Copthorne Durham Street Christchurch

... was in came second!!

Yesterday we had to be at the Glacier Shop to get ready for a hike at 7.30am. We were given out boots and equipment and then had a short bus journey to the glacier. It was great fun, hard work...LOADS of stairs to climb but well worth it!!! Walking on the glacier was amazing! Our guide said that it was warmer than it had been in a while on the day we went so we didn't need as many layers as we thought, but when you stopped ...

... fenced off area we even came across deer being raised like any other cattle. Apparently New zealand is a major world exporter of venison. But once we crossed the Manapouri/ Te anau area the landscape again changed to stark snow clad mountains!. We reach Milford Sound a bit too late for the cruises. The last cruises sails off around noon time. The accomodation in Milford Sound is limited and bit expensive so we drive back some 10-15 kms to a Department of Conservation (DOC ...

... good. Ol' Dolly bumped ito a local character and had a chinwag with him. He called this place "the town of broken dreams", because of all the high rents and failed business ventures. He said the only winners were "the old money". Eureka Stockade came to mind as he talked. Lovin' Queenstown. When we returned to the van park, there had been dozens of wagon arrivals and people were everywhere. One feral wagoneer had begun draining his grey water on the ground, only a couple of vans away ...

... city (and it really is) and meeting our new housemates. We have two Chileans, 1 Spaniard (becca teaches them all!), 2 Germans and a Bristolian, who are all very friendly indeed. We started building up a knowledge of where all the happy hour bars, cheap restaurants, cheap clothes shops and whatnot are, and spent some of the weekend getting some dull tasks done such as buying simcards for phones, filling the fridge etc etc.



After the weekend we both wanted to hit ...

... us with this word: "Be bold." Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." This really encouraged both of us, and later we found out that they were from YWAM based in Australia as well and doing their outreach. Then, we all drove back to Oxford for dinner at 6. It was a really fun day!

... on the South Island is in a small village called Okains Bay, and we juggled our trip in order to make it there. It had the feel of a small town church picnic. There were displays from the history of the town, an old church, library, schoolhouse and town store to go into. Plus you could see some sights such as sheep shearing, riding in a horse and buggy, watching horses getting new shoes, shooting off a gun, etc. The day started off with a welcome. All the guests were ...

... boulders eroded by the elements which looked a lot like the Peak District. 50km later we came to Sheffield! Lucy stopped to take a photo and realised she had left he camera on the roof of the car at Castle Rocks as she waited for me to open it. So we drove all the way back as a family were parked on the road and loads of other tourists were about. We have seen notes everywhere for lost and found stuff and items put in places for people to come back and get them ...

... to head out to Bottle Lake Forest on the northern outskirts of the city. A slightly cloudy sunrise had given way to clear blue skies by the time I hit the road at 10am, a nice cool breeze making for ideal conditions. As with the Port Hills, there's a bit of road work to be done to get out of the city but said roads seem to be relatively straight and flat in most directions leaving the city and the cycle lanes on them are bloody HUGE - the size of UK bus lanes for the most part. I'd ...