Goodbye NZ :o(

Sorry we've been a bit rubbish at posting the last few days but there hasn't been an awful lot to report... We've been chilling out for a change... and trying to save the pennies!!

We left Queenstown having had our fill of adrenaline and began our 5 day trip back to Christchurch to catch our plane to Sydney. So far, Darren had been doing a fair amount of driving, so I really wanted us to take it a bit easier before Oz.

A couple of hours up the road from Queenstown is Alexandra where we stayed a night before taking the slightly longer trip to Dunedin. It is here where I developed the mother of all chest infections, which I still haven't been able to shake off. Grr.

Dunedin is, apparently, the furthest city from London. At first glance, it looks the same as all other Kiwi cities but went up dramatically in Darren's estimations when we discovered it was home to NZ's Cadbury's Factory. We finished the Cadbury's tour laden with free chocolate and I'm now engaged to a 'Perky-Nana' addict .

East of Dunedin is the Otago Peninsular, a bit of a wildlife haven and more specifically, home to a colony of Blue Penguins. If you're patient and are dressed for the cold winds that blow off the South Pacific, you can watch the penguins come in from their daily fishing trip and walk up the beach to their nests for the night. These guys are soooo cute! They stand about 30cm off the ground and will waddle right past you if you stand still enough. Best if you bring night vision goggles, though, as it's mainly their white chests that you can make out in the darkness.

From Dunedin we carried on to Oamaru for the night and then on to Akaroa, situated on another peninsular south of Christchurch. A quaint little town on the side of a harbour - nice for a kayak trip around the bay or swimming with dolphins if you have the money.

It's our last day in Christchurch with the camper today. THANK GOD. They've been good times, and it's been a better experience than I had anticipated, but I'll be glad to be back in a bed that you don't have to prepare each night and dismantle every morning. I'll also be glad to see the back of the sink that never really drained properly (stories too gross for this blog will have to wait for our return) and a toilet you have to empty by hand (stories even more revolting will be saved for those with a strong stomach!).

Last but definitely not least, we finally settled on an engagement ring yesterday and picked it up from the Jeweller today. The ring that my mum gave to Darren was meant to be a token until we found something that we both liked. It's absolutely beautiful and very sparkly! (Nikki, I have finally discovered diamonds!!). I shall show you all when we return.

We're off to Sydney on the 1st March so expect much more exciting stories then!

Love, Lou xx

Things to do before you die - in one day

So here we are in Queenstown - the adventure capital of NZ. Not ones to just sit back and watch the world go by, we decided to get stuck in with a full days worth of activities.
Being distantly related to a bunch of gypsies bodes well occasionally when blagging a good deal, so we opted for a 'combo' package which was called the Shotover Free Fall. The clue for at least 2 parts of the day are in the title but I'll give you a low down on the rest:

• Up again at silly O'clock (Bah!) to go on the Shotover Jet. Another crazy paced jet boat that hurtles down a river in the bottom of a canyon narrowly avoiding various obstacles along the way including rocks at head height & semi submerged trees, branches and more rocks for good measure
• Next up: White Water Rafting. This was to take place at the top of one of the nearby canyons and would normally take 45 minutes to drive to it. Our package however included the Helicopter trip to it. Nice.
  
  Now, the helicopter only took 4 people at a time and the helipad was a ten minute drive up the mountain road. Regaled in full wetsuits and carrying hard hats & life jackets in the blazing sun, we looked a right bunch of Muppets sat on a log alone in the middle of a field next to the main road waiting for the helicopter to return from its first drop off. Anyone passing must've thought we were bananas. I'm not sure what I prayed for more - not to crash while we were in it, or not to crash on the first run thereby leaving us to die on a hillside looking like penguins.
  
  Fortunately the helicopter ride was awesome and the pilot, who was either some kind of part-time stuntman, or Mad Murdoch from the A-Team swooped round, up and down the canyons seemingly beheading anything living on the ground below us. I love it when a plan comes together.
• Joining 5 other people in a rubber dinghy (including the guide) with nothing but a wooden oar and a limited set of instructions and being launched down grade 4 rapids can feel a little daunting at first but was nonetheless very enjoyable - until we found ourselves dragging people from another up-turned raft into ours who, without our help, would have just sailed off down the rapids. Good fun though. Honest!
• The cherry on the cake... The absolute highlight of all days... SKYDIVING FROM 12,000 FEET!!
  Oh yes, you heard that right Brothers and Sisters, Lou and I embarked on a trip that we'll remember forever. I won't lie to you readers, every emotion filled our heads and very nearly our pants in the run up to the jump, but once briefed and kitted out, we were bundled into a plane, taken up to 12,000 feet above Queenstown and in what seemed no time at all, were free-falling towards the ground at over 200KPH. This lasted for about 45 seconds before the canopy opened. If you've ever done it, you'll know how it feels. If you haven't, do it. It's awesome. I've never felt so alive.

