Another early start, another day of travelling….

Alarm call at 6am, out of the motel by 6.15am, at the Picton ferry terminal by 6.30am and on to the ferry by 7am.

Before leaving Picton, Michelle had already taken up the fetal position and was asleep dreaming of being back in her bed!!

We left Picton and the South Island in a blaze of sunshine and started the 4hr cruise back across the Straits to Wellington. It’s fair to say it was an ideal sailing day, not a cloud in the sky and just a light wind pushing us along.

We left the Tory Channel and headed across the waters to Cape Terawhiti and on to Sinclair Head into Wellington Harbour.

After the 4hr cruise we then had a different 4hr driving ‘cruise’ up through the centre of the North Island via Palmerston North to the East Coast and the port city of Napier, the Art Deco capital of the Southern Hemisphere.

After checking into our latest Airbnb, this time a funky city centre serviced apartment, we went for a wander around the centre of Napier to check out the art deco architecture and the beach area.

Not only is Napier blessed with wonderful Art Deco buildings it is also home to Hunters Bay and more fantastic wines!

Being such a sunny and warm late afternoon we decided to take a stroll along the seafront. Whilst the beach wasn’t that appealing, lacking the customary white sandy shores, it did have an array of architectural features for the young and the old making it feel more homely and inviting.

We spent a good hour or two taking in the amazing designs along the water front, both current and the older art deco style, as well as sea life murals that were emblazoned on the various buildings facing the ocean.

We found a good place for dinner in the early evening and sat out alfresco style enjoying one of the many city centre parks in Napier.

Tomorrow looks like being another glorious sunny day, so we plan to enjoy the great outdoors with a visit to the local weekend market, as well as a wander to the seaside suburb of Ahuriri, awash with trendy cafes, art galleries, boutique shops and a lively harbour area.

Today we were back in the Abel Tasman National Park, but this time we had the benefit of a cruise boat up the coast to take us further into the wilderness and a beach start hike from Torrent Bay.

Our mini cruise took us up the coast line stopping at Split Apple Rock, a geological rock formation in Tasman Bay/ Te Tai-o-Aorere. Made of granite from the cretaceous, it is in the shape of an apple which has been cut in half. The cleft to produce two sides of the ‘apple’ was a naturally occurring joint, that rain and waves have exploited over thousands of years.

Our 12km hike was to take us from Torrent Bay and along the coast to Bark Bay, where we would be picked up by the catamaran later on in the afternoon.

The hike took us through some of the most beautiful scenery, passing deserted beaches, crossing swing bridges in amongst the most amazing fauna from what felt like a prehistoric period.

It’s clear so little has changed with these lands, having not been cultivated either by the original inhabitants the Māoris, nor the Europeans following their arrival in the mid 1800’s.

We really felt like we were in the wilderness, seeing only a handful of people over the next few hours, some on 3-5 day hikes, whilst others were on more sedate day trips like ourselves.

The trek route took us mainly along a ridge, sitting above the coastline providing great views down to the beaches and streams below.

As today wasn’t as warm and sunny as the day before, we ended up walking at a brisk pace and along with the benefit of the forest covering, we weren’t as aware of the cooler winds that were coming in off the sea.

The greenery of the fauna was truly magnificent and made us appreciate that we were essentially trekking through a rainforest.

In order to cross one of the wider rivers and crevasses, we had to pass over the Bark Bay swing bridge, making us feel like we were extras on ‘I’m a celebrity….’.

The river below was so clear you could see right through to the riverbed, with its various shades caused by the differing rocks and algae.

Along the way we passed a number of Maori statutes that have been erected to recognise and celebrate the original occupants of this land.

After walking for a couple of hours we arrived at Bark Bay, where other hikers and outdoor enthusiasts gathered with kayaks. Some were making camp as part of their longer trip plans, whilst others were lunching, trying to avoid the unwelcome attention of the local birds.

Our hike went so well, that we managed to finish a good 3 hours before we were due to be picked up by our catamaran. This would have been fine the day before when the sun was out and people were sunbathing on the beach, however the afternoon weather brought light rain and an increasing wind that meant we had to take cover around the rocks on the beach. As we waited around for a few hours spying the return of the boat, we felt like we were acting out our version of Robinson Crusoe!

Eventually after a short delay, our boat did arrive and we motored back to Kaiteriteri-Sandy where we had left from early this morning. Along the way back we went in search of a seal colony, but on this occasion we were unsuccessful and didn’t manage to spot any.

