Hi Guys,

I'm now in Sydney and still having a great time. I'm sorry I haven't typed up my journal I've been having too much of a good time. Here's the update of my last few weeks in New Zealand.  

Leaving Akoroa

It was very sad to leave Akoroa. I miss Cathy, Kathy and Bob. They were very special people & were kind to me a Nick. We had a fantastic leaving party, we had a meal at the local pup in the posh part of the restaurant. There were 13 of us. It was a tearful goodbye. I think I cried nearly all the way to Christchurch. Cathy had given us a lovely card and a little photo album with pictures of our time spent in Akoroa. Kathy & Bob gave us a card with beautiful sentiments words I'll never forget. Ian & Sharon were the couple who lent us the 4 wheel drive, a tent and a bike for me - it still overwhelms me how generous & kind the people have been.

The Coast to Coast Competition

After leaving Akoroa our first stop was at Klondyke Corner near Arthur's Pass. We camped out for two nights to watch the Coast to Coast Competition. Klondyke Corner is a barren remote place with no water. Washing was done in the river and the views in the mornings were truly spectacular. The Coast to Coast is an international multi sport event. (Run 3k, Bike 55k, Mountain Run 33k, Bike 16k, Kayak 67k, Bike 55k) Comepetitors came from all over the world, USA, Europe, South America, South Africa, Japan & Australia. Competitors were either in teams and those mad enough, did it solo in one day. The eldest was 73. He was inspirational. He completed an Iron Man competitiona month before. We saw Glen (Whom we met at the hostel) He was doing the one day solo event. It took him just over 15 hours. We mucked in/helped with his changeover from cycling to kayaking. His support team was slick and well organised. I saw all manner of things and mishaps with the changeovers. Some changeovers were seamless and others were chaotic. There was one support team who gave a competitor a bike with a flat tyre at the changeover. It was made worse when they didn't have any water for him either. I ran accross and gave him my water bottle. I felt really sorry for him. The changeoverss were very stressful times and I found it interesting watching the dynamics of the teams. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this international event. It was particularly special this year because it was celebrating it's 25th anniversary.

Arthur's Pass

We spent two nights here, in this small village. It's used for a base for outdoor enthusiasts. We stayed at a beautiful self contained cottage. we shared it with two other couples it was the type of house I could live in. Open fire, nice open kitchen, lounge/diner and three large bedrooms. We had an incredible hike up the Bealey Valley. The track passes through rich forest, rivers, water falls, alpine gardens and native bushland. The head of the valley had collected avalanched snow, which formed a false glacier. Nick (my mountaineer guide) took me to the mouth of the Glacier, we even explored inside the mouth and managed to climb through an opening to get onto the top of the Glacier. It was truly amazing with awesome views. Bloody Fantastic.

Castle Hills

On our way to Methven via Christchurch we stopped of at Castle Hills. It is a nature reserve, which features eroded towers of lime stone rock. It's an extraordinary site and is a mecca for climbers. I found the place to have an earrie majestic feel to it. I think it was created by the heavy grey clouds thats seem to hang there. (check out the pictures)

Methven

Methven is a village dedicated to skiers in the Winter. During the Summer it's very quiet. It's skiing that keeps Methven alive. We stayed at a hostel which was fantastic. A comfortable bed, good showers, well equipped kitchen and best of all a hot spa! The hostels here in New Zealand are well established and very good. We went on a 4 Wheel Drive adventure in our vehicle up Mt Hutt. It was hair rasing experience because the road just kept going up & up and we went up to 1500 - 1800 feet. The views on the summit were outstanding and very rewarding. I could see above the cloud line. On our descent we could see how quickly the clouds moved in engulfing the mountains and valleys below. An Amazing sight.

Lake Tekapo

Ahhh back in the MacKenzie Country. We stayed at a lovely campsite in this lovely town. The lake has incredible views across the turquoise water, with hills and snow capped mountains as a backdrop. We were blessed with clear blue skies by day and deep starry skies at night. Lake Tekapo is an international site for Star Gazing, on the top of Mt John there is an observatory from a university in Japan. I've never seen starry skies like it. How lucky am I!

