Link to Photos

http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/album?album_id=85148175

I'll try and add some descriptions as soon as possible.

Changi Airport - Again!

Here we are again folks which means we have now completed almost half the trip home. We are now wandering aimlessly around the airport, figuring if we stick to Singapore time for the moment then sleep on the plane this should mean as we land the time should have sorted itself out.

The flight over was uneventful, I watched a couple of strange movies and then we landed in a thunderstrom although didn't see much of it. We leave here just before midnight and land 14 hours later just before 6 in the morning London time.

It has been amazing and I'm looking forward to going through the photos to figure out what we've atually done and seen.

Not much more to add.
CMB

Time to go home!

Well folks we have spent the day spending money and buying more than we should. At one point, after cashing in Traveller's Cheques I had 2 $100 notes in my hand (not for long!)

I have added a few more photos today but as I said I will add more and more detail once I am home and able to concentrate without a countdown timer in the corner of the screen.

It has been amazing, the two of us have loved it all and I will certainly be back - not sure when but I will be.

Just leaves me to pack (mostly done) and to try and find more stuff to throw out to make the bag lighter, our last dinner and then our flight leaves tomorrow at 11:50. About 40 hours later I should be back in Liverpool with a cat who seems to have been missing me. You should see her face when she could hear me on the webcam but couldn't see me!!!

May get a chance to add a little more whilst in Singapore airport as they had free terminals there. Other than that I'll say goodbye for the moment but check back in about a week to see if I've managed to add mroe photos.

Goodbye from New Zealand
Caroline and Judy

Photos

View from our window in Christchurch
The Pacific Ocean where we took a paddle. This was on the way from Dunedin to Christchurch
A waterfall at Milford Sound
Another waterfall at Milford Sound. Note how it doesn't really make it down before being swept away by the wind.
Spot the penguin! Clue - it has a white belly and black back and is standing up.

Queenstown to Dunedin

Hope there are some of you out there still following this and I'm not writing just for my own sake!

Queenstown
I believe when I last wrote we had arrived in Queenstown but not seen that much. Well it is the High Octane capital of New Zealand, and I believe the birthplace of bungee so Mum and I decided to ......................... shop! Well what did you expect??? We walked into town from our hotel ,which had a lovely view out over the lake, and spent the day just browsing. We even walked back again, and I can assure you it needed adrenaline as our hotel was at the top of a very steep hill. At least we were getting some exercise.

Queenstown was also good as the computers in the hotel had webcams attached and Stuart and I managed to get these working complete with sound - much cheaper than a phone call in the usual way. A quick text to say I was going to the computer and before you knew it we were chatting away. Lyra seemed very confused to hear my voice but didn't seem able to tell it was me on the screen.

Milford Sound
We were up and off early on Tuesday to get to Milford Sound as the guide books all said it was about a 5 hour drive and we were booked on a cruise at 1:15. The start of the drive went very well as we managed to get away before all the coaches we saw were leaving from Queenstown also for Milford Sound. We got to Te Anau by 9 and decided we would find our motel and drop off the luggage. This was not a problem as Te Anau was not that big. Then we continued on our way.
The scenery was once again breathtaking. We passed a sign informing us we were at Latitude 45 degrees south, also another that warned of a film crew although we didn't see one. We then started to go up, and up, and up until we reached the snow line. Just as we did we noticed a queue, and then realised it was a queue for the tunnel through the great big mountain in front of us. Whilst waiting for the lights to change we saw Keas in the car park opposite just walking around the cars looking for food. A Kea is a mountain parrot and whilst fairly dull in colour when walking, when in flight you can see the magnificent red of the underside of the wings.

Passing from the bright sunlight into the darkness of the tunnel was not fun and it took a while before I could see and as the road inside the tunnel was also a steep slope down this made it even less fun. On the other side was a very narrow windy mountain road. Mum was taking lots of photographs and telling me that there were numerous waterfalls where the snow was making it's way as rivers and streams down the mountainside (I got to see for myself as she drove us back).

The cruise at Milford Sound was good and took us right to the mouth where it met the Tasman Sea. Again lots of waterfalls and we also got to see fur seals and the smallest penguins in NZ which were very cute.

The motel was lovely and as we had the facilities we decided to make our own dinner. The omelette and salad was delicious - eating out actually gets a little tiring.

Invercargill
After a lie in we were off to the most southerly point of our trip. The hotel we stayed in was the first in NZ to have ensuites. I know this because we were picked up by a nice lady, Lynette, who drove us around Invercargill and the surrounding area telling us all about the history and showing us the sights. There is certainly more to it that Lonely Planet suggests. We were even driven right onto a beach from which we could see Stewart Island.

