Christchurch to Kaikoura We travelled across the northern Canterbury Plains towards Kaikoura, stopping for a quick toilet break and breakfast (chicken and sweetcorn pie! mmmm, yummy) at Cheviot and then continued straight on to Kaikoura so that we could make the most of the day - which was glorious, perfect sunshine and not a cloud in sight! Kaikoura used to be the South Island's best kept secret but something as good as this can't be quiet for too long...

Queenstown to Christchurch Unfortunately, not a very interesting day today - just sat on the bus from Queenstown to Christchurch, arriving late afternoon. However we did get pulled over by the police en-route! Nothing major, but we did get a ticket as we were apparently 2 tonnes over the weight limit allowed! Apparently, over here (not sure what the law is in UK) but buses/coaches have to pay for a special certificate or license for a certain weight category. A...

Wanaka to QueenstownWe departed Wanaka and headed for Queenstown reasonably early, with almost everyone nusing a hangover of some sort! So, you can guess how we were all feeling when we were told that we'd be stopping at 'Puzzle World' for about an hour, before continuing our drive to Queenstown?! Not what one wants when already feeling queasy; rooms filled with mind tricks and illusions, not to mention a maze that completely had me stumped - it took ...

Franz Josef to WanakaWe started out early in order to catch the perfect mirror reflection of Mt Cook and the Southern Alps on Lake Matheson, near the town os Fox Glacier. Afterwards we past the township of Haast and headed into the mountains and bid farewell to the coastline. The scenery changed dramatically as our journey continued, it was an enjoyable ride.We crossed a bridge at the Gates of Haast, headed up the pass and into the Mount Aspiring National Park. T...

Lake Mahinapua to Franz JosefWe started with a short drive to Pukekura (Poo-e-ku-ra) to explore the Bushman's Centre. The centre offers an insight into how people make a living on the coast with sphagnum moss growing, old timber-milling techniques, possum trapping and helicopter Deer recovery, quite interesting.We headed through to Franz Josef Glacier Village, nestled in the Westland National Park, passing numerous kettle lakes along the way. These lakes were...