Day Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine and Forty - Lumsden, Queenstown and Milford Sound

We enjoyed a lovely lunch by the side of the picturesque Lake Wakatipu on our journey north last Thursday. The weather was lovely and warm and we were sat right by the lake shore - it was beautiful. We then headed down 'the devil's staircase' - a winding mountain road that would lead us to the expanding and vibrant tourist hotspot of Queenstown. We arrived and parked up in the holiday park before walking into town. The weather wasn't great but we were starving so we enjoyed a world famous Fergburger - they didn't disappoint. With no sign of the rain stopping, we booked luging for the next day and headed back to the campervan for an earlyish night.

It was still tipping it down in the morning so we looked for something to do indoors while we waited for the sun to come out. We found a 'sensory maze' which was a very unique experience, through various rooms with different lighting, textures, smells and various activities through the maze. It kept us entertained for an hour or so before we headed up the Queenstown gondola to the luge track. We had to get another chairlift up to the starting grid and we enjoyed flying down the slippery slopes and turns but it was still raining and we got completely soaked through. We had a hot chocolate in the cafe at the top of the hill and dried out a little before heading back to the campervan. We saw a few people bungy jumping and it's definitely something we'll have a go at in the future as well as various other extreme activities that the town offers - we just didn't have any luck with the weather.

We found a nice spot by the lake just outside Lowburn to pitch up for the night and woke to several hungry ducks on the search for their breakfast. We had a long drive and got to our overnight stop in Lumsden early enough, our pitstop before heading to Milford Sound early the next morning. We didn't do an awful lot but caught up a bit on things at home and made use of the free wifi. It was a popular spot for freedom campers, nestled in the middle of the quiet town opposite a grocery store, with no charge for staying there and limitless free wifi. The Bafe Bakery is right next door too and they are reknowned in New Zealand for their doughnuts which we can confirm are some of the best we've ever had.

We woke on Sunday with a long drive to Milford Sound ahead of us. The weather was rainy but we thought nothing of it until it started snowing heavily the further we drove. Thankfully it wasn't settling on the roads at this point and we had 80 miles left to drive with no service, no shops and no fuel. As we continued into the unknown, the snow got thicker still and now it was really starting to settle. We were further unnerved when we saw a camper van had skidded off the road into the bushes, but there was little we could do to help as we'd have only got stuck ourselves. By now, the snow was a few inches thick on the ground and the camper was starting to struggle. We had no choice but to keep going as if we had stopped and tried to turn around we definitely would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere. We continued on where we saw a 4x4 had also skidded off the road and crashed into a ditch, but the driver looked like he was okay and again we couldn't really stop to help. At one stage, we had to climb a winding road up a steep hill and the campervan begin to really struggle to grip - we got down to walking pace as it desperately tried to grip the road and push us up the hill. - It started to go sideways uncontrollably but thakfully we had the road to ourselves and with great persistence from both human and machine, we somehow we made it. Not far up the road the snow had was a distant memory and the sun shone down like it was a warm summer's day - the weather can change unbelievably quickly here.

After going through a mile long tunnel right through the centre of a mountain, we arrived at Milford Sound. It's a very quiet place with no phone service or shops and only one little fuel pump which we were now in desperate need of. Again the weather was closing in so we picked up a few booklets from the information centre and headed to our campsite where we enjoyed a lovely hot shower in private bathrooms, even with a heated towel rack - a real luxury out here! We caught up on our laundry and had a nice dinner before heading to bed, praying for some sunshine for the next day.

Our prayers were answered and glorious sunshine lit up Milford Sound on Monday morning. We had a few little walks around the shores and up to various look out points, getting some nice pictures in the process. There were various cruise options available and we'll come back to do the sunrise cruise at some point as that sounded good, but very cold. Endangered birds called Keas, a type of parrot, were causing nuisance around the camp. They are large, very inquisitive birds and you could get pretty close to them without bothering them in the slightest. They frequently landed on our roof and we saw one clawing and biting at the sockets and pipes of the campervan next door to us which was amusing. After a nice hot chocolate from the cafe and seeing a bit more of the wildlife and scenery, we headed for The Chasm - a huge gorge in the mountainside where cascading water has shaped unusual sculptures through the granite over many years. We had a nice but damp walk through the rainforest to reach it and got a few pictures before a much nicer drive all the way back to Lumsden again - not a flake of snow to be seen this time.

We've found another library to update the blog this morning and will be heading north this afternoon to Wanaka where tomorrow we plan to conquer the 6 hour hike up Roy's Peak just outside the town.

