Hi all, What a funny day today...NOT! Left Motueka early for the long drive to Kaikoura as had a booking at 3pm to go out on a boat and see Whales. Kaikoura is about 150kms north of Christchurch and is famour for Whale and Dolphin Watching, as they are abundant in this area. This is because the sea is extremely deep (1600 meters) really close tot he shore and so has all the things that these mammals feed on! The drive was interesting as the scenery changed f...

Hi Everyone, Up really early today with a painful back...I must write to Toyota Motor Co and ask them to make the seats easier to sleep in. Went into town at 7am and found a place open and had a cooked breakfast.....just the thing to kick start my heart and the day!! 8.30am...checked in for the "Dolphin Encounter"....so what is this??? Basically 12/16 of you go out on a small catamaran from the Harbour and go about 1 mile offshore to where the sea...

Back in the car early in the mornign to drive from Westport to Moetuka, which is the gateway for the eastern side of the Abel Tasman National Park. Only got a day here whihch is a shame, as the countryside is stunning with tropical plants and absolutely golden desesrted beaches. You can walk the park in 3/4 days and stopping in designated campsite areas within the park. It was a shame I didnt have longer here. Still, I tried to do as much as I could as the weat...

Left Frans Joseph today and drove along the West Coast towards Westport. I really fantasic drive through the the semi tropical vegitation and the road hugs the coastline most of the way so you get some fantastic views of the Tasman Sea. Stopped at an old Gold Mine for a bit of real touristy sightseeing, as it was this area in the 1890s that had the "Gold Rush". Also saw the pancake rocks and blowhole formations at Punakaiki and took quite a few photo...

l left Mount Cook this morning for the painful 6 hour drive onto the West Coast to see the Fox and Frans Joseph Glaciers. I say the drive is painful beacause its so long and at the end , you end up on the other side of mount cook about 15kms from where you started "as the crow flies" The landscape changes are amazing, and the West Coast gets a huge amount of rain and so the vegitation is quasi tropical. Really lucky with the weather as it was beautif...