Day 19

In Charleston & Punakaiki. Hells Bells! Zack gave us the surprise of our lives this morning. He had filled his nappy, his pyjamas and his gro-bag with poo. Yes, with poo. We had a pretty quiet time yesterday afternoon, but I didn't think anything of it - it wouldn't be the first time. But this morning... My oh my. It's one of those stunned parent moments - you aren't completely awake but you know you have to do something IMMEDIATELY. Whew! We grabbed him and air-lifted him to the shower where we stripped him of all garments. I pulled on the rubber gloves and Keith rinsed Zack in the shower. We aren't stupid - we'd bought some NapiSan at the outset of our travels and have used it many times in the last few weeks, but this morning it came into it's own. After rinsing everything we sprinkled it with the magic stuff, and got some breakfast in. The motel lady said we could use the laundry, much to our relief.
We walked down to the beach where Zack discovered the sea for the first time, and couldn't get enough of 'waves'. He kept saying, "More!" and the sea was happy to deliver - ain't nature great ? He loved the rocks, the stones, the seashells, and of course, the sand - handfuls of it. We investigated the rocks and rock pools. Delighted to discover tiny crabs, small mussels everywhere and two magnificent starfish. Have you ever ? Goes to show how untouched this beautiful country is, when you can get starfish bigger than your hand, with more than 7 arms, on a regular beach.
Had a bit of a task getting Zack to take his afternoon nap, so gave up the struggle and drove down to Punakaiki. Zack fell asleep within minutes - little blighter ! So we headed into the cafe for a nice cuppa and a read of the paper. I even got onto the 'net before Zee woke up. Time to go and see the famous pancake rocks and blowholes. Really special sights - the pictures are going to say more than I can write.


Dinner was in the Punakaiki Tavern where Keith had the best steak in NZ - so tender and delicious. They have a lovely garden too, where you can sit at rocks like the Flintstones, and eat your meal in natural environs. No honestly, it was good.
Ruth and Zack home, Keith off to photograph the sunset.

Happy New Year everyone !

Day 18

Fox Glacier, drive to Punakaiki. Keith was up bright and early to go off and photograph Lake Mattheson at sunrise. It's glassy and smooth, so every bit worth the long walk through the forest to see it. Zack was up at about 7:30am so we got ourselves dressed and started packing up in time to have brekkie with Keith. We headed up the Heli-chaps around 9am, only to find that the English family who'd said they'd be joining us hadn't showed up. We had two options (they'll only fly with 3 or more passengers, and we weren't paying for Zack), to leave now or to hang around until 10am when they had 3 definites booked. Keith was rattled by this, so took a quick wander around - there are so many diff companies there doing the same thing that you can easily shop around. No luck, so we went for a cuppa coffee to kill time. Zack made friends with more visitors - an American family with 2 adopted sons who looked Somalian. I was feeling pretty sceptical about things by now... But, if anything was worth waiting for, it was this...
We were really blessed with a stunning morning - the weather all around us was grey, dark and cloudy, but in a ring around the mountaintops, it was clear blue sky. Perfect weather for flying over the glacier at close quarters, and for touching down on some pretty impressive snow. Zack was freaking out initially, and didn't like the noise, but once he could touch his earphones, and point at mine, he seemed to settle down. Before I could blink we were taking off and into the air - helicopters really are exactly like you'd imagine them to be, they just leap off the ground, unlike the trundling and heaving of light aircraft. We flew over the mountains, looking down onto tiny huts and glacier-walkers and then the enormity of the Fox Glacier. We hopped over the hill and saw a bit of Mt Cook and then around to Franz Josef, where we circled, and then landed about 200m from another 2 helicopters on the snow. Looking down, as we were touching down, I noticed that the snow was about 1 - 2 feet deep in the footprints of previous visitors. Heh, heh, we were in for a bit of fun trying to walk around. Zack was not keen on being in it at all and insisted on being carried, so we didn't go too far, or cavort in it like our fellow passengers. The pilot was very sweet tho' and hung around with us and chatted in the sunshine. Keith dashed hither and thither taking pics. We made some snowballs and threw them - all pretty solid, even on impact - and gave them a lick for Zack's benefit. His observation of "wet" was confirmed. I'd sat down in the snow when I'd lost my balance at one point and my corduroys were quite soggy by this time, as were the hems. I was pleased to get back in the heli. We flew back with some great swoops over the terrain, while I watched the pilot tapping one of the instruments because it appeared to be stuck. Ahem, not too sure about that one. Made me comment to Keith that the heli's were probably as old as the Cessna's doing these tourist hops. Remarkable scenery though - everywhere you looked. We were touching down and jumping out and running to the waiting van. Zack said, once he'd been clipped into his seatbelt, "more". LOL, wouldn't that be great?
We managed to get out of Fox before 11am and across to Franz Josef - it's an incredibly beautiful but winding road where you're surrounded on all sides by rainforest, with the enormous snow topped peaks above you. Really spectacular scenery from every angle.
In Franz Josef, we called to confirm our accommodation in Golden Bay, near to Abel Tasman. It sounds just lovely with lots of extras like a bed for Zack and some independence. Hurrah! We don't feel quite so bleak about the mess up without the camper van any more. It should be lovely up there - just a pity about the long drive from Punakaiki on New Year's Day... I guess that's the way it goes when you're trying to get around a whole country eh?
From Franz Josef to Hokatika (where we stopped for a tacky lunch) it continued to be rainforest, but then the enormous mountains started falling away until we got to Greymouth. Neither Keith nor I could understand why anyone would want to live in Greymouth - it's a nasty little industrial hub in an otherwise beautiful part of the world. It does have one redeeming feature tho' - it is home to Monteith's Brewery. Now don't faint, because you know that Keith and I are the last of the great beer-drinkers, but Monteith's is yummy stuff. So far on our journey, we've been having a nice frosty bottle of it almost every other night. We popped into their store and bought a sixpack of their "Collection" and a sixpack of Keith's favourite - Radler. Zack got a freebie bottle opener for being so charming (again).
The drive from Greymouth to Punakaiki brought us into coastal bush, and then the stunning open seashore with the ragged, toothlike rocks leading off the coastline, like the spines on the back of a giant submarine lizard. The sea was a beautiful grey green, and looked like it was washing in that slow-motion kind of way, where it looks like a soft veil. The shores are striking as they're a dark charcoal grey - rocks and sand. We'll get back to Punakaiki tomorrow, and kept going to our place of rest - Charleston. The bush changed between the two, now it's like the fynbos in the Cape (S Africa).
Late night watching crap on TV - 2 films we've already seen. We must be starved for it, tsk tsk.