Returning to the car, we then had a 3hr drive to Picton, where we stayed the night in readiness for our 7.30am ferry crossing back to Wellington the next morning.

Tomorrow we are heading north to Napier, the Nice/Art Deco centre of the Southern Hemisphere where we have a couple of days to explore the city.

A morning of goodbyes as Andy’s parents headed off down the East Coast on their way to Christchurch, whilst we were making our way to Abel Tasman National Park.

It proved an emotional one for Marian who tried her best to keep her tears at bay. The good news is that we will see them in late March when we eventually return to the UK.

We then started our drive through the stunning countryside to the entry point of the Abel Tasman National Park, and our nights stay in Motueka.

Once we’d arrived, we quickly dropped off our night bag at the latest B&B stop and headed into the National Park to do a coastal hike to Apple-tree Bay from Marahau.

It’s fair to say that the beaches and the ocean were some of the most beautiful, and remote, we have seen to date in New Zealand. Combined with a wonderful sunny day, it was one of those places where you could just relax and enjoy the day in a peaceful paradise.

Before starting the trek, we sat at one of the car parks next to the beach having lunch with some of the best views you could ever ask for.

The hike proved was a combination of low decked paths and more challenging hillside climbs offering up spectacular scenery and a birds eye view of the beaches below.

Given the scenery, we found ourselves having to stop ever time we went around a corner and came across another vista that cried out for a photo!

One by one we made our way past stunning beaches, all nigh on deserted and completely unspoilt, with very few signs of human life, aside from the walkers we saw along the pathways.

The walk led us down to Apple-tree beach, a long forgotten orchard where only one apple tree remains, and where the sea is a turquoise blue, reminiscent of those you see on Greek Mediterranean islands.

As we started our journey back along the path, we watched the small cruise boats going up and down the coast, one of which we have booked tomorrow to take us further up the national park headland, to walk a further section of the coastal path.

After walking for almost 3.5hrs and completing the 12km hike, we returned to our car and made our way back along the coast in search of ice cream.

We had been recommended a fruit gelato place where all the fruits are fresh and locally picked.

It’s fair to say that the ice creams were some of the best we have eaten, not just in NZ but on our whole trip. Andy went for raspberry whilst Michelle was a black cherry fan. Both were delicious.

After returning to Motueka we decided to go for one final walk, and a wander around the Port Motueka inlet trail. With the sun still bright in the sky we enjoyed a further hour taking in the local wildlife and checking out some of the fantastic houses backing onto the inland lake.

Tomorrow we return to Abel Tasman National Park for Round II of our walks along the coastal paths, a 10k walk from Torrent Bay to Bark Bay.

Another wonderful sunny morning, so another 10k run for Andy. After he had recuperated, we headed out with James and Marian for breakfast in Blenheim centre, returning to Deux cafe for coffee and cakes – the breakfast of champions!

After a leisurely affair, catching up with more chat on our respective travel adventures, we returned to the hotel pool for a swim and some more sun worshipping.

With the call of the cellar door wineries proving too strong to resist, we eventually made our way to Wairau Winery for more wine tasting.

James is a lover of the Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, so it was only fitting that his 5 wine tasters started there and continued with a white wine bias. It’s fair to say he was in his element, enjoying every last mouthful of the wines on offer. That said his preferred Sav Blanc, was the entry level rather than the reserved level, proving he knows what he likes.

This was round one of the wine tasting for today, with the next stop being Wither Hills for a belated birthday lunch for Marian and an early one for James whose birthday is tomorrow the 11th Dec.

Lunch is served and it was lamb and salmon for the birthday party of two.

It’s definitely a birthday lunch we will all remember – so glad we got to do this together as a family in such a wonderful location.

After a fantastic lunch, we then went for a brief tour of the winery to view the barrels, before heading to the roof terrace to check out the vista over the estate.

After our second winery stop, our third and final destination was the prestigious Cloudy Bay, the home of Sav Blanc and James’ most favoured wine.

After a wonderful lunch and afternoon we returned to the hotel to take full advantage of the sunshine with some more worshipping at the feet of the pool.

To cap off the day together, we decided to go native and indulged in some fish and chips from the local fish bar, sitting in one of the nearby parks enjoying the time with Andy’s parents.

Still seems incredible being together so far from home, and am so pleased we were able to have this time together.

It’s been a pleasure having them with us for these two days, and we will be sad to wave goodbye to them tomorrow, when they head south to Christchurch and we head north west to Motueka.

