November 18th

...and so we had a lovely 3 hour ferry trip going very close to several Islands but I'm sure the captain knew what he was doing! We weren't looking forward to this boat as we'd been warned the water gets very choppy but we escaped once again. We arrived in Picton... famous for nothing, so promptly made our way to Nelson, a quaint place but more importantly the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. Our hostel had a swimming pool, free breakfast, free soup and free tours.... not sure it gets any better than that. We soaked up some rays before the sun hid behind some clouds then went to the local pub... a converted house. But this places USP is the fish and chip shop next door... you go and order and they deliver to your pub table... awesome. They beers are all made locally too, so we obviously had to have at least three to try the different types. If I could remember their names I'd probably write them down but number one was nice, number two horrible and three good!

November 19th

We decided to venture into the National Park itself and started by boarding a tour boat that goes all along the coast. On the way up we had 'Mr Local Knowledge 2008', who's middle names happened to be 'And I'm going to tell you all of it in a very small space of time no matter how mundane the Information Is'. He meant well but we were pleased to finally arrive at our boat. Unfortunately to board this boat we needed to wade out to a motor boat in order to get out to the tour boat... remember how cold the water is here! Anyway, that trauma to one side we made our way up to Bark Bay where we were thrown overboard and told to walk home (apparently this is part of the 'cruise and walk' thing we signed up for. Luckily we'd packed food and walking shoes so started the 20km walk back to base. We made it in under the six hours we'd been allocated (just) and even made some detours to see such crazy places as Cleopatra's Pool (yes it was pretty). Back to base camp it was and well earn sleep.

November 20th

In order to celebrate the extraordinarily good weather (unusual for the West coast) we nominated this day a pool day and did not a lot apart from laze in the sun... it's tough sometimes. That evening we took advantage of the 4 beers/wine and a shooter for $13 in the local bar and crawled home some time later via a photo opportunity on top of a JCB digger left so carelessly unattended.November 21st Well today it was off to Greymouth - yes again, they are so imaginative here - this town is at the mouth of the river Grey... and grey it was. On the way there we had about 4 stops to look at sights of extraordinary beauty and in a hung-over state we were obviously gracious in receiving these views, especially the ones that involved a 20 minute walk to get to. Such sights included a beach, some pancake rocks (they look like pancakes stacked up on top of each other) and some more coastal views. However the highlight of the day was the Monteiths Brewery tour and BBQ. We learnt all about the making of the beer and as instructed asked very few questions in order to maximise our time in the bar where we sampled all 6 varieties and had a go at pouring ourselves (Nikki won). The all you can eat BBQ was obviously approached with vigour and left us sleepy and uninterested in the appalling live music in the pub.

November 22nd

It never rains but it pours... and pour down it did, for 3 days solid. So we left Greymouth quite surprised that it had actually managed to get more grey and headed for the glacier town of Franz Joseph. It rained so hard people on the bus thought the glacier would melt... we soon corrected them with our superior geographical knowledge. Once at the town and checked in to Chateau Joseph (perhaps an over claim for a hostel) we soon decided that outdoor activities were going to be limited so we hit the local hot pools. We did so because he head one of the three pools was cracked so it was half price... such travellers we have turned into! Blimey it was warm - 40oc but as they were outdoors the rain helped us keep cool. That night we watched some old VHS thing with Adam, Jess, Hannah and Darren - some of the crazy Magic crew travelling a similar journey, along with free hostel popcorn!

November 23rd

Glacier hike day - we trooped off to Franz Joseph glacier in search of the blue ice that is so coveted. Due to the extreme rainfall the usually approach path had been washed away so we took a 2.5km detour over some very steep hills. The dry weather lasted for approximately 30 minutes and then proceeded to drench us, but the glacier was still stunning. Combine that with the freezing ice and the blustery wind and it made for tough conditions but the place was breath taking (not just from physical exertion) but not even the rubbish weather would stop us. We looked ridiculous in our glacier hiking kit (all rented) and mittens but made our way slowly up the glacier for about 2km. It was slow progress - nobody had been up there for two days due to bad weather so our guide had to dig our path way everywhere we went - by that I mean any slight incline or slope had to have steps cut into using with Kai's (Japanese guide's) huge axe - it looked like hard work! We stopped for lunch in the rain and promptly ate our rolls before they got too soggy and made our way up a few newly build ice ladders before descending back down. Back at base we put ourselves straight in the washing machine and eventually warmed up.

November 24th

Hi ho hi ho it's off to Queenstown we go... the capital city of crazy adrenalin sports. On the way it was the usual sight seeing stops with more than enough scenery to last 24 hours. We tried to capture the lakes that are famous for reflecting the mountain scenery but would have to wait for lakes later on as it was still raining and foggy! Much loved for it's crazy nightlife, Queenstown is the destination of any crazy kid... but we were just stopping off to access Milford Sound a national park based around a fjord, but that didn't stop us from partaking in a few beers that evening where Hannah danced on some tables after a very filling curry (2for1 - were really loving the bargains now!)

November 25th

I can't believe the alarm went off that early but the coach drivers soothing voice soon made sure we caught up on some sleep during the four hour journey to Milford. That's a long way considering we were only doing a day trip. I think we were supposed to be listening about the hard work put in by the colonials to dig the road (slow coaches took 10 years split by WWII) and the economic importance of this bla bal bla but sleep was good! On the way, when we finally opened our eyes, we saw about 300 waterfalls (no exaggeration), finally the silver lining from the previous three days of rain had arrived! The place was awesome - like driving through mountains that are alive, chuck in the fjord and the rainforest to make a pretty impressive place. We jumped on a cruise boat to see the fjord close up and discovered the 'panoramic' option on Nikki's camera - and then took far too many of these pictures... look out for these photos soon guys! the way out was the same as the way in except in reverse... once back in Queenstown we proceeded to eat the largest burger you have ever seen; The FergBerger, for dinner and the most amazing garlic sauce you've ever tasted. I had dreams that night about garlic it was that strong.

