Hello everyone!

Ive forgotten where we were last time we blogged. Hopefully i won't repeat myself and bore you all even more than usual!!

So we left the north island on the ferry and arrived in Picton, we didn't hang about and got on the road headed for Kaikora!!

The drive was really pretty along alot of the coast, very windey, but still very pretty. We arrived in Kaikora town and found a lovely camp site, that was right infront of the sea with a few large rocks where the seals came for a rest!! We bought a crayfish (lobster) and sat and had dinner with a view!!

We woke up at sunrise, the sun was so bright and the sky looked so colourful, that we didn't mind being up so early!!

So we decided to go and do the whale and dolphin watching tour! So out we went on the boat with all the other tourists until we reached the very deep water. This was where the captains mate had a listen for whale activity with his technical whale listner stick thingy!! Ha! There was plenty of activity and we saw three sperm whales!! It was so exciting, especially when they slowly dived down lifting their tails up out of the water! Have you seen the video?? The whales rest up on the surface, to take in oxygen and digest their food, this is when we can spot them!

The dolphins were a real highlight too! There were hundreds!! All diving and flipping out of the water alongside the boat!! We were told that the dolphins jump after mating and occasionally jump as a group, which they call "the jump for joy"!! Happy dolphins!!

We headed down the island along the east, and drove through Christchurch on the way to Akaroa.

It was really sad to see Chrischurch after the earthquake. Piles of bricks that were house's and road works going on everywhere, trying to repair the damage on the roads. We managed to meet up with Rachels family. (who kate spent time with last time she was in NZ four years ago) It was really lovely to see them again, and meet the new baby in the family too! It was also really scary listening to their earthquake stories. They live in one of the badly hit areas, and Rach's parents still have problems with their water and sewage works. Luckily everyone was ok, and it was only their house that was damaged.

Akaroa was the next stop. A little french town. Very pretty. We slept in a car parking space by the green in town! Not ideal, but it was free and there were no signs telling us that we wern't allowed! In Akaroa we chilled out and relaxed in the sunshine!

We then hit the road again, and headed for Geraldine, and through Lake tekapo and MT Cook, until we stopped in Cromwell. Lake tekapo was very pretty, the lake was a beautiful colour. The driving is pretty easy, as there are hardly any cars on the roads!! Jon almost trusts me to drive!! ha ha! Cromwell, was a small town and a nice stop off point before heading down to Dunedin, to meet up and stay with Rachel (Kates Kiwi mate, who she met on ships).

We are now at Rach's and chilling out with her in her cosy cottage. Its absolutley freezing now, and luckily Rach has a fire! Its lovely to catch up and we are loving our time here.

So NZ is such a different type of travelling. We are missing meeting people like we did in SA, and experiencing different cultures.

NZ feels alot like home in some ways, which makes us miss you all more!

Still loving it though, not sure exactly where we are headed next, but will update you all when we do!

Lots of love

Jon and Kate xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx