Hi All, we're now in Queenstown which is an absolute hive of activity (and YOUNG backpackers) we never realised NZ could be so busy!
We left Dunedin on Monday after a couple of uneventful days there due to really bad weather, we did manage to get to a Thai restaurant and the pub on Saturday though. We then went to Te Anau on the West Coast, it was quite a drive at almost 5 hours, probably our longest one since we arrived in NZ, but it was well worth it. The scenery on the West is stunning, massive lakes surrounded by snow capped mountains, with a bright blue sky and that lovely crisp air (that you don't really get at home!!) We stayed at Te Anau for 2 nights and yesterday we went on a tour down to Milford Sound, what a spectacular place that is. It is home of the Fiordlands, mountain after mountain and natural waterfalls cascading everywhere. The roads are really steep and wind round and round through the mountains and down to Milford Sound where we then got on the boat and sailed through the Fiords and into the Tasman Sea, we even saw a bottle nosed dolphin. It was a gloriously sunny day without a cloud in the sky, we couldn't have picked a better day. On the way to the cruise we stopped off at many view points to take in pics and short walks, it really was a good day.
While we were on the boat the Skipper gives you information on the surrounding area, wildlife and conservation that kind of thing. I commented to Matt that the guy had a really strong Northern accent, that strong in fact that I thought he was from Hull. Matt agreed. A bit later I went to the Skipper and asked him where in the UK he was from... "I'm from Hull originally" he said. Anyway after a bit of banter and reminiscing about the place he started talking about some of his family members coming out to visit at Christmas and mentioned their names, he only turns out to be the cousin of Barrreeeeeeeey Meanwell (for all you non Comet people, he works in IT in Hull) I was speechless (well almost!) It is the furthest I have ever been from home in my life and I meet somebody from my home town. Amazing. If you checked the odds I've probably as much chance of winning the lottery! Anyway we had our pic took for Bawwweeeeey, so here ya go Baz, me and your cousin Darren "at sea" :-)
We left Dunedin on Monday after a couple of uneventful days there due to really bad weather, we did manage to get to a Thai restaurant and the pub on Saturday though. We then went to Te Anau on the West Coast, it was quite a drive at almost 5 hours, probably our longest one since we arrived in NZ, but it was well worth it. The scenery on the West is stunning, massive lakes surrounded by snow capped mountains, with a bright blue sky and that lovely crisp air (that you don't really get at home!!) We stayed at Te Anau for 2 nights and yesterday we went on a tour down to Milford Sound, what a spectacular place that is. It is home of the Fiordlands, mountain after mountain and natural waterfalls cascading everywhere. The roads are really steep and wind round and round through the mountains and down to Milford Sound where we then got on the boat and sailed through the Fiords and into the Tasman Sea, we even saw a bottle nosed dolphin. It was a gloriously sunny day without a cloud in the sky, we couldn't have picked a better day. On the way to the cruise we stopped off at many view points to take in pics and short walks, it really was a good day.
While we were on the boat the Skipper gives you information on the surrounding area, wildlife and conservation that kind of thing. I commented to Matt that the guy had a really strong Northern accent, that strong in fact that I thought he was from Hull. Matt agreed. A bit later I went to the Skipper and asked him where in the UK he was from... "I'm from Hull originally" he said. Anyway after a bit of banter and reminiscing about the place he started talking about some of his family members coming out to visit at Christmas and mentioned their names, he only turns out to be the cousin of Barrreeeeeeeey Meanwell (for all you non Comet people, he works in IT in Hull) I was speechless (well almost!) It is the furthest I have ever been from home in my life and I meet somebody from my home town. Amazing. If you checked the odds I've probably as much chance of winning the lottery! Anyway we had our pic took for Bawwweeeeey, so here ya go Baz, me and your cousin Darren "at sea" :-)
On the tour we also spotted a guy with a really big hooter, so we have taken a picture of him too, we know it's rude, but hey we're Britz on Tour!!!
Today I made enquiries about a Skydive, I'm still toying with the idea, although the chances are that I wont do one. Matt is really not into Skydives/planes so I'm not really getting the vibe and enthusiasm to do it, not that I should let that stop me, maybe I'm just looking for an easy cop out??
We have just over 2 weeks left in NZ before we head off for some beach in Fiji (bliss) we will continue to head North, taking in Lake Wanaka and then up to Abel Tasman and Nelson. We are doing plenty of walking and hope to get some mountain biking done in Lake Wanaka, the only problem we have is that the weather is so unpredictable and we have certainly had our fair share of rain since we arrived in the South. We will then cross back to the North and work our way back up to Auckland via the West Coast(ish) When we get to Auckland we are planning on meeting up with Steens sister Kirsten who is also in NZ at the moment, it's going to be the night before we fly too, maybe a night out with a beer drinking Dane is not such a good idea before a flight ;-)
We have booked our camper for Oz, we have come right down in size as we have both agreed that driving a small porta kabin type vehicle around Oz is not going to be the most economical and environmentally friendly way of travel! That said we have got a 3 man (or 1 man, 1 woman and a child) size camper. The one we have at the moment is quite ostentatious by camper van standards and is a bit big and square. You could quite easily swing a cat in it if you were that way inclined, luckily for NZ cats we're not.
So today we are going to be wild and wacky.. were off for a tattoo!!! I can hear the GASPS from our folks, but hey, you know what kids are like when they're away from home!! Don't worry were not going for one of the BIG Maouri style tatts that the All Blacks adorn themselves with, were going to have little butterflies... I'm joking, you'll have to watch this space, pics will follow.
For anybody that is interested there are pics of Millford Sound on Flickr and also the guy with the big hooter.
Today I made enquiries about a Skydive, I'm still toying with the idea, although the chances are that I wont do one. Matt is really not into Skydives/planes so I'm not really getting the vibe and enthusiasm to do it, not that I should let that stop me, maybe I'm just looking for an easy cop out??
We have just over 2 weeks left in NZ before we head off for some beach in Fiji (bliss) we will continue to head North, taking in Lake Wanaka and then up to Abel Tasman and Nelson. We are doing plenty of walking and hope to get some mountain biking done in Lake Wanaka, the only problem we have is that the weather is so unpredictable and we have certainly had our fair share of rain since we arrived in the South. We will then cross back to the North and work our way back up to Auckland via the West Coast(ish) When we get to Auckland we are planning on meeting up with Steens sister Kirsten who is also in NZ at the moment, it's going to be the night before we fly too, maybe a night out with a beer drinking Dane is not such a good idea before a flight ;-)
We have booked our camper for Oz, we have come right down in size as we have both agreed that driving a small porta kabin type vehicle around Oz is not going to be the most economical and environmentally friendly way of travel! That said we have got a 3 man (or 1 man, 1 woman and a child) size camper. The one we have at the moment is quite ostentatious by camper van standards and is a bit big and square. You could quite easily swing a cat in it if you were that way inclined, luckily for NZ cats we're not.
So today we are going to be wild and wacky.. were off for a tattoo!!! I can hear the GASPS from our folks, but hey, you know what kids are like when they're away from home!! Don't worry were not going for one of the BIG Maouri style tatts that the All Blacks adorn themselves with, were going to have little butterflies... I'm joking, you'll have to watch this space, pics will follow.
For anybody that is interested there are pics of Millford Sound on Flickr and also the guy with the big hooter.
2 comments:
Interesting fact, there are 38 million sheep in NZ, although that is down from a staggering 80 million, which is due to dairy farming now being more profitable.
I wonder if the Welsh know about the sheep here?
I had a problem uploading some of the photos of Milford Sound if anyones wondering where they are. I'll sort them out next time
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