South Island

On Dec 28 Anna and I embarked on a 10 day journey through the south island. We flew in to Christchurch and toured the city. The next morning we stopped in Waimate to pet over 60 tame wallabies on our way to Queenstown. The drive was long and hot but absolutely stunning! Queenstown was even more breathtaking --- dark mountains mirrored in a crystal clear lake with the sun setting. We hopped around to different restaurants and bars in the area, stopping at a new place for each round of dinner.
In the morning we took of for the famous Milford Sound where we took a cruise all the way to the ocean looking at seals and waterfalls the entire way. On the return, we stayed in Te Anau and checked out the local scene with our CS friend Nathan. The next morning, which was New Year's Eve Day, we went back to Queenstown for some naps and pre-partying before we hit the town square for the big celebration. Good music, good company, and a good sleep in the car to get away from all the craziness in the house! Almost forgot to mention that I went quadbiking up in the hills! Whoo hoo!
Tired but eager to keep going, Anna and I headed towards Fox Glacier. With a few scenic stops we made it in time to meet our host for the night, Jono. We met some of his guiding buddies, watched "Role Models", and then crashed. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to spoil our fun and we were unable to make it on the full-day glacier hike we had planned. Bummed, we left town early in hopes of escaping the white fog that had enveloped everything. We went river rafting on the Buller River in Murchison; a perfect activity for an icky day. Unfortunately, we were stuck in fog for 2 days --- all the way up the west coast and to Abel Tasman. That didn't stop us from finding washed up jade at the beach in Hokitika or snapping pictures at the pancake rocks in Punakaiki. After spending the night in a sweet hostel in Abel tasman we awoke to find a gloriously sunny day. We walked along the nearest track for a couple hours before continuing on to Nelson.
We made a couple of stops along the way to Kaikoura but had intended to spend the bulk of the evening there. We listed to live music, walked around town, and relaxed a bit in the hostel. In the morning we managed to get ourselves on the 8:30 boat to swim with the dolphins! Hundreds of dusky dolphins swam past our noses as we made funny sounds in order to entertain them. After some hot cocoa we jumped in the car and headed to Hanmer Springs. We relaxed for a few hours in the antural springs and then took off for our last night of the trip. We slept in old sleeper trains in Waipara, just north of Christchurch. What a hoot! I really got a kick out of the experience.
Back in Christchurch, we walked around a bit more, listened to a live band, and then took off for the airport. What an amazing trip!!!