November 26th

Off to Dunedin... the Scottish quarter of New Zealand. We soon found out why when walking to our hostel (Hogwartz) this place is damn hilly and actually home to the two steepest streets in the world. Calf muscles well worked we headed for the botanic gardens and met a talking parrot called Sid. It's amazing how long a bird that says things like "pretty boy" "give us a kiss" and "hello dolly" can capture your attention. Realising we'd been talking to a parrot for far too long we decided to go swimming. We supplemented the Olympic swimming seriousness by buying pink wrist bands allowing us to use the slides as well as the lanes. We briefly entertained the idea of the diving boards but seeing the 9 year olds practice their triple twist back flip somersaults soon persuaded us we should stick to the slides. That night we watched Lord of the Rings Part III in homage to the are and spent the fours hours shouting - we've seen that (not the battles or the orcs mind).

November 27th

Farewell Dunedin…. hello Lake Tekapo and probably the most beautiful mountain scenery we've had the privilege of staying in. We started our environment appreciation by a brief cycle ride around the lake to see the mountain reflection on the lake from the other side and of course the naked lady sunbather… of course we had to go past her twice because it wasn't a loop track! On the way home we detoured through the forest and discovered how many rabbit warrens there are - honestly those things breed like rabbits! Back at base (Lake front Lodge) we threw rocks in the water for half an hour with only Nikki hitting the drift wood we'd thrown in. For the record Adam and Jess both missed too.

November 28th

The day of the helicopter… we started the day as you do boarding a four man helicopter and taking a flight over the Mount Cook mountain range. The views were average - just glaciers, gorges and mountains really. The pilot landed us on a snow capped summit opposite Mt Cook so we could have a little walk and take yet more scenic photos (look forward to those 50 odd!) Back in the helicopter we tracked back through the valley and across the glacier back to base where we landed and fed some salmon in the nearby salmon farm… as you do. Back at Lake Tekapo we then hired some horses for an hour and were treated to a view of the other side of the lake this time with me on Frank and Nikki on George. The arrangement was we were nice to them (no kicking) and they'd be nice to us (no bolting)… thankfully the trip passed without even (apart from the obviously stunning scenery). Having not paid for the star gazing trip we ran up the nearest hill (I'd say mountain actually) to see the sun set and try and spot a few stars which were cool, but as the sun set we soon realized that meant no warmth and lots of mosquitoes! Ouch. We found another unmanned digger on our descent and did the obligatory photo shoot commandeering it.

November 29th

Farewell beautiful Lake Tekapo hello slightly less beautiful Christchurch. The place is pretty cool actually so we spent a lot of time wandering about town and eating nice food - it's so much cheaper here it would be rude to cook for ourselves! We met the gang for evening drinks and dinner and ended in the most intense street of clubs and bars you've ever seen - the whole of south island nightlife in a 100 meter alley way!

November 30th

Have we been travelling that long!? It must have got to my head as I agreed to meet the others at the art centre and market… I'll never admit it was OK! We also enjoyed the street artists who roped Beth into their crazy act on one wheel and lots of juggling. Our new discovery of Kiwi Greek food set we devoured some more food not cooked by us then bedtime for the early start the following day, having said farewell to the last of the Magic bunch we'd hooked up with.

December 1st

Up at 5am we had the Tranz Coastal Train to catch to Kaikoura. These New Zealanders only have one train a day on one of only two tracks… honestly! Taking in the scenery (admittedly sometimes through closed eyes) we made our way slightly North to the small town famous for the deep Atlantic ridge that brings deep sea creatures up from the depths and thus the feeding whales. Setting up shop in Dolphin Retreat (also at the top of a steep hill - what is it with us and steep hills!) we hired some Victorian bikes and went for a coastal cycle/walk. Along the way we got the closest we've ever been to wild seals (5 meters!) and far too many sea gulls - they call them red billed gulls and have protected them but we all know they're rats with wings. The cliff top walk back saw yet more scenic photos and some scallops on the way home.

December 2nd

Whale watching day! Far too early we made our way to the boat, fighting off sea sickness from the fast boat and huge waves we managed to see several albatross (these guys are huge) 7 sperm whales (these guys are blooming huge!) and a pod of playful dolphins - all in all a very successful trip! The whales did their diving trick flipping their tales in the air and the dolphins jumped up around the boat so we were happy. Back at the hostel we decided to celebrate our busy morning by lying in a field overlooking the sea, sun bathing all afternoon… grand.

December 3rd

The day of no beds, but lots of intermittent sleep. Boarding the bus back to Christchurch we decide to sleep that night at the airport given our 6am departure. So we decided to try and sleep in as many places we could on the way… we managed the coach, the botanic gardens in Christchurch (which were very cool and come highly recommended) and the airport floor once we'd stuffed ourselves with Chinese. This was after we'd had the unusual experience of being the only people in a Chinese restaurant for the entire night in the middle of a busy town - it's weird but everyone should try it. BEEP BEEP BEEP! Alarms at 4am are always a nightmare, especially when you're sleeping on an airport floor having had 4 hours of interrupted kip! But it marked our last few steps in New Zealand, and very fond memories indeed. Farewell North Island and South Island and off to what they call the West Island (Australia)…. Cheeky Kiwis.