West Fitzroy Apartments Christchurch

... Our camper van had a bit of a breakdown on the 30th, when the fanbelt came off and we had no power steering. We rang AA to come and fix it while we were on the cruise. After having dinner and a few drinks we got back to the campsite and retrieved our car keys. The receptionist hadn't seen anyone come to fix it, but we shone our flashlight under the hood and it looked ok. But the next day when we were driving back to Te Anau some ...

... Then when the film starts people take photo’s of the screen! They also text during the film, accept mobile calls and also yell at the screen?! All very strange but didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the film.
After the film I have a very yummy roast pork lunch from a stand in the food hall which specialises in roasts! The crackling is particularly good!
After stuffing our faces we head for the shops! Its quite strange to be surrounded by so many people ...

... The captain told us we would be more than lucky to spot wild penguins, but for sure should be able to see dolphins or seals. Before getting too far out into sea, we turned around and headed back to the Sound. We approached a beach where penguins usually reside, but of course we didn’t see any; however, further along the sound on some rocks, we spotted a group of seals!

I knew by then I had gotten my money’s worth, but there was more to come. At the last ...

... spirit. Each batch is about six litres and "The six monkeys", as they refer to themselves, get one litre each from which all variety of liqueurs can be derived and the fore shots can be used to fuel the stoves for tramping! They take care to have bits of the apparatus each so that no one gets too fond of the grog (at about a quid a bottle this is also seriously cheap).

... so we had to have lunch. We went into town to inquire about car hire, and it was freezing cold, raining and the wind was howling so we went back to the jailhouse to use the internet. We had fish and chips for dinner - yummy! after dinner we looked around the jail at some of the cells that have been left in their original condition, complete with rude graffiti on the wall and a toilet in the corner. The hostel stopped being a jail in 1999.

The ...

... from the top made the struggle worth it, as well as the random Asian lady who took a fancy to Laura. We were all having our photo's taken at the top of the hill when the Asian lady grabbed my sister's arm & called to her friend to take pictures. Shortly afterwards, Christina & I were dragged in as well! The funny thing was, she couldn't speak English, so there was no explanation given for her dragging Laura away, no "can I have my picture taken with you?", she just ...

... Josef, while SquawJenny & Ol' Dolly made a b-line for the public voting booths. Had 'em bluffed at first. Sure are different. You push a button and the door opens. Enter, push a button and the door shuts. A voice pronounces that the door will remain locked automatically for a maximum of 6mins (don't bother reading). Then the music starts and "What The World Needs Now" oozes from the speakers, which really opens the sluice gates (no need for laxatives). You push a button for ...

... or help because her waters had supposedly broke. i just didn't know what to say and remember standing beside the van, completely frozen, asking sean for help with the situation, and not wanting to seem a hypocrit too, but really not knowing to judge the whole situation. in the end, sean just said no to the money and advised the poor woman to phone the emergency number for an ambulance, despite her refusal and telling us they won't help! anyway, that was some scary fun! other than ...

... the cash), and that I wasn't sure our driver would be accompanying us that morning.  He replied that he had no intention of processing 18 separate credit card charges (silly me, I thought that was his job), and I could step aside and wait until the driver showed up.  I considered explaining to this charming young man why he should not (ever) be employed in the tourism/hospitality industry.  But, realizing that we still needed to get out tickets, I kept my opinions to ...

... the development of the area went to that college. Most of the street names are very familiar. The river is called the Avon and on one side is Oxford Terrace and on the other Cambridge Terrace. There are 4 million people in New Zealand and approx. 40 million sheep - Romney for meat and Marino for wool. We both loved New Zealand and maybe one day we can come back and see more of the islands.