Highlights - Lunch by Lake Wakatipu, visiting Queenstown, visiting Milford Sound, The Chasm, the doughnuts from Bafe Bakery

Lunch by Lake Wakatipu

On the way to Queenstown

The Devil's Staircase mountain road

Snowy Drive to Milford Sound

An inquisitive Kea

Milford Sound

Entrance to The Chasm

Day Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four and Thirty-Five - Moreaki, Balclutha and Invercargill

On Monday evening we headed for the Moreaki Boulders, a recognisable landmark of unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the Otago coast. From there we headed further along the coast to Katiki Point where seals and penguins were just coming ashore for the evening after a long day fishing out at sea. It was amazing to see them in the wild, we've been very lucky to see an extensive range of wildlife on our travels. The seals clambered their way up the hillside and laid to rest right by the pathway. You could literally go right up to them and sit down next to them, but out of respect and a slight fear of our own safety, we left them alone. They didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by our presence, nor were they bothered by the extreme wind which was the strongest either of us have ever experienced.

The next morning we woke up to appalling weather so we drove straight to our next point of interest, the Tunnel Beach Track near Dunedin and parked up and cooked lunch, waiting for the rain and wind to die down. Finally the clouds relented and we headed down the steep pathway towards the beach. Aside from great views from the cliff-top, there is a small cave-like tunnel straight through the cliffside that leads to a secluded rocky beach. There were one or two little waterfalls to enjoy too and it was a really fun experience as we were the only ones there. The steep hike back up was a good bit of exercise but by now the weather was drawing in again and we wasted no time in heading to our campsite in Balclutha for the night.

After catching up on laundry and emptying/filling up the camper, we headed out for a day of visiting several waterfalls in the south, starting with Purakaunui Falls. It was a fairly short walk through the forest to the cascading waterfall, pretty damp too. Matai Falls was our next port of call and there was a slighty steeper and longer walk to reach it, again in the middle of a rainforest. The most impressive falls was Maclean Falls, a 40 min round trip and quite steep in places but totally worth it as the falls were beautiful. We noticed that the water had a brownish/orange tinge to it and apparently it's something to do with iron deposits, but it didn't ruin the spectacle. As opposed to a viewing platform, you could go up and stand right in the falls which made it all the more special.

We decided to freedom camp for the night and found a nice spot just outside Invercargill which we have come back into this morning. Our journey will now begin north-wards with Queenstown and Milford Sound firmly in our sights.

Day Thirty-Three Highlight - Seeing penguins in the wild
Day Thirty-Four Highlight - Tunnel Beach Walk
Day Thirty-Five Highlight - Maclean Falls

Moreaki Boulders

Katiki Point

Tunnel Beach Walk

Purakaunui Falls

Matai Falls

Maclean Falls

Day Thirty, Thirty-One and Thirty-Two - Kurow, Lake Tekapo, Mt John Summit and Twizel

We ended up being pretty rubbish at 'Soccer Golf' and one of the balls even ended up in a river that ran alongside the course - not ideal. It was still good fun though and we headed to our campsite in Kurow for the night quite early on where we had a lovely hot shower, cooked a big dinner and watched a couple of films on the iPad before bed.

The next morning we headed towards the famous Lake Tekapo along a portion of road called the Chain Hills Highway which was beautiful. We pulled over several times to enjoy the views and took a detour towards a small lake on the way where it was very windy and snowing heavily. We got a few pictures and headed off before the snow settled and we got stuck. We made a quick stop in the interestingly named town of Twizel for some fuel before we arrived at the shores of Lake Tekapo.

Our first stop was at the Church of The Good Shepherd which offered an amazing view of the lake and surrounding mountains and we had a moment of peace and quiet in the small church right by the lake's edge. We had a little wander around the town itself before heading to the Tekapo Springs for a soothing and relaxing afternoon overlooking the lake. While we were in the heated pools, it started snowing which made it a very memorable experience. To avoid the high costs of camping by the lake, we found a remote campsite out of town for the night at just $5. There were no real facilities and we had no power for our electricals but still enjoyed a hearty dinner, though it was freezing cold when we woke up - we could see our breath inside the campervan!

We cooked a quick breakfast before heading back to park near the hot springs for our hike up and around Mt John. The relatively small mountain overlooks Lake Tekapo and the hike we had chosen was to take three hours in total. We wrapped up warm as there was plenty of snow around and began our ascent. The first part was through thick forest with a steep climb - we didn't realise how unfit we have got since we stopped riding. The floor was icy and there were several occasions where we both nearly fell over but we made it to the summit after about 45 mins. The views were incredible whichever way you looked; you could see for miles and miles. It was exceptionally windy at the top and hard to keep your balance at times but we stayed up there for a good while. The longer but easier part of the hike was to await though there was plenty of snow to get through as we started our descent - it was 10 inches deep in some places just off the trail. The last bit of the walk was alongside the lake itself and we were beginning to thaw out by now and we got back to our campervan at lunchtime. It was a lovely but physically demanding hike and we slept well last night.

