Sorry for the delay in this instalment of the blog. We’ve just been having too much fun. We’ve been here almost a month and it really doesn’t feel like it.
We took advantage of some home comforts in Christchurch (and were able to feel what a 4.6 earthquake is like) before setting off on the first leg of our NZ road trip. We got our Jucy ‘crib’ campervan and headed south. Unfortunately this coincided with the most unseasonable weather for about 20 years and a storm the size of Australia brought rain and snow in large quantities. Fortunately we were able to borrow blankets, so sleeping in the car was OK but it was pretty cold at night and getting out of bed in the morning was a real struggle. In a nutshell we went to Queenstown and felt like the only people not going to the mountains but it’s so beautiful there we didn’t mind too much. The weather meant we couldn’t head south or west so we went down to the east coast and to the Dunedin peninsular which is very pretty. We waited for 90 minutes for Blue Penguins to not appear on a freezing cold night but that slight disappointment aside we had a great time.
Back to Christchurch to warm up for a couple of days before heading off again for our road trip part 2 up to Auckland. We planned a day in the vineyards of Marlborough near Blenheim. We biked around from cellar door to cellar door. We actually learnt as much as we drunk and it was a brilliant day out. The biking was the most exercise we’d done for weeks though so we were a bit sore in both head and bottom the day after.
Our road trip north was really nice and a few standout things included The Waitomo Glowworm cave which were really nice as well as the Coromandel peninsular which was beautiful too. We also had a slight car accident in Rotarua (not my fault I hasten to add) but there were no injuries, we had a zero excess insurance policy, and there was not much damage so it was no big deal thankfully. An example of the notorious bad NZ driving though.
Following that we went up to the Bay of islands where we were lucky enough to stay with Terry and Celia at their bach. The highlight for us was a boat tour. The bay is just lovely and we saw so many Dolphins and also Orca too which was great. This part of the world is really stunningly beautiful, even if Cook once called it ‘the hellhole of the pacific’. It’s changed quite a lot for the better since the whaling days of the 19th century.
Finally we’ve been relaxing and taking it easy in Auckland with Elizabeth before we hit the road again.
I can safely say we are leaving NZ with very fond memories, every one is so friendly in shops and cafes etc. Apart from that it’s also really English in so many ways and it’s been really nice to stay in ream homes rather than backpacker places. Even though we’ve had a month here there are quite a number of things we would like to have done but didn’t have the time. Next time.
We have been really well looked after by friends and family in NZ and Australia. Everyone has been so helpful and generous to us so a big thanks to Suzie (Sydney), Tony & Dawn, Terry & Celia and Elizabeth. We are very appreciative of all that you have done for us and you’ve helped make this a very relaxing and fun segment of our trip.
Off to Brisbane for 3 days later today then Singapore on Sunday for the final third of our trip, in Asia. Now where did I put the suncream…
M&B
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