Day 17

Around Fox Glacier. We drove over to Franz Josef Glacier today because we'd only been able to book onto a 2pm heli trip. It worked out well, as we were able to spend an hour in an internet cafe sorting out accommodation in Golden Bay & Nelson for the week after New Year. We have seriously got shafted without the campervan, as we'd thought that with camp sites booked, we'd be able to change them to cabins with ease. Not so! We've actually scraped the barrell for somewhere to rest our heads in the Abel Tasman region, and were about to give up when we rang the iSite (Tourist Info bookings etc) and they found us somewhere to stay for the entire time. What a relief.
We bought some steaks for supper and drove back to Fox, through the dense rainforest bush sheltered by the towering mountains above to the east. Once we'd checked on the helicopter people, they said we'd need to delay it until 3pm as things were changeable. But at 3:30pm we were still waiting for a helicopter to land and pick us up when they got radio'd to say, "no luck today. we'll have to try for tomorrow". So we're booked for a 9:30 am flight in the morning. We siezed the opportunity to pop up to the Dept of Conservation's offices where Lisa & Kevin's (our Kiwi mates in Berlin) friends live - Kim & Gary. They were very welcoming and we had a walk-around their garden and showed Zack their chooks. It wouldn't last though as Zack started acting up again, so we thought, 'let's exit now, before it all goes for a ball of chalk.' So we did.
We came home and cooked up our steaks, while Zack jumped on the trampolene. I bought some great sundried tomatoes in Ashburton, that are in liquid but not oil. They're fabulous - such an intense flavour - so we popped a handful of them into the salad.

We must be bonkers ! Day #2 of no dummy and we're both taking strain. The biting has gone up a notch, and we've had a child completely out of control at certain points today. The hardest thing is that smacking is illegal in NZ, and Zack knows how hard it is when he's embarrassing you in public. Disciplining your child in these circumstances requires quite a bit of creativity and stamina.
Zack has been in his bed for more than 30 minutes and still going strong, talking at length, using all the words he knows, and constantly returning to "down" and "ladder" because I've put him in the bunkbed. He is now lying with his blanket - which he'd thrown away about 10 times, and saying repetitive phrases. I hope this means sleep is not more than 30 minutes away... And true to form we have suddenly gone into silence and more regular deep breathing. Praise the Lord! All in all it's taken about 40 minutes to get him to this point. We had an early night too - how marvellous.

Day 16

Wanaka, drive to Fox Glacier. We were up early for breakfast with the Wilsons after a relatively good night with Zack. It proved to be a glorious day, with clear skies and sunshine. Keith and Zack went down to the edge of the lake to throw stones and play on the dinosaur slide again, while I popped into town for some last minute shopping. We left Wanaka before noon and headed for Lake Hawea which was just lovely - another part of NZ that is untouched and breathtakingly beautiful. We passed through a neck and then were back on the northernmost end of Lake Wanaka, a glorious acqua coloured expanse of water reflecting the mountains and snow-topped Mt Alba in the distance. We then began our trip towards the coast with our first stop being lunch in Makaroa, where they were driving sheep. Their bleating was so loud and sustained that we parked the car at the cafe and then went to show Zack the gazillion sheep, and the source of the noise. After lunch (more great NZ pies) we drove into the coastal bush that covers most of this part of the West Coast. We stopped along the way to see a seal colony on a crescent of white beach far, far below, and then had to push hard to get through Haast, and on to Fox Glacier by 7pm. It was an awful lot of driving for one day!
After checking in, we quickly had some dinner in town, before bed.
We must be insane, but we've decided to strike while the iron's hot and end Zack's dummy dependency, with immediate effect. We'd had an insane time with him on the drive from Haast through to Fox while he screamed "dummy, dummy, dummy" for about an hour or more. It was enough to make me scream, but I think it steeled our resolution. This must end ! After dinner Keith took Zack for his bath and then settled him on the floor in our room. He came back sometime later to discover Zack playing with his toys and everything else he'd been able to get his hands on at floor level. So Keith had, had to lie with him until he fell asleep. Hmm.... not quite what we'd had in mind.

