The final leg of our trip around the South Island is a 2 hour drive back to Christchurch, our starting point 10 days ago. We left Hamner Springs mid morning after a breakfast at a local cafe. We return to Highway 7 to take us across the Canturbury Plains back into Christchurch. Just a few kms out of Hamner Springs we crossed the Waiau Bridge high above the Waiau River in a deep canyon below. An extreme adventure company operates bungee jumping from a platform in the middle of the bridge, and is renowned for one the best "white water" rafting [View Full Entry]

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Our day started with an early morning walk along Picton's waterfront and marina, where we seen the Inter Island ferry off on its voyage to the North Island. It was very encouraging to see a clear sunny sky after the rain and overcast conditions yesterday. After an hour or so it was time to begin our journey down the east coast. A short drive from Picton is Blenheim, the Marlbrough district largest town. The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry. It enjoys one of New Zealand’s sunniest climates, with hot, relatively [View Full Entry]

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Rain was still falling as we awoke early to a very bleak morning in Reefton. After a quick breakfast, we were on the road bright and early for the four hour long drive to Picton, on the north east coast, where we are taking the afternoon "mail run" cruise on Queen Charlotte Sound. As we left Reefton the evidence of the heavy overnight rain became obvious with minor floods on the road as water flowed from the saturated hills and paddocks. Luckily we allowed ourselves ample time for the trip because this was going to be a real challenge in the [View Full Entry]

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Awoke to another fine sunny morning at Fox Glacier Holiday Park. Because we arrived so late the previous night, it was a pleasant surprise to step outside the motorhome to the magnificent vistas of the snowed capped mountains surrounding the small township of Fox Glacier. The Fox Glacier Holiday Park was under extensive renovations, the recently opened new amenities centre were absolutely first class, as were the spacious motorhome sites that surrounded the centre. Each site had easy access to all amenities. We had breakfast, and I went to the office to pay for our site, after spending 20 mi [View Full Entry]

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Another day, another sub zero morning, this time in Queenstown, a centre for adventure tourism.Queenstown is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin lake shaped like a staggered lightning bolt, and has spectactular views of nearby mountains. Skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, mountain biking, tramping and fly fishing are all strong promotional themes. Queenstown is a major centre for snow sports in New Zealand, with people from all over the country and many parts of the world travelling to ski at the four main mountain skifields (Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remar [View Full Entry]

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Having booked tickets for a 11am cruise on Milford Sound it was imperative we got an early start. Eventhough Milford is only 120kms north Te Anau, we were advised to allow at least two hours driving time due to the winding road and possible weather conditions. Before we left Te Anau we stopped for breakfast at very nice bakery, in the main street a large digital clock/thermometer advised us it was minus three degrees, and it sure did feel like it...it was freezing. It is Saturday morning, so it is no wonder we were the only ones on the street at [View Full Entry]

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Another cold, but beautiful morning greeted us we awoke in Wanaka. After "dumping" the waste from the motorhome, we returned to Ardmore St for breakfast and another look around fabulous Wanaka before we continued our journey. Yesterday afternoon as we drove pass the Wanaka Airport about 10kms out of the town, Brett noticed a "Toy and Transport Museum", he is an avid model car collector, so he pestered me to stop off and take a look today. We planned to spend about half an hour wandering around the museum, but it was so interesting we stayed for nearly two hours, well [View Full Entry]

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With heater running all night, we awoke next morning to a warm comfortable motorhome. That was until I opened the door and stepped outside onto a layer of lovely white fresh snow, and the temperature touching around minus three degrees. Even though it was so cold, the sun was shining bright causing the snow to melt very quickly. With such a beautiful morning, we were anxious to get on the road early to take full advantage of the magnificent weather we were lucky to be experiencing. After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to Mt Cook. The road out [View Full Entry]

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With a beautiful sunrise over the delightful Akaroa, it was disappointing to move on from this piece of paradise. The only way out of Akaroa was to return the same route almost back to Christchurch, with the morning sun glistering on Lake Elesmere with the snow covered Southern Alps as a backdrop it was absolutely stunning.Reaching the outskirts of Christchurch, we turned off to Lincoln and then Rolleston where we turned on to Highway 1 to begin our journey down the east coast to the coastal city, Timaru. We drove only about 35kms before we arrived at the small town, Rakaia, [View Full Entry]

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Awoke early to cold frosty morning. Enjoyed a hearty breakfast, considering nothing to eat yesterday. I inquired as to the proximity of Apollo Rentals to our hotel to be told "just around the corner"Decided to walk to Apollo rentals to pick up our 6 berth Euro Deluxe motorhome that will be our accomodation for the next two weeks.... 1 hour and three "k" later walking in sub zero tempratures, I found said depot...yer, right "just around the corner".... thank's a lot!!!! After going through all the BS to actually rent one of these units, I finally drove out of their driveway. [View Full Entry]

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