Stretching an epic 12 kilometres in length towards the Tasman Sea, the Franz Josef Glacier is the only glacier in the world to descend to less than 300metres above sea level. The low level means the frozen river is often surrounded by lush rainforests and a temperate climate. We woke up on the morning of the 13th and looked out the window to see the glorious clear blue sky which meant that our glacier tour would be going ahead. I had been looking forward to this...

Half an hour south of Greymouth, we arrived in the former gold mining town of Hokitika or Lake Mahinapuia mid afternoon. It is here where we learnt how the precious green stone (pounamu) was mined and carved into the well-known Maori amulets we see today. Sam carved his own pounamu pendant. Lake Mahinapua Hotel or the 'Poo Pub' as it was known (again, hotel is a word used very loosely it was more like cabins with bunk beds). We had a couple of hours to make our...

Today we had a couple of stops to stretch our legs. First stop was Cape Foulwind where our driver dropped us off and one end of the walkway and met us at the end. We passed a seal colony, a lighthouse and beautiful panoramic views of the mountains and coastline. We waited for the horse riders to return before continuing our journey; our next stop was Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and blowholes. Formed over 30 million years ago, the geological phenomenon is a result of...

On route to Westport we stopped at Lake Rotoiti. Rotoiti is a lake in the Tasman region of New Zealand. It is a substantial mountain lake within the borders of Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake is surrounded by Beech forest and is 82 metres deep. We had 45 minutes here to enjoy the beautiful lake which gave us plenary of time to take lots of photographs at the end of the jetty and for those brave enough to jump off into the very cold water to go for a swim. A...

The drive from Richmond to Kaiteriteri was breathtaking, we had seen our first glimpses of the Southern Alps and I can now see why people have said the South Island is more picturesque then the North Island. Known for its pristine beaches and as a gateway to the wonders of the Abel Tasman National Park, Kaiteriteri has been attracting holiday makers to its turquoise waters since the 1920's. Located on Tasman Bay about an hour's travel from Nelson in the area col...