But it’s on to the next chapter tomorrow, with our 3 day trip to Abel Tasmin for kayaking and trekking and maybe a little more wine tasting!!

Another early morning start for Andy as he pounded the streets of Blenheim to hit his morning 10k target.

The good news was that the sunshine was back in abundance with temperatures of 26-28c predicted by lunchtime.

We had a leisurely breakfast, alfresco style, in the back garden of the B&B before we set off for a meander along the Wairau Lagoon walkway close to the coast.

The walk followed the lagoon shoreline with good bird watching along to the rusting remains of the Waverley ship.

As the walk progressed, so the heat intensified and by the end it was a welcome relief to get back inside our air conditioned car.

Once we got back into Blenheim centre we headed for lunch and a welcome caffeine fix at a great cafe called Deux.

Early afternoon we had the ‘reunion’ with the arrival of Andy’s parents who are also travelling around NZ after a 2 week cruise from Singapore to Australia and then on to Auckland.

It was so great to see them both after over a year, and felt doubly special to see them so far from home. We have booked the same hotel as them for 2 nights so that we can catch up properly and show them around.

But first with the glow of the sunshine we headed to the hotel pool for some much needed R&R and a dip.

It was such a pleasure to see James and Marian in person and hear all about their own travels over the course of the last few weeks.

What is sure is that they have definitely brought the fine weather with them, after their recent visit to the tropics of Indonesia and North Australia, with the temperatures due to stay up in the high 20’s for the rest of our time together.

After a couple of hours of pool action and general ‘news’ updates from home, we made our way into the town centre for a spot of late lunch and a glass of vino at Scotch Bar, which despite the name was a French/NZ restaurant.

Having enjoyed Scotch mid-afternoon, we returned for Part II/dinner at 7pm to tuck into their fish and lamb offerings. And of course some more NZ vino!

After a lovely evening of great food and chat, we headed back a little earlier so Andy’s parents could catch up on some much needed ‘lost’ sleep, in readiness for another day on the ‘coal face’ tomorrow.

Tuesday will involve a few more cellar door wineries and lunch at Wither Hills, a winery we visited on our last visit a couple of weeks ago where the views are spectacular (as was the food).

Another early morning start for Andy as he continues with his NZ 10k addiction. Fortunately for him he managed to avoid the impending heavy rain that descended as we made our way out of Westport.

The plan had been to stop a few times as we traversed across the country from West to East.

We made a brief lunch time stop at a place called Murchison, where we came across the largest meat pies and sausage rolls we’ve seen to date in NZ, however aside from this there wasn’t much else to report about the place.

We did meet a lovely black Labrador which too seemed exceedingly large, but the two might not necessarily be linked!

The scenery remained stunning and the roads nigh on deserted, making it an enjoyable driving experience too. After a 3.5hr journey, we eventually arrived on the outskirts of Blenheim and went in search of a ‘cellar door’ vineyard open on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully we found Waitau River, nestled on the edge of a large vineyard estate with wonderful views of both the vines but also the mountains out in the distance.

We (Andy) quickly got to the task in hand and made our selection of a 4 glass taster. As ever we (Andy) started with the Sav Blanc, followed by Pinot Gris, then the Chardonnay and ending with a Cab Sav. All very delicious in their way, but on a warming summer day (we wish) the Sav Blanc won the day. The prices for the house bottles were very reasonable, a mere 20 dollars, almost the same price you pay for a glass in most bars here.

Sadly as we were driving, one person had to abstain from drinking and on this occasion Michelle put her hand up to drive!

The vineyard, like many others we’ve visited both in NZ and Oz are more like restaurants serving incredible food wedded to the wines on offer, which kind of makes sense. And of course the settings aren’t bad either.

Next stop was a family affair, Allan Scott Wines which proved to be a real winner. The wines were distilled via an automated wine pourer, with more generous servings than we experienced at the first cellar door. Needless to say Andy took full advantage and made his way through 4 glasses, including a sparkling Rose, Merlot, Sav Blanc and another Chardonnay. All very good and well worth the visit.

After the success of the wine tasting, it was then time for dinner and a visit to the local Woolworths for our home made dinner. We can report that the salads and breads are well priced and decent helpings. Along with a couple of drinks from a previous visit, we made our way to the coast at Rarangi for some beach dinning. Whilst the sun was doing its best to improve the late afternoon heat, the wind and the light rain made it less appealing to eat alfresco so instead we enjoyed the views of the ocean from the inside of the car.

