South Island - New Zealand - Friday 8th April, 2016

Our last day was spent packing up the camper van and strolling around Christchurch doing some shopping. We visited the Quake Centre which told stories and had a very informative display about the earthquakes which rocked the city in 2010 and 2011. The town itself is still decimated by the earthquake and they are slowly trying to rebuild it. Then we had to return the Jucy Camper to its home and head off to the airport for our return flight.

So on reflection the holiday was fantastic, New Zealands South Island has so many great sights and things to do. Akaroa and the torquoise waters of its beaches, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt Cook, the Victorian atmosphere of Dunedin, the Taieri Gorge Raliway, Lanarchs Castle, the natural blissful beauty of Te Anau and Milford Sound, Queenstown the adventure playground, the Shotover Jet Boat Ride, Arrowtown, mountain biking at Lake Wanaka, the Glaciers, the Thermal Springs, the Mountains, the Torqouise Rivers and Lakes and its awe inspiring beauty. We will be back but without the kids.

South Island - Thursday 7th April, 2016

This morning we took our time and strolled around the township of Hanmer Springs. The bakery was sensational and very well priced. Then we went swimming at Hanmer Springs for the afternoon which is a great facility of thermal pools including water slides and lap pool. The kids had some fun running around while we enjoyed some quite time in the adults pools.

From there we drove down to Christchurch and checked in to the caravan park for our last night here in New Zealand. The van park is pretty big with heaps of facilities and things to do for the kids.

South Island - New Zealand - Wednesday 6th April, 2016

Last night we were attacked by sand flies in a scene reminiscent of the great Ubirr mosquito swarm of 2014. We cooked and stayed inside afraid to enter the great outdoors. This morning we have awoken to a beautiful morning on the edge of the lake.

After we got going we drove out to Hokitika Gorge which is a beautiful gorge encompassing clear torquoise waters. We did a short walk across a suspension bridge and down onto the edge of the river. We took some photos and again got swamped by sand flies.

We continued on to Greymouth and stopped at the old coal mining village of Brunner which was well worth a look. The stories on the information boards told of great hardship during an explosion in the mine and the history of the site.

Lunch was in the old gold mining town of Reefton before we continued on through to Hanmer Springs for the night where we checked in to the caravan park.

South Island - New Zealand - Tuesday 5th April, 2016

We awoke to a beautiful clear sunny day and utilised the van parks camp kitchen to have a pancake breakfast. A hint for young players, don't leave your frypan in the camp kitchen when you leave, it will cost you.

After breakfast we drove down to Lake Matheson and walked around the lake to the jetty which offers great views back across the lake to Mt Cook. The reflections off the lake on this still morning were very picturesque. It was a short walk through rainforest around to the jetty along a well constructed gravel path. Then we had a coffee at the cafe whilst enjoying the magnificent views back across to the mountains.

Fox Glacier was our next stop. We parked in the lower car park and crossed a suspension bridge over the river before walking along a dirt path and across a creek or two to views through a window on the tree canopy back to the glacier. 

Back in the car and off to the main car park where we walked up to the glacier look out which is 450 metres from the the glacier terminal. It was a very barren walk through river bed and up rock paths.

We moved away from the Fox and up to Frans Josef where we stopped in town for lunch watching the helicopters set off up the mountain. The walk after lunch at Frans was a lot more interesting than that of the Fox. You start off walking through rainforest before coming down onto the river bed and then continues on along the edge of the river until you reach the terminal face. Along the way you pass numerous waterfalls coming off the edge of the rock escarpments.

On the way back down we noticed a large iceberg that had obviously bee sitting in situ for some time. There were some people heading over for a look but we chose to stay behind the ropes.

Then we drove along the coast before heading to Lake Kaniere to camp in a DOC campsite for the night. The campsites were large open spaces and have well maintained flush toilets, fresh water and bins right next to the boat club for $18 for the night.

South Island - New Zealand - Monday 4th April, 2016

Last night was our coldest night so far in New Zealand, there was some frost on the hills when we woke up, indicating zero degrees. We had breakfast in the chilly conditions and then headed back into Wanaka where we hired some mountain bikes for the morning.

Then we rode around the eastern edge of Lake Wanaka and along the Clutha River. The views were great as the Autumn leave changes have started to kick in, the mountains as a back drop and the water is a crystal clear torquoise colour. The riding was nice and easy with some fun little ups and downs on the dirt tracks. We covered 26 kilometres in the 4 hours that we had the bikes.

From there we drove to Fox Glacier, passing between the beautiful Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka and then through Hast Pass, getting out to visit some waterfalls before hitting the west coast. Tonight we have stopped at a van park in the town of Fox Glacier.

South Island - New Zealand - Sunday 3rd April, 2016

Last night we had to set the clocks back an hour as daylight savings came to an end. This morning we awoke to clear skies but not long after leaving the caravan park it started raining. We stopped to have a look at Lake Hayes which looked very nice but due to the rain we couldn't get out. There were a number of people camping here even though it doesn't appear in the Freedom Camps and it looked like a good spot.  

By the time we arrived in Arrowtown it was pouring. We got out to try and check out the Chinese Village but it was raining to heavily to walk around, our feet and pants were become more saturated with every step. So we went to the bakery and had a coffee before tramping around this beautiful old town. It's old buildings and slate lined footpaths were fantastic to look at. When we left town it had stopped raining and all that remained were the puddles.

From there we drove out to the Kawarau Bridge, the home of A J Hackett Bungy. We stopped in and watched a dozen or so people taking the 43 metre leap of faith off the bridge towards the river below. It looked like great fun but at $195 per person not something a few of us could have afforded on this trip so no one did it. Next time when we are back here without kids, maybe.

We continued on to Roaring Meg which was some Rapids on the river and stopped to take some pictures and have a bite to eat for lunch in the parking area.

Then we made our way to Wanaka, checked out the i-site for information about walks and bike rides and did some shopping. Back in the car and west to the Diamond Lake car park near the base of Mt Aspiring. We walked up the mountains to the Diamond Lake viewing area and then onwards to the Lake Wanaka viewing area. The views were once again sensational.

Tonight we have set up camp in the car park, which is the only free camp in the area, providing you are self sufficient; eg: have a toilet. There are probably another 12 or so carmper vans/mobile homes outside.

South Island - New Zealand - Saturday 2nd April

So this morning we awoke to clear skies, packed up and drove in to Queenstown. We walked around the town for a few hours soaking up the vibe and atmosphere of this busy little place. Everywhere you look the views are dead set amazing and I reckon they would only be better in winter with the mountains covered in snow. There was a weekend market on and buskers along the foreshore, people everywhere and activities going on everywhere. What they say about this pace being the adventure capital of the world has to be true. There were paragliders constantly falling for the sky, a gondola heading up the mountain, jet boats leaving port, para sailing in the bay, mountain bikers everywhere and adventure shops line the streets trying to sell bungy jumps, giant swings and white water rafting adventures.

We chose to have a crack on the Shotover Jet boat along the Shotover River. Those of us that have been around a while will remember the NZ adverts of it screaming along the river with that catchy instrumental playing in the background.

Clare was a bit nervous about it but once the ride got underway she loved every second of it. The boats get so bloody close to the rock faces doing anywhere between 70 and 115 kmh that you swear they are going to hit them. You can't take photos on board but you are allowed to wear your GoPro on your head, which of course is what I did. We watched it back last night and the footage is sensational.

After that we booked in to the caravan park in town and set about washing all our dirty laundry and trying to get it dry.

Then we treated ourselves to a night out in Queenstown. We were going to try a famous Fergburger but the line was as they say, out the door and 20 metres up the street, so we settled on Thai. This place is really alive and would be a great spot to spend a week or so as a young person doing every adventure activity you could think of or as an older person, me, just exploring and soaking up the atmosphere.

South Island - New Zealand - Friday 1st of April. 2016

We woke up at Cascade Creek to the sound of rain drops on the roof of the camper. The trees above us were giving us shelter from the drizzle but the leaves were dripping heavily. After breakfast we headed off for Milford Sound along the wet and slippery road that is an engineering masterpiece. To think that a hundred or so years ago someone had the idea to construct a road out to here over and through these mountains is absurd, but I'm glad they did. A one point you drive through a 1.2 kilometre long tunnel carved straight through the side of a mountain at an elevation of around 800 metres. This wasn't done using current building methods it was done the old fashioned way and three people died during the construction from avalanches. The views along the road are awesome and it's all you can do do concentrate on the road ahead.

Eventually we arrived at Milford Sound, early enough for a coffee in the cafe and then we boarded our vessel for the cruise around the sound. This place is simply awesome and the trip to New Zealand was worth it just to come here. The rain had created hundreds of waterfalls and low hanging cloud. It rains 200 days a year here on average and they get around 6 to 7 metres of rain annually, which is more then the Amazon Jungle. The cruise went for around 2 hrs and they let us off at an underwater observatory before completing our journey back to shore. 

