So today has not been the most exciting so far. To start with we went to the Botanic Gardens and the University. The Botanic Gardens were beautiful and very old – started in the 1860s, about the time the town was under construction. Turns out it was an ‘acclimatisation centre’, set up to find out what plants from ‘home’ would grow in NZ. This is … Continue reading Driving from Dunedin

Still very Scottish. Every street is called something like George or Hamilton and there are suburbs called Morningside and Costorphine. There was even a 2020 calendar starting hunky young men in kilts – and very little else. This morning we were supposed to go on a heritage train ride but there were two cruise ships in and they had block booked it all day. Instead, … Continue reading Dunedin. Continued.

Well sorry there was no post yesterday but there was no Wi-fi on our boat. Yes, another boat. Yesterday morning we went from Wanaka to Queenstown. This is the outdoor activities capital of NZ, where they invented the bungy jump. The place is full of backpackers throwing themselves off and into things with added rich retirees with golf courses at the end of the bungalow. … Continue reading Doubtful Sound

Wanaka is a sporty sort of place, full of ads for helicopter rides, jet boats etc. This was our ‘free’ day which meant that Herbie came up with lists of energetic things we could do without him. This morning I went on a ‘cruise’ – actually a half hour speedboat ride across a ‘rather lumpy’ lake – to a protected island with no predators to … Continue reading In Wanaka

So this is Wanaka and I am sitting in the balcony of my room looking at this view and writing to you. Today we continued our drive down the west coast from Fox Glacier Town, starting with a stop at Lake Matheson to see Mount Cook and Mount Tasman reflected in the lake. Wasn’t perfect but not bad. We were supposed to walk to the … Continue reading To Wanaka

This morning we didn’t leave Hokitika until later than usual. We went first to a kiwi centre and finally saw a kiwi. I also saw another tuatara so you get a photo this time. I also introduce you to the Tiger Oscar fish which tidies up its tank and sulks on the bottom with a sad look on its face if it doesn’t like something. … Continue reading Glaciers

Today we have been around the Kahurangi National Park which is in the top westerly corner of the South Island. Apparently it is a rather odd place with no roads and very few hiking tracks. Plants from Australia grow there as that is where they land when blown by the westerly wind. There are also things exclusive to New Zealand such as a carnivorous snail … Continue reading Lots more driving

Well this is a nice town by the sea. Apparently it fills up with students on their first trip away without mum and dad over the summer holidays. One to avoid then, then. Very popular with yachties as well. Although ‘people with boats’ seems to include half the population of New Zealand. Herbie was determined to show us how kiwi fruit were grown so we … Continue reading Nelson

Well today we leapt out of bed like young lambs and got a shuttle bus to the ferry terminal. Three and a half hours it takes, most of them getting out of Wellington Harbour and then into Queen Charlotte Sound. See map for details. Nice and very large ferry, just like crossing the channel only with less drunkenness. This is us leaving Wellington and then … Continue reading To the South Island

Well today we had a day off. No Herbie (our guide) and we got to do what we wanted. I did laundry – again – and then went to the Te Papa national museum. They had a very effective gallery about Gallipoli with personal effects, photos, film and models made by Weta, Peter Jackson’s lot. It was extremely moving. There was also a good Maori … Continue reading Wellington