After the tour ended we decided to go and find the local pool and I treated (the now senior citizen) to a swim. Actually we also got a steam and spa pool as these were included free at the side of the pool for adults only.

That night we ate in the hotel and what a meal it was. We had to go for a walk afterwards just to help it all go down. I started with the dozen mussels, followed by the salmon pasta and ended with the almond and chocolate torte. Mum had the crab cakes, the roast lamb and the sticky date and fig pudding. We even had a free glass of wine each!

Dunedin
Continuing the Scottish theme we are now in Dunedin. We walked through town but I think we are almost shopped out! We did then go looking for the pool and found it but discovered that although a big pool with lots of flumes there was only parking for about 50 cars!!! So rather than go round the car park with everyone else we decided jsut to go for a drive to the Otaga Peninsula. We chose the coastal road to start with and this meant driving along a main road that was just feet from a few feet drop into the sea. When I saw a sign to the castle decided to take that road. This meant a narrow road up the mountain which again was very windy and then the castel was hidden in grounds and cost a fair bit to get in so didn't get to see it.

We changed back to Mum driving and decided to go back via Highcliff Road over the top instead. And there was the Pacific. We didn't quite manage to find a beach to paddle from but found a nice chippy and brought blue cod and chips back to the room for dinner.

That's it for today I think. Sorry it's not a lot, this computer is not the best. I promise once back in the UK and not watching a countdown timer at all times I will put on more photos for you all to see and fill in the bits I missed.

Wellington to Queenstown

I know it's been a few days since I last updated so there is a lot to get through!

We caught the early morning ferry from Wellington to Picton. The ferry we were on had once been the Pride of Cherbourg (I know because you could still see the name on the side) and for those of you who don't know that name it was one of the cross-channel ferries. We managed to find a nice spot at the stern and watched the scenery pass behind us. We really can't understand those people who come all this way and then fly from one island to the other as they miss this amazing ferry trip. The scenery was truly spectacular as shown by the picture above. Again it was a glorious day so it was lovely on the ferry and a very smooth crossing.

Once in Picton we found the station was just a few minutes walk (luckily the bags got transferred for us as you had to check them in for the ferry!). We checked in and were told we had about an hour before the train was due so we went off to a nice little cafe for a spot of lunch.

The Transcoastal assigns everyone their seats. It was just three carriages and then an open viewing car. There was a very reasonable cafe on board from which we purchased a small bottle of Lindauer (fizzy wine made here in NZ), some small pancakes and a cream tea. All very nice.

During the journey we saw seals and penguins and more stunning scenery.




The train, as you can see, runs right next to the road. It took just over 5 1/2 hours in total to reach Christchurch where we were met by a luxury minibus - it only had 5 seats but they were the largest comfiest seats I have ever sat in in a vehicle.

We had a quick check round Christchurch and found the hotel we will be in when we return at the end of the holiday.

Next morning we were picked up by another driver in a rather swish car and taken back to the station for the Transalpine train to Greymouth. This train was longer so we think there were two viewing cars and two cafes as there was a generator car in the middle and at each stop we were warned if we got off to stretch our legs ensure we got back on the right part of the train!

On both trains there was a guard giving a running commentary as we passed points of interest and giving local history. We went through Arthur's Pass and saw snow still on the hills and then down to Greymouth. We arrived a bit late so quickly picked up the car, found the hotel and just as we reached our room we were told our guide for the afternoon tour had arrived.

We were taken on a three hour tour along the west coats to see the pancake rocks (so called because they look like stacks of pancakes because of the way the rock has formed) and to go through some of the national park. The guide told us all about the plants and rocks and it was fascinating as there were only 5 of us on the tour.



By the time we were dropped back at the hotel we were quite hungry and managed to find a lovely seafood restaurant our guide had pointed out. I had the biggest mussels you have ever seen. Mum had blue nose which is a lot like bass. We were in bed very early as we had had two very early mornings and an awful lot of travelling.



After a quick trip round the local supermarket (aren't foreign supermarkets fascinating??) we set off for Fox Glacier.

On the way we stopped at Hokitika which is the Greenstone capital of NZ. Greenstone was the name given by the Europeans when they saw Maoris wearing it, actually it is Jade. We managed to spend 2 1/2 hours in just a couple of shops!!!No surprises what Christmas presents will be this year folks! Honestly the different types of Jade are amazing - did you know it can be black, appear black but actually be translucent green when held up to a light, brown, gold, and even white? There was even a piece of Chrysanthemum(sp?) jade that was black with white flowers in it and you could see how it got it's name. The major problem was deciding which pieces not to buy. From the store we were in we even got to meet one of the men who had produced some of the pieces!

After we had no money left we set off again.

Once there we found we were in a lovely motel where the rooms were a little like apartments, complete with their own patio and a mountain view, well there would have been a view of Mount Cook in the distance if it hadn't been for the mist.

