We left Queenstown and headed off to see Mt Cook Village, stopping overnight at a dodgy camp in Twizel. After a nice lunch at the Old Mountaineer's Cafe in Mt Cook Village (which the late Sir Edmund Hillary frequented) we decided to make our way toward Christchurch, staying over night at Timaru, on the east coast. Once we'd got to Christchurch, we realised that we'd arrived at our final destination somewhat prematurely, given that we still had 4 weeks left, and that lots of visitors to NZ manage to tour both North and South Islands in that time. We decided to go and find our hearts (and Jo & To's!) where we'd left them, back in Arrowtown. Back for some more gold panning and fudge! And as today is our 2nd wedding anniversary the Lichmeister decided ... read more

After spending a smashing few days at Fox Glacier with the Dotty Duo, Jo & Tony, (so called as their van, 'Dotty', has red, blue and yellow dots painted all over it - can't miss them driving around NZ!) we parted company, us heading south to Wanaka, Jo & To north to Hokitika to see Billy's cousins at the Shining Star. Wanaka was windy. Very pretty lake and spectacular views, with the most amazing Toy & Transport Museum - a really incredible collection of old cars, fire engines, aircraft, Barbie dolls, Star Wars figures etc. And Puzzling World, a bizarre place with an outdoor maze (challenging, but we got fed up after the first 10 minutes and used an 'emergency exit' to get out) and a 'tilted house' with a sloping floor that warps your sense ... read more

We spent a couple of days in Hokitika, a small town just south of Greymouth, staying at the Shining Star Holiday Park, a pleasant beach-side campsite with fancy log cabins and nicely landscaped grounds. They have a small farmlet there, home to some of Billy's cousins, a couple of sulky (bored?) alpacas, a few pigs, and several chickens let loose around the grounds, free to feed on whatever they can muster from the campervans. Oh, and not forgetting Moby (Steve's name for him), a huge St Bernard who dribbles everywhere and who would have one of those chicken if he could move fast enough. In the evening, we had a look at the glow-worm dell across the road from the campsite. The larvae emit a bright light to attract insects which get caught in the sticky ... read more

We've been staying at the Top 10 campsite in Motueka, a small town not far from the southern section of the Abel Tasman National Park. It's a good base from which to venture into the park and the main high street has the necessary shops, including the lovely Patisserie Royale selling home-made lush cakes, pies and bread - beats Brumby's (the Antipodean Greggs) hands down. We decided to book one of the boat trips suggested by the staff at the campsite reception, but didn't bother to check the weather forecast! We woke up to pouring rain, but caught the mini-bus, nonetheless, from the campsite to Kaiteriteri and boarded the Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle for the 'Discovery Day' trip. The trip comprised a cruise to Totaranui, viewing seals and 'Split-Apple Rock' along the way, with a drop-off ... read more

We boarded the ferry at lunchtime, after waiting in the van for about an hour, in what seemed to be a bit of a disorganised queue. It's amazing how all those vans and caravans and cars and trucks managed to squash into that space on the ferry. They do 3 crossings a day, so they know what they're doing. And as the ferry started to move out of Wellington Harbor, I remembered why it wouldn't be a good idea for us to build a yacht and sail around the world. Apart from not knowing what bits of a boat go where or how to sail, I'm not convinced I'd ever develop sea-legs. It was a calm crossing however, despite the blowing wind and rain. We arrived 3 and a half hours later, after Steve had given ... read more