My last place to visit in the South Island before returning to Christchurch, was Lake Tekapo. I was asleep most of the way there, and woke when we stopped at the Church of the Good Shepherd. This beautifully quaint little church, was surrounded by a sight which may in my mind rival Milford Sounds. An unbelievably turquoise lake, shimmered beside grassland and the ever present snow capped mountains. It was a stunning backdrop for such a picturesque church and full...

After the excitement of Queenstown, anything else would have a serious job to compete and poor Dunedin, probably amazing in its own right, did not live up to it. To be honest I also didn't want it to and did not do much in the way of exploring. I think I needed a place of rest and I chose Dunedin!With the Christmas post date looming, (I know it is only November, but hey I needed to get the presents posted!) I concentrated my efforts on getting my shopping done an...

Leaving the glaciers behind we took a quick spot to view Lake Matheson, known for it's still waters and fabulous mountain reflections. Unfortunately for us the mountains were clouded over and the view not so amazing! Oh well.We carried on to Queenstown, which for a small city is an adventure capital. It was founded when gold was discovered in 1862 and within a year it was a mining town with streets, permanent buildings and a population of several thousand. It was...

It was frustrating for me to stop in Greymouth as the next stop would be the glaciers, and I could barely contain my impatience to get to them. But yet again the bus driver had different ideas and we stopped at the village of Ross, famous for it's gold. The museum there was quaint and we got to have a go at panning for gold. Obviously set up so we would find some gold, it was still good fun and I managed to come away with a few specks. Then I found some jade, odd...

My next compulsory stop was in Greymouth and to be honest there is nothing to report from there. The town was closed as we got there late and I had a relaxing night of lazying in a bath and reading my book. Bliss. However, the route to Greymouth was stunning. After the hike of the day before I was looking forward to relaxing on the bus. Our driver had different ideas. He stopped and announce that we were to get off, walk for an hour along Cape Foulwind and he wou...