Our final day in New Zealand. We had a bit of a lie in after so many early starts over the past week. We couldn’t linger too long though as the check out was 10am. We showered, packed and left our luggage at reception straight after check out. We had breakfast in the local cafe which was very popular with the locals and really great wholesome food. Afterwards we walked to North Hagley Park and the botanical gardens....
Early start as usual. Breakfast and out walking towards the lake front by 8:30am. We arrived at the pier by 8:45am and queued up to check in for Kjet. After check in we were given waterproof ponchos and life jackets in preparation for our ride. We boarded, kids in the middle and without further ado moved out into the lake and had a quick safety briefing before our first 360° manoeuvre....
Our usual early start, breakfast, empty the camper tanks and away for 8am ready for today’s horse trekking. We arrived at the trekking place early, it was only a 5 min drive, and used the opportunity to get prepped with sun cream, insect repellent, long sleeves and rain coats. The weather was cloudy and blustery and we were ready for rain. At 9am one of our guides for the day came to the gate and welcomed us to the farm....
Early start and a quick breakfast before setting off for Manapouri and the beginning of our tour of Doubtful Sound. Last night when I’d checked how long it would take us to get to Manapouri it turns out I had Google Maps in cycling mode as the 1hr 15min journey only took 20 minutes. Our early arrival did give us chance to find a parking space and walk back into town to get a coffee and buy some more inspect repellent....
Due to last nights festivities and the long day before we had a lie in and a late start. I made sausages and fried eggs on the BBQ for breakfast and we sat outside in the sun. We decided not to drive to Milford Sound today as originally planned as we wanted a break from driving and we’d seen a sign for a mountain bike trail from lake to lake on the way here which we decided to try out instead....
Today is our Kayak adventure on Lake Wanaka. The activity Diana has been most looking forward to and what started the whole idea of a trip to New Zealand. It’s also New Year’s Eve. Up early, breakfast and ready for collection at 8:45am by reception. We’ve parked the camper in the camp site staff car park as we’re supposed to check out this morning. It’s a beautiful day for it, the sun is shining and it’s mid 20’s....
7am wake up call ready for our fishing trip on Lake Wanaka. A quick breakfast outside on the picnic bench before jumping on the bikes and heading to the marina. Alex had a couple of falls on his bike as he wasn’t used to cycling down hill and on dirt tracks. He soldiered on and got the hang of it and we arrived at the marina 20 mins early. We locked our bikes to a signpost and said hello to our fishing guide for the day, Davy....
We woke to the patter of rain on the camper roof and had a quick breakfast. We decided to abandon our plans to cycle the mountain bike trail to the glacier car park thanks to the weather and prepared for a walk to see the Fox Glacier instead. A 5 minute drive via the most expensive garage so far, took us to the glacier car park which I’d scouted by mountain bike yesterday....
7am start waking up to the sound of the ocean. A quick breakfast and then the kids went to play on the beach while we got ready. Set off by 9am and drove for an hour stopping at the tree top walk for coffee. It was super expensive, but really fun. We walked around the structure enjoying the view and tried to avoid looking down. The tower was exciting and nerve racking as it swayed when people walked up and down the stairs....
6 am alarm and a run along the shore of Lake Rotoiti. Breakfast in the van and set off for Greymouth by 9am. It was too cold to take a dip in the lake before we left, quite chilly without the sun. Twisty roads with stunning views around most of the corners. The sun came out and it turned into a lovely day. The road followed a number of rivers with crystal clear water, growing bigger as we got closer to the ocean....