Thursday - we had decided to get a coach to Milford sound rather than drive ourselves, so that we could relax about the journey time and arrival and get to fully enjoy the scenery enroute. We left at 8am this morning and had a stunning journey to Milford. The road through to Milford was only completed in the early 1950s, before then it used to take about four to five days to walk and boat across from Te Anau, so you can imagine this was pretty remote and difficul...

Boxing Day- we got up feeling a little ropey, due celebrating Xmas night with a couple we met - unknown to us was also his birthday. After breakfast we headed for the shotover river, and decided to go on a jet boat. What an experience! It was fantastic, we were powered by twin Detroit Diesel engines, that had been turbo charged, 700 horse power and was capable of 50 knots - it flew!! The driver took us incredibly close to rocks, trees and the canyon walls at very...

Tuesday - we woke early and exchanged presents ( bought the day before!) and opened the Xmas card from mum and dad. Both of us were little uncertain about how this day would go - whether or not it would be too weird, to be away from family and friends - and it to be hot and sunny! It has not felt Christmassy at all yet! We drove into Queenstown and had churros and coffee by the lake, it was already high twenties with a Mediterranean sky. After a wander by the la...

Monday - we left lake Wanaka first thing. Eric got his hair cut for Xmas at the local barber in town and we headed to Queenstown over the crown pass, which is the highest road in New Zealand - budget Bertha struggled but made it ok. En route there were masses of wild lupins along the river - beautiful. We made it over the pass and headed into Arrowtown first of all, an old gold mining town which still looked like an old frontier town - and had great homemade pies...

Sunday - we left Franz early as we had a 300km drive Wanaka ahead of us. A fantastic day for scenery, leaving glaciers and mountains behind us we came down the coast, alongside beautiful beaches, seals and rain forests. Then over the Haast pass, with its mountains and gorges over to lake Hawea and lake Wanaka. Stunning scenery, lakes with surfaces like blue glass surrounded by snow capped mountains. Wanaka is a nice, pretty town with lakeside shops and restaurant...