After a few days in Nelson, we left on Sunday morning for the Marlborough wine region - stopping only for coffee and a lunch of local green-lipped mussels at a cafe in the Havelock Marina. Another beautiful day of sunshine - hooray! We arrived in Renwick and were greeted by the owner of the Watson's Way backpackers, Paul. I wasted no time and rented a bicycle to ride through the vineyards and take photos of the rich, warm colourful vines lit up in the late after...

We managed to find one of my favourite Kiwi backpacker accommodations purely by accident when the place in Nelson we'd originally wanted to stay at was full - so the owner kindly suggested we go to Almond House instead! It's got a lovely cosy fireplace, spotlessly clean bedrooms/bathrooms/kitchens, friendly staff/owner and, most importantly, it is quiet. If it weren't for my emerging cold, I would have slept very peacefully. We stayed in Nelson for 3 nights as w...

In Culverden, we got to sleep in separate rooms as Mary had kindly offered us each a bedroom. It was really nice to be able to sleep in my own bed - as we have been sharing a room every night for the past 7 weeks (since we arrived in Australia). Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference. Richard had already left to milk the cows at 4am (wow, I don't think I've got the energy to be a farmer's wife) and they had an early morning appointment, so we l...

This morning we started the trek from the west coast towards the north east of the island. From Westport, we drove towards the former gold town of Ross, where we stopped briefly for some photos, after which we headed on the Lewis Pass. Yet another magnificent drive through lush forests, cow-filled plains and snow-capped mountains. There's never a dull moment on the roads in New Zealand as the scenery always seems spectacular - if I had to stop every time I wanted...

Our stay at the Birdsong Backpackers in Hokitika was very pleasant. It's run by a lovely English couple who have made it homely and artistic. We were made to feel at home and the view of the waves on the wild west coast was fantastic. In the morning, we went to town to have a look at some pounamu jewellery but it was way above my budget, so I didn't buy anything. I wanted a fern leaf motif pendant or earrings but it was not meant to be... We headed up north in t...