Slowing it down!

Trip Start May 06, 2006
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Trip End Mar 23, 2009


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Where I stayed
Central Backpackers (Dunedin, New Zealand)
(Dunedin hotels)

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Friday, April 18, 2008

 Not too much to report since the last entry but I'll update you all anyway! Horse riding last Friday afternoon was great fun and most definitely the best way to get right out there without cars or walking! There were a few who had never riden horses and provided much humor for some of us (including lots of screaming and one falling off - glad that wasn't me!) and then a few "jolly old hunters" (I'm not kidding) who were more than experienced. I sat somewhere in the middle (well, I say that, I only ever rode a horse a few times so not really the middle!) and so got to trot and canter a little bit along the way which was fun. We went right out in the bush with amazing views of mountains and even got to walk through rivers - pretty cool! My lucky horse was called Bob (don't even think about it Gemma!) - being tall I got given the 2nd biggest horse there but he was gorgeous and a very nice horse... except he didn't always want to stop when I asked him to! A good way to spend an afternoon even if I was really sore in the morning and I lost my camera case, memory card included (I did manage to get it back after a lot of hassle though!).

 On Saturday I made the long journey to Milford Sound. It took about 4 hours to get there! To be honest, while it was a stunning place, just to go and do the 2 hour cruise and then go all the way back to Queenstown just doesn't seem worth it to me. If you're doing the 3 day tramp or driving yourself then it would be a lot better but the bus trip just didn't cut it for me. I decided to hop off in Te Anau and do a day kayaking instead. It came highly recommended by some friends so I thought I'd give it a try. It definitely made Milford more worth it but I was still slightly disappointed (unusual I know!). There were big cruise boats every where and planes constantly flying over head so it wasn't quite the tranquill place you'd expect. It was still a nice day though and I'm glad I did it. I think next time I'd opt for the more expensive overnight trip on Doubtful Sound - I just didn't have time or the cash this time around!

 Back to Queenstown from Te Anau to catch my bus to the Catlins. You can do the tour in a day but I decided to stop over in Curio Bay. Population? 12! Yes, it was total deadsville but I loved it! Admittedly, I missed my phone a little bit (no signal out there!) but I think only 'cos I hadn't been warned about it! It's a great beach for surfing but being as I'm not equipped (or, let's face it, trained!) for that I just took some long walks along the windy beach and the 6k walk to the next town! It was a really nice place to relax and, time permitting (and if I had a car!), I could definitely spend a while there. I got to see a 160 million year old fossilised forest, Hectors Dolphins (I think only found in NZ and becoming rare in that part) playing around in the evening (they apparently would've come to play if I'd been surfing!), had some rare yellow eyed penguins just stroll on past me and almost tripped over a big fat juvenille sea lion who was sleeping right out the back of the house for 2 days! Quite out in the wild! Definitely somewhere I'd recommend and like to go back to.

 I was picked up yesterday afternoon where we finished our tour of the Catlins with some stops along the way at Nugget Point and Roaring Bay where we saw 13 yellow eyed penguins! They weren't as close as before as they're a lot more protected in that part but they only know of 6 nesting pairs and apparently you rarely see more than 5 or 6 individuals so we struck lucky I guess! Was quite funny seeing them waddle in from the water!

 And to Dunedin it was which is where I am now. Of course, it's raining as expected but there doesn't seem to be all that much to do anyway so I'm not complaining too much! I did a Cadbury's Chocolate Factory tour this morning and got lots of 'free' (included in the tour price!) samples to take away - another thing worth doing for sure. If it's nice tomorrow I might venture out to find the steepest street in the world (apparently). I think I'll be leaving here Sunday or Monday and heading back to good old Christchurch via Lake Tekapo. Quite looking forward to seeing everyone - this seems to have been a slightly lonely and very well behaved (for me!) part of my trip! Should be a fun last few days in New Zealand though before going to meet my parents in Oz (itinerary's on the way mum!). Hope all is good with everyone. I'll try to add the pictures this time!

 
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