We stayed in Twizel overnight and this morning we have headed back down through Kurow to top up our gas bottles before heading to where we are now, in the public library in Oamaru (no clubs going on today) on the east coast. We will try and catch a sight of the penguins of the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony on our way out of the town before continuing our journey south later this afternoon.

Day Thirty-One Highlight - Tekapo Springs
Day Thirty-Two Highlight - Mt John Summit Hike

Views on the Chain Hills Highway

Lake Tekapo

Views from Mt John Summit

Day Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine - Duvauchelle, Mithven, Mt Potts and Geraldine

We've been through a few towns in the last few days and settled down in Duvauchelle yesterday in a picturesque spot right on the east coast. We were led down a perilous gravel track but our campervan handled it fine and the view was worth it on the other side as you'll see from the pictures below. We made a nice dinner and had a good sleep before leaving just before lunchtime. On the way out we had to fill up our fresh water, empty our grey water (shower and sink) and also empty the toilet which actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. After a quick refuel we were ready for our four hour journey via Mithven where we stopped for some supplies (fairy liquid and eggs) onwards to Mt Potts.

Another gravel road awaited but a bit flatter than the last one and it was a lovely drive through the picturesque mountain region of the central South Island. We were deep into Lord Of The Rings territory now and our campsite was literally in the middle of nowhere, no shops, no fuel and definitely no service on our phones. We were the only people on the whole site as we are travelling in the off-peak season and it was nice to have the place to ourselves. In the night it got very cold as we were right amongst the mountain range - we are trying to use the heater sparingly but it was definitely needed last night.

The only thing you really see driving through New Zealand is cows and sheep. We haven't been on any stretch of road yet where we can't see any somewhere in the distance and as it's early Spring here, it's lambing season. New Zealand really reminds us of home but with more to look at, driving on the left hand side of the road definitely helps and everyone we have met has been so friendly.

We are currently in the town of Geraldine in the public library, this time sat next to the local sewing club. We are heading towards Lake Tekapo later this afternoon for the night where we'll probably stay for a few days, but not before a game of 'soccer golf'' in the town.

Day Twenty-Eight Highlight - Campsite right by the east coast
Day Twenty-Nine Highlight - The scenic drive to Mt Potts

Flying into Christchurch

The views on the way to our campsite in Duvauchelle

The views on our way to the campsite at Mount Potts

Our home for the next four weeks

Day Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven - Across the globe to Christchurch

We've been in four countries and through sixteen timezones in the last three days across the globe, with 31 hours in the sky in total:

03/09/17 - New York to Dubai = 14 hours and 3 hour stop at airport
04/09/17 - Dubai to Sydney = 13 hours 45 mins and 2 hour stop at airport
05/09/17 - Sydney to Christchurch = 3 hours 15 mins

We finally arrived in Christchurch at lunchtime on Tuesday, having left New York at 11am on the Sunday - quite the journey. We barely got any sleep on the plane but actually felt alright when we arrived surprisingly. The jetlag hasn't been too bad, with the clocks going forward all the time we were in the air - we think it has somehow all worked itself out. We started the journey five hours behind the UK but in Christchurch we are eleven hours ahead. The only downside is that Emily has caught a cold on the journey to NZ.

All our flights were smooth, on time, the staff were great and it was an absolute pleasure to fly with Emirates. The Airbus A380-800 is an incredible machine, the largest commercial aircraft in the sky, seating nearly 900 passengers at full capacity in all economy set-up. Each aircraft contains 330 miles of wiring with a maximum take off weight of nearly 600 tonnes. We racked up 13000 miles each on our air-miles accounts which can be spent on a variety of things including tickets to the Melbourne Cup in early November.

We picked up our campervan yesterday and we love it. It's self contained, meaning we have a toilet, a shower, cooking facilities, electricity, central heating and everything you could imagine you'll need. We have to empty waste, top up fresh water for the sink and the shower and also refill the gas for the heating and the cooker which will keep us busy. We did a food shop yesterday and filled the fridge with healthy food and look forward to doing a bit of cooking after several airline meals over the last few days, not that they were bad at all.

We found a nice campsite by the east coast overnight and slept for about twelve hours and we feel refreshed this morning. We left the campsite at noon and have found a public library nearby where we have wifi enabling us to write this blog. We are currently sat next to a group of old grannies who are part of the local Scrabble club! We don't have a concrete plan for our four weeks in New Zealand but we have some key locations marked down that we really want to visit. We'll spend three weeks on the larger but less populated South Island before catching the ferry to Auckland on the North Island for our final week where we'll return the campervan.

