FloPau

Our travels are now coming to an end, and here we are now at Auckland airport awaiting our flight to Seoul, Korea and then on to London. After the hot pools a few days ago, we went to see my old friend Chris from university, who now lives near Christchurch. We had a great night catching up, and it was nice to have a proper bed after the weeks in the campervan! Yesterday we dropped the van off in Christchurch (sad to see it go, but happy to get back to proper showers and beds!) and then caught a flight over to Auckland where we stayed last night. Had some great sushi (again) and wondered the shops. So that's it, the adventure is coming to a close. New Zealand is truly a wonderful place, and we've ... read more

We're now near Queenstown after a couple of contrasting days in and around Milford Sound. We arrived into the Milford area a couple of days ago, and stayed in a basic, but fantastic camp spot next to a stream and fields of purple/blue/pink flowers (flora doesn't know what they are called). The sun was out, and we had a lovely evening. The next day we drove into Milford Sound, which is actually a fjord, and is very impressive. Unfortunately the weather was very grey and there were a lot of sand flies around! Worse though, was the amount of planes and helicopters taking off - literally around one a minute for the scenic tours. The sound of the engines was really distracting and Milford Sound seemed a little disappointing. Later that evening we went on a ... read more

Well its been a few days since we've been in touch, so firstly Happy New Year to you all! We entered the new year 13 hours ahead of you this year, and have had a great 2012 so far. We have lots of news to catch up on since we last blogged. On our last morning in Kaikoura, we woke to a grey day which promised drizzle so we pressed on towards Christchurch and found a motel on the outskirts of the city before picking up the campervan the next morning. During our stay there were 2 small earthquakes - one at 10:50pm, which we felt, and apparently another at 5am. Only lasting a few seconds, but still quite an experience. So we were fairly glad to collect the camper and leave the city the next ... read more

Another driving day, as we drove from Golden Bay in the north of the South Island to Kaikoura on the east coast. We passed through very varied scenery - beaches and mountains and vineyards and coastal cliffs. We stopped for lunch at 'The Mussel Pot' in Havelock for some HUGE green lipped mussels which are the speciality of the town - Paul had his grilled with cheese and bacon, whereas mine were boiled in garlic and white wine. And then on to Kaikoura, famous for its wildlife. We saw some seals basking in the sunshine this afternoon and have booked a whale watching trip for tomorrow. You can also pay to swim with sharks if the mood takes you. Weather is still sunny - car's thermometer got to 26 degrees C today, but looks like tomorrow ... read more

Hey Everyone, we have just heard the news about the earthquake in Christchurch today. We are fine and were on the north island at the time. We crossed to the south island this afternoon though we're still some distance from Christchurch -beautiful ferry crossing in the sunshine.During the crossing we were related to the full range of emergency drills for the crew, which involved demonstrating the abandon ship klaxon and rescuing an imaginary casualty from the sea. You'll be glad to know that they passed the test with flying colours. On our way to Richmond for the night. Happy Christmas, F & P. xxx... read more