Ok, I was only joking about getting bored of the blog...is there anyone out there?! (Apart from my drunken brother!?)
Queenstown was really good, we had the perfect day for the Shotover Jet boat lovely and sunny and clear blue skies! Just in case you didn't know the Shotover Jet is a speed boat with the engine of a jet plane attached, and the Shotover River runs through a stunning (but narrow) canyon! Somehow we managed to get ourselves to the front of the queue and were in the only 2 seats in the front row! Jammy! Our "pilot" was James, and he was in all honesty...a maniac! It was pretty frightening, what with him driving at rocks etc. but so so good! When we headed in to look at our photos it turns out that there is a camera on the front of the boat pretty much filming only me and Amy because we were in the front row!? Hideous...but it's pretty funny to watch...fortunately for you guys we bought the video so you can all watch it over and over and over again! :D We also went out to bungy bridge, where they throw people off on bungy cords! Needless to say we didn't have a go but opted to head to the winery and cheesery instead! :D Good times! Although I wouldn't rule it out for the future...looked like it might be fun!
After Queenstown we drove up the coast and passed a dodgey 80's style sign informing us it was "Glacier Country". Luckily for us we were looking for some glaciers so it turned out alright! We were staying in Franz Joseph Glacier for 2 nights and went to bed anticipating an exciting day ahead of us! A very early start on Monday saw us headed off (around some very dodgey roads) bound for Fox Glacier. We arrived and checked in for our 9:30 start and met our guide, Anne, form Norway! She was hilarious...very cheery and kept on telling us jokes! So we put on our boots and slapped on the suncream and glasses and headed off on an hours hike...through the temperate rainforests! Hmmm....not what we were expecting! However, after this hike we strapped on our crampons and headed out onto the ice! It was such a fabulous experience....we went into ice caves, saw cravasses with no bottom and sat down for lunch on the top of the glacier! Such a unique experience, which comes highly recommended by me!
We were so so tired the next day though! Amy was finding it hard to walk and I was suffering with sore shoulders...but neither of us were complaining...it was so worth it! Fortunately the drive up the coas to Greymouth was a short one, relatively speaking! It pretty much rained all day and so, after exploring the (small) towns of Hokitika and Greymouth we sat in and did some knitting! This morning...Wednesday 12th...we headed on a long drive further up the coast and inland a bit...technical...to Pohara (in Abel Tasman National Park) Unfortunately to get there you have to go over the historically feared Takaka Hill (according to the Rough Guide to NZ)! I didn't know this until after we did it fortunately! It is a 750m hill which winds all the way up one side and all the way down the other! Hilariously, we have to do it again tomorrow to get out to Nelson!
Typically the day we have to drive for 6 hours is the sunniest, warmest day we've had so far! We got here and sat on the beach for a while until it was too cold and then we had dinner. We catch the ferry to the North Island on Friday, so we only have Nelso tomorrow before we head over to Wellington...all going so fast! I know I keep saying that but it really is! Anyway...hope you're all well...speak soon!
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2 comments:
Great blog Dani. Not only drunken Chris reading. I guess people are shy of leaving their comments, or communicating some other way with you. Love you lots. M xxx
And now you are in the North Island watching England's glorious victory under a cloudless sky at the Wellington cricket ground. So thats Rugby against Ireland, Cricket against NZ - will Becks and the boys make it a hat trick against France in Paris on Wednesday. No you are right they won't but we live in hope.
Do they not have internet in NZ? You have been very quiet on the blog for a while and no photos for ages. Not even one of Dot and you to show the girls.
Obviously you are having a great time and too busy to be on line. Only 1 week left in NZ and then back to the real world - AMERICA. What am I on about real world - you are going to LA where everthing is false from boobs to bums:-) Still at least they have connectivity.
We is off to Nice on Monday - how nice is that - very nice Nice or is it Nice nice. Anyway whatever its nice. And thats better than not nice which is awful which is what it would be if it wasn't nice. And Nice is nice and better than Windsor because its nice and hot which Windsor is not so Windsor is not nice or Nice:-) I think I have confused myself now and thats not nice so I will go now and wish you a nice time which is what we will have in Nice next week so thats nice too.
Love you xxx
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