Once back on dry land we drove to Queenstown and once again the views were to die for. The last 50 or so kilometres alongside Lake Wakatipu are simply stunning. Queenstown itself is a very busy metropolis and it appears to be an expensive place. We have set up camp 10 kilometres from town towards Glenorchy in a DOC Campsite which is still $30 for the night for a piece of grass and a toilet. The views here are also great and we watched the sunset over the mountains as we had our dinner.

South Island - New Zealand - Thursday 31st March, 2016

Four degrees is the temperature that greeted us this morning when we awoke to a clear morning in Balclutha.

 Then we started driving towards Te Anau along the main highway. We had been told that there was a lot of gravel on the scenic route between Balclutha and Te Anau and the hire contract states no driving on gravel roads.

The drive took us across farming and grazing land until we reached our destination at the very picturesque Te Anau. Set on a lake the town is so clean and well maintained and the water was so calm and the town so quiet, it was surreal, we didn't want to leave.

We booked our cruise on Milford Sound for tomorrow morning and then started driving to the furthest DOC campsite along the road, so that we didn't have as much ground to cover in the morning. 

First stop was Te Anau Downs which is the start/finish point for the Milford Track, basically a small jetty and barge.

Second stop was Eglinton Valley with views in the direction of Milford Sound.

After that we stopped at Mirror Lakes which are just as they sound, weather permitting. On this day the weather wasn't permitting but it was such a peaceful place, the sounds of the birds and the running water.

Our campsite was Cascade Creek with the steep cliffs of the Fiordland as a backdrop and the river running past our back door. It was a drizzly afternoon but we sought refuge under the pine trees and still enjoyed the afternoon. We took a stroll around the 45 minute Lake Gunn Nature Walk and meandered back along the crystal clear river before fighting off the evenings sand flies.

South Island - New Zealand - Wednesday 30th March, 2016

This morning we made our quickest start to the day in order to be at the Dunedin Train Station by 9:15 am for our trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway. We arrived with plenty of time, which allowed us to look around this 100 + year old Railway Station. The entrance hall has 725,000 half square inch tiles on the floor. 

After boarding the old carriage and taking our seats we started the 2 hour journey. 

Commencing in the city it winds its way through suburbia and then into farmland, before running alongside the Taieri River to the town of Pukerangi. The workmanship and engineering involved in building this train line is remarkable. It has been described as one of the worlds great train rides and it didn't let us down.

Once the train delivered us back to Dunedin we made a quick stop at the souvenir shop before heading out to Lanarch Castle.

 A politician built this for his wife but she died and so did her sister, whom he had married as his second wife. His third wife was rumoured to be having an affair with his son and so he shot himself. It has been a lot of things since that time but in 1967 the current owners built it and have maintained it in all its current splendour. The gardens really are something to behold and must take a team of Gardeners to maintain.

 It also had great views out across the Otago Peninsula and we had a coffee in the ballroom, come cafe.

From there we headed south along the scenic coastal route to the town of Balclutha and have pulled into a mobile van park. The free camping around here seems to be at a premium but there is a lot more on the west coast.

South Island - New Zealand - Tuesday 29th March, 2016

This morning we awoke to a crisp, cold and clear sky. We packed up and headed east towards the coast. The trip was basically down hill all the way past several small towns and some large lakes all with there own hydro power stations. 

Along the way we stopped to look at some Maori Rock Art, which was pretty disappointing when comparing it against the best aboriginal rock art we have seen in the Kimberley.

After that we stopped at Elephant Rocks which were used as Aslans Camp in the movie Narnia. They were probably the highlight of the day as far as sights go. We are heaps of them spread across a farmers paddocks and you are allowed to just walk in the and have a look around, free of charge.

From there we continued east to the coastal town of Oamaru, which has a very nice Victorian theme to it down near the wharf. Some of the buildings date back to the mid 1800's and it was interesting walking amongst them. We picked up lunch at a bakery and then ate it in a park near one of the old churches. 

After lunch and a coffee we headed south, stopping at the Moeraki Boulders, which are a number of sphere shaped rocks on the beach. There was heaps of people down there looking at them but they really weren't anything special. It started drizzling as we left, our first rain for the trip.

We drove further south to Dunedin and had a quick look around town while booking a trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway for the morning. The train station here in Dunedin is reportedly the most photographed building in New Zealand. 

