Hi All from sunny...rainy...sunny....rainy...rainy...rainy...new zealand! We arrived into Christchurch on the 14th Feb and have spent a very full week travelling around the South Island, with our mouths open exclaiming WOW at every turn. So far, new zealand has proved to be stunningly beautiful with huge mountains, bright blue volcanic lakes, huge panoramic views and endless rolling fields. At times it is reminds us of the Lake District on a much larger scale and other times, pretty unworldly (hence its use for the Lord of the Rings films). The weather is a big suprise, very changeable after hot-hot-hot weather in Oz, but the variation makes it all a bit more interesting and is reassuringly familiar (ie. feels like home). Here is a summary of what we've been up to so far...

Sat 14th- Tues 17th Feb - Christchurch

3 days in picturesque Christchurch, a very compact, green little place with that infamous clean air you hear about in NZ. We pretty much spent 3 days relaxing; exploring the beautiful Botanical gardens (very English with a relaxed informal feel), hanging out in the city (note, tiny cathedral barely warrants city status), punting on the river (see pics) and watching the fantastic 'Slumdog Millionaire' in a lovely little cinema in the Arts centre opposite our hostel - amazing film, we left totally moved and speechless!

Tues 17th Feb - Akaroa

Tuesday we collected our new hire car and were quickly over our excitement about the 'free upgrade' when we set eyes upon ...every taxi cab drivers favourite...the Nissan Sunny with 115,000 on the clock, great. Still despite the way it looks (and smells), its running fine so far :) We explored the coast a little, visiting New Brighton and heading up the Gondola (lift) to enjoy panaoramic views of the Canterbury area including Lyttleton, a port built on a volcanic lake (in a sunken volcanic crater) which was pretty breathtaking and a pretty exciting teaser for the views ahead. We then drove to Akaroa, a gorgeous little French-influenced lackeside village where we spent the night. However, little did we realize the hostel would be several kilometres out of town, over a huge mountain, along gravel roads to a tin shed in the middle of nowhere... Again the views of the valley and coast were breathtaking, but the accomodation certainly basic...

Weds 18th Feb - Akaroa - Lake Tekapo

Up early to head back into Akaroa to swim with dolphins! We took a little boat out towards the sea where we kept a look out for a pod of small, rare/endangered dolphins and when we caught up with them, we jumped in to get a better look! It was pretty amazing, with 7+ dolphins (incl some calves) circling and swimming between us. Phil even had a brief nose-to-nose encounter with one! You could stay in the water up to 45 mins so we had lots of time to enjoy the moment, despite the bad/freezing weather and the huge waves! After a fish and chip lunch (is that wrong after swimming with dolphins?) we pushed on to the incredibly blue Lake Tekapo, where the weather was glorious and watched sunset over the mountains and lake in hot pools, not bad huh? Definitely a day to remember.

Thurs 19th Feb - Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook

We started the day with a 3 hour walk up and over Mount John, taking in Lake Tekapo and Alexandrina before following the track back along the lakeside. From here we drive to the snowcapped Mount Cook, which drew gasps as we first rounded a corner and saw it sitting across Lake Pukaki. Witht he weather fine we decided to explore as much as possible, completing 2 short walks to the Tasman and Hooker Valleys to view glaciers. This proved to be a wise move given the terrible wet weather which took hold overnight...and continued for the next 3 days...

Friday 20th Feb - Mount Cook to Dunedin

When we got up we could no longer see Mount Cook, or any of the mountains around us due tot he bad weather. So we drive for hours in the driving rain toward Dunedin, a scottish-influenced city which combined with the weather and hot chocolates along the way really did make us think of home! Here we explored a little then retreated to our hostel and the peace of a double room for a change to dry out and sleep :)

Saturday 21st Feb - Dunedin to Te Anau

Still raining, we spent 4 hours travelling to Te Anau, again another beautiful lakeside village. Here we explored and watched a stunning film documentary of the area called Shadowlands in the local cinema.

Sunday 22nd Feb - Te Anau (visiting Milford Sound during day)

The main reason for our stay in Te Anau was to visit the beautiful Milford Sound - the images you usually see in the ads for NZ, with huge mountains rising out of the water. Unfortunately the weather was still grey and wet so the sound was 'atmospheric' rather than green as you see on the postcards but we felt fortunate to witness the hundreds of temporary waterfalls pouring down the mountains into the water. Like true tourists, Phil and I braved the weather to stick it out on the open deck and enjoyed a wet couple of hours touring the sound (see pics).

Monday 23rd Feb to present (24th) - Te Anau to Queenstown Here we are in Queenstown, its beauty a real surprise to us. It reminds of a french ski resort, with little chalet-type buildings leading down to the beautiful lakeside (Lake Wakatipu). After arriving yesterday, we have spent today exploring and packing in as mcuh as possible. This morning Phil and I enjoyed some me time, each in our own way. Hence i relaxed, browsing the internet and shops whilst Phil hurtled along the Shotover river in a jet boat. This afternoon we rode the gondola (chairlift) up the mountain to enjoy panaoramic views of Queenstown and race each other on the Luge - a raceway with little primitive go-carts - like the big kids we are, great fun. We have walked around the lakeside and I (Liz) may also have shopped a little. Its a shame we cant stay here longer, but are moving on to Wanaka tomorrow which we believe to be equally beautiful, before making our way to the Franz Joseph glacier Thurs-Fri. Before we go, we want to wish Faye and Terri a very happy birthday today. One other exciting bit of news is we have booked 2 tickets to see Coldplay in Aukland on the 18th, something we could never do in the UK with the speed the tickets sell out there. Can you believe it takes place in a 12,000 capacity arena and the tickets went on sale before Christmas and are still available? Figured it was a chance of a lifetime so blew the budget and went for it. Definitely worth taking a look what gigs are on locally when you travel... Hope everyone is well and happy at home, we think and talk about you all often. Hope you enjoy the pics too. Liz and Phil xxx