make my way to Christchurch. We had one last big night out at Altitude and World Bar, I treated myself to yet another Ferg Burger and we had a couple of trips to the Botanic Gardens. For our last together myself, the girls and a few lads we had met all went for a curry. It was a really nice night and a great way to say bye to Anna, Amie and Tanya. I had spent nearly 3 weeks with the girls from Surry (the longest amount of time I had travelled with anyone in Oz and NZ) and they were 3 weeks that would hold a lot of memories for me. The girls were great to be around (apart from the obvious annoyances that come with females; constant complaining, always having to wait around for them and having to listen to them talking about periods!), we had snappy banter and there were never any arguments or disagreement. All these things made it a sad occasion when I said farewell and left them in the room the morning I went to catch my bus. Luckily for them I hadn’t made it off the wait list so I had to spend another 2 nights in Queenstown.
These extra days consisted of going to the Gardens again and a trip to the pictures to see Shutter Island which was another gem from Scorcese. I also stayed up to watch the mighty Boys In Royal Blue beat Man Utd 3-1. Goose and Jack the Lad both coming off the bench to score second half goals. I should have know they would wait till I was 20’000km away to beat Chelsea and Man Utd at home within the space of 10 days!
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