Where are we up to...

Next instalment…

Been a while and can’t remember when I wrote last – must have been just after Sydney so…

We loved Sydney and there was a heatwave whilst we were there – 40 degrees you beauty – but we also found it pretty pricey – worse than London with a dodgy exchange rate. So we went south for a few days to Woologong and had a great couple of days on the beach.

Then we flew onto New Zealand and we will be returning to Oz so lots to look forward to. We flew in over the South island and you could tell immediately that there was going to be some great scenery – mountains, glaciers, craggy rocks and great weather greeted our first few days in Christchurch. We found Christchurch very pretty, friendly, tidy and pleasant and we had a couple of great days with some friends of mine from Volleyball days, Paul and Gail and their son Sam. Little did any of us know that only a few days later central Christchurch was to be changed forever – for the worse – and a large loss of life has left the whole country shocked. We were obviously lucky to miss the earthquake but feel for all those involved and our friends who have substantial damage to their house. The whole nation continues to rally round however, and everywhere you turn there are donation boxes etc for the city and we hope they recover as soon as they can.

We initially headed north and enjoyed the hot springs in Hanmer Springs and also some beach time in Momorangi. We met 2 nice Kiwi families who took us out on their speedboat and Charlie was water skiing on an inflatable police car ! We also caught a large red Snapper (well we smacked it with the speedboat !) - beats fishing any day.

We also enjoyed Kaiteri beach in the north that basically had its own tidal lazy river / rapids. When the tide was coming in you jumped in and it carried you up a stream, when the tide was going out – you jumped in and it basically carried you out to sea ! The sight of both Vix and myself with our bathers full of sand was really very funny. We got right to the top of the South island and then headed down the West coast.

In Murchison we met up (again) with our friends Clive and Paul who we met in Sydney and their friend Nicky. We had a great evening and barbecue and watched a sheep being sheared and fed Emu’s, deer and sheep from our hands. Great to see friendly faces and we wished them well on the rest of their trip.

We stopped off in glacier country and for the first time had to dig out socks and trousers (I had forgotten how to put these on !). Both Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers are great scenic and geographic sites and Vix did a glacier climb while I took Charlie up to the mouth of the glacier.

We headed on further south to Queenstown – the adrenalin capital – and I was happy with a ride in the gondola up to a scenic viewpoint but Vix managed to book us 1 hour on a Jetboat in the worst (windiest) weather on record. After 30 seconds Charlie wanted to go back as the lake was like an ocean, however, once we got onto the Shotover river it was a lot calmer and Charlie couldn’t get enough. The driver pulled 360’s – yes 360 degree turns in a speedboat and we whistled past trees, bushes and bridges. Afterwards we could barely walk but it was a great ride.

From here we went to Milford Sound which is again very scenic – a beautiful Fjord that is totally protected and we had a great mini boat trip up and down the fjord. We then headed further south through Invercargill and onto Dunedin where we are now and it is safe to say that these are a little quieter than the rest of the island. In the next few days we head back to Christchurch to meet Vicky’s Mum and we are going to spend a few days just out of Christchurch and then head on to the North Island.

We are 2 months in and the time is flying by – however, still have Oz, Thailand and China to come. Being so far away you do start to miss your family and friends but we are on such a great trip that every day there is something new to experience. Like today in a Dunedin swimming pool – I nearly drowned in the Lazy river in the childrens pool that was basically a set of rapids !

We are staying vaguely up to date with the news (sports results) and see that there has been terrible trouble in Libya (we are glad to hear our friends Rich, Vix, Archie and Nel have managed to get out). Still happy to get any e-mails or Skypes from anyone that fancies a chat.

Charlie is having a whale of a time – he really is adaptable – he is sleeping great, chatting away to people and keeps meeting new kids everywhere we stop. It has been fantastic to spend so much time with him.

The campervan has also been a great experience – it is great to get on the road – you can drive miles and miles without seeing another car and so the driving is really very easy, and we have slept in little laybys as well as campsites and it has been a lot of fun.  Whilst our van is about the oldest on the island we do have plenty of room and it has held up well. We are going to have a few days in a motel and hire a car Whilst Vickys mum is here and then we are back in the van for the final 2-3 weeks.

More soon (ish)