In the middle of the summer, the last thing you expect to see is snow. But thats precisely what we woke up to the day we left Wanaka. It wasn't on the ground by us but the mountains in the distance had a clear fresh covering caused by the high altitude rain! A very strange but attractive sight.

It was a 76km drive to Queenstown from Wanaka but it was a super little drive through the mountains then down a very steep hill to Queenstown. We got to our hostel which was set up in the hill slightly and overlooking Queenstown and the lakes and were blessed with excellent views of the lakes and mountains. Even when showering you could look out the window to see the super views. The hostel itself is very well run and another fine example of the great hostels we've been enjoying in New Zealand.

Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand and it's clear to see why after just 5 minutes in the town centre. Every other shop is an agent for some kind of activity that will make you quake in your boots! From bunjy jumps to skydives and jetboat river rides to the canyon swing, theres something for every adrenaline junkie! We opt for the tame mini golf!! The course was superbly constructed and great fun to see the ball get carried up in a ski lift!

We did choose to thrill ourselves once while we were there and Alan kindly treated us on this occasion. It was the shotover jet boat ride which has been recommended to us by a few people that we chose. It involved being thrown around in a jet boat from side to side and even complete 360 spins. The boats are incredible as they only need 4 inches of water to reach speends of 80 km/h. The driver isn't afraid to get as close to the canyon walls as possible either. It was a great 20 minutes or so and we hardly even got wet!

We had 3 nights in Queenstown but we could've easily stayed for longer as our hostel was marvellous and the weather was brilliant too. But time is pressing and we have a couple of trips booked over the next two days. For the first of these trips, we must go to Te Anau (en route to Milford Sound) where we're booked on a discounted gloworm cave tour. We have to take a 30 min boat journey to get there but the ride over the second largest lake in New Zealand is beautiful as the sun begins to go down over the mountains.

There must be about 60 people on the tour but we are taken into the caves in smaller groups of around 7-8 people. The caves themselves aren't anything to special but when you get to the gloworms, they kill the lights and take you on a motorless boat through the cave. It takes around 2 minutes for your eyes to adjust but, slowly, you start to see sparkles up above and when you get a bit further in its almost dreamy! The dots of light could easily be stars in the night sky and the feeling is very tranquil with a cool breeze flowing by and drifting on the boat. It really has to be seen to be appreciated and no photo's are allowed because it upsets the gloworms. Not that they'd be able to capture it anyway!

The next day we embark on possibly the nicest drive in New Zealand. It's a 2 hour drive to Milford Sound from Te Anau and it takes us over 3 hours because of the sights to stop and admire along the way. What comes with beauty is, inevitably, steep roads and a hardship for poor Mickey!

We get to Milford with plenty of time to spare and soon board our boat that will be our accommodation and transport for the next 18 hours. The boat takes us out towards the Tasman Sea and stops in a little cove where I kayak for a couple of hours and Sam & Alan take a guided small boat tour around the bay. The area is simply stunning, with the weather to match.

Dinner on the boat doesn't give us any options - fine for me but not so much for Sam & Alan. I'm not sure how they can justify putting on one meal and expecting all 60 passengers to enjoy it. Luckily, nobody went hungry and i even had at least 2 helpings!!

The boat went out into the ocean a little way so we could view the amazing sunset over the glasslike waters. This is as good as it gets.

Or thats what we thought until the morning came! We were up bright and early for breakfast when the captain called everyone to the deck to view the pod of bottlenose dolphins we were approaching. Within minutes they were all riding the hull of the boat directly below us, jumping out now and then too. They are majestic animals and what a way to wake up! The views of the Sound were also amazing as the mist was rising and the sun starting to break through.

Our dream had to end and we had to drive back towards Christchurch - a good 10 hours - as Alans flight was due to leave in 2 days time. It took us 2 days to get back, stopping in Omarama 1 night and driving up to Mount Cook for a 2 hour walk on the way. We couldn't without seeing New Zealands highest peak up close!

We hope we gave Alan a true experience of the way we've been living for the past 6 months as we've been cooking each night, having packed lunches and hardly ever eating out! This as well as the constant driving and changing of accommodation typifies our lifestyle whilst we've been enjoying the wonders of the world! Thanks for coming Alan and we hope you had as good a time as we did!