Akaroa Cottages

The day's drive was out to the Bank's Peninsula, formed after a volcano erupted and destroyed itself a few hundred years ago.  Arakoa is the main attraction here...a nice little touristy town overlooking French Bay.  A very French outpost, all the street names started with Rue ...

As soon as we arrived back at Te Anau we were absolutely starving and tucked into a hearty meal and checked into a nice hotel to make up for the lack of luxury during the week. The next day we headed back to Queenstown for one last goodbye and stopover on our 600km journey back to Christchurch in time for our flight out to Melbourne at 9am on Wednesday. The scenery coming out of Queenstown is amazing, full off beautiful ...

... the sun to set and for the changing of the colours of the rock, rather than still plodding on as we were now doing! anyway, so despite a little running towards the end of the walk, passing several spiritually significant points in the rock - one resembling a pair of lungs - we never did reach the carpark to see the sunset, but what we did get to see might just have been as magnificient. so, we're still walking around the base of ayer's rock, the sun has now set, the ...

Sat 28th Feb- After a tearful goodbye to Jay, I was on the plane, stretched out watching a movie on my way to NZ. The women at immigration grilled me with questions and thought i was mad not booking anywhere to stay being a young lone female traveller. But it was fine, I went to the wall and free phoned BASE hostel (recommended by a girl i met in LA) whilst i was on the phone a security bloke came up to me asking if i was ...

... told us u have to sing to them adn make noises adn swim in circles to get them interested in u so the sea was full of enthusiastic little singers trying to sing underwater so a dolphin would give them the time of day. i chose "flipper" and neil diamond "sweet caroline" for some reason. a few times a dolphin would swim past and then slow down near u and u could see it looking at u going whats this about so ud sing even louder and start going in circles and sometimes it would ...

... seven dogs. The scenery from the top of the hill behind the house was unfortunately hidden by cloud, however what we could see was still beautiful. After a venison lunch (Fallow Deer hunted on the farm), we had to head back to Christchurch and sad farewells on our part as we returned Neil, our home for the past three weeks. Back at the Copeland's -minus Village, away on a course - we got plenty of smiles from Dulcie, as we went on a short walk before ...

... stroll, we drove on to the next bay, Okains Bay. To get from one bay to the next, you have to drive back in land and then back out again. This involves some steep windy climbs and some great views over the Akaroa peninsula. Okains Bay has another white sandy beach - shame about the weather!!! This time it was covered in shells rather than seaweed. The other attraction is the museum, where we spent some time wandering around the variety of ...

... du gouffre, je cherche une pharmacie pour m'acheter des Depends. Et la je rigole. C'est ca que ca prenait. Et aussitôt sorti de la ville j'ai droit aux paysages de la NZ, ceux qu'on voit dans les brochures touristiques. Yeah !!! a fond la caisse, la musique dans l'tapis, les lunettes fumées, le sourire de 96 dents (comme les deux gazelles, j'essais de me mélange aux autochnottes). Mais c'est que ...

Had a last paddle in the sea at Gore Bay, then it was off for our Qantas flight to Sydney/Melbourne after lunch - Phill managed to squeeze in a last Speights NZ beer at the airport.... We were very sad to leave New Zealand, but excited to be getting nearer to family in Adelaide.

... rare, so we were fortunate to see one on a beach while out for a walk. Hiding in plain sight behind a convenient sand dune, we watched the bird waddle speedily to its burrow, presumably to make sure the chicks weren't creating mayhem in its absence. (we've seen 'Pingu'!) Andy also saw some make their way up very steep dunes; quite a struggle, although presumably the morning downhill run is much more fun.

I succumbed to the enticing vapours that ...