Can it really be 4 weeks since we picked up the campervan and went off on our epic tour of New Zealand's South Island? Well, seeing as we're back in sunny old Christchurch again with no wheels, it must be true! We had a great time exploring the island, clocking up a whopping 4,500 miles on the way. Admittedly the journey had a couple of less happy moments but over all, it was awesome :-)))))) Apologies to everyone who has been waiting for news of our adventures while we were on the road but we just didn't manage to get over [View Full Entry]

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It's hard to believe that our 4 week stint in the campervan has finally come to an end but today's the day the Fellowship of the Frog must return to its rightful owners at Escape Rentals. Although in many ways we will be glad to no longer have the hassles of finding free campsites and places beyond the realm of the evil, evil sandflies, it was sad to think that another part of our adventure is over. This morning, we shared breakfast with our new Korean friend, Wan, and it seems I have found my long lost Asian twin. Not only [View Full Entry]

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Our final full day in the campervan couldn't have turned out better. The campsite at Amberley Beach was so nice that we couldn't be bothered to pack up again and for once decided to stay put. In the morning, we attempted to go for a walk along the beach but the coarse sand and stones were too loose and it was difficult to get a foothold without sinking right into the beach. It also didn't help that we were both in our sandals but well, the sun was still shining and we were going to milk it for all it was [View Full Entry]

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With our first wedding anniversary safely tucked away, it was time to move on in the campervan once more. Today we followed the advice of the elderly couple we had met by the seal colony a few days ago and headed to Amberley Beach where we were promised a campsite with toilets and electricity for just $8 per night per pitch. Could this be too good to be true? On our way to Amberley, we took a brief detour to Gore Bay to see the Cathedral Cliffs which we marked on our roadmap. It took a while for me to persuade [View Full Entry]

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Who would have thought that already one whole year has passed since Glynn and I got married? It still hasn't quite sunk in that I have a husband nevermind the fact that we're about to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Wonders will never cease. Thankfully our day began with cloudy rather than stormy skies although it was still too grey to get excited about a walk on the beach. Just as I was about to give up on the idea, a dark discolouration in the sea about a kilometer off the shore caught my eye. At first I thought it might [View Full Entry]

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Spending time by the rocks with our very own colony of seals was a wonderful experience even if they didn't do much more than sleep all day long! Before we left our slippery beflippered friends, a friendly elderly couple came over to say hello and admire the Fellowship of the Frog. They had also camped at the picnic site last night and were kind enough to recommend a couple of free and cheap places to camp before our return to Christchurch. Excellent. As we were in need of a shower again, we took ourselves down the road towards Kaikoura and our [View Full Entry]

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With only about 2 hours' drive to Christchurch and 5 nights still remaining of our campervan rental, for once we didn't move on too far. The makeshift campsite we used last night was nothing special so we were delighted when no more than about 20 minutes down the road, we found a picnic area that looked promising. There were no facilities but the rocky terrain reminded me of the areas where we had spotted seals from the train on our way down to Christchurch before. Pulling over by the waterfront, I went off to investigate. It didn't take me long to [View Full Entry]

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We had no idea what to expect from our latest location at Robin Hood Bay as we had arrived so very late last night when it was so very dark. In the moonlight we could at least see a rocky looking beach and we could hear the roar of the waves as they lashed the shore all through the night. It was much calmer when we woke up this morning so we couldn't resist a stroll around the bay. With barely a grain of sand in sight, the beach was really nothing more than a big collection of chunky stones. The [View Full Entry]

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You might be forgiven for thinking that today's blog has something to do with everyon'e favourite Shrove Tuesday meal but the pancake reference is in fact all about our visit to the rather interesting Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki on the west coast of South Island. Yesterday's bad weather continued all through the night and into the morning so we weren't hopeful for a good experience of the Pancake Rocks. Just made our way over to the popular tourist attraction after having to check out by 10am, the rain stopped and the sun began to peek through the broken clouds. At first, [View Full Entry]

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Both Glynn and I have always been good, honest, law-abiding citizens all our lives yet today we found ourselves doing something completely out of character - but worry not for although what we did this morning was not exactly the right thing, we were a far cry from doing anything illegal. Let me explain... It all started when we woke up this morning and Glynn went to the toilet. Just as he left the van, I noticed a pickup truck pull up and someone got out. When Glynn returned he told me that the woman from the truck was carrying a [View Full Entry]

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