Richie and Steve Against The All Blacks!

After the relative horrors of Dunedin, it was with a large exhale of breath that we greeted our accomodation for the final part of our trip. We discovered that our Holiday Inn was located right in the centre of Christchurch, close to numerous bars and resteraunts - lovely!

We dropped off our bags at reception, as our room wasn't ready, and headed out to see what the town had to offer. We were not to be disappointed. Christchurch is the antithesis of Dunedin. Where the later had decaying buildings, pale architecture and concrete, the former has lines of shops, green open spaces, bustling bars and a vibrancy that it's neighbour,well, just didn't have.

We walked along Oxford Terrace, or "The Strip" as it is known, and encountered a long line of contemporary bars and restaraunts. The pace seemed to be easy, bordering on care-free, and we stopped at one and sunk a couple of beers. Like Auckland, both of us have been struck by the "hustle and bustle factor" in the city - there isn't one!

Back to the hotel we walked to discover that our room still wasn't ready! I could see Richie starting to get a little agitated, and I was feeling like my yearly hissy fit was coming to the boil! The receptionist returned to say that the room would not be ready....but would you care for an apartment instead!!!

Trying (and failing!) to act casual and a little put out we both said "YES" simutaneously! We were both given keys and made our way upto the twelth floor and the "Executive Apartments". Ha!

What greeted us was a just amazing. We both had a room each (Richie called the one with the Queen-sized double bed first, git!) and a few additonal extras: a fitted kitchen, as well as a lounge area which was probably in the region of 80 sqaure feet!

Once we had got used to our palacial surroundings we decided dinner was in order, and headed off to find "The Blue Note" (a restaraunt I had spied in my Rough Guide, good food and live jazz) on Lower Regent Street. After that we headed back to an English Bar for some more live music and a couple of pints, before crashing around 11pm.

On the Friday Richie and I decided to go our separate ways. I wanted to vist Christchurch's revered Art Gallery, and my companion needed to buy clothes.

Though only two floors Te Puna O Waiwhetu (Christchurch Art Gallery) has several exhibitions and encompasses styles ranging from modern and contemporary, to older impressionist and realist works. For a donation of $5 I found it fantastic value and spent a couple of hours drifting round, gazing at the various pieces on display.

The rest of the day was spent wandering round the town and park areas. It certainly does have an English feel and Christchurch is up there with Wellington and Paihia in my opinion.

Dinner was taken on "The Strip", at an excellent restaraunt called "Ferment". As it was my last night in New Zealand I thought I'd go out with a bang and have Lamb. I was not disappointed. A live band was playing outside and it really was a nice way to conclude the evening.

Well, thats about it. I will send a final e-mail after we have arrived back in the UK. Unfortunately though, all that Richie and I have to look forward to is a 90 minute flight from Christchurch to Auckland, before boarding our 27-hour flight back home! As one of our good friends often remarks, "Treat me!".

Travel writing these days is a growth industry. Serious money. You go to any bookshop and there is various books on various parts of the world, giving you invaluable insights and tips on countrys, their cultures, places to see etc.

Before Richie and I set out we both purchased two travel books. Two differing opinions: a good idea, yes. Both of these points of reference will remain nameless unless we get hammered for copyright infringements but suffice to say we have a little issue with them. Both say that Dunedin, New Zealand's fourth largest city, is a place of beauty owing to it being settled in the early 19th century by Scots - it could be twinned with Edinburgh!

Well, if thats the case I will never visit Edinburgh in my lifetime, as quite frankly, the description is untrue. My travelling companion offered the view that both these authors must have got something out of the trip to have such a one-sided view...like of the female or alcoholic variety!!

It does remind me of an English city but one just coming our of the 1980's. We have also witnessed weirdness on a large scale, a guy parachuting down a road without a parachute, just acting like he thought he was flying - weird! A guy clapping! Yep, clapping as a means of getting change for playing such an obsurd musical instrument and a handful of drunks.

Having been spoilt so far this place is just not what we expected. Though we do have a roof garden at the hostel. Thank sweet mother of God for that roof garden: an oasis of relative beauty in a see of sh...well you get my meaning.