Mt Cook/Aoraki

Oh my god, it just keeps getting better! The fair weather followed us to Mt Cook, giving us spectacular views over the summits, valleys, glaciers and waters EVERY Day! We camped here for 4 days and woke up to views of the snow capped peaks of Mt Sefton each morning. We had close encounters with the kea (large green parrott type bird) It ate and packed hell out my bike seat. I'm told that these birds eat the rubber seals from vehicles and even peck holes through tyres. My seat didn't have a chance. On our first night we took a short walk to the memorial monument to those who'd lost their lives climbing in the Mt Cook ranges. It was very sobering and made me hold Mt Cook and his peaks with high regard and respect. Nick was my hiking and mountaineering guide, without him I would never have seen the incredible sights or experienced the great sense of achievement. Long Days were had...... Our first hike took us to Balls Pass. It was a Ten and a half hour adventure that took us over swing bridges, river valleys, native bush, past Hooker Lake and the terminous of Hooker Glacier. The most impressive thing about this hike was the peak of Mt Cook dominated our views. We felt privelaged that we had clear cloudless blue skies. It was truly magnificent. Nick also intorduced me to the world of Alpine Mountaineering. We had to hire Ice Axes to go on our next advernture. We went up and around Mt Kitchener. It was a 15 hour expedition. I have never been so physically or mentally challenged in my life. I LOVED IT!!!! (Although at times I hated it) Nothing prepares you for great sense of exposure. I was proud of myself for staying with it and keeping a cool head. Nick was always at my side in my sticky moments. Our route took us through native bush (where we got stabbed, scratched & spiked by plants) we scaled up extreme screes of loose stone and climbed and clambered up rocks and bolders. Nick chipped steps across the Ice Fields. One crossing took an hour, it was exceptionally steep but the views down the valley were breathtaking. I had never felt so alive. We also met another climber on our way, a Chamois crossed our path. It was a rare sight to see him amongst the isolated rocks. It was a very long day and my feet felt like they had trench rot. The sense of achievement in finishing the day was astounding.

Wanaka

It took a few days to recover from our adventures in Mt Cook. We stopped at a lovely hostel for a couple of nights. It was good to sleep in a bed again. Guess how we recovered in Wanaka?? We did a Sky Dive of course. The full 15,000 feet, free falling for a whole 60 seconds at 200km. The adrenaline rush is beautiful. You feel on top of the world. There is nothing like it. Would I do it again? Definitely!. I really enjoyed Wanaka. It's a playground for any outdoor enthusiast. Biking, climbing, skiing, water sports you name it it's there. Wanaka is booming with new developments springing up here, there and everywhere.

Te Anau

We stopped off at Queenstown for a few hours during our journey to Te Anau. Queenstown is a fun town that has a young dynamic buzz to it. Yes it's full of tourist tat but you can't knock it when it's got zero unemployment. The drive to Te Anau is beautiful because you follow Lake Wataipu. It took 3 hours to get there. Te Anau is very peaceful despite having thousands of people passing through to discover the Milford & Doubtful Sounds. Lake Te Anau was gowged out by a huge glacier. It's nearly half a kilometer deep. The Southlands is famous for its undisturbed, mountain rimmed fjords and coastal forests. We splashed out and went on a helicopter flight around the Doubtful Sounds. I felt like a millionaire because we were the only two people on the flight. So we had our own private chopper and pilot. The Doubtful Sound is a magnificent wilderness area of rugid peaks, dense forrest and water falls. Its remarkibly peaceful. We landed at two places, one was on a dried up lake enclosed by steep cliffs and the other was on one of the highest peaks in the area. The flight was an wonderfful way to see the area because you got to see the expanse of the majestic views. The following day we drove to the Milford Sound. There is no other place like it in the world. It was hard to take in the splendour of cascading waterfalls from steep rock faces. You could see this on both sides of the road. It has a magical feel to it. The landscape could be from a fairytale book. I think the 'Elf 'country from Lord of the Rings was filmed here.

It was heart wrenching to leave New Zealand. It has captured my heart. It was a very tearful goodbye. I have wonderful memories and when I think back I can't stop smiling!

Watch this space for my OZ Adventures.....

Lots of love

Annie