Heritage Gateway Hotel Omarama

... of the center of town. Walked around to the Avon River then back around to where I found this 'mall' which was warmer than the outside. Had a look around, pretty deserted. Found Whicoulls though and a caught up on some reading and looking around, mainly just warming up from the harsh reality of the pavement outside. It was nearly 11AM and I thought I might head back to the shop, get a drink and sit and wait. Got to the tinters at 11AM, cars done! Choice! Im outta ...

... and tasty snacks) and is nestled in front of Lake Tekapo with gorgeous mountain ranges in the background. Unfortunately, cloud started coming in and slightly marred the view however it did make the area look wonderfully haunting. There is a strange weather phenomenon here that we have encountered several times where mist seems to localise in one particular area only and as soon as you exit the area, you have clear skies again. <br><br>It ...

... Alexandria we went to a Gypsy Carnival. It was scary and...well...strange. There were about 20 tents of Gypsy's selling different things and about 6 visitors, including us, walking around. Some of them were standing in the middle of a field flinging ribbons around their heads as if they were following the beat to a lady singing with her guitar. Good thing it didn't cost anything. We also went to a town called Cromwell. I went to ...

... Pub called The Bog. Night now. Tuesday 10/03/09 Went in to Christchurch and took tram tour went to botanic gardens very nice, climbed up church steeple (Marie) view was very good Had lunch and mooched around. Went back to motel and lazed in spa for a while going out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow we leave for Auckland on our next leg to L.A. and San Francisco more soon Bye for now from the Quirke travellers

... Hotel. We were able to upgrade to a premium room on the top floor of the Aoraki tower-what a sweet hubby who wants to keep his wife happy-besides it wasn't a lot extra since they had some cancellations. The weather is phenomenal and although clouds have moved in to cover Mt Cook, we have had spectacular views all day. The drive here was just as spectacular and we were so excited when we had our first view of the Southern Alps and Mount Cook. It's hard ...

... my Goodness! the place whre i spent the night, the views, the hotel, the lake, the bath, the people, the food and the tranquility!!! the most beautiful place i have ever ever seen! Lake ohau lodge at he shores of lake ohau with mountains in the background. it didnt get completely dark outside until after eleven and the sunrise started 4 hours later. the best possible first day of a trip with more than 30 strangers!

... that. Every now and then a gust of wind or squall would come down the snowfields and all you could do was grab a handhold, crouch and turn away until it had gone. A bit like being sand-blasted. Strangely warm, despite being in knee-deep snow above some glaciers in a strong wind. Eventually I teetered across a high steep snow field and got to an outcrop of rock on the ridge. Two metres round the corner and it ...

... det værste var at solen var ved at gå ned og at da vi kom ud af skoven ikke havde den fjerneste anelse om hvor vi skulle hen! Ingen af os havde lyst til at sove udenfor. Så vi satsede og gik til venstre. Vi gik i yderligere 20 minutter og der var hytten! 10 minutter efter vores ankomst var det fuldstændigt mørkt! Vi snakker stadig om hvor heldige vi var. Vi fik lavet lidt pasta og forsøgt at tænde op i pejsen. Men alt br ...

... actually, it was a house. The man that owned it raised Merino sheep and cattle for most of his life. He had sold most of the business to his son, but still lived on the farmland. His name was Tony, and he had a lot to say about everything, but not in a bad way. He seemed to be very intelligent about all the things going on in NZ right now as well as other parts of the world. Either way, he seemed to have been ...

... way. The second hut was located near a bay, which is a habitat for the rare Hector dolphins. Because of the stormy weather, we couldn't see them at the afternoon, but we got to see them in the next morning, which was really great! The last day was endless and the weather was still not on our side. When we finally finished the track and got to Dardasaba, we found out that luck was also not on our side - we forgot the light on 3 days ago and the battery was dead! But like all ...