We headed up to the meeting place about 4 and were told we were a little early (we keep finding that different documents say different things!). So we had a wander round the few shops in Fox glacier and Mum bought me my Christmas/birthday present. It is a stunning painting which I will photograph probably when I get home as it is all packaged up currently. I know excess baggage, but it is quite light!

We changed into their boots and walking socks and headed for a walk that would never be allowed in Britain. We followed the path the glacier had once taken up through all the rocks, through the many streams and ended just a few metres from the terminal face. This is one of the few glaciers in the World that is currently growing and at a rate of 20 cm per day! Apparently up on the very top they get up to 50m of snow a year!!!! We got a certificate once we got back from the 2 1/2 walk. As we had a microwave in the room we grabbed a couple of microwave meals and desserts and headed back to the room.

Today is one of the first days since I left when I know what day of the week it is and that is because today in Sunday 16th November or Mum's 60th birthday and the reason for the trip. After opening cards and having some breakfast we set off on the long drive down to Queenstown.

Today we have seen waterfalls and such blue rivers (apparently something to do with the minerals in the rocks as to why so blue but they are also very clear). Now we have reached the hotel in Queenstown and the weather is slightly less blue skies than it has been up to now. We have a cake in the fridge in the room along with a bottle of Lindauer Fraise (hint of strawberry).

Now you are all up to date and that has taken me almost an hour. I'll add some more photos when I buy some mroe credit for the computers here. Think we also need washing powder! Not sure what we'll get up to tomorrow but NO a bungee is not on the cards! Love to all from Caro and Judy.

Wellington

Today was bright blue skies and sunshine and I've been wearing Summer clothes and going a little red in the sun!

We've been to the parliament building and looked all round, then into the Cathedral. Had to return to hotel for change of clothes as first thing it had not looked so promising. Then we carried on to Te Papa the National Museum. As well as art it had information about earthquakes and volcanoes and Maori art work.

Then we mooched round the shops. There are so many things in the shops here I would love for the house, and clothes that are nicer and cheaper than at home but airline luggage allowance is restricting me from spending too much!

Off early tomorrow morning on the Interislander ferry to Picton and from there the Transcoastal Train to Christchurch. After a night in Christchurch we take the Transalpine to Greymouth. I will try and keep you all updated.

We are having a great time, enjoying reading your comments and did I mention the sunshine?

Photos

This is the boat in the Wiatomo caves just disappearing back into the caves to pick up the next group of people.

This was the view from our room in Rotorua. Closest is the mud pool and the steam is the Geyser. You may also be able to make out the blue pool to the left of the steam. It was such a clear blue but as I said the smell was a bit much.

This is the Polynesian Spa looking out over Lake Rotorua. The pool in the picture was 38 degrees. Coolest was 36 and hottest was 42.

Me with sheep!!! See I really am here! They were quite amazing sheep and responded to their names. The horns are very warm near their heads and stone cold at the tips.

Above is a picture I took today in Wellington harbour. It was 20 degrees and such blue skies here today. Is quite a weird feeling seeing the shops full of Christmas decorations.

Waitomo to Wellington

So when I last logged in we were in Auckland. I no longer have any idea what day it is so will just tell you about what we've seen since.

Waitomo Caves
Amazing caves with very cool stalactites and mites and then you descend to water level, get in a little boat that the guide then navigates through the caves by pulling on ropes suspended from the ceiling. The ceiling was covered in tiny specks of light - all little glow worms!! It was so cool.

Rotorua
Then we drove on to Rotorua which apparently is where the Earth's crust is thinnest. Our room overlooked the famous Geyser and the mud pools (at night you could hear the 'blub, blub' of the mud pools). Only thing is the smell takes a little getting used to. Then you enter a shop, look around and as you leave you have to get used to the smell all over again! We had a Diamond Pass for Rotorua attractions and luckily the nice people at the Geyser centre let us start using it a day early. So we went and looked at the geyser from closer quarters and around the Maori centre there.

Next day we headed to the Agrodome which is all about sheep - our expectations were low and we were very surprised at how good it was. They showed us the 19 breeds of sheep there are here in NZ, demonstrated sheep shearing (for which they get paid $1.50 per sheep - currently a dollar is about 40p!!!!), showed us the dogs as well, which walked all over (yes over) the sheep. After that we went on to the Gondola ride to take a look at lake Rotorua from above. I also decided to have a go on the luge ride they had there which was great fun. From there it was on to Paradise Springs which was a fascinating wildlife park where I had Wallabies, ducks and even a blackbird feeding out of my hand! We were also in time to watch the lions being fed. They really are amazing creatures although I think Mum is now getting a bit fed up of my lion roar impressions!! The final activity was the Polynesian Spa where we decided to pay an upgrade fee in order to go in the Spa pools rather than the general admission pools. There were 4 pools all thermally heated and looking out over the lake.

