La Belle Villa Akaroa

... the road and houses are all named in french. We find a very nice restaurant called Bully Hayes and have a platter of seafood, meat, cheese and pickles with fresh bread (gluten free!!) Then I have a giant Creme Brulee for pudding and Em has sticky toffee pudding!
We walk back and pop on the internet before walking a film on TV then heading for bed.

Tuesday 17th November

More sunshine! We catch with Mum and Dad on Skype before ...

... with great views over the Ocean which looks like a huge lake it's so calm. We camped for the night at Okains Bay in our brand spanking new Spaceship "Goliath"; complete with all mods cons including DVD player and completely useless Sat Nav. The campsite was situated in a pine forest by the beach, it was a basic camp site for $8 each (about 3.50) - sweet as!

... went past a small shop with a collection of rock & punk miscellanea for sale. A sign out the front proclaimed "WE SELL PARTY PILLS". Well, being the "organic chemical enthusiast" of the expedition, it was too much for Ol Dolly's curiosity and in he went to find out about these concoctions. He asked "What are these pills you sell?. "We sell lots of types of pills. What are you after?" came the reply. "What are these Party Pills? he asked. "Oh, they're SEX pills" she explained. "And ...

... Definitely one of the better views I've had on a plane. Conveniently, because of the time difference, we made it back to Brisbane by 9am, and I even made it home and back to uni in time for my 1pm Marine Biology class. But I was feeling the effects of a solid 12 nights of very little sleep, so I spent the next few weeks resting up and fighting off the cold that I got. At least I didn't get swine flu! And I definitely had the best spring break of my life!

... meteor site, and infact that story and the character had actually been based on events and people across the country. the kulgera guys had been correct in mentioning barrow creek however, in the fact that the barrow creek tavern had been the place where rebecca lees had been brought after being discovered cowering behind a bush beside the road. as everyone who watches the news knows, her story goes that some psycho killed her boyfriend peter, but that she was able ...

... keep in shape with bike rides into town - Chch was a planned settlement by the English in early 1800's and still retains a very English ambiance - big on afternoon cream teas - yummy - and punting on the River Avon which runs through the centre of town. The big sports here - and in rest of NZ are of course rugby and cricket with the country gearing up to host World Cup Rugby in 2011. We also keep in ...

... honey, or have then store it for me for $20 NZ. I opted to store it. They took my money and gave me a receipt. I was told I could claim the honey when I was ready to board my flight back to the USA. After all that, they finally cleared me and I was able to enter New Zealand. I went into the terminal and got some New Zealand currency from and ATM. Then I wheeled my baggage along a sidewalk for a ten minute walk to the domestic ...

... original wood floors in the kitchen area and bathroom (originally the mallet room, now with a spa bath). Later on we explored the grounds and looked in the other cottages - some with sea views (these being more expensive, purpse built and very plush). We were quite happy with our little hideaway in the bush with the birds singing and a couple of bottles of wine in the fridge - perfect!!! We ...

... were able to get it out of the field it had set in for months awaiting her. The next day, we had to register the van, have it insured, and get it inspected for road worthiness. It was amazingly easy to get this all done, especially as Silke is not a New Zealander. By noon, the van was legal. It is a 1993 Toyota something and has a mattress for one person in the back which lays on boards. There is storage space under the bed and at the back. What it does not have is a ...

... dapprecier la vue ! wow !!! (voir les photos) Finalement notre dernier gros trip a ete de faire le Tongariro Crossing, une marche de 6h a travers les volcans (ceux dans le seigneur des anneaux !! (mont Dume)) les vues etaient tres belles au debut et a la fin de la marche mais malheureusement en haut nous etions dans un nuage... la vue etait donc moins impressionnante mais latmosphere assez terrifiante !!! Bref un 2 semaines magnifiques ! Nous vous donnerons des nouvelles bientot ! xxxx