Christchurch is described as being the most English of NZ cities because of the Anglican Cathedral and punts gliding down the Avon River - not a sight we saw but that might be something to do with it being winter. The Avon River was a bit of a disappointment as certainly wasn't a mighty river. The city had the normal trams, city bus tours and botanical gardens but did not seem to be an exciting city. After a tour around the coastal suburbs of Lyttleton and Sum...

Moeraki was just a comfort break for us on the way to Christchurch but is home to some rather large spherical boulders formed from limestone. Not too mind blowing but certainly pull in the tourists and are located on a stunning stretch of beach. We had a laugh on the road down to the beach as I thought I saw the boulders from quite a distance and told Ray they were huge but he couldn't see them. Then we realised that I was looking at the beach cafe that had do...

Dunedin's founders were Scottish ('Dunedin' is Celtic for 'Edinburgh according to 'Lonely Planet') and they do have a statue of Robert Burns overlooking the city centre. It is also supposed to resemble Edinburgh because of the Victorian architecture but not having been there myself I wouldn't know but Ray says it does have some similarities. There again that could be something to do with the fact that we sat in Dunedin Railway Station cafe today (not your normal ...

Although Milford Sound is only 25 miles from Queenstown, as the crow flies, the actually return journey is 360 miles with the road looping round Lake Wakatipu up through Te Anau and along mountain passes through the Milford track and tunnel. We took a coach trip as the journey was 13 hours return, could have been a bit tiring and at least we could sit back and enjoy the full "WOW" factor of the wonderful scenery on offer. Milford Sound is in the world ...

Today saw us take a boat trip on the Steam Ship Earnslaw. The vessel is over 100 years old and well preserved. Originally the lake's only means of transport but is now used to carry tourists to the high country Walter Peak Farm, owned by a Scottish family until the 1960s. The farm is now a commercially run enterprise, drawing in the tourists all year. Although geared towards the kids we still had a brilliant time and found it interesting. We fed the sheep, cows ...