Hi everyone hope all is well back at home and everyone is good.

We picked up the campervan from the rental place and were really pleased as it was the same as the one we had had in Australia a high top which is really spacious and plenty of room. The first night we set off we parked up right by the sea and stayed there the night it was great waking up literally on the beach. We set off heading for Mt Cook which is the largest mountain in New Zealand. The weather was glorious blue skies but still windy outside. Driving in New Zealand is amazing the scenery is unreal. Just before we came to Mt Cook we came to Lake Tapeko which is the largest of three roughly parrell lakes, it was huge 83 square kilometers and 700 meters above sea level. The lake was so blue it was glistening apparently the glacial feed gives then this distinctive blue colour in the distance you can see the three peaks of Mt Cook, the photoes dont do it justice it was beautiful. We turned the corner to and there was another exactly the same electric blue this was Lake Pukaki the second largest lake it also took our breath away! We heading along the lake to Mt Cook as it was a beautiful day and they had given rain out for the day after we decided to head there and do a walk to the mountain. The drive was fab and when we arrived we walked to the bottom of Mt Cook you could see for miles. That night we slept on a lookout point over the lakes waking up there with the view next morning!

We then set off and stumbled accross a place called Twizel again another lovely day we decided to hire some mountain bikes and went on a trek up the mountain. We cycled (well pushed a lot of the way) up a huge mountain and there was not a soul for miles coming down was great fun. We were shattered after the bike ride so decided to go for a pint in the pub! Dont know how we got chatting to the two old guys that were in the pub but we did and one of them invited us to stay on his land and said we could use his shower and charge our stuff up next morning, we took him up on his offer and dropped the van off. The pub started to get really busy and we were treated like locals sitting with Bevan the salmon farmer, John the pom, Noel the blacksmith and loads more. We eneded up getting invited to play in their poker game in the back room and then we got invited back to the barmans house for a party and had a great night! Over in Australia the beer is served in Scooners in New Zealand they are jugs! In the morning Noel took us out for coffee and cooked us lunch, we were going to stay the next night but decided to head off instead. Twizel was a great place a little stange but great!