Well my last blog entry for 2011, and it's a soggy one. It started raining on the last day in Kaikora. Luckily I did the long walk on the first day there, and just did some shopping the next morning before the rain really started. So I did my laundry and went to the supermarket to avoid the rain. Ohh the glamour! Yesterday I got the Magic Bus and decided to stay on to Picton, as Blenheim has vineyards and not much else! We left in the rain, we arrived in the ra...

After an incredibly long walk to the bus stop I caught the bus to Akaroa. It was so nice to see the blue bay coming in to view over the mountains! We arrived in the town - a small French looking bay - in the hot sunshine. On the way in I saw a hostel I hadn't seen in any books and I trundled along there. They had rooms over Xmas! Joy. But I would be the only one there as they had a cancellation, and it was expensive. Not so good. I waited around to be picked ...

Well after 2 flights (the first being more traumatic than the second) I got to NZ. Coming out of the airport to a cool breeze was so good. I caught a local bus into town that dropped me off at the end of the road my hostel was on. Easy. I thought. But as I started to walk down the road it became more and more apparent that the road was becoming less passable. And eventually it was blocked off. Due to the earthquake in February the whole town centre is blocked of...