Highlights over the past few days - Landing safely and picking up the campervan!

(No pictures as it's not letting us upload them!)

Day Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four - New York

We woke up quite late again yesterday as our bodies still hadn't quite adjusted to the time difference from Western USA, but we headed for Grand Central Station after breakfast to get the subway down to Brooklyn. It was straightforward enough and in less than ten minutes we were downtown by Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 memorial. The Freedom Tower was an impressive structure and the memorial pools where the twin towers once stood are a poignant tribute to those that lost their lives in the atrocity.

After a few moments of reflection, we queued for the museum and ended up spending all afternoon there. It was fascinating, but extremely emotional at the same time and listening to voice messages left on the phones of deceased loved ones was particularly difficult. It was definitely worth doing and the whole experience was something that will stay with us. After a quick dinner stop on the way back to the hotel we had a chilled evening watching a couple of films before going to bed.

This morning we checked out of our hotel but left our bags and walked uptown towards Central Park. We walked past the ridiculously priced designer brands that line Fifth Avenue and it was really busy and hard to not walk into people. Central Park was pretty busy too but it was refreshing to see some greenery - something we've both missed and the air certainly felt a lot fresher by the lakes and open areas within the park.

We encountered many different characters throughout the park and New York is full of some very odd people on the whole. We had a lovely time through the park though and a good bit of exercise walking everywhere rather than using taxis - a welcome break for our wallets too. On the way back we saw an exceptionally tall man who ended up being a basketball star of the past, David Robinson, net worth $90 million - we don't think we've ever seen someone so tall. Plenty of people were shaking his hand and taking pictures with him and he was very patient and pleasant with them all.

Once we'd collected our bags we made the journey to tonight's accommodation in Queens, five miles from JFK. Tomorrow our thirty-three hour journey to the other side of the planet begins with a thirteen hour flight to Dubai before getting a connecting twenty hour flight to Christchurch with a fuel stop in Sydney along the way. We take off Sunday morning US time and land on Tuesday afternoon NZ time - can't imagine how we'll be feeling by the end of that. We've enjoyed New York but both agree we aren't city people at heart; we've definitely missed the fresh countryside air and the peace and quiet!

Day Twenty-Three Highlight - 9/11 Memorial
Day Twenty-Four Highlight - Central Park

Emily at Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

 A cloudy Central Park

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

Day Twenty-One and Twenty-Two - San Francisco to New York

Yesterday we had our flight from San Francisco to New York and as it was a domestic flight, it was all plain sailing. We had a very turbulent flight over the US but otherwise it was a good journey with no hassle. We landed safely at around 10pm local time (now 5hrs behind the UK) quickly disembarked and then went to collect our baggage. After a quick toilet break on the way ,we arrived at the carousel to pick up our bags. We waited and waited but they never came. After half an hour we decided to go and ask a few questions and it was at this point that we saw our bags locked behind a glass door in the 'Virgin America Baggage Service' room. There was no one around and despite asking for help from several different people, no one came to unlock the door. There were two phone numbers on the door; one there was no answer, the other an automated voice said they were experiencing technical difficulties and they couldn't take our call. By this point we were both extremely tired and agitated and after an hour and a half of trying to find someone to open the door, finally the most ignorant and rude employee you'll ever encounter finally showed up out of nowhere. He opened the door and we asked why our bags had been locked away and why we had been waiting a total of nearly two hours. All he seemed capable of saying was 'you guys were too slow.' No apology, no real explanation and he even had the cheek to ask us for ID to take our baggage which was pointless anyway because he didn't even check the tags on the bag. After the late and tiring flight, it was the last thing we needed and we won't be using Virgin again.

We finally got to bed at around 2am which meant a lie in this morning. Our first job was to catch up on our washing so we found a local laundrette and got that done whilst we had brunch. We then went to the Empire State Building and ascended all the way to the top of the 1250ft skyscraper. We got some nice pictures from the lower outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor before heading right up to the 103rd floor at the base of the tower. The views were incredible as you would expect. Once we were back at ground level we walked up Fifth Avenue and into Times Square just as it got dark. It was an electric atmosphere with bright lights, the noises of the traffic and people enjoying themselves as well as the smells of the street food. We had a quick look around Macy's - the largest store in the world before heading back for our hotel at about 9pm.

Tomorrow we'll head south to visit the 9/11 memorial and Freedom Tower and we also have a few other things in mind before watching a Broadway show tomorrow evening.

Day Twenty-Two Highlight - Views from the Empire State Building

Leaving San Francisco

Entering Times Square

Looking south towards the Freedom Tower

Looking north towards Central Park