Today was spent chilling out and taking a trip up the mountain in some cable cars and having a go on the Luges but after yesterdays excitement, it all seemed a bit tame!

Check out the pictures, we've posted the ones from the Caving and Agrodome up too.

We'll be heading off tomorrow to pastures more calm and serene!

Darren

Wanaka - comedy name, great town

So we made our way across more mountains to Wanaka today. It's really hard to drive around this beautiful country without the risk of spinning the bus off the road 'Italian Job' style while checking out the awesome views through the mountains. Of course Lou was always on hand 'Mrs Bouquet' style telling me to "Watch out for the mountains" so you can rest easy that I at least was in safe hands.

When we finally arrived at Wanaka (stop tittering), I immediately declared that this was a town that I would be happy to live in. It's fantastic. A huge lake with a spectacular snow-capped mountainous backdrop. The comedy address would be worth the move by itself to be honest.

As it's so nice here and we've done quite a bit of driving, we both decided to take the weekend off and chill out by the lake. Of course there being a Curry House just off the main street had nothing at all to do with it...

Darren

Haastalavista Baby

We got some pretty good views of Fox Glacier from afar this morning as we ate our burnt toast (damn grill) and then took a stroll around Lake Matherson. On a calm day, you can see the reflection of Mount Cook in the Lake but luck would have it that there was a bit of a breeze today so no reflection.

With feet itching, we got in the car to make a start on our next big venue - Queenstown - Adrenaline Capital of the South. We're not gonna get there for a few days yet but we chose Haast as the next town to stop at.

...And we thought Dargaville was bad!

I don't think I need to say much more than:

Shop count: 1
Signal on mobile phone: none
Nearest ATM: Fox (117km and 2 hour drive North) or Wanaka (146km and 2 1/2 hour drive South).
Nearest Filling Station: See above.

To say this place is remote is an understatement. We leave early tomorrow morning!

Lou

Franz Josef - Fashion Capital

So we woke up bright and early this morning to hike Franz Josef. They advise you to bring 4-5 warm upper body layers, quick drying trousers (not jeans). Everything else they will provide.

Darren left the camper this morning looking like he'd been dragged backwards through a dressing up box:

Feet - Two pairs of contrasting stripy socks, the yellow and brown pair pulled down slightly lower to reveal the lime green and black. Yellow, red and blue DC trainers.

Legs - a pair of beige Adidas swimming trunks

Top - a red and black stripy jumper with a black death-metal style t-shirt pulled over the top.

I love my handsome fiancée!

The hiking itself was far more energetic than either of us expected it to be and with hindsight, were quite thankful that the full day tours were booked up. We were taken on a 2.5km power walk to the Glacier 'Terminal' (base) and then spent 4 1/2 hours negotiating treacherous walls of ice. The views we got were spectacular once again and was well worth the trip.

We were back in normal clothes by about 2pm and we've just cruised through the winding roads and arrived at Fox for the night.

Lou xx

Happy Happy Lou Lou

So a very happy Fiancée-Lou and Fiancée-Darren left the beach and headed further down the Coast to Greymouth this morning to call my Dad on his birthday and break the news. He was really happy and so was my mum. Apparently my mum has been bouncing off the walls :o)

Since Greymouth doesn't have an awful lot to offer, we carried on down to Hokitika - a lovely little town on the beach but seemingly obsessed with the Jade carving industry. We watched one lad carve a small whale tale pendant. It amazes me the level of patience some people are blessed with.

Today was a bit hectic on the driving... And we've ended up in Franz Josef about mid afternoon.

New Zealand has two large glaciers on the South Island. Franz Josef and Fox, each with a township of the same name. Aside from the snobbery that surrounds Franz Josef as the visually superior of the two, they both are pretty much identical. Since we've done enough driving, and don't want to drive another 27km south to Fox, we've chosen to book in for a 3/4 day Glacier Hike for 7:30 tomorrow morning. Loving these early starts!! ...Darren not so much ;o)

Lou x

Hanmer time!

