First of all Happy 18th Birthday to my nephew Jack (see photo!)

So we've started our 14 day 'Manuka' tour of the South Island with a company called Active New Zealand. We've got two guides Lofty - yep he's 6ft 8" and H - Heather as well as just two other guests; Martin a retired surgeon and Patricia a retired teacher - both very lovely (albeit a bit posh). Apparently there were 3 Americans due to be with us but they are in the military and their leave was cancelled three days before they were due to come out here. A shame as more people would be great but not sure about super fit
military types!

So our small party of 6 in our 20 seater mini bus headed west from Christchurch. We soon seemed to spread out with all our stuff and fill the bus. En route to the west coast we stopped for a short walk at Castle Hill and picnic lunch among beautiful rock formations where they filmed the lion, the witch and the wardrobe - the scenes with Aslam roaring on top of a rock (see photo and watch the film to get what I'm on about). Then a bit further on to a short climb up to a waterfall - we think this was for the benefit of the guides to assess our fitness levels by getting us to climb 360 steps - but it was a nice waterfall at the top. Arrived late afternoon at Punakaiki - staying in simple lodge rooms. H then cooked us dinner - beautiful food and lots of it helped down with a glass or two of vino - the tastiness and volume of food will be a theme that I think will continue.

Breakfast also a full spread, not to mention our packed lunch so even if we are going to be active - we probably will be putting on a few pounds. A good 11km walk along the beach and then in land along a river. The beach area had amazing volcanic rock formations called pancake rocks and huge blow holes. Whilst the rainforest walk was incredibly lush, walking among vibrant tree ferns, beautiful mosses of all greens imagininable and dense trees all very Jurassic park in appearance - in fact walking with dinasaurs was filmed here. Movie settings could be a theme of the trip- but I think is a theme of New Zealand! The good news was the weather was good to us all day.

After dinner once it got dark, about 10pm, we wandered out to look for glow worms in a bank just behind our rooms. They looked a bit like bright fairy lights twinkling among the mud.