Another mini break-this time in a big pink bus. Shauns friend David was staying with us and just happend to live in a tour bus. he suggested that instead of driving around in our car, we take this and save a bit on accomodation-good idea! It was a bit daunting at first, getting used to driving such a huge vehicle, but I soon got used to it, although everytime I drove Shaun would go and sit in the back-wonder what he was scared of? We started off by driving throu...

Time for a break...off to Hanmer Springs. Located in the middle of the island on Arthurs Pass route, about an hour and a hlafs drive from Christchurch. Hanmer is a little Alpine village with, you guessed it, thermal pools galore, as well as numerous tourist shops, activity centres, and lots of kiddies, it being the summer holidays. That did not put us of doing some well deserved lounging in the hot pools, and the occasional go on the hydroslides! A nice day out...

We spent New Year at a little place called Little Akaloa, on the Banks peninsula, a beautiful collection of batches (beach houses to you and me) dotted about the hillsides of an equally beautiful bay. We stayed in a batch with a group of friends, plus dogs and kids, so there was always someone doing something. We did things like jump of the wharf at the end of the bay (scary but great fun) and went out on a friends boat and did a bit of snorkelling in the bay, ...

Our last stop before home-Dunedin (the old name for Edinburgh), a student city and full of beautiful old buildings.....and the Speights Brewery and Cadbury factory-woo hoo! We started at the Speights Brewery...a must for any Kiwi or tourist as you get a fab tour around the 7 floors of brewery, and can drink as much as you can in half an hour at the end of the tour in thier own bar. They call Speights the Pride of the South, I thought it was pretty ok, and the ad...

Milford SOunds, somewhere everyone should go if they have the chance, wild and rugged-the perfect place to get away. We drove up from Te Anau in the evening, just avoiding the mist as it started to descend into the valley-not a nice experience when you are trying to navigate your car around windy cliff roads with sheer drop offs, or going through the Hommer Tunnel, the longest rock tunnel in the world (I think), were the only thing holding it up is the cliff face...