Morning hike in Queenstown

Changing our plans in Queenstown meant that we only spent one night there and so decided to get up early before leaving to hike up the Queenstown Hill track to get a great view across the mountains and lake. It was a pretty steep climb up to the summit, but was totally worth it for the stunning views across the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges. The air was crisp and fresh and the walk meant that we got to stretch our legs before getting back in the car to continue on our mission heading further south across the south island.

Franz Josef Glacier

Glacier....dedicated to Pete and his love for large ice masses! I had planned to do the glacial 'walking on the ice' that everyone does here, but the weather on the morning was pretty bad and cold and so decided to move on and travel while the weather was miserable. It wouldn't have been much fun hiking up the glacier in the freezing rain, oh well...next time!

Day in paradise

The view from stop off between Nelson and the glaciers, just before the Pancake Rocks (Punakaiki). I stayed with Mike, who bored with city life, had moved away from Christchurch to feature in his own 'into the wild' experience. His beach shack style house was perched right on the cliffs and had amazing views and little walkway down to the beach. I was lucky to have a day of amazing sun and made the most of chilling out with my book and having a good break from driving. We were also blessed with 2 awesome sunsets and after a yummy dinner of roasted veggies, chocolate and wine went down to the caves for some explorations. We also made friends with the garden possum which was very friendly and Mike also taught me about the different birds in the area including the characteristic Tui bird.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeels!

On realising that i only had 2 weeks left to see the south island, I decided that the best option would be to rent a car so i could be really flexible and go wherever i wanted without having to rely on buses. I met a fellow english girl, Louise, who was keen to do the same and so we road-tripped around together making the most of being able to stop off at scenic lookouts, farm shops and cute little towns in between our major destinations. With such amazing scenery in the south island, the driving was almost as fun as the places we stopped off at. It was incredible driving along the west coast with the stunning cliff faces and beaches on one side and snowy mountains on the other.

Coastal walk at Abel Tasman National Park

spa pools in hostels?!

It isn't often that you find so many highly appreciated comforts in one hostel. The Villa, a little place i stayed the night after getting the ferry from the north island to the south definitely gives you your money worth. Arriving after a slightly sea-sickness induced ferry crossing, i was desperately seeking somewhere warm and cosy. The villa not only provided both warmth and comfort but also a spa pool, hot water bottles and FREE apple crumble and icecream. An ideal dinner meal accompanied by some wine and quickly followed by a dip in the hot tub which definitely warmed me back to life again. Talk about flash-packing!!

street art - Wellington