Drive up to Christchurch was lovely, going through mostly farmland, but very often with a roaring sea just off to the right. And thankfully, no rain!! Took about an hour to get to Moeraki to go see the boulders. My only mistake really was parking in the official car park, should have parked up by the cafe, it's a much shorter walk. Never mind, trudged up the beach for about 10 mins, only to realise I had timed my visit to coincide with a bunch of students on a g...

Alas for Dunedin, much belittled by the weather. Sunday in Te Anau was wet, windy and miserable, as only a wet sunday in a tourist town at the end of the season can be. It was not a day for outdoor adventures or exploration, especially as I have little or nothing in the way of serious wet (and jolly chilly) weather clothing. Yes, I did expect to get rained on occasionally and a little cold, but I did not expect freezing temperatures!! Woke up Sunday craving a f...

The locals were wrong. Milford Sound is far superior to Doubtful Sound, as a day trip. Today the weather was glorious and I think I have run out of adjectives and superlatives to describe just how beautiful it was today. To quote one of my favourite authors "I need better words"! (Answers on a postcard, prizes for correct author, book and character - and shame on you if you have to look it up!!). It dawned a bit overcast and misty - yes Dad, I was up with the da...

Did hit the foyer, where you get a quick 25MB free of internet, which my antiviral update used up in a flash, so just went ahead and bought a chunk of megabytes so I could just get on with it!! Up reasonably early for Doubtful Sound, a cosy 8.30am pick up for what several locals had assured me was the better of the two trips. It is certainly a long day!! Got bussed to Manapuori where we have a about an hour long cruise across Lake Wakatipu, to the Manapouri Powe...

Another gentle drive today, down to Te Anau, which is a couple of hours drive down to the Fiordlands, where you can access Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Stopped off on the way at this lovely little café, right in the middle of nowhere, for a fab muffin and coffee and then got to Te Anau. My hotel is right by the lake and for the first time in the south island, I don't have a balcony or a very good view, which is a bit of a shame really, was getting very u...