Dunedin is a lovely city, the second largest in the South Island. It is quite studenty so there are lots of pubs, clubs, etc - ideal! It is also known as the Edinburgh of the South because Dunedin actually means Edinburgh in gaelic. We wish we had more time to spend here but unfortunately it was just a flying visit! We did manage to go for a swim, mainly because we were desperate for a shower!! However Andrew did manage to swim 100m, the furthest he has ever...

We decided to do the East Coast or the South Island first, based on Ron and Shona's advice and so headed on our way down south.The scenery we were driving though was so stunning, lots of snow capped mountains everywhere you look! We passed Mt Somers and went up a random gravel track in search of Erehwon (nowhere spelt backwards!!) from the Lord of the Rings film.We found LakeClearwater but unfortunately the further we went up this gravel road, the higher we clim...

To get to Kaikoura we had quite a long drive from the AbelTasmanNational Park.We did most this journey in heavy rain and dark clouds, as we travelled across the country via the Lewis Pass (912m) which was a real shame because the clouds hid the spectacular mountains, although we did get snippets of views of the snow capped mountains we were driving past!We also stopped to see the longest swing bridge in NZ, we would have walked over it, except it was pouring for ...

We had a quick look around Nelson city centre, which seemed to be a really nice place and then went on a brief stroll to the 'Centre of New Zealand' which is on top of a hill within walking distance of the city. It was a lovely walk along a river and up the hill, the weather was beautiful too, great views of the city, port and surrounding area. We then drove to Marahau, which is at the start of the Abel Tasman National Park, where you can do one of NZ's great ...

We arrived in Picton just before lunch and were feeling very lazy so decided to go for a walk along the headland from Picton out to what is known as the snout! It was nice and sheltered during the walk but when we reached the end of the headland we were nearly blown over it was so rough! But we had a great view of the ferries coming in and out through the very narrow channels! Also of the Queen Charlotte Track, which is a famous walk around the Marlborough Sound...