Wow, what an afternoon. We have been swimming with the very rare and very small Hectors Dolphins in the bay of Akaroa near Christchurch. A great experience!

We have been from East to West and back to the East coast. After our stay in Kaikoura we headed inland to Hanmer Springs and then via Lewis Pass over to Greymouth. The next day we headed back over the Southern Alps on Arthurs Pass to Christchurch. The two routes over the mountains are stunning. We had fun in Hanmer Springs too in the hot springs and mineral pools. We spent a couple of nights in Christchurch, its a nice City and strange to see punting so far from...