Queenstown The hostel we are residing includes free breakfast and dinner so in true backpacker style we were up nice and early to beat the queues and fill ourselves up to try and save us being hungry at lunch time. All morning one thing loomed over us and the whole coach. THE CANYON SWING. Today is the day where at 11.30 we will be free falling off the worlds highest cliff dive at 330ft into the canyon below. As the third and last item on our adrenaline lis...

Wanaka to Queenstown The first stop today was Puzzle World but not wanting to pay to complete the mazes, we sat with the majority of bus in the cafe trying to figure out the puzzles and games which were there to amuse us. WinterFest was in Queenstown this week, so what a perfect time for us to visit. With skiing on the agenda we needed gloves and socks so we hit the shops. But being on a tight budget due to our adventurous activities coming up, we searc...

Franz Josef to Wanaka Up early 7.30 set off.Due to yesterday's disappointment, Arias took us for a drive past another of the glaciers - Fox glacier. It was good to see but nothing like what we had planned to do yesterday and it was too far away. With snow covered mountains and mount cook (highest mountain in NZ) standing proud in the background the 'scenery central' title that we have given to NZ was cemented. This was the backdrop to the mirror Lake Matison. We ...

Franz Josef After a broken nights sleep, listening every few hours to see if the downpour had stopped, Char woke at 7.30 as this would give us time to get ready for the glacier. 8 minutes in a helicopter and 3 hours on the glacier were an exciting thought. However our moods were soon dampened by the splash of raindrops on the window. The noise was clear, however Char needed to go outside to check just incase. Gutted! On this trip we would not be able to see t...

Lake Mahinapua to Franz Josef We awoke to the sounds a torrential rain and the smell of bacon calling out to us. A first for us this morning as we ate pancakes, maple syrup and bacon. Matt was loving it and had two full plates but Char was not a fan. And just preferred the pancakes. Once we had packed and loaded the coach we headed to Franz Josef, home of the glacier that we want to climb. This trip includes a helicopter ride and 4 hours of climbing, hiking a...