Day 15

Around Wanaka. We slept in and arose to a glorious breakfast with David & Jocelyn : muesli, fresh fruit salad and yoghurt with rubarb too. Then put on a load of laundry and headed out the door to see the playground on the Lake's edge. They have a giant slide which is a dinosaur - you climb his tail and then slide down his neck to his head. Zack was in his element. Lots of wonderful things for little people to play on and get grubby doing. From there we drove out to the Wanaka Fighter Pilot Museum. They were having a aerial acrobatics show so we settled in with chairs and hot drinks, and Keith and David went off and took some photos of the planes. I went for a long walk after a few unsuccessful attempts to get Zee to sleep (too much excitement with the planes and noise), and got it right. We then had to walk a very long way from the airfield back to the mainroad, and then a further 1/2 km to get to the Museum's entrance, because the large Maori "bouncer" wouldn't let us through a gate we were stupid enough to ask whether we could pass through. We should've done what everyone else was doing and just walked, without being polite and English! Stupid.
Well, I've got that off my chest - I was pretty miffed with that guy.
The Museum was fantastic! One of the best aircraft museums I've been to. They have some wonderfully restored WWI and WWII planes, with alot of film footage, stories from RNZAF pilots, gear, models, and more. I was really impressed by the quality of the presentation and the overall look and feel of the display - world class. They host the "Wings over Wanaka" airshow every year at Easter, and I think it's kept them well connected with the world's aviation museum networks. It was pouring with rain at this point so we were a bit torn about what to do - Zack asleep, Jocelyn waiting for us in the car, so Keith went off with the Wilsons to get our car, so that they weren't obliged to stay on. Once he got back, we explored the Museum further and then drove to the World of Puzzles. It was a bit of a mixed bag, because we've visited the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh so recently. Their hologram exhibition was OK, but small in comparison. What was really impressive though, was the maze and the slanted room. Wonky and it did my balance no good - even Zack was stumbling into the walls. A bit of fun! It was still raining when we tackled the maze (a monster of a thing), and after doing 1/2 of it in the drizzle, which took more than 20 mins, we decided to take the EXIT. Then into town for a cuppa coffee before heading home with a ratty boy.
David and Jocelyn and cooked up another wonderful dinner for us, altho' they were disappointed that the rain had persisted and we weren't able to have a BBQ. They did make Keith's favourite - roast chicken and potatoes - so we were all v happy. We spent the rest of the evening just chatting about world affairs, New Zealand and the UK.
We also got a chance to look at their neighbour's beautiful photographs of Wanaka & surrounds.

Day 14

3 of us at Bluff - a very long way from home

Boxing Day, Riverton, Invercargill, Bluff, drive to Wanaka. We got ourselves gathered up and into the car, said our goodbyes to Leigh-Anne and Andre, and then drove out of town and down to Riverton with Clive, Diane and the boys. A really beautiful (and obviously desirable) part of the world with a fishing boat harbour, lovely homes and a very picturesque setting on the edge of a large bay - looking across to Bluff on the opp side. We drove up to a look-out point in some natural bush (the first we've actually seen in NZ) which was absolutely heaving with ferns and palms. A bird call above our heads, while we were taking photos, made us pull out the telephoto lens and the identification book and discover that we were looking at a small fluffy green friend with the most beautiful, liquid call - the Bell Bird (the call = the name). Very exciting! Then zoomed down the hill, back through town and down highway 99 into Invercargill. It being boxing day, it was sales and busy busy busy, so there was far too much traffic on the roads. We got to use our new bit of local lingo - there were boguns everywhere in their souped up cars with thumping music. Out the other side of Invercargill we headed on to Bluff, the southern most point of NZ. Again, we climbed up to a look-out point and got a 360˚ view of Stewart Island, the bay across to Riverton, the Aluminium smelting plant and the craggy coast line stretching off in both directions. Back at the car park we got a photo next the sign that said that home (ie. London) was 19 000kms away. Sadly no indication of the distance to Cape Town, which I'm guessing is equally far. By now, Zack was getting antsy and hungry (it was after 2pm and we hadn't had any lunch). We filled up with petrol before driving back to Invercargill to find some lunch - first at the Art Gallery (closed) and then in Queens Park at the crazy Lama Café. Poor Zack's meal came last and he was close to hysterical with hunger. Not a happy camper at all. Anyway, the hunger pangs were soon assuaged, and we could enjoy everyone's company again. Sad to come to the end of our time with the family, we had to say goodbye and make the 3 hour trip up to Wanaka for the night. We said our goodbye's and set off, stopping on route to see the magnificent views through the mountains. The 3 hour journey turned out to be 4 1/2 hours, so we arrived at the Wilsons somewhat later than anticipated, but were welcomed like family and immediately felt at home with them. Jocelyn had cooked up a fabulous blue cod curry (we must get the recipe!) which we wolfed down at 9pm. By 10pm Zack was being put to bed and we were able to chat to them and get to know one another a bit better. Another late night.

