We left Queenstown early in the rain and it was the only place that we didn't get picked up right outside the accommodation door - typical. It took 2 hours to Te Anau and then another 2 hours to reach Milford Sound. From Te Anau to Milford Sound the scenery was spectacular and the Saddle over Homers Tunnel was unbelievable. After the tunnel we dropped into Milford but because of mist and rain you couldn't see where you were going only down into the mist from a great height. By the time we got on the boat the rain had stopped but, to our advantage, the rain had caused the waterfalls to be flowing. On the cruise we saw seals and then dolphins with their young. On the way back to Te Anau we had sunshine which made the trip completely different being basked in sun rather than in cloud.

Te Anau was a lovely village set beside a Lake and we did 2 or 3 walks around the Lake area, we also found a very good pub/restaurant that did roast meals for 7 pounds - lovely. We have now travelled by Scenic Travel on the back roads to Invercargill where we had changed our itinerary to give us a night in Invercargill. This allowed us with a bit of juggling and negotiation to virtually get off our bus at 10.15am, check into accommodation and onto the ferry shuttle for the 1/2 hour drive to Bluff to catch the 11.30 ferry to Stewart Island. The trip over was rather rough, Tony says it was not too bad, and cloudy with mist so we didn't really see Stewart Island till we were well into the harbour. The main town of Oban didn't have much but we enjoyed our stay and walk round. Tourist information recommended a fish restaurant which turned out to be a blue caravan but the meal was good and we caught the 6pm ferry back. Soon after we had landed on Stewart Island the sun had come out so the return journey was very calm and we could virtually see the Island all the way back to Bluff. The main thing we remember Invercargill for was that they still had ALL the Xmas decorations up.

Next morning we set off on the Catlins Coaster and there were only 4 of us and we saw lovely beaches, sea lions, penguins, seals, fossilised trees, waterfalls and forest reclamation (within 100m you could see 300 years growth from a lake, moss, first trees to established forest). Brian the driver gave a commentary all the while which was very informative and dropped us at our accommodation in Dunedin. Sunday being the next day we took the Tieri Gorge Railway to Middlemarch, again a sunny day so spectacular views. When we left Dunedin we had to climb Balfour Street which is the Steepest Street in the World. Thea thought the bus might go to the top to pick us up but no he stayed at the bottom. Tony found a seat near the top to recuperate before going down again the worst bit. Then there was a souvenir shop at the bottom selling certificates, so we got one.

Our next stop was Lake Tekapo where we had a cabin looking across the Lake, next to the site was a newly opened hot pools which we sat in looking out across the Lake to the southern alps. We took a night trip up Mt St John to an observatory where you could see the Milky Way in all its glory a sight not to be missed but cold. We moved onto Christchurch where we met up with Thea's golf friends for a nice evening out and we also did walks round Lyttleton and a day out to Akaroa a French settlement on the peninsular. The next stop was a wash out, we had gone to Hanmer Springs for the hot pools which we had heard were very good, but it rained and rained and rained, so we didn't bother and left the next day. Kaikora, our next stop is the Whale watching centre and when we arrive the weather was sunny but windy and looked as if it could change any minute. We found out that the Whale boats hadn't been out for 2 1/2 days so we took a helicopter flight to see the whales. We actually saw 2 whales, the last one we saw was diving with his tail coming up.

The next day was our last day in South Island and we made our way to the ferry, as we had flown across previously we were now sailing. It was a lovely sunny day but a bit windy although we managed to stay on the sundeck all the way to Wellington. It is quite spectacular the way it carves through Marlborough Sound.

To be continued in North Island.