Our last few days

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Nicky: Hi all!! So this will be our last blog from NZ. We have a great time the last week exploring the bottom of the south island, although it has got so cold!! It is not nice to hear that England is bathed in sunshine - it is supposed to be us that is on holiday!! ha ha!!It got so cold last night that we wimped out and rather than staying on a remote campsite next to a beautiful lake, we drove into Queenstown and paid to stay at a campsite which had power so we could have the heater on. I don't think that is very 'traveller' of us but it was freezing!!

So since our last blog we travelled up to Milford Sound. It is somewhere we have heard so much about and was a really big reason for us coming to NZ. We arrived on Thurs and it was overcast and miserable but after our experience with Mt Cook we didnt worry and parked ourselves up in a campsite to wait for it to pass. Unfortunately the next day was much the same, although there were reports it was clearing. We booked ourselves onto a cruise around the sound for Friday afternoon in the hope it wouldn't be too bad. Thankfully, the rain held off and the trip around the sound was beautiful. Even the bit where the skipper of our boat put the bow into a massive waterfall and drowned neil and I who were sitting at the front!! It was cold!! We also saw a very cute seal on the trip who obviously was used to the crowds and started posing for the cameras - very funny!!

From Milford we have headed pretty much straight for Queenstown and spent the last 3 days soaking up a very adrenlin fuelled atmosphere. Everyone here is jumping off or under or over something else!! As we drove into town two paragliders were coming off the hill towards the road and we could see the cable cars that go up a VERY steep hill. We have managed to refrain from doing anything to energetic (although I have decided travelling is not good for my fitness, we went for a walk up Queenstown Hill and I nearly passed out, too much good wine and cake me thinks!!)

I am really excited about going to South America, I can't wait to experience yet another culture.
Hope everyone is good adn enjoying the sunshine.
Speak soon
lots of love xxx

Neil:

We're coming to the end of our time in New Zealand, and i've thoroughly enjoyed myself! It will be a shame to leave, but i'm pretty sure we'll be back at some point in the future.

Our last stop before we fly to Chilie is Queenstown. It's a small tourist town on the edge of a lake surrounded by large snow topped mountains and full of the colours of autumn. As soon as we drove in to the town it immediatley confirmed it reputation as an extreem activity area - 3 paragliders hovering over the town centre. I was supposed to do some Heli biking in Queenstown, but unfortunalty they've stopped the trips for the winter. Never mind - living in an enclosed space with Nicky is as extreme and adrenaline packed as most could manage!.... (NR:slap)...Ouch!..

On Sunday we found a lovely pub with an open log fire and treated ourselves to a roast lamb dinner - lovely. (And of course a wee bottle of Shiraz)

I think our 9 weeks in Oceania have definitly had an impact on our accents - we quite often find ourselves talking in Aussie accents which at first started in a comical micky taking way, but they appear to have set in a bit.

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Comments

[Barie Stone]

Colca canyon
Hi Guys, 75 f today in Eastbourne... When you get to Cusco make sure you book a trip to the Colca Canyon. Will need an overnight to get the best of the trip, but this really blew Dianes` and myself away. We still talk about it as one of the great areas we have visited. Enbrase all SA has. We love it . Love barrie and Diane x