The Alpine Rose Motel Greymouth

... it was quite a vertigo filled extravaganza. Thankfully the latter part of the journey was much calmer as we headed through the Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound.

From Wellington, the ferry took us to the town of Picton, which for a ferry terminal was probably no bigger than Torquay; it was tiny. After getting our bags we were escorted to our motor home which is really cosy; my bed is above the driver's seat and feels very much like an ice cold coffin. We then drove ...

... was so sweet to see everyone carefully crafting their necklace. I didn't think many people would enjoy doing this but they all loved it and were so careful and dedicated to their task, I found it very sweet and it made me really happy actually. Don't know why, it was just sweet to see everyone (including me) being really happy to do something like that. It was like we were all children again at school doing craft work! It was a good feeling. And it is time ...

... things over and signing a host of documents that I don't really read, but making sure that we have the minimum damage waiver as we are not paying another $10 a day for this. We hop into 'Borat' and get on the road. We quickly realise why Wicked is the cheapest and the richest company as the van is a piece of ****. But it is functional and will do us for the journey ahead (despite its apparent allergy to hills). First stop after the hostel is the supermarket to ...

... alpping up beneath them - to get the full glory though you need to be there at high tide with a bit of a swell brewing as well - my postcard i bought showed the blow hole at its best The seal colony was also an interesting stop even if it didn't deserve the big build up from the driver who warned against getting too close to the seals or getting water side of them cos they'd attack you - as it turned uot we ...

... German couple (who were discussing whether to go running or walking that day!) and a young Australian couple who were also staying there. A great way to get into the life and culture of NZ. West Coast Wonders Whilst in Greymouth we travelled up the coast on a tour (only one other couple on it) driven and narrated by Linda, another local resident who was so enthusiastic about the area she would suddenly turn ...

... of them had been buried by 100 tonne of ice with his rental car keys. The rental company demanded the family replace them. It was all over the news. The government got involved. Only in NZ. Anyway, the rain and the fog and the people waiting for a dead body to float down the river didnīt really do it for us so we headed to Wanaka.

... zu lassen und hab mir mit dem Hollaender, den ich auf dem Weg dahin gefunden habe, die lusten Pancake Rocks und Blowholes (bei Flut wird das Wasser durch die Blowholes gedrueckt und es entstehen lustige Fontaenen. Leider war Ebbe...) angeguckt! Auch gut . Danach kam dann leider das grosse Unwetter und nu sitz ich hier schon den vierten Tag? ich weiss es gar nicht mehr so genau (OK das Unwetter war nur Gestern und Heute) in Greymouth und warte auf besseres Wetter...

... off to a brewery for a tour, an 'all you can drink in 15 minutes' tasting, free pint at the pub and all you can eat barbeque. Even if I could have drunk beer and eaten all the sausages I wanted I wouldn't have gone to be honest. Sounded hideous! So, instead I had a wander through downtown Greymouth to the river (sewerage outlet) and then retired to the YHA were I had the run of the kitchen, the internet and the TV room. I eventually retired to my room - a 4 bed dorm ...

... mussels. This to me was heaven, poking around in amongst everything - not everyone's idea of a fun birthday but I certainly loved it! We then of course had to trawl the local shops for cream and parsley - there were 2 tea rooms, neither had anything! The rain had really set in but we walked along the path to look at the pancake rocks and blow holes that have made Punakaiki famous. The limestone stacks certainly weren't like anything I'd seen ...

Nelson was OK - it is where the exact centre of New Zealand is, I will go back one day. Today though, I travelled from Nelson to Greymouth down the wild west coast! The drive down is pretty scenic cutting through gorges and along the coast, real rugged. The first real stop of the day was at Cape Foulwind, near Westport. Cape Foulwind is where you can find a colony of New Zealand Fur seals. There was loads of them, it bloody stank but it is so ...