To Christchurch with all speed, please.

When Richie and I were planning this trip, we booked our accomodation in Queenstown first. Our stay in the South Island town was going to be what we would plan the rest of our stay in New Zealand around. It was somewhat ostentatious of us - a mini-break in the middle of a three week one!

Having left a pretty cold and gloomy Franz Joesph we headed South again and picked up the major road to Wanaka and lunch. I did my stint in Huyandai's finest and gave the wheels to Rich, while I giggled like a kid and took pictures of Wanaka and the lake..oh the lake!

Tummys full (not to mention memory cards!) we ploughed onto Queenstown and to images that will stay with me for an eternity. Superlatives aside, drving along both Lake Wahea and Wanaka was a simple and unexpected joy. Its something that I just cannot describe. It was one "of those moments", you know. You wince and chuckle a little when friends list them, as you cynically doubt that events, people or places, possess the ability to infuse and affect your life in such a way. Don't worry, I'm not going to list mine here but, suffice to say, they revolve around the above.

So I'm going to file this one under "places". I took another half-dozen pictures in a vain attempt to replicate the feeling that coursed through me that Friday afternoon when I get back home, though I doubt I'll be able to. Visual heroin? Quite possibly.

Queenstown is not a very big place. With a population of just over 10,000 (all of them have probably done a bungy jump!) it wraps itself in mountains (The Remarkables) and just loads and loads of trees. Our first night was pretty quiet, apart from nearly eating ourselves to oblivion in the "Lone Star" restaraunt. We sprinckled a couple of beers down our necks in a vain attempt to ease its passage, and then we rolled back to our hostel.

Saturday was more productive. A late rise and a proper breakfast (the first in days!) meant that we careered down the hill from our hostel and attacked the short, but steep hike, to the Cable Cars that would take us to "Bob's Point", Queenstown's highest viewing platform. Again, said great pictures were taken and the views were marvelled at once more. We bumped into a English guy while in Wellington and he said that he was suffering from "scenery fatigue". Odd choice of words but as yet I am not showing any symptons of suffering from such an ailment - I mean come on, I have a mountain and a lake competing for space in my hostel room window!

Unfortunately the day was marred by Richie's (he'll say that it was my choice, but I deny that big-time!) choice of "eatery". Obviously the establishment will remain nameless but it was quite literally the worst curry I have ever had in my life!

Sunday was again a late rise but an eventful day. The main even in this case was the "Shotover Boat Trip" Basically, it was a boat red in colour with what can be only described as having a jet engine lashed to the rear of it (sorry, bow!), that propelled its occupants around the Shotover River like nothing I've experienced before. We did 360 degree loops, sharp turns and missed stone banks and edges by millimetres! I laughed and screamed all the way up and down the river. Upon indicating that he would be doing another 360 loop (a waving of the driver's left index finger in a clockwise motion) Richie cried "where???". He was right, it was the thinnest part of the gorge. How we did it I don't know but river water was inhaled and expletives spat out in the direction of our mad kiwi driver. He joked before we set off that he had been up drinking until six in the morning. Joking?

Today (Monday) has been spent doing a bit of driving, to Glenorchy and more picture taking. Richie wants a new screensaver and I think I might have just got hime a couple. The weather is still pretty good and we are off to Dunedin tomorow morning to start our journey north.

Oh before I forget. Ant, we went to a restaraunt last night and had the largest steaks ever! They were bigger than the size of my hand. The jacket potatoe we had with them was just dwarfed. Laughing while having chewing on steak is not advised!

Franz Joseph is a small town located 150km south of Hokitika. It exists, like its neighbour - or should I say owes its existence - to the glacier that is wedged between the mountains of the Southern Alps. Thousands of people, tourists and kiwis alike, pay to be guided up and down the intermingling structures of ice and rock. Richie and I joined them on Thursday.

After arriving at the reception desk nice and early (yawn, again!) we signed the necessary waiver and grabbed our gear. Which consisted of a gortex jacket, boots, crampons (they call them talons, apparently!) and a hat and gloves.

