Life's a journey ...take the scenic route. There's just something about the open road; it's as if it has a life of its own. One stretch may be sunkissed, smooth and curvy, while the next is dark and brooding. Road trips are as much about the personality of the road as they are about the people travelling them. (AAGuide) Around every corner you will find an even better vista than the previous. Rambling hills, lakes, .....sheep, mountains of all shapes, sizes, textures and colours, snow covered peaks and glaciers seeping down into the valleys. CEY318 - registration of our campervan ....a slightly older and less flashy version, but comfortable enough for us. Our first night in the Campervan was at Lake Tekapo. The azure colour of the lake is breathtaking. The full moon rising over the lake added to the magical ambiance. The Holiday Parks make Campervan travel an enjoyable experience : equipped kitchens and laundries, clean bathrooms and electrical points and water at each camp site. Communal cooking and dining facilities lend themselves to meeting lots of fellow travellers. On the first night we realised that 3 weeks is FAR too short for all this country has to offer. Clint and I seem to be on a different rythm to the rest of the campers (who take their timing from the birds !) - which means that when we get going at about 9 in the morning, the bathrooms are empty as most of the campervans have already left. Works for the moment ...although we'll need to change our rythem for Queenstown, as we will need every minute we can get to cover all there is to experience, as we are running out of days before our Franz Josef Glacier Hike. After our hike up to Mount John Observatory (definately thought I was fitter) to enjoy the amazing views of the Lake Tekapo area and Mount Cook , we drove to Wanaka. The views a ross the lakes towards Mount Cook are just breathtaking. We stayed on the outlet of Lake Wanaka and enjoyed a leisurely 7km walk along the river. One could spend a few days here ....just chilling at the river. We realised though, that we're already short on time, so left this morning for TeAnau via the Coronet Ski area and Queenstown. What a scenic route - just unbelievably beautiful. Where we have had sunshine all the way, coming into TeAnau the skies have become, grey, overcast and ominous. Rain is predicted. We are told that in the Wanaka area rainfall is around 330mm per year, whereas in the TeAnau area it is 1400 per year and Milford Sound is 7000 per year (highest in the world). Temperatures have dropped dramatically ...but our little van is rather cosy. General impressions...this area of the country is vast with few people, so one can enjoy the natural treasures without them being overrun. People are generally very friendly and seem rather hard-working. Definately an easy country to travel in, as it is very geared towards tourists and everything generally works. And ....we are definately on the scenic route