As we stopped off at the tourist information in Invercargill J began to feel really ill with a migraine. He took some tablets and had a sleep in the back of the van. After lunchtime when J began to feel better we went to Pack 'n' Save to fill up on supplies. We got some nice food for lunch and went to sit in Queens Park. The park was huge with lots of different gardens, including a rose garden and a Japanese garden. There was also an aviary which we had a look ar...

The drive to Milford Sound was along the start of the Southern Scenic Route, it was as good if not better than any other route we have taken in the country. The swooping corners and steep climbs are worth it, as there is something new to admire every minute. We stopped at look out points along the way, including some more mirrored lakes. There was also a tunnel which was carved through the mountain, it was very dark and the rock of the mountain was not covered on...

Friday was Rachel's birthday! We woke up early and started the drive to Queenstown, where we were staying with Dan's friend from Uni, Joey. When we reached Queenstown the sun was shining and we had a look around the town. The shops were really good in town and J bought Rachel a top. We met Joey in the Ice Bar, where she works and she let us in for free which was great! The bar was awesome and had lots of different sculptures and chairs made from ice. Joey gave ...

We woke up in Wonaka to a lovely day of sunshine. We decided to look around the town, which is a popular ski resort in winter. Whilst in the small mall in town we found an English shop so decided to have a look, in there was a couple from Wivenhoe who had moved out to New Zealand 6 years ago. Small world! We spent a good hour chatting to them, they were really friendly and full of helpful advice for moving to New Zealand...although after visiting here you don'...

The next day we continued our way down the coast, heading for the glaciers! We stopped at Hokitika and looked in some of the famous jade stone factories, before taking a small detour to the Hokitika Gorge where there is a swing bridge. It was a short walk from the car park to the swing bridge which was over the most amazing turquoise water. It was so beautiful, flowing next to the grey rocks and green mountains. We continued the drive, another 100km towards Fra...