Looking and feeling decidedly un-cool, we boarded a coach that drove us to the base of the glacier, where we walked the brief distance to the glaciers edge and put on our talons. I always remember struggling from an early age to tie my own shoe laces and trying to marry these rusty pieces of metal with the soles of my boots brought these memories flooding back. Richie just stared at me in disbelief as I was given a helping hand by Blair, our guide for the day. Who was I to argue with a guy that had a pick axe which was as big as he was!

After a quick "dummies guide" in the use of talons we started our climb. I have to say eventhough we started at a relatively slow pace I found it quite difficult. Having to constantly stub each foot into the ice, while also making sure my weight was pitched forward so as not to slip, proved taxing to say the least.

My problems eased as the gradient of the glacier decreased and by the time we took our first break I was competent enough. Looking back the views were stunning and again I managed to get several really good shots of the glacier sandwiched between the two mountains.

We spent nearly six hours on the glacier itself, being educated as to why the colour of certain parts were blue (lack of oxygen in the ice apparently!) and its true length (11km). One of our group asked how long it would take to traverse its length and even I was suprised by the answer: two days!

Again, we were spoilt with the good weather and it only started to spit with rain on our descent. Unfortunately, once of our group thought it would be a good idea not to use the necessary steps and decided to take an alternative route. She slipped and fell, cutting her hands. A timely remider that the guides play a fundamental part in the safety of everyone in the group, and that you should respect their instructions and judgement.

It was a fantastic day out and our guides were roundly applauded as they drove us back. Richie and I limped back to our hostel, and a hot shower. Tired though we were it had been worth every penny.

Another early rise for the drive to Queenstown and four days of relative rest.

Before I set out for this trip I canversed opinion on where I should go; the "must see" bits of New Zeland which you just had to go and look at for yourself. My very good friend Sarah (far more experienced traveller than myself) immediatly suggested Abel Tasman National Park.

I had to push Richie a little on this as at first he wasn't convinced we would have time to fit it in. I persisted and we booked a days' hiking and kayaking in the National Park through the very kind person on reception at our hostel.

Again we were up early and were greeted with our first prolonged spell of rain, great! We chatted to a couple before we were picked up and they said they were going to give it a miss. "Fair weather chancers" nearly came out of my mouth but I remembered my manners and kept my council.

We were driven out to Marahau where, along with several others, we hopped on a "water taxi" for the journey to Bark Bay, where we were given our instructions for the morning and basically left to fend for ourselves.

We were to meet our Kayak instructor at 12.30 and started the brisk walk to our destination. Torrent Bay was the first beach that greeted us and again I was like the pro-verbeal kid in a sweet shop: the vista wsa just beautiful and it was wrapped in quiet. I wanted to stay and lay out my towel but we had a schedule to keep and we moved on.

Unfortunately we "moved on" a little too far and got a bit lost. Needless to say the result was that we greeted our kayak instructor an hour later than intended. After "inhaling" a lunch of chicken sandwiches and muffins, we observed and listened to our instructor give us a crash course in how to kayak. At this point the weather was started to turn and the wind was getting stronger.

"Pinsentt and Redgrave" headed out in their kayak and lets just say it took a while to get the direction side of things in sinc. But in sinc we did get and we paddled on for over an hour. At this point my competitive streak kicked in and I was hammering Richie for not being able to steer properly. Our group was a small one and I was determined not to be left behind, bringing up the rear.

In the end we had to stop short of a destination as the winds were too strong to carry on. We nearly capsized at one point! We were then picked up by our water taxi and headed back to be coached back to our hostel. All in all a fantastic day and again I got the chance to take some great pictures.

We left early again on Wednesday and headed further South to Franz Joseph. It does seem that the weather has turned and pouring rain followed us throughout our journey.

We are in a dorm of four people this time which is different but good fun none the less. We got chatting to our Aussie roomate and he was immediatly taking the michael with his country's recent cricketing success. I didn't rise to it. Fair play, they hammered us!

Going up the Glacier tomorrow. Should be good!