New Zealand

We decided to go to New Zealand because it was always a dream of ours to visit this beautiful country and we got some amazing deals with air and campervan hire. The time was also right because there was nothing more we could do while our home was being built and we had no garden etc to have to look after. We were so excited to be going on another adventure and had lots of advice about itinerary and clothing from our good friends Pat and Des!

Finally, after I resigned from my job of 18 years and signed the last papers on the house we were ready to go.

As we arrived in NZ we flew over Mt Cook in bright sunlight and were able to get a birds eye view of the Frans Joseph , Fox and other Glaciers...how lucky to see them from the air! We arrived in Christchurch and collected our campervan in the late afternoon. The day after we did some shopping and sorted out things we would need for the 60 days on the road. We found the traffic unbelievably busy because the city centre had been closed off and many of the businesses and people had to move to the suburbs..it was like 5 o’clock traffic all day. The folk of Christchurch were looking stressed and edgy..with good reason . They were still in shock from the recent biggest earthquake in the city which destroyed much of the centre of Christchurch and killed many. Many of the buildings were damaged even in the suburbs, even our camp site.

We left Christchurch and drove south in the drizzle and mist to the Akaroa peninsula..we could hardly see the mountainous cliffs of this amazing place. However the next morning the sun came out and we drove into the quaint French style village to see the museum. We were enchanted with the views as well as the pretty French style architecture. What a surprise when we found that the first Frenchman landed there BEFORE the British and had hoped to establish a settlement..and his name was Francois Langlois! He also had his family with him and the museum is in the little cottage that Louis Langlois lived in...we were able to peruse the documents telling about these early settlers. The drive back was wonderful because we could see the views that were hidden the day before.

We then drove to a little town called Fairlie which was so pretty with all the winter colours on the trees. From there to Lake Tekapo which is a glacial lake that glows a luminous green because of the “rock flour” of ground pebbles coming down from the glaciers. Normally the snow capped mountains frame the lake to add to its beauty, but it was misty and drizzly that day so we could not see them..but what a lovely spot.

We then drove to Mt Cook where we stayed at the Forestry dept campsite right at the base of the mountains two nights. Because we arrived in thick mist we had no idea where the mountains were, so imagine our surprise when we woke up in the morning to see that we were surrounded by snow capped towering mountains..what a sight!! That day we hiked 3 hours to the glacier along a rushing mountain river and crossed 3 suspension bridges over rapids .The final lake had icebergs floating on it and the glacier right in front of us. The sun shone the whole day and it was the highlight so far of the trip! We even saw two avalanches ( in the photos ) which was so interesting. There was an excellent museum there with an Edmund Hillary exhibition and statue because he lived nearby and trained on Mt Cook for his accent of Everest.

We left the next day in sunshine and drove to a place near Dunedin for the night. We awoke to find that a huge gale was battering the coast and our drive to Dunedin was in 110 km winds that blew trees and roofs onto the road. We were diverted along a mountain Rd and had to travel with the van swaying dangerously along the narrow rd being passed by busses and trucks! We saw the wonderful Otago peninsular with its awesome views, all the time climbing those narrow precarious roads in the howling gales. At the end of the peninsular is the world Heritage Albatross preservation centre which is perched high on a headland with commanding views of the dramatic coast and estuary.

Next day we did the touristy things in Dunedin because it was pouring with rain. It has an excellent museum and art gallery...and the Cadbury Chocolate factory!

From Dunedin we drove round the bottom end of South Island in an area called the Catlins. It is forested, steep hills, rural and awesome coast. Along the coast there are penguin colonies and sea lions, steep walks to light houses and wonderful views. For two glorious days we had sunlight and were able to enjoy the waterfalls and fern forests. However the afternoon of the second day a huge cold front blew in covering most of the Island. That night in Invercargill our van rocked and swayed in the wind and it was FA-REEZING, with ice and snow on the slopes. We were cosy with our thermals and van, but even so it looked bleak. The fact that we had to take our van in because of drive shaft bearing trouble did not help the grey day. There was an interesting museum here with the actual motor bike of Burt Munroe of the “Worlds Fastest Indian” fame...he was a local here and used to practice on the beach.

While we wait for the part to come we will tour the coast line around here, with winds coming directly from Antarctica , and then onto the Millford Sound area.