Hokitika - Arthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass - Christchurch (7 nights)

We took our time from Hokitika to Arthur's Pass taking in the stunning Kiwi scenery. The trees and waterfalls were never ending and as we got higher up in the mountains the weather worsened. We had hoped to do some tramping but because the weather was horrendous we curled up in a YHA hostel cooking yummy bangers!

The following morning, the weather was no better so we decided to admit defeat and headed back to Christchurch via the shopping malls before heading back to Helen's cousins.

We stayed with Lee, Helen, Sam and Oliver for a week, poor Oliver was thrown out of his room so that we could have our own room! The time we spent in Christchurch was spent playing with the kids, watching Team GB win many golds at the Olympics and catching up with family and friends back home. We did manage to squeeze in a visit to Willowbank Animal Park with the kids to feed the 150 year old eels some kind of meat and see several Kiwi's.

At the end of our stay in Christchurch we caught a 3am shuttle bus to the airport for our flight to Los Angeles via Melbourne! Our flight went smoothly until we arrived at Melbourne where we found out that we needed a visa for USA. Did we have one? No! We had 30 mins to obtain a visa otherwise we would have not been able to catch our plane, thankfully the power of the internet saved us and we were able to apply online! Panic over, our flight to LA went smoothly watching numerous films with subtitles. We must add that we flew on a A380 and the service was impeccable!

To sum up New Zealand, NZ is the most stunning country we have been to in terms of scenery. From white sanded beaches to black sanded beaches, the ocean to the rolling hills, sea to summit and trees to barren landscapes. New Zealand will always have a special place in our hearts and for this reason alone we know we will return one day.

Our 'must visit' list for when we return:
Hawkes Bay Wineries
Coromandel Peninsula in the Summer
Waitomo Caves
Queen Charlotte track
Abel Tasman National Park
Stewart Island
Helen to do Skydiving and Bungy Jump.
Visit Lee, Helen, Sam and Oliver