Lake Rotoroa Lodge Nelson

... in Nelson we went on a cach boat hike tour to the Able Tasmen. Not a walk like the tongarario crossing but still lots of hills and 12km. Good fun though and had a good day with the weather. Some great views and nice beaches here. <br><br>Spent a few days here and there was a completly new set of people to meet on the magic bus! <br><br>

We have just arrived back after our Easter holidays. We flew down to the south Island again, this time to see the northern half of it. Our adventures began on the 10th April when we flew out of Auckland at 7.30am in the morning (a very silly time to fly if you've had very little sleep due to going out the previous night!) We arrived in Christchurch and took the tram through the city and headed on a gondola up Mount Cavendish. There were amazing views over Christchurch ...

10 to 15 March Georgie and Marcus emigrated 9 years ago and now have 5 really great kids. The octagonal house they built (after living in a teepee) is a little way off the beaten track!! The welcome and the whole set-up made us really delighted we had called in. The house is made of wood, octagonal with one huge living space. Off this are the 2 bedrooms and bathroom and a big verandah. The house is powered by a small hydro electric power plant, from the stream that ...

... with today and gave us a ride back to town saving us another 2 hours of hiking. I want to describe the beech forests because they are hard to capture on camera and their scent is the most memorable. The forest floor is blanketed in moss and ferns with little sunlight considering the small leaves on the evergreen trees (they do shed leaves year round, but always keep leaves on as well). The air smells a little like home with the damp earth and decaying leaves ...

... the world with the amount for sale in the shops. Most entertaining were some of the menswear being donned, and a Gandalf look-alike in full dress! We then started a long drive to Murchison, back over Tekaka hill, and then along the beautiful Motueka highway. More often than anyone would really hope, we had to stop in awe at the scenery. This continued once in Murchison, at our camp site and then along the walk through the Six Mile Matakitaki walk.

... the months ahead. Also in Nelson, a group of us went to the Saturday morning market, which of course was pretty granola. I loved it. All kinds of produce, bone carvings, random things. Bought some new shades :). Yup, so Nelson was the first place I've been to that I could honestly live. Incredible. Headed down the spine of the Alps next.

... cleared up and now the days are getting pretty hot. Hovering about 20 degrees everyday, but somedays are windy and depending on whether it is blowing from the north (the pacific islands) or south (Antarctica) it makes a big difference! So that's it for now. We are going to do something exciting Monday, Nov.3rd so I'll write all about it afterwards. I'll get pics up as well now that we have 2 laptops in the house!

... Couple from Henley in Berkshire. They were really lovely and no sooner had we been shown the room and agreed to stay then we were offered a cup of tea and we sat down in front of the fire for a long chinwag. They actually lived in a separate little house which sat next to 'the guest house'. The guest house had a big open plan kitchen and living room with a log fire. The décor was all natural wood, sumptuous sofas and big lamps. Really homely and it was so nice to have a living room ...

... on the Shotover jet. Once again, the B&amp;B is a lovely place, with nice amenities and hosts. I recommend staying in B&amp;Bs when you travel, it is better than hotels. Last night tonight, then it is on the boat tomorrow. I am not looking forward to getting back to normal life, and the stress of a new job. Can't I get a job as a travel writer or something; surely lonely planet needs someone to write a guide to motorcycling NZ.

... verschil tussen thuis en op reis zijn, is dat je thuis ergens heengaat om mensen te ontmoeten en je op reis ergens heen moet gaan om alleen te kunnen zijn."<br><br>Na een reep witte chocola en een blikje Australisch bier voelde ik me al wat beter en heb ik een gedeelte van mijn pizzabrood c.q. avondeten gedeeld met de eendjes in de rivier. Op mijn terugweg heb ik het hostel verderop in de straat geboekt, wat meteen al veel beter ...