Our trip to New Zealand Pt 2

Hi everyone,
This was our mode of transport throughout the South Island. We chose a 3 birth motorhome. Thank goodness we went for a 3 birth and not a 2 birth.. It was kinda cosy..... but well equipped. It had a small kitchen, shower, toilet (a must!!!) and the front seats could swivel around so we could either watch telly from the bed or the front seats. We also had grand plans of buying fresh food and cooking our meals at night.......after the first night we ate at restaurants more often than what we thought we would hehehe.

Our first night however wasn't spent in the mighty motorhome but at the home of our friend Kaye and her aire-boy Torts. He was a very good host, showing us around the neighbourhood and his yard. Here he is with his new toy the Leuradales sent him.

After we left Christchurch (where Torts & Kaye live) we headed inland towards the Southern Alps. That is where we did our first helicopter flight from our previous post. On the way we came across this absolutely gorgeous church on the shores of Lake Tekapo. The area is stunning with that blue blue water.

Once we crossed to the West Coast we headed north to the township of Franz Joseph. We planned to do a helihike there which involved taking another helicopter up to the Franz Joseph glacier. The weather was a bit iffy so we weren't sure if they could take our group up. The tour organisers prepared us just in case the cloud lifted. We were fitted out in gortex jackets, boots, beanies and gloves and then we waited. Finally the cloud lifted and up we went. I was a little apprehensive but it was so worth it. It was an awesome afternoon.

Here we are about to walk through an ice cave. It got very tight down the other end and we had to crawl through. Thank goodness I'm not claustrophobic.

Inside the ice cave. The light reflecting made everything so blue.

There is another group in front of us walking on the glacier. Apparently it's quite easy to fall through the ice. A lady at work told me she did on her recent trip to NZ. Thankfully I wasn't aware of that on the day we did the hike.....

We walked around up there for about 2 hours. The time went so quickly. The guides were excellent and full of information.

It was truly an fantastic experience.

Back on the East Coast and we found an area with lots of fur seals. Some were huge.

Look at this fellow. He was getting some sun on the rocks when we rudely interrupted him for a photo shoot.

The coast line here was beautiful as was most of the South Island.

We found this cafe perched on the beach and had to stop for a coffee, well actually we really wanted to take more photos.

I have more photos so stay tuned.

Thanks for looking.

Denise x