After we phoned up the Kiwi Experience office and the driver that had forgotten about us came back to collect us, we were on our way down the west coast to Westport for a couple of relaxing days. Along the way we stopped at Nelson Lakes national park for a while, and went for a walk around one of the lakes. The water was so calm that it reflected the mountains in the distance perfectly, and we managed to skim a stone about 10 times on it (we were so proud of our...

We arrived in Nelson in the early evening, but it was still warmer than we had experienced over the previous week, so we decided to make the most of it and do as much outside as possible. On our first full day in the town, we did what came naturally and spent the morning wandering around the shops, and had a look in the visitors centre. Every town and city seems to have brand new information centres, and everything out here is so easily accessible, it kinda feel...

We arrived in Kaikoura around 5:00pm on Friday after spending most of the day travelling on boat and train. We left Wellington in the morning and proceeded to head North to the South Island. No, really!! The ferry must be the biggest boat ever, as the thing was so big that it not only took passengers and cars and coaches, but they also put the train on it as well. It was very odd watching the cars drive out of one level and a train going along the tracks undernea...

Tomorrow we leave the North Island behind after four days in New Zealand's capital, and head over the Cook's Straight into Picton on the South Island. We arrived in Wellington late on Monday after a four hour bus journey from River Valley. After we checked in it seemed like a good idea to check out the main entertainment hub of the city, and see what was on offer. The main street in the city is packed full of pubs, bars, restaurants and pool halls so this seemed...

We have now left the township of National Park, in Tongariro National Park, and are stopping in River Valley for the night before continuing on to Wellington in the morning. Although we were only there for a few nights, it was a truly amazing experience. The views were spectacular as we were surrounded by volcanoes, with Mount Ngauruhoe right in front of our hostel (that's the one that was used as Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings), and as it's the middle of winte...