Day 13

Xmas in Otautau with Leigh-Anne & André. The kids slept late and we got up to a racket of breakfast and opening presents. There was loads of loot, and Kenneth wanted to open everyone's gift for them. Clive got a fabulous Afrikaans music CD which we put on immediately - Aaargh, there were some real clangers, but he said it was a tradition for Di's brothers to send him a tacky CD for Xmas. We came away with lots of lovely NZ goodies - choccies, mugs, and Zack got an All Black teddy bear. We didn't go large by any means - we'd need to cart it all home to the UK via Australia and SA, and we'd rather not.

Kenneth with his treasured golf-clubs

Kenneth & Christopher playing with their walkie-talkies in Leigh-Anne's sleigh

Soon everyone was heading next door for our Christmas Day Party with the neighbours - Leigh-Anne and André and their extended family. They have a beautiful home (Andre is a builder) and we felt so welcome and treated. The lunch spread was expansive with ham, beef, chicken, turkey, veggies and all the trimmings. We met some other locals including a Dutch farmer and his wife who are our age, and farm dairy cows nearby. Just after 1, Zack was starting to get ratty so Keith took him next door for a nap, and at 2:30 I went and joined him for a wee bit of shut-eye. It felt like heaven to be able to go and have a rest (something Keith's family used to do when he was young) after a big lunch. Sadly I missed the opening of the presents but the debris was much in evidence when I woke up. Zack was very spoilt and was given a car and a book - both of which he thinks are the greatest. He can label some of the objects and knows that the book is about counting and spent a while saying "two, two, two" and pointing to each item. heh heh, my child is a genius !
The afternoon drifted into the evening and some guests left and others arrived. We were told "Tea" would be a seafood BBQ! Oh my, where were we going to put all that ? There was a huge seafood salad, and then fresh prawns, blue cod, grouper, gurnard, paua (abalone), lamb sweetbreads, venison AND steak. Eina !! (Afrikaans for "ouch".) All the fish was caught by Leigh-Anne's brother, so fresh as can be. More pudding, and more drinks. We left at about 10pm having listened to the jokes about how late everyone had stayed the previous year and been thrown out by Andre.

Day 12

Te Anau, Manapouri to Otautau. In the morning, Keith developed photos - took a while. I walked along the shore of the lake and played in the playground with Zee. We drove through to Manapouri which wasn't much but we did turn off to head south, so may have missed something. The drive from there down to Otautau was lovely - small rolling green hills dotted with trees and sheep. It looked like the Shire (Hobbiton) in the afternoon sunlight.

We stopped to photograph a particularly eye-catching hill, tree and sheep scene.

Getting into Otautau around 4pm, we rang Diane and Clive only to be told they weren't ready for us and were still tidying house. We played with Zee in a local playground until Clive pulled up, then we were off to Chez Rankin and a garden full of toys for little boys to play with. Heaven for Zack.

Day 11

Kingston Flyer & Te Anua drive. Packed up our time in Qtown today, and headed south to Kingston. We'd read about the steamtrain - the Kingston Flyer - which we'd hoped to catch. The first ride was at 1:30pm so we hung around the station so Keith could get some pics of the loco. We killed a bit more time in a local cafe before discovering Zack had, had an accident in his car seat while napping and there was quite a lot to clean up. He's had an upset tummy since the teething started and it's only getting worse. He has welts on his bottom that are now raw and bleeding. We're giving him as much 'air time' as we can but it doesn't seem to be helping a whole lot with the constant nappy action.



While he ran around naked, we sorted out some clean clothes for him, and then headed back to the station where it was time to go. We boarded the train, and as advised by the ticket sales lady (a woman from Newcastle in the UK) we sat in the dining car at first. We then sojourned to a first class cabin so that we could divest ourselves of all our goods - the pram, Keith enormous camera bag, and the Zack-bag. We were then at liberty to move around on the train, which Zack took to mean run along the passageways and leap across the gangplanks joining the moving carriages (yes, there are railings, but not the most sturdy). My nerves! Everything is "jump, jump" these days.
These things are always over too quickly and we soon in Fairlight where we disembarked so that they could turn the loco around. In the interim we browsed the station shop (all very chi-chi) and Zack tried out all their Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Then it was time to go back again. The train itself is a large black loco with lovely brass trims. The carriages were in superb condition with solid wood interiors and chairs, the first class carriage was upholstered in black push-button leather (chesterfield style) with lots of brass detail on handles and hooks. Zack made himself popular with a family who were eating lunch, so got to share their food (mission accomplished).


