The Glorious West Coast!

It was good to be clear of Invercargill the dull grey miserable city!! We headed up towards Milford Sound which is justifiably one of the greatest wonders of the world! our first stop for the night wass Te Anau, a beautiful setting by the lake with the ever impressive mountain back drop! The weather had taken a turn for the better which led to a spectacular view!

A tramp along one of the many hikes around and into the mountains was well worth the effort, the feeling of explorers tramping through the forest looking down on the river flowing quickly by was awesome! The views from many look out points were fantastic!

After a day in Te Anau we had itchy feet to go further and explore Milford Sound. The drive along the Milford road was immense, you travel through the heart of the foirdlands through bush, forest and mountains. It was a mouth opening experience and one which I would gladly do again!

Milford Sound is spectacular in every weather! The low cloud and rain that welcomed us added to the atmosphere and made the area look ever so more impressive and unique! Aboard the Red Boat Cruise for the best experience of the Sound which takes you all the way out to the Tasman sea which at certain times (always) was very rough which led to much enjoyment bouncing around on deck!!

The waterfalls, rainforest and glacier were unbelievable!! We started the trip with low cloud and rain, we ended the trip to bright sunshine! And Milford Sound in the sun is superb!! We were very lucky to catch for seaons in one day at Milford Sound and we certainly benefitted from the experience.. Although I did look very silly in the red raincoat!!!

Onward or backward to Te Anau for another night before heading to Queenstown the tourist trap of the West coast!! An amazing place and fantastic journey. It is the heart of outdoor adventurous activities and offers you the opportunity to test your bravery to the full!!

A spot of Hang Gliding.. Yes Hang Gliding!! WOW! The view was immense teh feeling was immense the whole day was immense! The greatest experience ovf my life! Slightly worried once at the top of Coronet Peak!! How High? And you waht me to run off the side of the mountain????!!! What a feeling! Freedom! The closet thing to flying you'll ever get! Awesome!!!

This was then followed by the LUGE! Woop!

A gondala ride to the top and then a race in the awesome and slightly dangerous Go-Cart Luge!!! The sign says no group racing but that was ignored and there were some battles going on down the track that day! I have now mastered the technique and stayed well within the Luge!! No acidents but plenty of "RAMMING"!!!!

A great day!

Lake Wanaka was next on the list of places to visit and it is one of my favourite places in New Zealand not just the South Island. A beautiful little town with a friendly and relaxing atmosphere accompanied by the largest lake in the South Island and Mount Aspiring National Park. A place were you need to spand a few days which is exactly what we did, relaxing in the sun, sitting by the lake, watching as much sport as we could fit into one day!! Walking and hiking in the mountains, tramping by the Lake it was wonderful! I'd go back tomorrow!

After a fantastic time in Wanaka we made our way to the awesome Mount Cook!!

Mount Cook with the blue (turqoise) waters which first greet you on the journey is spectacular! You really do think that you couldnt possibly see anywhere more impressive than the last place then you reach Mount Cook!!

The weather is ever changable in such a region and this leads you to appreciate just how impressive a successful ascent of the mountain is! The views for every angle show that this mountain demands respect! It was great to get up and personal with such a presence!!

The next part of the journey led us through the remote west coast! Haast upto Greymouth.. Nothing there! The West Coast and pretty much the whole of the country were hit with some extreme stormy weather, which made Haast look and feel even more remote! A night at the side of the road with very little sleep due to the wind battering the "tin can" van we were living in!! This led to what seemed like the longest journey till we reached the fist of the superb Glaciers! Fox's.. Its incredible how the ice just stops! Franz Josef was next on the list, a much more spectacular view was to greet us as we took no notice of the warning signs and clambered up to the glaciers face!! Hee hee...