Kia Ora everyone

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Well, we are here and after a night in Christchurch we collected our (brand new only 600 Km on clock) Blue Moon Van and set off for a visit to Akoroa, a small peninsula town with French orgins, about sixty kilometres from Christchurch. We walked, visited the museum, ahd delicious fish and chips and freedom camped in down at Le Bons Bay, an even more isolated locations, infact we belived we might have been the only ones there. The next day we set off up hte mountain and through the clouds, on our way to Lake Tekapo, which was brilliant blue due to the glacial waters. We decided the treat outselves to a campsite overlooking the lake, where Joanna and James went on a bike ride (where Joanna fell off!), while we ran around the lake to meet them at the scenic Church of the Good Shepherd.

The next day it was off to Mount Cook, where we again freedom camped in the middle of a vallery along with many other campavans and tents, prior to our walk to the base of MountCook and the terminal face of the Hooker Glacier. We were also joined by a naughty Kea bird who, true to form, attacked our van, with a liking for windscreen wipers and the rubber that holds our windows in! The walk itself lasted about three hours, but was easy going, although we felt very intrepid as we crossed Indian-Jones-type bridges over gushing white glacial-melt streams. Eventually we reached Hooker glacier lake, where there were large drifrting icebergs, freashly fallen from the base of the glacier. Towering above this was Mount Cook, shrouded in cloud until we arrived near its base, when the clouds parted to give usa glimpse of it'ssnow covered, pointed peak.

That's all for now, next stop Dunedin and Milford Sound...
Found lovely little site in Dunedin - so nice we are staying for a second night to have Sunday in town.
Alan and I did a n excellent guided town walk while Jo and Lames visited the Otago Museum which they say is worth another visit. this may take place on Monday (tomorrow) as another glitch in our new van emerged this morning so it is being taken to a van place tomorrow for checking.
Buidings here are strange mix of original 19th century imposing styles (university and cityhall) ,some art deco ones and some downright ugly - new council ofices. The railway staion is wonderful and evn has some granite from Aberdeen to add to local white Omaru stone and dark gey to give a very ornate building - extending to mosaics and stained glass windows - just a shame there are no more trains!!!
It's raining, but still warm!!!

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Photos

New Zealand
Our van heading towards Mount Cook

Brave Ramblers (us)
Crossing the valley of the Hooker Glacier