In Te Anau we had to hunt a bit for our accommodation, as we'd not got any directions and the names sounded similar. The town is on the edge of a lovely lake, with it's own seaplane mooring, a giant Kea model bird, and a stationary store with a life size model Santa, who dances when you press a button. Zack was entranced by the latter and insisted on standing in the doorway and dancing along with Santa for song, after song. He is now getting the hang of Christmas and can point out a Santa or a tree at quite some distance - with a very excited "mikkis" (ie. kriss-miss transposed).
Te Anau is also home to a fabulous little spot called Bailiez where they make a remarkable lamb shank. We were recommended it by Clive and Di, so headed over there when we discovered the supermarket didn't have any lamb in stock for us to BBQ. What a winner ! I had the blue-cod, stacked on a potato and pumpkin creation with the most delicious hollandaise sauce over the top. I'm salivating just thinking back to it. Zack played up horribly in the restaurant tho', intermittently flirting with the kitchen staff who thought he was just the cutest. I'm guessing it was the ongoing teething, but in the end we couldn't wait to get out of there and put him to bed. Aaarrgghhhh!! I left Keith looking thru' his photos and Zack asleep, and did a late night internet cafe session.

Day 10

- in Queenstown shopping.

We had a hilarious opening to our shopping day together. Keith and I parked the car at Clive & Di's hotel and walked into town. Sms'd them to say we were on our way and they said to meet us at Starbucks. Well, we walked straight past them (couldn't see the place for looking), all the while being chased by 4 Rankins, shouting "Keith, Ruth!". We finally met up - ha ha. Diane was a great shopping partner and we steadily worked our way around the flea-market and town. Got some lovely items of clothing, and some great gifts. Queenstown is a great shopping hub, despite being a bit more pricey than other towns on the South Island.

Clive & Di needed to get going mid afternoon, so we said our goodbyes and wandered back into town and re-visited some stalls at the flea-market before going for a steak at Prime. We had a delightful waitress from Dublin and she couldn't have been kinder - fetching and carrying for Zack who was ratty tat tat with a sore bum. Put Zack to bed and then had a lovely cocktail on the balcony. Yes, please !

Day 9

- Queenstown with Di & boys. Clive dropped Diane, Christopher and Kenneth off at our cabin this morning around 10am. The boys were soon getting to know one another and we were talking up a storm, catching up on news, life in NZ and all the rest. We went up to the Deer Park in Frankton (near the airport), which was great fun because the boys were so excited about seeing the goats and feeding them, but they were awfully behaved and jumped up a very preggie Diane and gave Zack the willies. So Christopher fed them pellet by pellet which was quite amusing, and Kenneth threw fistfuls of the stuff at them while Keith took photos and Zack hid in the car. Further up the hill we saw the lovely deer with their enormous antlers but couldn't quite get a good angle to photograph them. At the top of the hill is an enormous film set from a Korean movie, and in a closed off road they were building a set for the next X-Men movie (wow!). So we did a U-turn and headed back down the mountain photographing goats, deer and Highland cattle as we went.
Lunch in Frankton and then into meeting Clive in town. We let the boys play on the edge of the lake, throwing stones and pointing at the ducks and para-sailers. There was an excellent busker that evening that we watched for an age, and then headed off to Clive's favourite curry restaurant for a lovely dinner.

Day 8

- Queenstown. Rough night with Zack teething and running a temp. It was a beautiful clear day tho' so we booked ourselves onto a flight to Milford Sound, before heading up the hill to enjoy the views from the top of the gondola. Zack loved it - and shouted "car, car" all the way. The cableway/gondola's viewing platform ontop of the mountain directly behind our campsite is so well positioned - you get an excellent angle on the Z-shaped lake that Queenstown sits on. Not only can you view things from up there, but you can paraglide, take a luge, walk and climb. Again, Keith got some lovely pics - it was a beautiful clear day.
I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home to pick up something for the nasty bites I sustained at Mt Cook - sandflies! Nasty little critters. I now have some itch-aid and insect-repellent. I HAD to do something because I have never scratched bites like these before - and then they swell up and ache too. All at 2 or 3 in the morning. Is there no peace for the wicked ?