The Dunedin Holiday Park is providing our lodgings for the evening.

South Island - New Zealand - Monday 28th March, 2016

This morning we awoke to a beautiful clear sky and a crisp morning. 

I started the day with a run/walk up to the Mount John Observatory via the walking trail. It was hard work but the views of the sun rising and striking the mountain range were well and truly reward for the effort. After eating breakfast we packed up and drove up to the Mount John Observatory Cafe and enjoyed a coffee while admiring the views across Lake Tekapo.

From there we continued west to another torquise coloured lake, Lake Pukaki which runs all the way back to Mount Cook. We were rewarded with a clear sky and you could see the snow covered peak of Mount Cook off in the distance. 

The drive around to the village of Mount Cook was just as spectacular as we followed the torquise colours of Lake Pukaki all the way to Mount Cook village.

We had a look inside the information centre which has displays about the history of climbing the mountain, how the glaciers and lakes are formed and shows examples of the native fauna and wildlife. Lunch was in the car park looking across to the snowy peaks and glaciers of Mount Cook.

After we lunch we completed four short walks which are close to the village and allowed great views of the mountains.

That didn't leave us much time for the rest of the day, so we headed back away from the mountains and onto the town of Omarara where we have stopped in a roadside free camp on the river bank.

South Island - New Zealand - Sunday 27th March, 2016

We started a bit late this morning after our sleep in and filled up at the first servo we saw for the princely sum of $1.869 per litre. From there we headed west toward the mountains, stopping for supplies at a little town called Methven. The views as we drove out were beautiful and we tried to imagine how the mountain ranges would look covered in snow. The pictures don't do the views justice.

Lunch was at the small riverside town of Geraldine where we also took the opportunity to visit a small museum. The display of old photos from the surrounding districts was very interesting.

After lunch we continued further into the mountains to Lake Tekapo. It was very busy and our first stop was the monument to collies and the Church of the Good Sheperd. The church is perched on the edge of the lake, it's made out of stone and the back wall has a huge window overlooking the clear blue waters of the lake. It was very peaceful standing in the church but we had to get out before the 4pm service.

We went into town and had a look around before attempting to drive up to the Mt John observatory where the is a cafe overlooking the whole shebang but we were stopped at the gatehouses because the wind had picked up and our tall vehicle was not allowed up for fear of it rolling off the cliffs.

So we returned to the caravan park and checked in. The site overlooks the lake and it is very picturesque. 

After an early dinner we strolled up to the Lake Tekapo Hot Springs where the kids had a swim in the thermal pools. We didn't bother for $22 a head. I think the pools did Trents knee, which he still can't walk on, the world of good; well heres hoping.

South Island - New Zealand - Saturday 26th March, 2016

We flew with Jetstar out of Tullamarine Airport at 12:15 am on Saturday. Clare, Alyssa and Trent all struggled to get to sleep but I managed to only be awake for the take off and landing.

Arriving at Christchurch at 5:30 am, we got through customs and then had to wait until 8:00 am for the Jucy Rentals to open. CAT all tried to get to sleep on the floor with limited success. 

There is only one food/coffee outlet in the Christchurch Airport Arrivals Lounge making food choices slim pickings.

The shuttle bus arrived and ferried us to the rental company which was only a five minute drive away. After paying the remaining hire fee the girls gave us a tour of our new home for the next 2 weeks. There were a couple of issues and the bus had to be sent away for a couple of quick fixes. We forgot to get Clare's handbag off the front seat while they took it away, apparently my fault but it returned safely and all was good.

We drove to the outskirts of Christchurch and found a shopping centre to get some quick grocery supplies, then stocked the van and drove to a park to eat breakfast before driving into the middle of town. Our initial plans for day one were altered because just before dinner on Friday, Trent fell off his mates scooter and his knee blew up like a football, meaning he is on crutches and can't walk anywhere.

A decision was made to drive out to the seaside village of Akaroa. It was a very scenic drive up and over some hills which provided great views across the bay. Before we arrived at the village we stopped at a town called Little River which was the last train stop back in the day. 

We found some novel lodgings here made inside silos. The village of Akaroa itself was packed being the Easter long weekend but we found a parking spot at waters edge and enjoyed some lunch and a small walk.

After lunch we made our way towards our first stop, a caravan park in Raikora. We had to retrace a lot of ground and have a few stops for the sleepy heads to stretch their legs.

It was an early night, everyone was asleep at 9:00 and we slept until 8:30 and everyone felt better for the sleep this morning.