We left Te Anau and headed north towards Queenstown arriving quite early as it was not too far and the roads were fairly quiet. As we approached the town, stunning Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains came into view as we skirted the edge of the huge lake. The aptly named Remarkables and the Eyre Mountains form a breathtaking backdrop to this town which has become a popular tourist destination particularly for those seeking ‘adventures’ which has seen the town grow quite rapidly compared to other towns. We planned to stay in much smaller Arrowtown nearby as we had been recommended a campsite on the edge of the town by someone we had met in Oamaru. Arrowtown is just like being in a living museum, the feeling of being transported back to another time is instant ... read more

We were going to leave the motorhome at the campsite at Manapouri for our overnight cruise along the Doubtful Sound but when we walked down to the jetty (called Pearl Harbour) the night before we noticed an overnight ‘free’ carpark and was told that it was quite safe to leave it here. As we would have a long walk to the jetty with our overnight bag we decided that was what we would do. There are only about three regular boats that travel along Doubtful Sound, one takes 60 passengers and the other two 14. We decided to go with the latter and chose a boat called M.V. Tutoko II. Doubtful Sound is the second largest of Fiordland National Park’s 14 fiords and the deepest at 421m. It is three times larger than Milford Sound due ... read more

The Catlins Coast is an untamed corner of New Zealand off the beaten track and not visited by many tourist but for nature at its best, the Catlins has a lot to offer so we intend to spend some time in this area. The region’s namesake was a ship’s captain who regularly traded with Australia. Edward Cattlin purchased a huge tract of land from local Maori in 1840. However authorities later reduced his claim and did not formally transfer title until 1873. This was a bit late for Captain Cattlin as he had died in Sydney 17 years earlier. Still his name has survived although with a slight modification to the spelling. We set off early with every intention of stopping along the rugged Otago coastline at Nugget Point but found that the road was in ... read more

We arrived in Tekapo around mid morning after a lovely journey through the countryside. Lake Tekapo is a turquoise glacial lake reflecting the surrounding mountains and right by the lake edge is the simple Church of the Good Shepherd, built in stone and oak. The church was built in 1935 as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country and services are still held on a regular basis. Because of the picturesque setting with views of the mountains through the altar window the church has become a popular wedding location for tourist particularly those from Japan and whilst we were there a wedding party did indeed arrive. We had a chat with the local custodian of the church and he said that they had two weddings scheduled that day and quite a few during the ... read more

Well we did arrive safely in South Island in the end….. derelict buildings from the last whaling station in the country could be seen just inside the entrance to the Tory Channel, it closed in 1964 ending more than 50 years of pursuit of the migratory humpback whale. Its hard to believe but even today few ‘Sounds’ residents enjoy the luxury of road access to their homes, with boats still the main mode of transport, even mail and doctors come by boat (which we were to participate in later). This is Marlborough (not the Wiltshire market town) justifiably famous for its breathtaking beauty, and of course its wine! Encompassing one-sixth of New Zealand’s coastline, the Marlborough Sounds are made up of four main waterways – the Queen Charlotte Sound, Pelorus Sound, Kenepuru Sound and Mahau Sound, ... read more