Drove from Kaikoura to Hanmer Springs yesterday and stopped off near another thermal springs resort. This time, not quite so smelly and very nice indeed. In their Winter months, this place would be a ski resort so there are plenty of aptly named lodges like 'Aspen ski retreat'.

After our early morning dip, we were under way again heading across the mountains to the West coast to Westport where we were reliably informed was a great place to see more seals. The drive along these mountain roads was simply breathtaking. With rolling mountains to our left and rolling waves to our right. Although there weren't that many seals about, we were happy that we'd got much closer to seals in Kaikoura.

We stocked up again at a local supermarket and headed to Punakaiki to have a look at the Pancake Rocks and blow holes. Caused by years of sea erosion and compressing plates, these rocks give the appearance of looking like a stack of pancakes. Mmmmm... pancakes.

On the way we came across even more stunning scenery and beautiful beaches. One beach in particular was so beautiful, that we stopped to go for a stroll...

At this point, months of planning finally came to fruition and while Lou was out of sight, I penned the words "Will you marry me?" into the sand...

Fortunately she said YES!!! and I presented her with a ring that once belonged to her German Grandmother - big thanks to Lou's parents for giving me permission too!

So there you have it. Lou and I are getting married! No dates or places set yet but we'll keep you all in the loop. Who knows, this place is so fantastic that we may come back and get wed here! Get saving those pennies people :o)

A very happy Darren!!

THAR SHE BLOWS!!

This morning we were up at 6am for the morning journey out to view whales off the coast of Kaikoura. Read that again folks. 6 A M.

The only times I've ever been up at that time have been as follows:

• Catching a plane
• Helping a school friend out on his milk round on the assurance "It'll be fun". Duration 20 minutes (I cut my hand open falling over onto a milk bottle). Still half asleep
• Doing a paper round that I tolerated for exactly three days until Sunday when the supplements were so heavy I couldn't even ride my bike
• Working a 6-2 shift when I was 19 in a poor effort to gain a bit more cash due to a 'shift allowance'. This lasted as long as my first pay packet. The early mornings driving to work half asleep in an unreliable car resulted in me sometimes forgetting that I'd driven to work. I'd catch the bus home and then think my car had been stolen. Once I actually reported it to the Police
• I fouled myself in my sleep

In a nutshell, I'm no early bird. But this morning was a bit of an exception. The thought of catching a glimpse of these magnificent creatures was enough to get me up without too much complaining.

Thinking that getting up early was going to be the most harrowing part of the day, we made our way down to 'The Whaleway Station' (no really, it was ACTUALLY called that).
At this point we were warned that the sea was very choppy and they issued a 'sea sickness alert'. Lou and I had anticipated this and had stocked up on Ginger Nuts and Ginger Beer.

The phrase Yin and Yang has never been more apt when describing the awesome sight of Sperm Whales breaching while trying to resist reaching... for the sick bag.

The day is still young so we have been mooching and checking some shops out and stocking up before we head off again. Where? Who knows, but we may be checking out some more Seal colonies that we checked out on the drive in.

Darren

Caving is our new hobby

On the way out of Rotorua, we stopped at a placed called Wai-O-Tapu. To explain a bit about the Rotorua area: two tectonic plates join across the middle of the North Island of New Zealand and this makes this area particularly volcanic. However, another phenomenon is the 'Thermal Activity' which occurs in several areas - best of all at Wai-O-Tapu. This is where Gasses bubble up through the earth's crust, heating water and mud and generally making amazing colours BUT SMELLING OF EGGS!

You can genuinely believe you are on another planet when you go here. I'll let the photos do the talking, because I don't think my words would do it justice but every metre of this 3km trek was incredible.

On to Waitomo...

We were on a bit of a whistle stop tour of the North Island as we wanted most of out time down South but we couldn't leave without going to Waitomo (assuming you're looking up all these places on Google Maps!)

The Black Abyss trip was Darren and My Christmas present to each other. Again, something I'm finding really difficult to describe but put it this way - I never thought that dressing up in a half centimetre thick wetsuit and jacket, followed by baggy shorts and wellies and then squeezing through tight gaps - all at 8am, would be so much fun but it RULED!! We're totally hooked. Find us a Wookey Hole after April 1st!

Lou xx

Agrodome!

This is what we've been waiting for... being thrown about the place like a rag doll and paying someone for the pleasure. Welcome to NZ!

