Hello all - nice to see you again

I've been in the South Island for about a week at this point. Its been a pretty shattering week - long, long bus journeys. The Magic bus journeys have been brilliant for the eyes, but my body is reaching the end for a little while. The early starts and long days on the bus and the cold have begun to grate a little. Tomorrow I fly north to Hamilton and see an old friend.

This negative point aside, the week has been a good one. I've seen so much beautiful scenery and done one/two things that have compensated for the long journeys. There have been 3 brilliant stop-offs this week - Franz Josef, Queenstown and Milford Sound.

Franz Josef is a small community set with some of the most magnificent landscapes I've ever seen. The journey there is a real eye-opener. Mountains and lakes with mirror images of there surrounds are everywhere. At the heart of Franz Josef is the "Fox Glacier" - no not the confectionary mint. I'd decided to see the Fox Glacier and there were two ways of doing this. The first was to do a 1/2 day or full day hike. I opted not to do this - way too cold and energetic. Alternatively I could get a helicopter ride to the top and then land there. This was brilliant - I can't really remember the last time I was so excited. It really was worth every penny. In my opinion the photos that are possible from a helicopter viewpoint were super - I hope you agree.

Queenstown was the next stopover from Franz Josef. A very long day on the Magic bus - 12 hours. Again the journey went through stunning landscapes - mountain ranges and lakes. Once there, this place felt like it had a young person's vibe. It felt like a party town. It turned out it was - we arrived there in ski season and school holidays. Queenstown is another 'city' which has a population 'out of season' of just over a thousand people. Anyhow, the fact that there were bars, clubs and restaurants meant there was an excuse to use the facilities even though I needed to be up early on both days I was in Queenstown. It felt good though - I am definitely a 'city boy'.

The last of the places I'll write about was Milford Sound - which is a fjord in the south of the South Island. Again, at a risk of sounding boring - it is a such beautiful place. The journey to the place took about 4 hours from Queenstown - but it is a stunning journey. I'm so pleased I didn't have to drive this and other journeys, because the roads were treacherous. The combination of ice, snow and high, winding mountain roads make for an amazing journey as a passenger but as a driver I'd be quite stressed out. At the time of the visit to Milford Sound, I wasn't terribly impressed, partly to being tired from being out the previous evening, and partly the very long journey. but looking at the pictures again I think it was a lovely place to visit and well worth the effort to go.

Anyway have a look at the photos and you'll see what I means about the 3 places. Hope you enjoy! x