Hotel Grand Chancellor Christchurch

... it would need towing back to the garage in Te Anau and take about an hour to fix it. Lucky we didn't have an accident coming back down that steep hill. Anyway, once we were back on the road the vehicle was running like a dream. We spent New Years in Invercargill, not the best party location, but better than the Homer Tunnel carpark. We drove to Bluff and around the Caitlins Coast the next day. The Caitlins are fantastic, really wild ...

Arrived in Christchurch and Edna's luggage is damaged so new suitcase to be bought.  Frances arrived about half an hour after us so everything worked out well there. 

Christchurch is lovely as well, big place but has a very village feel about it.  (I felt like I was back in the 70's).  Didn't thing the shopkeepers were as friendly here as they were in Oz but still spent lots of money. Did the tram then Morag and Edna met up with Isobel and Linda (distant ...

... wandering around the town which was really lovely and bought some warm clothes as it is SO SO SO cold!!!! Our tour starts at 8am tomorrow morning and tonight we're off to see the All Blacks play Italy!!!! Very very excited!!!! :-)

Just come back from the rugby!! It was so cool!! It is FREEZING, as you can see from the photos! But it rocked, especially as the All Blacks won 27-6!

... be so jealous of our wagon now, because it had a brand new sunroof! The other Wagoneers arrived moments later, stating that they had stopped to phograph the tunnel entrance. They surveyed the damage with "Ooh" and "Tsk, Tsk" noises. We continued on to Milford Sound, all the while amazed at the fantastic scenery unfolding around us.  We parked and headed for the booking office for the Redboats. We opted for the longer "Nature" voyage. and boarded the bus. We met some people from San ...

... be a week tour down the south east coast where we hope to see plenty of penguins, spectacular walks, and hopefully an albatross or two thrown in for good measure! This mini trip shall also encompass a wee trip to Stewart Island (south of the south island), where we hope to spot the elusive Kiwi bird. It would be great if we get there for our anniversary, as we both think it will be really quiet and lovely at that time of year! After this we shall head to central Otago (you need ...

... their vouchers!) The weather in Christchurch was not great at all and consequently I didn't do much at all. It was nice though as I got to spend time with Signe (pronounced Zena, like the warrior princess!) from Denmark who I'd met on my bus from Fox Glacier to Wanaka and seen in Queenstown and Marie my German friend! One day I did go to the main art gallery, which was pretty cool as it had some new exhibitions and ...

... Having easily found parking close to our intended destination, we were again amazed at the light traffic flow. Patrons wishing to stop off at the markets outside The Arts Centre found parking right outside the markets! Later in the day we drove along streets that carried very little or no traffic! Following our punt on the Avon we set off for the Gondola, aka a cable car. From the top we were rewarded with some amazing ...

... my rather ace backpackers digs, Dorset House, under blue skies straked with occasional streaks of dramatic cloud stretching off towards the mountains in the background. It's about 19 at 7am. I hope you're all enjoying the snow I'm hearing about ;-) Anyway, without looking at the blog, I can't remember exactly what I said, but think I told you about my prolonged hunt for a decent bike hire place in Christchurch? More of that later, but I'll pick up from where the ...