I have decided to cover the north coast of the South Is by staying in 3 different towns. Motueka, Nelson and Picton/Blenheim. First stop is Motueka, which is in the north west area of the North Island. It is the major town closest to the Abel Tasman National Park and therefore a popular tourist stop. My Airbnb here is probably the best I have stayed in so far. Lovely house and fantastic hosts - a Kiwi/Sth African couple who love their rugby. We spend every ...

My northward trek up the west coast continued, with Greymouth the next stop. I had read that this place was in its death throes and from what I saw I think that may be right. The most exciting thing I saw were the waves crashing with ferocious force over the end of the breakwater. Apparently there is a sand bar just out from the breakwater which has caused much loss of life over the years as evidenced by the many plaques commemorating those who have died. Ot...

Leaving Invercargill meant the start of the second section of the Southern Scenic Route. Unfortunately the weather wasn't going to be kind and it was a very overcast and a windy day for most of it. There were not as many "highlights" as the first section so my trip through to Te Anau and on to Queenstown was done in relatively good time. But driving in NZ does definitely take longer than back home. Lots of curves and mountainous sections and the ever presen...

Well it was time to leave Dunedin and head towards Invercargill via the Southern Scenic Route, through an area known as The Catlins. Kiwis speak about this area with an air of reverence, and it is not hard to see why. I wished I had a chauffeur, as the countryside was stunning, and it was little challenging to take it all in whilst keeping my eye on the road at the same time. Rolling green hills, mountains, rain forest and dramatic coastline, it had it all. A...

Welcome to Dunedin! What better way to get a feel for a city and its culture than head off to a rugby game. So 2 hours after arriving in this beautiful city I was sitting in the Platinum section of the Forsyth Barr Stadium to watch the local team, The Highlanders, take on an unfortunate Aussie team called the Brumbies. Not surprisingly it was a very pro Highlanders crowd, in fact I can't recall seeing a single Brumbies supporter. You know a city is proud of its ...