So much achieved in one day and we didn't feel like we'd rushed any of it. We did walk the 3kms into town and had Thai for dinner. We felt the walk there and back is making up for the lack of swimming and gym time!

Wellington
We were on our way today at 8!!! Yes Mum is ensuring I'm up and about early. Gorgeous blue skies and sunshine and a balmy 19 degrees! Mum took the first leg of the driving and I took the second. We stopped in Foxton for a spot of lunch and then took a slight detour to Otangi beach. I don't think I've been paddling in November before - I certainly have now. The beach was covered in Scallop shells and I mean covered and the sand was so black.

Finally into Wellington about 4. We've dropped off the car early as everything here is within easy walking distance and at least then we know the car is safe. We're here all tomorrow just looking around, may visit the Parliament buildings and the national museum. We've already managed to go up the gondola this evening. Then we head off to the South Island the next day (Thursday??) and after the ferry join the Transcoastal train.

I realise I've whistled through all of that and have not put pictures on today but I've come down without the camera and wasn't sure how long the Internet credit would last. I'll come down again tomorrow and hopefully add a few pictures.

These two pictures are from the Sky Tower in Auckland. The top one is looking through the glass floor to the pool on the hotel roof below. The second is a view across to Auckland bridge.

Auckland

Okay so we made it here safely but before I tell you more about NZ how about I backtrack slightly?

Singapore - well it was certainly hot. The heat hits you like a wall every time you leave a building but strangely you quickly get used to it. It is coming into Monsoon season so it was no real surprise we got soaked on Thursday morning. We spent most of the time in Singapore shopping or at least browsing but when there are quite so many shops it is hard not to. The malls come one after the other and are HUGE. So a fair bit of jade was purchased.

The city tour was included and was interesting enough but was very much a case of everyone off the bus, take photos and then back on again. Photo of the Merlion (symbol of Singapore is the picture above).

The airport at Changi is amazing as it is mostly glass and wide open spaces. Also Duty Free comes straight after passport control and security is just before the gates. We will have no problems spending 6 hours there on the way home.

The flight down was not too bad and flys by when you have the choice of so many movies, tv shows and CDs all on your own screen. We even had a magnum for dessert! We have managed to have Singapore Slings on each flight and I can imagine that a pitcher of them would go down rather well so must see if I can find a recipe when I'm home. Okay, so we didn't have one in Raffles but Mum didn't seem that fussed and at about a tenner each they were a little pricey.

Having had the dog at Auckland airport jump onto my rucksack as he could smell where I'd had tangerines in there previously (they are very strict about food imports) we had a nice bloke holding a card with our names on meet us, take our bags and whisk us into Auckland in a lovely Merc!

Hotel is quite central and pleasant enough. Today we have explored all round, been down to the harbour and then up the Sky Tower. You could walk round the outside of the Sky Tower or jump off it but we decided against both. We've picked up our car and tomorrow we head to the Glow Worm caves and then on to Rotorura where our room is supposed to have a view of the Geyser!

Interesting facts
Auckland is made up of lots of volcanoes - none seemed too active today though.
Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand although not the capital.
Singapore is only 1 degree north of the equator.
Singapore has 4 official languages of English, Chinese, Malay and Tamal.

Right well that's probably enough from me for now.

Changi Airport

Quick update as found free access in airport. We've had our two days in Singapore, spent loads and seen even more. Was about 30 degrees and we did manage to get soaked yesterday as it is approaching monsoon season but you soon dry out.

Now at airport and about to board plane to Auckland, just another 10 hour flight between here and there.

That's all for now as was only supposed to be quick update and the gate has opened and I assume we still have to get through security as duty free was straight after passport control.

Will try and upload some photos as well once in NZ.

Take care all of you.

Before I Go

Okay so the reason for this blog? Well my Mum and I both have significant birthdays this year (ones that end in zero) and a while back she suggested a trip to celebrate. Mum will tell you it was all my idea but my memory of it is that it was hers. Anyway, having got back from two weeks in Canada in February this year there was an email waiting for me with the costs for a 15 day tour of New Zealand with a stop-over in Singapore. How could I say no?

Deposit was soon paid, and then the remainder and now here I am just over two weeks away from flying to the other side of the World.

http://www.discover-new-zealand.co.uk/yourway4/ gives the tour information that we are taking. It is a self-drive tour taking in what has been classed by this company as some of the highlights of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

I am hoping to find an Internet cafe or two along the way to keep people updated of progress and possibly upload a few photos.

Okay well that's it for now, may add more before I go if I think of anything else important.