We had to be back at reception for a weather-check at 1pm, so we got here and did that. Thumbs up! so it was pack the bag, get sleeping babe ready for the pick-up and gather ourselves towards the door. We were flown in a 6-seater Cessna which was pretty darn noisy (aren't they all?), but the views from 10 000 feet were breath-taking, and on such a clear day the viz was fabulous. Did I mention that Keith took many great pics ? Well, Keith took loads of photos. I think we came home with 500 yesterday. Only down-side was that there were no head-phones for Zack, so I had to hold my hands over his ears for all of the flight - you start getting a cramp in your bicep from holding it at such an odd angle. We looped out over the Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord) and then came in to land on a teeny airstrip. Keith and I were both feeling a bit queasy by the time we touched down, but Zack was an angel and slept thru most of the 40 minute flight - thank goodness! We took a shuttle to the harbour where we boarded a 'cruise' around the Sound's perimeter which must've lasted about 1 3/4 hours. It is exactly what you'd imagine a fjord to be - very steep sloping sides, and in this case, covered in dense tropical forests.




The fjord is a mixture of fresh and salt water - about 8m deep of the surface water is fresh, and below that is salt water. We saw some dolphins, and Clive tells us that there are enormous manta rays that live in the Sound too. The waterfalls into the fjord were beautiful being very thin, and often blowing sideways in the breeze. Zack put his best foot forward for the skipper and was allowed to steer the boat – it makes such a difference when someone has kids of their own, or spends time with children regularly. It means they just have the skills to deal with little people who are bored. This guy was great!
After getting back to shore, we took the bus back to the airstrip where our pilot was waiting. He's done about 650 hours of flying, so not a huge amount, but you need a special license to fly in and out of M S, so he had some skill. It's a steep climb to get outta there, so it was all hands to the flaps. On the return journey I got to man the lens, so Keith sat with Zack on his lap doing the hands for ear-phones thang. Urk! I can understand why Keith was white and sweating and feeling really green - you spend too much time behind that lens and you start feeling really disorientated. The mountains out there are just spectacular - REALLY spectacular. I took loads of shots of snowy peaks, and water and rocks. It was quite Lord of the Rings, but also just awesome to look at. There is a hiking trail that goes out to Milford Sound, over the mountains - I don't know how many days it is, but boy, it looks like such a wonderful hike to do. I said to Di today that we should plan to do it in about 10 year's time - we come over with the grand-parents and leave the kids in Otautau and do the hike with Di & Clive. It would be awesome!
We got back last night at 6:15pm, really tired and I was feeling a bit head-achy. I think it's the altitude and all the sunshine too. Quite alot to adjust to in a short space of time. Zack wasn't a happy camper either with nasty nappy rash now from the teething, so it was nudey time and he ran around for a while "getting some air". Keith went off later in the evening and took the gondola up to photograph the sunset - again, some lovely pics. We down-loaded all the pics last night, just before bed and spent some time pouring over them. Really very special memories there.

Day 7

Tekapo to Queenstown. After getting all our goodies back into the car (including the freezer block we almost left behind) we started the winding trip down to the Remarkables* & Queenstown. It was cold, grey and not much different from the other days we've had. Mt Cook was under cloud as we drove past, so skipped that. Omerama was looking pretty clouded in too so decided not to go for the gliding option either. We took Lindis Pass to get to Cromwell, and steadily the landscape changed - as did the weather. I think the mood lifted with the brightening skies, and by the time we pulled into Cromwell for lunch we were both feeling much better. We ate at a funky cafe (Fusee Rouge) and Zack met two labradors, but wasn't interested in his lunch. While filling up with petrol, I got a text msg from Clive (Diane's husband) to say that he was 5 minutes out of Cromwell, so I sms'd him back telling him where to find us. Isn't technology amazing ? In the middle of nowhere, we met Clive for the first time, and agreed on hooking up for dinner. The drive from Cromwell to Queenstown is supposed to be a mere 45 mins, but we made it more by stopping at the Gold Reef Jet boating place and taking some pics from the suspension bridge. The landscape approaching Queenstown gets greener and greener (after the Karoo-like veld & mountains of the rest of the day's drive), and more beautiful. We were soon in wine-country, and there were vineyards every kilometer or so. We had booked into the Lakeview site and were unpacking when Clive turned up to discuss dinner. It was already 5:30pm and I had been caught off guard - it felt like 3:30pm. The light is hard to adjust to so far south in summer. We had italian, talked about the family and got to know one another a bit more. It sounds like we're going to have a festively festive celebration with them. Zack was charming and ratty - tired of the travelling I think, but also a bit under the weather with teething. He's slept very fitfully this evening and has had the shivvers.

