Black Diamond Motel Te Anau

... soup, followed by the fresh lobster. A first for both me and Jon, it was OK, but we both agreed we wouldn't pay 60 pounds in a resturant. After this it was time for my big fish... freshly battered it was delicious. Pudding followed and some wine before heading to bed.

It the morning Jon got up to watch the sun rise and we spotted a few more penguins before heading back to the port. An excellent trip... my favourite in New Zealand.

... to my blog as soon as it is updated! And then contrasting cinematic experiences - at the local cinema, a fabulous film of the Fiordland region - no commentary just spectacular photography and excellent soundtrack and then in my camper van a DVD of John Rambo, plot on a postage stamp, script on another but lots of shouting and gore - and it was still raining outside Invercargill and a hockey tournament next - yippee!!!!!! PS : no video clips this time they were taking way too long to upload

... is really just a springboard for the area’s attractions. As is now customary, I headed for the i-Site to get a map and see what there was to do. Glow Worms was apparently the thing for the afternoon and involved a short boat trip over the lake – somewhat overcast but nice to be on the water. Then the group of us were taken into a low cave entrance. Stooping down not to bang our heads, the cavern soon opened up in height and allowed us to view whirlpools and ...

Today the weather was pretty miserable. We started off the day by visiting the museum in Invercargill where we got to see the Tuatara, these are ancestors of dragons from the prehistoric period, that survived the prehistoric period, they are one of a few species from that period, making the species 0ver 65 million years old, so I saw a dinosaur effectively ...

... shame part, I'm definitely feeling it. We fall asleep by the fire, and I'm ashamed, for sure.    I decide to keep going. The next day is hard, and my hand is hurting. It's not very cold up here, to my surprise, but the snow. The snow! It's waist deep most of the way, and while I can usually stay on top of it, I sink through and have to haul myself out often. The walking is not easy today. Then there's the Track. I see what Bev was talking about, because at times, it's narrow, and I mean ...

... for the entire cruise. Our boat was called ´Lady of the Sounds´. As soon as we got on, a bbq lunch was served up. Lunch was briefly interrupted as the skipper drew our attention to the dolphins swimming alongside the boat. Me and the girls spent the entire trip on deck at the front of the boat. The fjords and Sounds were spectacular. Mini waterfalls ran down the mountains and into the ocean, mixing ...

... 1984.This part of the track is easy walking -but it's also the longest stretch and we are low on energy after yesterday's hard climb and rough weather. Still the day is beautiful as we near Lake Manapouri and the last hut on the track - Moturau. We stop for snacks and a pictur with two young Californian lassies who have been coaching and playing rugby in NZ for 9 months and whom we met in prvious huts. Then it;s on to the last 6kms ...

... geht es wieder zurueck zum Hafen und wir fahren dann wieder die wunderschoene Strecke zurueck, die wir gestern gekommen sind und gegen 18.00 Uhr an und verbringen die Nacht hier. Dijous V - III - MMIX El despertador sona a les 8am pero no seran les 8.30 quan m'aixequi... costa mooolt aqui a NZ llevar-se puntual. Deixarem ben aparcada a la Queenie i ens dirigirem cap al port. On agafarem una embarcacio que ens fara un trajecte al llarg de Milford Sound-Piopiotahi. Sera un recorregut de ...

... ready to get out. The third day we moved onto the next hut, Iris Burn Hut. It didn't rain, but since we were in the clouds at a 100% humidity, we got soaked through. Aaron ran up to Luxmore Summit, but I didn't bother because of the lack of visibility. I guarded the packs hoping to see some keas (worlds only alpine parrot, and big trouble-makers), but even they were smart to lay low. However I did hear one while on the loo after lunch at an ...

I don't know where the month since the last journal has gone, as ever this holiday is just whizzing by! Since leaving Karamea we've been chilling out in a chain of comfy hostels, admiring glaciers, rata flowers (particularly good this year in blazes of red), coastlines and had the full Lord of the Rings scenery experience around Queenstown.

First stop was Greymouth, where the Global Village hostel drips Africana with colorful decor, comfy ...