Well this place really does like to change weather over a few km's!!! We were in Hamner Springs in the middle of the South Island all day yesterday and it was baking hot as we swam around in the hot geothermal pools all afternoon, followed by a lovely supper and a Lord of the Rings session (including getting excited at all of the places we have been to!!!). The trend continued as we awoke early this morning to clear blue skies and beautiful tropical temperatures, ready for our 90 min drive (a short one today) to Kaikoura, a little town on the coast renowned for its whale spotting ... 75 mins into the drive and the cloud descends and we are shrouded in mist, blocking every ray of sunlight out from up in the sky. Great!!!! Then to add insult to injury, 2 annoyingly rude girld who were in our hostel last night turn up at the same hostel as us here as well!!!!

Haner Springs yesterday was very nice, and we really didnt want to leave!!! the weather was great as i said and we spent the afternoon just lazing around. The pools were absolutely boiling hot!! The hottest one was 41 degrees and it almost burnt you getting in - way hotter than a bath, and the only prob with it was that it stunk of eggs as it is mainly sulphurous which gives it its natural heat deep underground!! But it was lovely nonetheless - up until about 4pm when the entire town school seemed to descend upon it!! All of the pools filled up with splashing little kids or hoards of teenagers - time to go!!! The hostel was amazing as well!!! Easily the best we have been in yet - it had good internet facilities for us to put our pics onto cd, tv, clean and comfy rooms - the lot - really wished we could have stayed there for longer!!!

Cant quite say as much for here, but we are only in Kaikoura for one night before we go up to Nelson for 3 nights on the North Coast, for our last few days in the south island - then its the rip off $60 ferry over to the Capital - Wellington. I am just looking at going a day earlier as there is a rugby game between the Hurricanes and the Brumbies this weekend and i really want to take Sarah to see a game while we are here - prob is we are not in any other city on the wkend! We will have to see what i can conjur up!!

Should mention a little more about the glacier trip as i pretty much only touched upon it last time - all in all it was wicked!!! The photos really do not do its grandeur any justice whatsoever (same as Milford Sound!!). Weturned up at the venue (along with another 48 ppl!!!) and started to get kitted up. We were issued with some sexy leather walking boots, wooly socks, a nice blue rain jacket (option of hat and gloves but it was too warm for that) and most important our TALONZ!! Nice spikes to clip on our shoes when we hit the ice!!!

Off we set in a rickety old bud to the start of the walk where we were split into 2 groups for the walk to the glacier, and then split into 2 more groups. Now our group sucked i am sorry to say, we stayed in the slower one as they said it was suited more for those who are just a little slower, and those wanting to take loads of pics (me!) so naturally we joined this group as we were all going to the same spot - apparently!!!

Very untrue it would seem!!! When we were on the ice we really found out how slow we would be going - with 2 old ppl who could barely walk on the rocky ground - let alone up ice picked steps on a sheer face of an iceberg - and a little 10 yr old kid, who in fairness was miles better than the olds, despite the fact that the steps were as big as him!! That aside it was amazing!! We stopped at the glaciers face to put on our talonz and off we went!! With one guide kitted out with her pick axe she set off in front of us, altering the steps as she went (they are carved daily by the guides!!). It was pretty easy with our slow pace - but i did get to take nice pics - doesnt look how you would imagine as the ice is full of rocks and stones at the bottom layers, which it collects as it moves down the valley.

We only did a half day tour lasting about 2 hrs on the ice - but it has just whet our appetites!! We are going to come back and do the full day ice climbing session!!!!

No major plans now, but we will be saying goodbye to Sunny D on Sunday, and picking up a new car on monday!!!

All for now x

Oh and i forgot to mention - when we were in Wanaka we went to a Puzzling World - good fun place with a 2 storey maze which was really good fun - and all funny rooms with optical illusions!!! including the ames something rom - which messes with perspective - the way they made the hobbis look small in LOTR!!! Was a good childish day!
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