10th-13th May We got to Lake Pukaki at around 2.30pm- the sun was shining and there were clear skies. On the drive up we had brilliant views of the southern alps as we got closer and closer! We also passed some very very blue lakes that had water dams. When we arrived at Lake Pukaki visitor centre we could see the alps surrounding us, all snow capped and across the lake we could clearly see Mount Cook for the first time, along with all the other huge mountains s...

9th-10th May Before we headed to our campsite for the night, just before the sun set, we drove a bit further up north to go to Katiki Point Reserve, right at the coast where the yellow-eyed penguins and sea lions live. They only come in on a night from fishing during the day so the best time to see them is dusk so we were just on time! We saw around 20 yellow eyed penguins, some which were very very close to us, like a couple of feet away. We also saw a group of...

8th-9th May We set off from Fortrose- the beginning of the Catlins Coast and first stopped at Waipapa Point, where there was a lighthouse and a sea-lion colony. We weren't expecting to see anything but as we were walking along the path there was a massive sea-lion laid down asleep on the grass. It was huge! We had read that they can chase you and bite and not to get too close so we didn't stand around for too long! The next stop was Slope Point, the southern mos...

7th-8th May We had a long drive today. We set off at 8am and got to Fortrose for around 5pm, with a lot of stops on the way though! We also had to stop for sheep crossing the road too ha! We stopped in Tuatapere, the most south-west town and the sausage capital of NZ- not sure why though!! There was nothing to be seen in this tiny place. We ended up getting a battered sausage from a four square shop with a cafe in it! We stopped in Invercargill for an hour or tw...

5th-7th May On the 5th we set off from Queenstown along the southern scenic route to the campsite near Milford Sound, stopping in Te Anau on the way to go to the visitor centre and make sure we were full on petrol. There aren't any petrol stations between Te Anau and Milford Sound and it's a 119km journey. Milford Sound is in the heart of the Fiordland National Park which is a World Heritage Area. Milford Sound is actually fiords, but explorers who discovered th...