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.