After returning to tonights B&B we settled in for a watch or the new Netflix series Black Doves and managed 4 episodes back to back.

Tomorrow we are remaining in Blenheim and will be meeting up with Andy’s mum and dad who are coincidentally also touring NZ and arrive from the North Island by ferry midafternoon. It’s going to be strange to meet up after over a year and also so far from their home in Bolton. We have two days together so there’s a strong chance we might make a return visit to one of the cellar doors!

We left the morning clouds of Hokitika and very quickly were back on the coast road and heading north to the sunshine of Punakaiki.

We stopped a couple of times within the first hour to take in the wonderful beaches leading up to Greymouth.

One of the viewing stops looked out to Motukiekie Rocks and the adjoining beach. It’s one of the lesser-known beaches in NZ, and was both wild & beautiful, with its wonderful arches and cliffs.

After passing through the town of Greymouth we made our way to the infamous Pancake rocks and blowholes, just south of Punakaiki. Rising from the sea at Dolomite Point, the Pancake Rocks are part of a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through underwater channels and escapes via vertical blowholes.

The rocks, dating back some 30 million years, formed as layers on the sea bed which eventually rose under seismic action.

Since then water, wind and salt spray have been constantly eroding the softer layers leaving a ‘pancake’ stack of harder limestone.

There were stunning views from the 2km circular boardwalk.
We were able to get some great views of the rocks, ocean and surrounding coastline.

We were able to capture some of the stunning vistas of both the rock formations and the waves below surging into the blowholes.

Looking back in land we also observed the bush-clad Paparoa mountains rising up from the coast.

Nature was on show everywhere we looked. In fact the visual treats began well before we arrived in Punakaiki, as the Great Coast Road is acclaimed as one of the Top 10 Coastal Drives in the World by Lonely Planet.  

Our route up the Great Coast Road running between Greymouth in the south and Westport in the north proved to be a spectacular road trip taking in glorious coastal vistas and fascinating heritage sites.

After jumping back into the car we made our way to Tauranga Bay Fur Seal colony, a few kilometres from our eventual stopping point for the night in Westport.

This is one of New Zealand’s most accessible seal colonies and one of the best times of year to view when the bull seals return to mate and the pups are at their most playful.

It was only a 10 min walk to the viewing platforms directly overlooking the colony and we weren’t disappointed, finding numerous seals and their offspring nestling in the rocks and pools feeding and resting in the sunshine.

We then decided to follow the Cape Foulwind walkway to the lighthouse, a 2hr return hike along rocky granite bluffs, grassy downs, swampy streams and sandy beaches.

The walk offered panoramic views of the cape and rugged coastline including rock stacks and steeples.

On our walk back we stopped again at the seal colony and managed to see a few of the young cubs feeding with their mother.

Once back to the car, we took a break and enjoyed a smoothie looking out across the bay feeling smug to have found this wonderful walk on such a beautiful sunny afternoon.

It was then a short drive along the coast to Westport where we had booked a great B&B close to the beach. We made the most of this great location with a wander down the beach and a dinner at Donaldo’s cafe in Carters Beach.

Michelle got her wish and indulged in another helping of New Zealand lamb with all the trimmings, followed by an early evening wander along the main beach road checking out the beautiful houses and their gardens/vistas.

Our walk along the beach proved a windy affair but it was so good to have the place to ourselves.

Tomorrow we are making the drive from the west to the east coast and back to Blenheim where we plan to have an afternoon of wine tasting at the various cellar door vineyards.

Today we decided to explore the dramatic Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, two of the most accessible glaciers in the world. With the cloud cover low we decided against a scenic helicopter flight and instead went for the traditional hiking option instead.

Our first stop was Fox Glacier, given the name in 1872 after a visit by then New Zealand premier, William Fox.

Our route was the Fox Glacier South Side Walkway which followed the south bank of the Fox River through ancient podocarp rainforest.

The track headed gently up the valley crossing ancient glacial moraine surfaces, with the forest reflecting the various ages of the glacier moraines which it has colonised.  

The first view point was reached after 40 minutes walk.

The track winded gently downhill through the rainforest for approximately 10 minutes to a view point of Fox Glacier Te Moeka o Tuawe.

As with our walks in New Zealand there is a feeling of having stepped into a Jurassic movie, surrounded by forest and a range of birdlife.

The views were pretty impressive, the first of which came just before we reached the peak of our climb.

We found a couple of viewing spots, which gave us arguably the best sight of the retreating glacier and the expansive rock & wood debris left behind in its wake.

