3rd March 2009 - CYCLING TO HARIHARI.....OH MY - THOSE HILLS!!! We left Hokitika and headed south - or so we hoped. There were no sign posts leading out of Hokitika and so we just pedalled over the bridge and hoped we’d got it right. It was a 50-50...not such bad odds! I didn’t feel too bad today - well better than on the first day anyway and apart from the bum and crotch area hurting after the first 5 minutes, the rest of me felt strong. Good job too as we had a fair way to go! It was 26km [View Full Entry]

---

---

2nd March 2009 - Quiet day and Evening Sunset!! We arrived in Hokitika at around lunchtime. It seemed like a very quiet town. Bigger than Arthurs but as the sun was shining we wanted something more to do than sit inside and read....Hokitika didn’t offer it!! The biggest attraction was a clock and it wasn’t anything like Big Ben! Our hostel was weird too. It was above a Jade shop (town famous for Jade) and there were only 5 other people staying there with all the rest of the rooms empty. It had a very empty feel and was not at [View Full Entry]

---

---

1st March 2009 - RAINBOWS, MORE RAIN & DEVILS PUNCHBOWL!!! I slept ok and when I woke the drip drip drip had almost stopped. Fair enough I had spent the night in a cold wooden hut with a leaky roof but at least there weren't any snorers!! Always looking on the brightside!! When my alarm went off at 7am I did not want to get out of bed at all and neither did Nat but we had to. I made a move to another hut to get showered...big mistake!!! After seeing the rusty pipe attached to the wall with a rusty [View Full Entry]

---

---

27th February 2009 - GOODBYE DORA & ORGANISING OUR NEW MODE OF TRANSPORT!!! As I drove into Christchurch it looked pretty different to the other cities we had been to. More run down I suppose but we were on the outskirts and I suppose it will have been like all the rest in the centre. We found our hostel pretty much straight away...Cokers. It was really cheap and when we got there we realised why....it was like being in Blackpool!! The floors were uneven, the carpets had vivid 1960s patterns on them, the whole place was decorated with the worst borders [View Full Entry]

---

---

26th February 2009 - HOT POOLS IN HANMER.....LUSH!!! Nat drove us to Hanmer Springs. It was a dry sunny day and so the scenery was back on top form!! Awesome!! It took a couple of hours to get there and surprisingly I managed to stay awake for the journey despite a distinct lack of sleep the previous night!! Hanmer was a pretty small town....a few shops, a library, some gardens and the reason we had gone.....Hanmer Springs Spa!! Relaxation coming up!! First things first, we checked into the hostel...another YHA. Once again it was a home from home. Clean and tidy, [View Full Entry]

---

---

25th February 2009 - SEALS GALORE & SPECIAL POSTCARDS HOME!!! The drive to Kaikoura was somewhat awful!! I was so so tired and my ipod only lasted for the first half hour on what turned out to be a 4 hour drive. I was ok to begin with but as time went on my eyes became itchy and heavy and despite all my efforts they kept trying to close. I looked for some matchsticks but there weren't any around and I was really struggling. I couldn't really say anything as Nat drove yesterday and it was definitely my turn today. The [View Full Entry]

---

---

24th February 2009 - MEETING GEORGE, DAMN THOSE SAND FLIES & SCRUMMY PANCAKES!!! We got up around 6 and were quiet as mice as we got dressed and got our things ready for our day out at Abel Tasman National park. Didn't wake anyone up I don't think either such considerate people that we are!! Once we had eaten breakfast and made our packed lunches for the day (yoghurt included) we got in the car and were on the road before 7am. Nats turn to drive today so I just took in the view. Once again it was magnificent and like [View Full Entry]

---

---

22nd February 2009 - THE FERRY RIDE & ON TO NELSON!!! The Ferry ride was good though we couldn't sit outside for long as the wind would have knocked us off the boat. Nat still didn't feel too good from the night before in wellington and so we found a seat in front of the big screen ready for a movie and didn’t move much. I found my way to the café to buy a brew and by the time I came back Nat was asleep. I joined her and we both missed the whole of the first film!! When I [View Full Entry]

---

---

21st February 2009 - CARNIVAL ME UP!!!! I woke up at around 7am, tossed and turned in bed for a while trying to get comfy and then after about half an hour I gave in and got up!! I went down for some cereal & a cuppa and then sat in the kitchen area reading my book for an hour. So considerate of me not to wake the others up in the room especially when it is a rubbish book. Perseverance is key though and I was determined to finish it. At around 9am I went up and got showered and [View Full Entry]

---

---

19th February 2009 - Le TAPA MUSEUM & NOT LOSING AT MONOPOLY!!! We found our way to Wellington pretty well and arrived at around 3pm at the YHA hostel where we had booked 3 nights. Disappointed as there was no car park at the hostel but we parked nearby to unload our stuff, checked in and the moved the car to the waterfront for $5 over the 3 days...not too bad!! Wellington seemed nice but again pretty small for a city and not really built up at all!! It was a city on the waterfront...not quite like Sydney but I liked [View Full Entry]

---

---