"Everything is gonna be alright now"

Kaiteriteri

On the ferry

Our ferry journey to the South Island unfortunately took longer than usual. A poor man had a heart attack and so we had to turn around an hour into the journey, but we made it eventually and enjoyed watching the stunning coastlines as we sailed through the Cook Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound.

Sadly, because of our delay we missed out on the opportunity to go wine tasting but reached our destination of Kaiteriteri around dinner time. This is a small coastal village with a beautiful beach, situated 13km from the Abel Tasman National Park. Unfortunately Katie became very ill and basically stayed in bed until Queenstown, missing the entire West Coast. So Sarah went with a friend into the national park, walking for a few hours before reaching Apple Tree Bay. This beautiful bay is a popular site for visitors but we were perfectly spread along the beach. After lunch and a swim in the freezing water we headed back towards the cafe at the entrance to the park because we had been told of the the awesome crumble. Turns out that food is a really good motivator!

Abel Tasman

Apple Tree Bay

Kaiterteri Beach

Later in the evening we met yet another Wiggle! The owner of our hostel was the first ever Captain Feathersword of The Wiggles and so he's a pretty good singer. We listened to him and some kiwi passengers singing along with the guitar, while Katie drank a hot toddy that Mr Wiggle (as we called him) had very kindly made for her.

Westport

We hopped onto a new bus to head down the west coast and we soon made some really good friends. Our driver, Bex, was a bit of a nutter and insisted on wearing a small top hat with pink feathers all the time but she was fantastic. She kept us amused on the bus with games and chocolate rewards as she drove along the most stunning coastline. That evening we reached Westport and ended up staying in a huge dorm with its own kitchen, which a group of us decided to make the most of. After a slightly stressful shop (we will never shop with 6 other girls again) we cooked and ate a huge spag blog while telling embarrassing stories- what a great way to get to know people haha! Then after dinner we took the  opportunity to view some of the locals that Bex had warned us about. Apparently because the west coast is so sparsely populated, the locals in Westport tend to have six fingers or other mutations of the sort, so we set out to find some. Unfortunately we met only one, but he was an interesting character! He kindly invited us back to his for some moonshine and to get naked...needless to say we declined!

Lake Mahinapua

Our next stop was the legendary Poo Pub which Kiwi Experience rate one of the best evenings on the trip. It is a shabby hostel and bar run by the oldest business man in New Zealand (he's 87!) and lets just say it was unique. We had stopped earlier in the day to grab some supplies because that night was a costume party. Luckily for Katie and I, inspiration hit us and we spent hours creating and perfecting our outfits.

Can you guess who we are?

Costume creation room

Unfortunately we didn't win the competition...appparently our idea was lost on the non-British members of our bus, gutted! (we were Bill and Ben the flower pot men, just incase you did't get it!)

Franz Joseph

Sarah, Alice, Cath and Hollie are prepared

While travelling around New Zealand you can't help but notice the stunning scenery of the country and most of it cn be attributed to glaciation. So it was time to check out some glaciers! The Franz Joseph glacier is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world an descends to only 300m above sea level. Unfortunately it is retreating at an alarming rate (not surprising considering the number of people hiking up and down it), but exploring the ice was one of the best things a closet geography geek could do! Leaving Katie in her bed, we got kitted out in some great looking jackets, trousers and boots before we were marched over to the helicopter landing site- yup, to get onto the ice we took a helicopter :) It was my first time in a helicopter and it was great fun, even when we flew really close to the valley walls...right up until we flew round in a circle and we tipped to the side. I think I have finally learnt from this adventure that small aircraft are not for me! Anyway back to the ice- we jumped out of the helicopter onto the ice and were immediately cold. It was the first time in 6 months that I really wanted a scarf! Even though we were hiking on ice our guides had told us that it would be warm because of the sun, but they were wrong as it had clouded over. Luckily we met some fellow kiwi passengers waiting to take our helicopter back down and they kindly gave us their hats and mittens. The next 3 hours were spent clambering up ice steps, squeezing into ice caves and admiring the view. Not only was the glacier and valley breathtaking, but our guide was rather beautiful too!

From the helicopter

Tight squeeze

Risky?

Then later as part of our glacier ticket, we got free entry into hot pools which was just the perfect way to heat up and relax our muscles.

Wanaka

The Cinema

Today was the day! After travelling down the entire west coast but missing it all, Katie got out of bed and went to the doctor. We have traveled in both Africa and Asia but Katie decides to get ill in New Zealand- typical! Luckily a short course of antibiotics was all that was needed to perk her up in time for Queenstown. So while she spent her last two days in bed, I wandered around the town of Wanaka and enjoyed sun bathing by the lake with friends. The town itself is lovely but what really makes it a spectacular place to visit is its setting. Surrounded on three sides by truly impressive mountain ranges is Lake Wanaka which is a fantastic blue colour. Then the thing to do in the evening is go to the cinema..this may sound boring but this cinema is unique. To watch the Life of Pi I sat in an old car with the roof missing! The fact that part of my view was blocked by the windscreen frame didn't even phase me as I sat and munched on the best cookie I have ever had. You see this cinema is also known for its homemade cookies which are made fresh for each film. All in all, it was a fabby night!

Lake Wanaka

View from our hostel