And so began the mammoth journey back up north! At the start of the trip we stopped in a couple of villages - Clyde and Naseby, which are known for their historic feel they have managed to retain with a real 'gold-rush' appearance. To break up the journey through plain fields we then decided to take the alternative route to a town called Oamaru over 'Danseys Pass'. Described as a way to 'wind your way through spectacular scenery' we headed on up, before realising the unsealed road wasn't ending and that it would continue to be a bumpy, narrow, winding gravel mountain road, signposted as only recommended for 4-wheel drives, for the next 20km. 20km isn't very far to drive...except when you drive the whole distance at about 14km/h; yes the scenery was pretty but not worth the 1.5 hour crawl around the mountains in Barry! That evening we camped up for free at a spot overlooking the beach in Oamaru, before waking up to the sound of crashing waves and the sight of surfers racing out to catch the early morning crests the next day.

That day we begun our journey west to visit Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in Australasia at 3755m high, although being more of an ice climb at points than a hike, and having claimed more than 70 lives since 1907, we decided just to admire this one rather than add it to our array of hikes! About an hour before Mount Cook Village we stopped at 'Lake Pukakai', with its ultrablue waters glistening in the afternoon sun and reflecting the picture-perfect view of Mt Cook and its surrounding peaks. Having not showered the previous night at our free campground, with the sun beating down, and observing others swimming in the lake seemingly without suffering from hypothermia, we couldn't resist jumping in. Swimming through the beautiful coloured still water with the backdrop of snow-capped Mt Cook was an amazing experience! After our refreshing dip we carried on to Mt Cook Village where we had dinner at the 'Old Mountaineers Restaurant' which Sophie's sister had recommended from when she went years ago on her travels. After stuffing ourselves we stayed at a DOC basic campsite, 'White Horse Hill Camping', where the Mt Cook and surrounding snow topped peaks glowed around us, interspersed with a bursting star-filled sky. Pretty exhausted from the two long treks we'd previously done, we decided just to do a couple of short walks to explore the area, the first being a 50 minute return walk to 'Lake Tasman', home to a dozen icebergs floating around in it, having sheared off the nearby 'Tasman Glacier'. The second walk we undertook was the 'Hooker Valley' hike, a three hour return walk up the Hooker Valley (not sure where it got that name from), crossing a few swing bridges, to the terminus of the 'Hooker Glacier' where Mt Cook completely dominates the valley. Unfortunately whilst at the viewpoint, the very peak of the mountain was covered with a layer of cloud, but nonetheless Mt Cook looked like a pretty daunting challenge!

Later that afternoon we excitedly made our way to 'Dunsandel' to stay with Bess (Wolffe) who we had met on the Milford Track and who had kindly offered for us to stay with her for a few days, along with her husband Ethel. Bess met us in the village to lead us back through a maze of country roads to her house and dairy farm. On the journey Bess, in her 4-wheel drive, kept mounting the grass rather than go along the dusty gravel road, so we tried to follow her tentatively in our not so 4 wheel drive van! It wasn't till the end we realised she might just be doing that to stop all the dust obscuring our view behind her...that was exactly what she had been doing she clarified bemused when we reached her house. After being introduced to Bess' husband, Ethel, and much to Sophie's delight, their cat and new kitten that Ethel had found in a paddock, we enjoyed chatting over some beer and wine, and were treated to dinner and pudding! That night we enjoyed real luxury with our own bedroom and bathroom - bliss!

Next morning, after a fantastic comfortable sleep, we woke up at 7am to go and see the cows being milked. Bess and Ethel owned a dairy farm of 1000 cows, which their son now ran, and milking was a twice a day process! Setting off down to the milking shed in our flip flops, we weren't sure that we had made the right footwear decision! After meeting with their English manager, Frank, we wandered around the milking shed, watching the cows come in from the field, get rotated around a big revolving platform whilst being milked by machine and munching away on some food in the middle, before backing out of the shed and bolting back into the field. Although proving interesting to see the whole process, we confirmed that flip flops weren't the right footwear! Returning to the house, we were welcomed by the smell of freshly baked golden syrup biscuits, and tucked into a big breakfast. Later that morning, Bess and Ethel offered to take us out to the nearby Akaroa Peninsula, NZ's first French settlement. On the way we stopped at Little River to look at some local crafts and Bess treated us to an ice-cream; on a strict budget an ice cram is a real treat for us! On arrival in Akaroa, the town had a real French village feel to it, with lots of French street names and charming cottages, overlooking the waterfront lined with palm trees. Here we stopped for lunch at a small French style cafe, where we were once again treated, this time to a yummy corn fritter, bacon, and salad stack! After an enjoyable lunch whiled away, chatting about ballroom dancing, whisky, and losing wallets, we headed back home to relax and had a chance to update some blog. That evening Bess made a delicious dinner of home-made corned beef cooked in the slow cooker, with mustard sauce, accompanied by more wine for the girls and whisky for the boys after their daytime chat! Heading to bed suitably full again, we knew it was going to be a struggle going back to live in Barry!

Our final day staying at Bess' we were packed off for the day with freshly home-made chocolate chip cookies and fruit to explore Christchurch, post the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes which brought much of the city to the ground. Originally the most English of NZ's cities, the area now appeared to be trying to add a modern and innovative twist to its heritage. One part has developed into a mish-mash of temporary shops and cafes made from 'Container Ship' crates, adding a real quirky identity. Whilst much of the city is still rubble, a lot of spaces have been converted into community art projects and it feels like Christchurch will have an interesting future in which to develop. Returning to Bess and Ethel's we spent the rest of the afternoon waxing our well worn hiking boots and sorting out Barry for the road ahead the next day. That evening, while Ethel was out playing bowls, Bess and Sophie thought it rude not to finish off a bottle of wine, and we all tucked into a chicken and salad dinner with Bess' infamous thick salad dressing. Although we were worried about not leaving enough for when Ethel returned, Bess insisted he would find something to eat so we once again had our fill! On Ethel's return we showed him and Bess a selection of our blog photos so far before heading to bed for our final nights sleep there!

After a nice big breakfast and Bess handing us more freshly cooked oat biscuits, fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine for Easter, along with the recipes for her salad dressing and corned beef that Sophie had requested, we had to say a sad goodbye. Bess and Ethel's hospitality and easy welcome into their home had been so lovely, and we had truly been spoilt with delicious food, wine, a comfy bed, hot showers, and a washing machine!! We'd thoroughly enjoyed their kind and interesting company and chats, and felt refreshed and ready to continue off on our travels!

That afternoon we headed north for a brief stop in Kaikoura, a pretty coastal town, and stopped for lunch on the beach, munching through far too many of our biscuits! With our ferry booked to take us up to the North Island for the next day, we continued up to the port town of Picton where we freedom camped for the night. Next morning, slightly depressed to be living back out of the discomfort of Barry, we treated ourselves to a custard slice from the bakery, on Bess' recommendation...it didn't disappoint. We also finally got round to trying 'green-lipped mussels', a Kiwi favourite of massive mussels, in a coconut sauce served with ciabatta bread. Trevor loved them, and even Sophie, who normally cannot stomach mussels, admitted that they were pretty tasty! Heading off for the ferry we were looking forward to seeing what the North island would bring, and the differences to the South Island on which we had spent the last 6 weeks (2 weeks longer than planned), and which we had loved and been blown away with for its awesome natural beauty and the kindness of its people.