There were plenty of signs advising of landslides due to the erosion of the ice and as a result the ability to walk further and get to the ice cap of the glacier just wasn’t possible.

After a round walk of 90minutes/6km we got back in our car and drove the 20km up the highway to Franz Josef glacier, a place we had visited just over 20yrs ago and where we had vivid memories of physically climbing on to the glacier. Not so this time.

Unquestionably Franz Josef Glacier remains one of New Zealand’s must see sights, however the speed of the ice erosion was quite startling with the glacier having retreated more in the last 20yrs, than it had done in the prior 200yrs!!

Together with the Fox Glacier to the south, it is unique as it drops all the way from the peaks of the Southern Alps to just 300 metres above sea level, where it ends among the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. According to Maori legend Franz Josef was created by a young woman called Hinehukatere who wanted to share her passion for climbing in the mountains with her lover Wawe. Sadly he wasn’t as good a climber as Hinehukatere and slipped to his death. The legend goes that Hinehukatere cried so much that as her tears froze they formed the glacier.

The Franz Josef glacier now sits almost 1/2km back from when we saw it last in 2003 and you can now longer access the ice due to changes in the river system and the erosion of the original path.

We still felt incredibly honoured to get to see the glacier and to see first hand the amazing backdrop of ice and rainforest at close quarters.

As the day wore on, conditions had improved and we were able to clearly see the top of the mountain and the scale of the glacier.

The furthest point on our walk was documented by a sign stating that this was originally where the glacier had extended to in 1908, but some 100yrs or so later has retreated half way back up the mountain.

After an enjoyable and inspiring morning amongst the glaciers, we made our way up the ‘glacier highway’ along the West Coast and to our destination for the evening the seaside town of Hokitika.

Hokitika sits about 40km south of Greymouth and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It’s a pretty place with a chilled vibe and is known as the Cool Little Town.

There were some lovely old buildings in the town’s historic centre, along with galleries specialising in pounamu jewellery and art works.

On a clear day we were told you could see Mount Cook from Hokitika’s Main Street, but despite the sight of the sunshine we couldn’t quite see the infamous mountain.

Instead we went for a wander along the beach, picking a path through the endless drift wood that was scattered across the sands.

After popping into the local tourist information centre we decided to pay a visit to the Hokitika gorge located about 25km inland.

Nearby Hokitika Gorge is a popular short tourist walk, with vibrant blue waters and a “swing” (metal rope suspension) bridge.

The colour of the water below was incredibly eye catching, almost unreal and looked very inviting despite its glacier source and cold temperature.

We ended up doing a circular walk for roughly an hour to get out to the gorge and were rewarded by wonderful scenery.

Stopping to view the turquoise waters of Hokitika Gorge is a definite must-do.

Our short walk took us to a lookout where stunning upstream views of the glacial river are surrounded by beautiful native rimu forests.

After our gorge walk we headed back on to the coast and our B&B a couple of miles north of the town. We were greeted by one of the owners who showed us round what looked to be an almost new studio. It was a great find with the bonus of a free breakfast in the morning. Added to this it was quiet despite the array of farmyard animals in the paddocks around the property.

Tomorrow we continue our drive up the West Coast to West Port. Along the way we intend to drop in on Pancake Rocks and Blowholes in Punakaiki and discover the Ōpārara basin in the Kahurangi National Park, walking through its unspoiled native subtropical forest, cathedral-like arches and limestone formations and cave systems.

We woke this morning to glorious sunshine, so Andy headed out for his 10k run fix and took in the picturesque town of Cardrona.

We had stayed at the Cardrona Hotel, one of New Zealand’s oldest and most iconic hotels. It had a cosy charming atmosphere, great service and welcoming beer garden, making the hotel a favourite for both locals and travellers alike. We would definitely recommend staying here if you are ever in the area.

After a coffee we headed the 15k north to Wanaka, a resort town set on the southern end of its namesake lake with views of snowcapped mountains.

It’s the gateway to the Southern Alps’ Mount Aspiring National Park, a wilderness of glaciers, beech forests and alpine lakes. Treble Cone and Cardrona ski resorts are near the park.

We’d heard about the iconic Wanaka tree that sits on the side of the lake and attracts tourists whenever they visit, so decided to check it out for ourselves.

That Wānaka Tree, also known as the ‘That Wānaka Willow’, is the nickname of a tree located at the southern end of Lake Wānaka.

The tree has grown alone in the water and is a popular destination to take Instagram photos.