* The Remarkables are to Queenstown, what the Twelve Apostles are to Cape Town = mountains, with grandeur

Day 6

Timaru to Chch and back to Lake Tekapo. We started heading back to Chch in the mid-morning after the gloomy news that Otago Campervans couldn't get us a replacement. We had two options : another campervan exactly like ours, with a slightly different configuration (and no guarantee of bed comfort) AND without the 3rd bed option (so Zack would have to sleep on the floor in the kitchen area) or a people carrier. I didn't want to drive 500km for all this nonsense. I felt really blue about it all - problems with the gas bottle, problems with the bed, now problems with the whole thing - we didn't really have a way out of the contract either. I didn't want to talk to Keith about it because there wasn't really anything to say, we were stuck. We agreed that we'd go as far as we could - probably Ashburton - before Zack woke up and then he'd drop us off and do the rest of the journey & the exchange without us. It was a blessing in the end - I think keith needed the head-space, and I was pleased to have the time to wander around town and "gather" (window shop). I managed to do a reconnoitre of the town and found where to buy "supplies" now that we were going to be sans-campervan & all it's accessories. Bought some plates, cups, bowls, a knife, large spoon, chopping board, pot, soft cooler bag & freezer block. Keith managed to hold onto a duvet, some pillows and the gas BBQ (I should jolly well hope so!) and a large plastic container on wheels with all our food stuffs in it. I had lunch in the Vespa Cafe where Zack lay on the floor and had another tantrum while I ate my quiche and drank a flat-white. By 3:30pm Keith was back from Christchurch in the people carrier which was a huge improvement on the campervan. It's supposed to seat seven but we have the back seats flat and the boot is full of our belongings. It is LUXURY compared to it's predecessor, and it's a hybrid so is ever-so-quiet. Zack was not happy being moved from the confines of his pram to the confines of a car-seat, with an uncertain amount of driving ahead, but what could we do ? This was not turning out to be the lovely relaxing trip we'd hoped for - we didn't want to be driving all day, every day, and that's almost what we've done.


We got back to Lake Tekapo and it's incredible lupins (brightly coloured flowers that grow wild in the surrounding area), and found the campsite. In retrospect I'm not sorry we returned as the first time we'd decided to push on to Mt Cook once we'd seen the view, and missed what it had to offer. The camp site is right on the edge of the lake on the somewhat quiet western side of town - we had a lovely dinner of fresh salads and left-over lamb chops, compared notes with some other travellers (also doing 4 weeks in NZ but covering more ground : Dutch couple from Arnhem who had already seen everything and hiked all over and were spending Xmas in Vietnam; and a Canadian woman travelling alone). After putting Zack down we went to the edge of the lake and got some lovely photos in the setting sun and twilight that followed.


Keith has 2 new lenses from HK, so it was great learning more about the macro. Thought we'd lost the car keys before bed, after ransacking the room, we found them under the curtain. Got to bed feeling jolly cold, and Zack was quite unsettled all night, so it was hard waking up to the chirpy "Mommy!" this morning. My very kind husband took him off for breakfast and gave me another 40 mins to lie in. Felt like a diff person!

Day 5

– Mt Cook back towards Chch, sleeping in Timaru. This morning we got up early feeling hugely better for a night in a proper bed and some good 'communication' yesterday (read, arguing and clarifying what we want from this holiday). It is still pouring with rain and we can't see the mountain. Ah well. We packed up, got Noam and Salit's itinerary, and said our goodbyes. We drove like the clappers down to Twizel, Omarama (saw a glider world rally about to start, thankfully they're off to Wanaka when we're there) and then down to Oamaru where we stopped for lunch. The Lake Aviemore / Lake Waitaki valley was incredibly windy and altho' the rain died down we were doing some pretty rough steering to keep our van on the road. Altho' the lakes were beautiful (more of that bright turquoise coloured stuff), it was mostly livestock and lines of trees forming wind-breaks. We stopped to buy some fabulous strawberries in a little hand-packing farm building. Yumellicious! Then on to Oamaru where we had sticky buns, pies and carbo overdose for lunch in a bakery. Then into a sweet kiddies' store where Zack met Santa, had our photo taken and picked up some farm animal toys for Zack (a hit), some sunglasses (a novelty) & some light-weight sandals (which he isn't sure of).

Day 4

- in Mt Cook. It's been pouring with rain since last night, so we've decided to stay put here and book into a cabin after a really rough night with zack - he fell out of his little bed twice onto our legs and I am concerned for his safety in this camper van. As a consequence we didn't get much sleep and the bed is hellishly uncomfortable with metal bars in all the wrong places. At breakfast we befriended, amongst others, an Israeli couple who're living in Brisbane for a year on sabbatical (Noam, Salit, Peleg and Euwal) - their boys played with Zack and we went thru the formalitites (Where are you from ? What do you do ? etc etc). Keith rang the campervan people and asked them if we could change our van for another with a better bed and more space. They've said they'll see what they can do. We drove up to the Mt Cook Hermitage & Visitors Centre. It's about to be re-launched with stunning new stellar viewing doo-dad. We hung out in the lounge and had a hot drink while it poured with rain. Borrowed an umbrella and walked down to the visitor's centre in the rain. Sadly we have had no views of Mt Cook since last night's sunset - it's enveloped in thick cloud and low mist. Oh, and did I mention the rain ? We took a short drive up to the Lake and glacier view-point, but when we discovered it was a 25 minute walk to the site, (in the pouring rain) we decided to give it a miss. We've seen glacier first hand before, and we'll be getting another shot at it at Fox's and Franz Josef. We drove through to Twizel for late lunch and then did a bit of re-stocking. Keith got a fitting for the gas bottle so that we can use the BBQ, but we still can't get the gas to connect to the stove in the campervan. We came back and managed to get some laundry done and hung in a brief respite from the rain. We joined Salit & Noam for a cuppa tea before rushing the laundry in and going to bed.

