Earth and Sky – Mt John Observatory Stargazing Whether you are an experienced stargazer or a complete celestial novice the various tours offered by Earth and Sky will appeal to you. Located in the town of Lake Tekapo on...
New Zealand – Oxford, Ohau, Kaikoura and a Race to Auckland
We left Richard and Laura’s (having experienced an earthquake and not realised it) and headed for Kaikoura, north of Christchurch. As forecast, the rain had set in and a steady fall accompanied us for most of the two and...
New Zealand – Lake Tekapo, The Hobbit, and the Journey to Oxford
Waking up in Lake Tekapo We always knew that, at some stage, the journey back to Auckland would tap us on the shoulder and say “it’s time.” Added to this, there was the extra burden of a day’s flight...
Hooker ValleyLake TekapoMagellanMilky WayMt CookMt John ObservatoryNew ZealandTasman GlacierThe South Island
Mount Cook New Zealand, Lake Tekapo and the Mt John Observatory
The road to Mt Cook Sometimes when you reach the end of a day you wish that you could repeat it again, a sort of groundhog experience but with your own memory erased so that all the feelings are...
New Zealand – The A J Hackett Bungee at Gibbston and a Ride to Twizel
A J Hackett Bungee, Gibbston, Nr Queenstown Somewhere deep down in our consciousness there lies a need to be frightened either by sitting watching a horror movie or worse than that the news. Combine this fraction of our...
New Zealand – Milford Sound and the Arrowtown Pizza Experience
Milford Sound When we booked this unbelievable trip I could have very easily forward wound to this point. This was the event I was most looking forward to. When anyone mentions the words ‘Milford’ and ‘Sound’ consecutively there aren’t...
New Zealand – Arrowtown, the Sawpit Gully Walk, and the road to Te Anau
Drift Bay For those of you wondering just when our travels ends I can confirm that we are almost done; but stick with me as the best is yet to come. Believe me, there are some quite sensational sights coming up...
New Zealand – Cyclone Pam, Queenstown and Arrowtown
Queenstown As the day dawned the outskirts of Cyclone Pam (named after my mum) had made their way south. It was less than 10 degrees celsius and a funeral grey hung over the land. We were not used to...
New Zealand – Franz Josef Glacier, Lake Matheson, Lake Hawea, and the best burger in the world!
Lake Hawea I’ve come to the conclusion that these islands thrive on a combination of farming and tourism. I’ve seen more sheep and cattle here than anywhere at home and the way that each area is set up to...
New Zealand – Pancake Rocks, Hokitika Gorge, Rainforest Campsite Franz Josef.
Pancake Rocks The incomparable Pancake Rocks The benefit of sunshine cannot be underestimated. It is more than a vitamin D supplement. It can lift a mood and in moderation make pale people look a far healthier colour. This was...