Whilst our pictures don’t show it, we can confirm that there were a fair number of other people doing the same shot as we were. It’s a beautiful setting there can be no disputing that.

After an enjoyable walk along the lake and a mid-morning coffee and cake stop in town, we decided to pay a visit to Wanaka Lavender farm.

Wanaka Lavender Farm is a wonderful setting and looked even more stunning on this sunny cloudless day. The farm had 20 acres of beautiful lavender fields and display gardens. We got to walk through the flowers, play garden games and relax in this stunning setting breathing in the wonderful lavender smells.

The farm also does a great sideline in honey, which we got to try and also honey ice-cream, which we passed at given it wasn’t even midday!!

The gardens were intricately set out and maximising the visual impact and creating the most beautiful landscape.

Alongside the flowers we also met the friendly resident farm animals including donkeys, alpaca’s, sheep, goats and pigs.

After a very enjoyable hour or so we left the farm and headed back into Wanaka to make the most of the sunshine, with a late lunch on the lake front and a spot of sun bathing.

With a 4hr drive on to Fox Glacier in front of us, we left Wanaka mid afternoon and drove north stopping at Lake Hawea lookout to take in the wonderful views within the Lake District region.

The colours of the lake and surrounding landscape were breathtaking and made us appreciate how lucky we are to get to see this magnificent part of the South Island.

In every direction the scenery was unspoilt and thankfully devoid of housing and roads.

After a couple of hours we stopped at the Roaring Billy Falls, a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park.

It is located in the Haast River valley, around 30 km inland from Haast.

The falls are a 30-metre-high cascade on The Roaring Billy stream.

It was incredible to see the cascade and waterfalls almost having the place to ourselves with so few tourists making the drive across to the West Coast. This was in part down to the fact that the coast road is intermittently closed for road repairs having been affected by rock slides since mid-November. Fortunately for us it was re-opening just about the time we crossed the bridge over Haas.

As managed another waterfall stop and walk along the Haas River before pushing on for our nights stop at Fox Glacier, after a further 2hr drive.

At tonight’s motel they kindly provided a nights glow worm tour in the nearby forest bordering the Fox Glacier park. It proved to be a magical experience to see the glow worms. These bioluminescent creatures were absolutely breathtaking and we have our informative guide to thank for showing where they could be found.

Tomorrow it’s glacier day with a visit to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, which we last visited almost 20yrs ago.

Back on the early starts, with a 5.45am alarm call and a 90min drive to Milford Sound for our morning cruise along the fiord.

It rains over 200 days a year in this part of NZ, so it was no surprise when we arrived to find it wet and a little windy. Fortunately this didn’t last too long and by the time we set off at 8.45am the skies were starting to clear and visibility improved.

We had booked our boutique cruise and were pleasantly surprised when we boarded to find just 20 other people on the boat, providing us loads of space, along with plenty of coffee/tea and biscuits.

The good thing about rain in Milford Sound is that it then guarantees a greater number of waterfalls.

As the boat made its way along the fiord and we headed out towards the Tasman Sea, we went in search of the local sea life, notably penguins and seals and weren’t disappointed.

We had the most enjoyable time looking out for the wildlife as well as taking in the stunning scenery and the scale of the natural environment.

There are only two permanent waterfalls within the Milford Sound, with all the others being fuelled by regular rainfall, but can disappear within a hour of two when the rain dries up.

Along the infamous Seal rocks, we spotted you’ll never guess, but a seal basking in the sunshine.

As we slowly motored back to the Milford Sound terminal, we went to one of the two permanent waterfalls for a ‘shower’ and laughter!

The fog did start to descend as we ebbed back into the terminal but this didn’t stop our enjoyment of the morning cruise and we managed to grab a few more photos of the magnificent scenery as we returned into port.

As we walked back to the car, we came across more bird-life and found them to be incredibly beautiful.

After a great few hours in Milford Sound, we then made a monumental drive back to Kingston, past Queenstown and another brief stop at Arrowtown.

Our last drive took us from Arrowtown to Cardrona, a 25min journey, close to Mount Cardrona and the alpine ski resort.

Arriving into Cardrona, we headed to our night’s stay at the Cardrona Hotel, a traditional Victorian styled accommodation & restaurant.

After relaxing at the hotel, we walked down for dinner via the charming gardens and then enjoyed a great meal with drinks.

Tomorrow we have a short drive to Wanaka, another summer and winter resort where we plan to spend most of the day, before making our way late afternoon to the West Coast and on to Fox Glacier.