Day 3

- to Mt Cook. We drove up to Lake Tekapo which was an eye-catching turquoise, alot like the glacial lakes we'd seen in British Columbia. The sun was shining and we stopped for a little lunch, then a walk near the lake. Having no experience of NZ sunshine I didn't think anything of a little sun on Zack and Keith, and now they're both quite sun-burnt on their faces. Oh dear me. I hope Zack sleeps OK as it looks very red and hot to touch. Bad mother ! We pushed on to Mt Cook because it was still early afternoon. Found a campsite with a bit of shelter and views of the water and mountains. We'd like to do some flying tomorrow, but we'll have to see as the weather forcast is nasty and a neighbour said he'd heard the same.

Day 2

- in Christchurch - we headed over to the Antarctic Centre. Zack was in a rotten mood, so it made it quite hard going and unpleasant. They had heaps of information on Antarctica with a few 're-creations' too which were great fun : a storm room where you have to put on heavy coats and shoes to protect you from wind and snow. There was also a 4 Seasons room where the snow fell, so Zack could eat some. They have a small group of rescued penguins which was fun - each had a name and there was an explanation of their injuries or disabilities. I discovered that there are 11 species of Antarctic Penguin (it explained all the little faces I'd seen on "Surf's Up"). We had to rush through half the exhibition because his highness was screaming and carrying on. I voted to scrap the trip to the Arts centre in favour of getting out of town... and away from the miserable, drizzly weather. We drove out to Geraldine where we spent the night. Our first evening in a camp site and we were pleasantly surprised : ablution and kitchen facilities are excellent, and my only complaint was no baths. The kitchens even have microwave ovens and recycling bins! We went to bed early.

Day 1

– in Christchurch - we met the campervan rental people and went out to pick it up. All pretty straight-forward. She's a bit of an ancient beast with a huge appetite for fuel, but we seem to be managing. I think Keith and I are both a little disappointed at what we got, when we look at the other campervans on the road - they all look so luxurious compared to ours. But to be fair - you don't know what you're renting when you do it on the net - and we needed wheels and a bed. Yes, we got a few extras - a fridge, some fold-out chairs, an empty gas bottle. It's basic but it'll do. I think we'll both appreciate our "B&B" nights so much more too.
After getting the 'van, we headed into town and enjoyed walking around. It's a tiny little dorp really with a nice big cathedral, a square, a vintage tram route, some lovely arty-crafty shops and of course a hoard of outdoor gear a-la-New-Zealand places. Really, I have never seen so many in my life ! Gary would be in heaven, in fact, Gary could make a whole career out of checking out their stock and supply chain.
We had lunch at the Tap Room - specialising in beer on tap and steaks. We tried the (brewed in Greytown, on the West Coast) Monteith's beers - Summer and Radler - and now we're hooked. The Summer variety was incredibly complex, I never thought I'd catch myself using vino-jargon on beers... Initially it was quite grassy and fresh, but then I was hit with a complex fresh seafood and fruit flavour. We've bought a six-pack of the Radler and drunk our way through most of it - yup, it's pretty good stuff.

Zack was getting tired at this point but we boarded a tram to do the little circuit around town. He behaved abominably, yelling and wriggling and refusing to sit down. In the end we got a new driver and he stopped the tram and came over and gave Zack a lolly. It managed to shut him up for a while. We got off at the Arts centre, in time to see it close. We headed over to Andy & Jo's place for dinner - they live in an area with mostly new houses (they call it a "sub division"). Their place is beautifully designed inside, well chosen paint job and a lovely kitchen area. Andy whipped up some dinner, and we had a great eve catching up with them.

Day 0

Christchurch greeted us : warm and dark. We knew the hotel was across the airport car park but we'd agreed that we'd get the shuttle or a cab. Surprise, surprise ! We were met at the arrivals gate by Andy & Jo Holt, mates from St Peter's Barge. We'd spent so long in the quarantine area, they were wondering if we'd made the flight. Just that there is so much to check when you're entering a place like NZ... it's an island and they have to be vigilant about the stuff that's entering and exiting. I got my hiking boots sprayed even tho' the dirt on them dated back to our Womad music fest in Sept - they take their jobs very seriously. I mentioned this to the Holts, and that it surprised me that for no extra dollars they were performing this service, but that I'd paid the Australians good money for a visa and they'd made me fill in a landing card, that's all. Thanks to Keith's cousin, Diane, we checked into the airport hotel (it shares a car-park with the airport) and bade farewell to Andy & Jo. Ah, comfy beds, darkness and a good night's rest. Matched by an excellent breakfast the next morning. Airport hotels have often drawn the short straw in my estimation, but this one was the quick-growing bamboo in the family.