Queenstown--->Milford Sound

Hello from beautiful Milford Sound!

I love it here: the views, the quiet, the birds, the waterfalls, the cliffs, the dramatic sky, the wilderness--it's one of the most special places I've ever been.

The weather has cooperated thus far. Our cruise this morning was a bit chilly but clear, allowing us to see all the way to the glaciered peaks of the fiords. We also saw dolphins and seals, which was a treat. We also got a great discount on our cruise because we're staying at the Lodge (only $40 instead of $64).

It is a bit cold at night, but we hired some extra blankets from reception, so we'll survive. It's well worth it to experience the Sound overnight, instead of with the tour bus crowd (quite the circus!).

I'm actually sneaking free internet right now. I want to upload more photos, but that might be cheeky. If nothing else, I'll add some once we get to Te Anau. (And yes, I actually took these--the place is fantastically photogenic).

Happy New Year!

Love,
Ames

Queenstown continued

Hi everyone,

We're nearing the end of our stay in Queenstown. We've had a nice time, but are feeling ready to move on. Milford Sound is our next stop, and we're hoping that the weather forecast improves for our three nights there. Right now they are calling for rain, wind, and cold temps at night (which isn't great when you're in a tent). But we're still giving it a go because we've been told it's one of the things in New Zealand that is unmissable. The weather here is also very changeable, so we're hoping the inclement weather doesn't materialise.

Yesterday we took the gondola to the top of the mountain overlooking Queenstown, and also did a couple of runs on the luge. It was great fun (and pretty much within budget)! As far as other adventure activities, we've given them a miss in favor of a safari in Africa. We also need a new camera too--something we'll purchase in Singapore.

Today we'll play either mini golf or frisbee golf, and then we'll get prepared for our early morning departure. Our bus leaves at 6.50am, so we need to get up especially early (and it might be showery too). It means that we'll probably make some noise at the campsite, but to be honest, I don't mind because we've had to put up with some very inconsiderate people around us. I can't wait for a good night's sleep.

That's all for now. Internet might be slow/expensive down in Fiordland, so I won't promise another blog until Te Anau...but watch this space just in case.

Love,
Ames

Wanaka--->Queenstown

Hi everyone,

We had our first downer of a day yesterday, but things are looking up again. We put up our tent in the pouring rain, and were soaked doing it, but the sunshine today is drying everything up. Our holiday park is very cramped and noisy, and our tent is pitched in a big carpark. Ah well.

Queenstown is scenic, but 'flash', as they say here in NZ. Everything feels brand new and expensive--sort of what I imagine Aspen feels like, as a similar ski town. We're still enjoying walking around, but finding things to do within budget might be tricky. We're considering doing the gondola and luge tomorrow, and then splurging on some sort of adventure activity the day after. This is all dependant on the ever-changing weather, of course.

The good news is that I saw my fave Shortland Street actor today. This has been the month for seeing famous people!

Love, Ames

Wanaka for Christmas

Hi everyone,

We've started camping now in the lovely lakeside town of Wanaka. The bus ride was spectacular, and we're comfy in our tent (even though the weather isn't ideal). We're hoping for more sun tomorrow, so that we can have a Christmas BBQ and then some champagne on the beach.

We're thinking of you all--miss you! Happiest of holidays!

Love,

Amy and Rory

Franz Josef--->Wanaka

Hi everyone,

We've had a lovely stay here in Franz Josef. Yesterday we went out to the glacier face, and today we relaxed in the hot glacier pools. We catch an early bus in the morning to Wanaka for Christmas--we'll blog again from there.

Cheers!

Christchurch--->Greymouth--->Franz Josef

Hi everyone!

After two very busy days, we're finally relaxing at the beautiful Franz Josef village. We arrived in Christchurch on Saturday evening, left on our train the next morning, and then connected with our bus in Greymouth. We checked in our hostel about 5pm and then wandered around the rest of the evening.

We're still trying to unwind and switch into travel gear. Hopefully, we'll be relaxed and in the backpacker mindset soon enough.

Enjoy the piccies!

Dates (so far)

I thought it might be useful to provide a brief outline of what we'll be up to.

19 December: Fly to Christchurch
20 December: Train to Greymouth, bus to Franz Josef
23 December: Bus to Wanaka
25 December: Christmas in sunny Wanaka!
26 December: Bus to Queenstown
30 December: Bus to Milford Sound
31 December: New Year in spectacular Milford Sound!
2 January: Bus to Te Anau
4 January: Bus to Dunedin
7 January: Bus to Oamaru
10 January: Bus to Christchurch
13 January: Flight to Singapore
16 January: Flight to Thailand (not confirmed yet)
5 February: Birthday on a Thai island!
24 February: Flight to Cape Town
early April: Flight to UK (not confirmed yet)
late April: Flight to Seattle (not confirmed yet)

We'll keep everyone posted once more dates are confirmed. Cheers!

Welcome to our new, hopefully improved blog

Hi everyone

Our last blog fizzled, but only because we stayed in NZ so long (too long?). Anyways, we're about to start our journey back around the world, and we needed a new place to share stories, photos, and our current whereabouts.

Please bookmark this new blog--it will be updated regularly from 19 December. That's the day we fly out of Wellington for good and start our 24-day tour of the South Island. Mountains, beaches, glaciers, penguins...it'll all be here.

Love
Ames