On today's menu:

A 480BHP Chevy Engined Jet Boat ride?
Being strapped inside a sleeping bag and released 'pendulum stylee' from 40 Metres?
Or perhaps you would like us to contain you in an inflatable ball, throw in some water and launch you down a hill?
Oh, almost forgot...
Would you both care to partake in some 'Virtual Skydiving' by way of being hurled on top of a very powerful fan in a skydiving outfit?

"We're feeling greedy. we'll have the lot. With photos to prove our heroics"

It didn't stop there either...
In the evening we went to a traditional Mauri village and feasted on Hangi (food cooked under ground), and were presented with a demonstration of fascinating Mauri culture and history. What also impressed us was the 'add-on' tour which covered the Kiwi Discovery tour - a guided tour of the nature park next door housing many exotic birds and animals unique to NZ including of course the now endangered Kiwi bird - for 11 bucks which would have normally cost 24. Bargains ahoy!

Darren

Darren's luck with cars doesn't quit

So today we headed further south via Auckland. Darren hadn't been happy with the sound of the engine and gearbox from day one and so opted that we swing via the depot to do a spot of complaining!

To cut a long story short, the mechanic agreed that both were on their way out and agreed to swap our clunky campervanmobile for a whizzier model, give us $68 compensation for our troubles and let us off a quarter tank of diesel. Winner!

Up till this point I thought I'd been doing a sterling job of navigating us around hills and mountains (thank you for the maps, Jackie!!)... Anyway, today we took the scenic route to Rotorua - egg-smelling capital of the North.

It was late by the time we arrived and sneaked into a closed campsite and parked up to an open space that sounded distictly water-like. We couldn't believe our luck when we woke up to this. :o)

Waitangi Day

Blimey it's windy today! Driving like a stuntman, we headed down the West coastal road heading towards the Kauri Museum (recommended to us by a middle aged lady who parked near us at the native forest). Now, far be it for me to sound ageist but when we arrived the place was TEEMING with grey hair. I kid you not, they must have had their own Emergency Room in case any of the 'olds' got too excited at the thought of a massive tree museum. After we flipped a coin to decide whether or not to go in and the coin deciding we should, we decided not to. Cheats.

Another recommendation led us down to Pakiri. Big up the Frank and Kerri massive!

Off we set, on what seemed like two wheels in the wind to Pakiri beach for some horse riding on the beach. It was shut. Waitangi Day is a public holiday that celebrates the signing of a treaty between the Mauris and the British Crown and is one of the only days in the year that this place closes. Great. We headed to the beach anyway and it was fantastic! The wind blowing in from the sea was so strong, you could lean into it.

We then headed down to a really nice place called Orewa and stayed the night on a camp site that is on the beach (we even got a beach-front pitch). Cool!

Campertastic

So today we picked up the camper and were left waiting for what seemed like an age before it finally appeared. After a brief introduction into the bits and bobs on board and a topped up fuel tank (I'm getting good at moaning), we were on our way.

Our first stop was Pahia on the Bay of Islands. Not a friendly place to be honest, boy racers in Skylines charging up and down the promenade and some shifty looking kids looking in car windows. After some cursing that the cooker wouldn't work (Turns out the fuel tank wasn't the only thing left empty. The Gas bottles were too!), we headed into town for a pizza, stayed the night in an RV park and made an early getaway in the morning for a stroll and lunch in a native forest north of Puketona.

We pulled up at Ngawha Mineral Springs at about 2pm. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the description but it was a lot more civilised that a few bubbling little ponds. We walked up to reception and were greeted by a really friendly Englishman, who explained he'd come here on holiday and stayed.

The 'springs' consisted of about 7 wooden sided shallow dipping pools. The eggy smelling gasses, which bubble up through the earth's crust heat the water in these pools and the temperature varies from 20-40°c. It's pleasant experience but the smell lingers and the swimming trunks and bikini hung up to dry in our camper have made it smell of eggs ever since.

From Ngawha, we took the scenic route to Dargaville. I believe this stretch is only 150km but it took us over 4 hours through the mountains. The weather was very windy and a times a bit rainy but it was TOTALLY worth it for the views we got. I've forgotten to bring the camera so I'll have to upload the pictures another time.

We got to Dargaville (aka Ghosttown) at about 8:30 and pitched up a another RV park before heading back towards Auckland the next day.

Darren and Lou x

Touchdown in Kiwi land

So here we are in Auckland. Quite a cute place and a lot smaller than we thought it would be. The town centre consists of just two main streets it seems.
Today we just chilled out and booked into our hotel and in the evening went up the city sky tower (which is just across from our hotel).
Tomorrow, we pick up the camper!

Darren and Lou xx