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Published: September 21st 2007
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On Thursday 30 August we caught our 8am bus to Wanaka but the weather wasn’t great so we made few stops. We did stop to stare at a rapid for a few minutes and then look up at a mountain which gave a ‘trippy’ effect of the mountain moving. After stopping for lunch, we continued driving to Wanaka and arrived at 3pm. I spent the afternoon walking around the town and enjoying the views of the lake and the mountains. I returned to our hotel and had a couple of beers with Ian and Javier in the bar before spending the rest of the evening in our room listening to music. On Friday morning, we went to Puzzling World where we wandered around the illusion house before attempting to find all four corners of the maze. We then drove to Queenstown, stopping at Kawarau Bridge where we watched people doing their bungy jumps. After checking into the YHA, we watched Dumb & Dumber in our room and then went to Ferburger for dinner before walking around the town. On Saturday morning we woke up at 7am and took a bus to the Remarkables Ski Resort. After getting all of our gear,
we eased into it with a couple of runs on the green slopes before hitting the blue slope. We caught the 1pm bus back to Queenstown and checked into Pinewood Lodge where we chilled out for the afternoon. After dinner and a couple of beers in our apartment, we went out drinking in a few different bars and got home at 5am. We woke up at 9am on Sunday and took the bus to Coronet Peak Ski Resort where there were a number of slopes open. After a great day of skiing we took the 2.30pm bus back to Queenstown where we chilled out in the apartment for the afternoon. That night we went to the cinema to watch Bourne Ultimatum and got home at 11.30pm. On Monday we went to Coronet Peak again but I struggled to ski as my legs were hurting so much from the previous two days on the slopes. In the afternoon I did my laundry and spent a couple of hours on the internet before returning to the apartment at 8pm for dinner. On Tuesday, we caught our 8.30am bus to Dunedin, stopping on the way to view the massive Clyde Dam. We arrived
in Dunedin at 12.30pm and drove to Baldwin Street - the world’s steepest (in Guinness Book of World Records). At 3pm we went on a tour at Cadbury World where we received lots of free chocolate while being shown around the factory - mmmm.. heaven!! Then we went to the Speight’s Ale House for a couple of pints before going on the 6pm Speight’s Brewery Tour. The best bit of the tour was at the end where we were allowed to pour our own beer from a selection of six different Speight’s taps. After trying all the beers, we went out for a nice dinner and more Speight’s before returning to our hostel where we played pool until 11.30pm. On Wednesday we woke up at 8am and caught our bus to Invercargill. Our first stop in the Catlins was Nugget Point where we saw sea-lions scattered on the pieces of rock around the lighthouse bay. Driving further along the coast, we stopped to walk along the beach where we got close up to two large sea-lions. After lunch we drove to Curio Bay on the very south coast of the South Island - next stop Antarctica. We watched the waves
crashing against the rocks before going to the fossilized forest, born from a pre-Jurassic volcanic eruption. We were also lucky enough to see yellow-eyed penguins returning to their nests after their days fishing. More driving eventually got us to Invercargill, the country’s southernmost city. After watching some TV, we went to the pub for dinner and a beer before returning to the room to listen to music. On Thursday morning, we drove through the fishing village of Riverton to a sheep farm where we went on a 90 minute tour. This included feeding the lambs, observing the sheep dogs at work, sorting sheep into pens and shearing a sheep - great fun! After a fish & chip lunch, we drove through the Hump Ridge Track in Fiordland National Park taking us from the beach to alpine passes with great views of the mountains. We stopped for a short walk across the historic Clifden suspension bridge before arriving at Lake Manapouri and Te Anau. After a supermarket shop, we took a two hour walk along the lake where we visited a wildlife centre with local birds including the rare Takahe. That evening, we watched Bourne Identity in the TV room before
returning to our room to listen to music and have an early night. We woke up at 7am on Friday and caught our bus to Milford Sound. The road to Milford was extremely scenic with steep mountains, vast valleys and the Homer Tunnel. Once at Milford, we took the 12.30pm ferry cruise through the Sound and learnt about the geology of the area while getting close to some waterfalls. Just before the end of the cruise, we stopped at the underwater observatory where we went 8 metres underground to view the marine life that the Sound attracts. Our bus departed Milford at 3.30pm and we arrived back in Queenstown at 7.30pm where we checked into Base Discovery Lodge. After a quick internet session and some dinner, we chilled out in our room and had an early night. We woke up late on Saturday and, after an internet session, went for a trail walk that led up the hills to the top of the gondola ride. After appreciating the views of Queenstown, we walked back to the base and then to our hostel where we had dinner and freshened up. At 8pm, we went to the bar in our hostel for
a few beers, some games of pool and to watch NZ play rugby in the World Cup. Then we went to a few more bars before I eventually got home at 5am. After four hours sleep, we lounged around before going for a walk and having a Pizza Hut buffet brunch. A lazy afternoon was spent at the hostel watching some rugby in the bar before having a siesta. That evening, we went for an Indian dinner before relaxing in our room. On Monday, we caught our 8.30am bus to Christchurch.
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