Hello everyone, hope everything is fine and dandy back there and that you're all well and happy. As I begin writing this I've just realised that it's the beginning of March tomorrow...wow scary! We really can't believe how quickly time is flying now, it's always rushed past but the last month has just disappeared without a trace! I still haven't got into the habit of writing 2010 in my diary now let alone the 3rd month! It's also scary how much is happening between blogs so I'll try and update you as quickly as possible so you don't fall asleep whilst reading or feel you have to skip to the exciting bits! Hehe!

At the end of the last blog we had just arrived at Te Anau which is a town used as a jumping off point for the fiordlands the most famous of which is Milford Sound (it was wrongly named a Sound instead of a Fiord by a European explorer with about as much knowledge of waterways as me!) We had to get up early on the morning we travelled to Milford Sound in order to beat the parade of tour buses that begin travelling along the very thin, windy road at about 9am. We had been warned to be careful on the road as not only are there some 'interesting' drivers travelling along there but also there have been many accidents caused by people being too hypnotised by the views to remember to actually steer their car! Luckily we didn't see any of these but it's easy to see how it could happen as the scenery is absolutely breathtaking (it was voted one of the nicest drives in the World). Not wanting to be among the statistics we stopped at pretty much every viewpoint along the way (including the gorgeous mirror lakes and a short alpine walk where we passed huge patches of ice on the ground as we were so high up) and were grateful we'd booked our boat ride on the Sound/Fiord/Water for the afternoon as it took us ages to get there...well worth it though! The only part we weren't so keen on was the scary Homer tunnel – a pitch black, dripping tunnel that is only just about a car's width and passes through the middle of a mountain...lovely! On arriving at Milford we walked for a short while along the water's edge before boarding our boat. A fiord is a valley created when a giant glacier moved through which then filled with water (I think that's right!) and this particular one is beautiful. From the shore you can see the gorgeous blue water with tree filled mountain peaks emerging from the surface and from the boat the views only get more spectacular. It turns out that actually the mountains continue for another hundred metres or so under the water and that it has it's own little eco-system down there. We sailed for 2 and a half hours to the mouth of the sea and back again getting really close to the mountains and the waterfalls that tumble down from them and watching seals basking in the sun on the rocks. The weather started off really grey and horrible but brightened up on the way back which made it look even more magical. We stopped at a very quiet little camp-site that night about half way back down the scenic road which had gorgeous views of the mountains we'd left behind (but a spider-filled toilet on the edge of a dark forest with no light...not so gorgeous!)

The next day we drove back to Te Anau and then onto Queenstown, stopping briefly at the beautiful beyond words lake Wakatipu. Queenstown has become the adventure sport capital of New Zealand (and some say the world). Almost every shop on the high street is selling a bungy jump, sky dive or other kind of adrenaline filled activity and we felt we couldn't miss out while we were here! I decided that I'd quite like to try hang gliding so we booked that for the next day and I'm not sure quite what was going through my lovely fiance's head at the time but he also booked a bungy jump (the biggest one he possibly could) for the day after that! The hang gliding was absolutely incredible. We drove up to the Remarkables mountain range where we had amazing views over the valley and the guys got us kitted up and talked us through the procedure etc. There was one other guy and the two of us but only 2 pilots so 2 people could 'fly' first and then would be collected from the bottom with all of the gear for the 3rd person to have a go. Dale suggested that we could get photos of each other if we went separately rather than together so I went first with the other guy. Standing on the edge of a mountain preparing to run down in a, very sexy, babygrow is so scary I almost chickened out at the last minute but am so glad I didn't – we both agree now that hang gliding is one of the most amazing things we have ever done. It really does feel like you're flying and the views and rush you get are just incredible. We loved the combination of fast -paced take off and landing but peaceful middle where you get time to take in the views. Unfortunately by the time we had got back up the mountain the wind had got too strong so Dale couldn't have his turn then but had to wait until the next day...he reckons it was definitely worth the wait though and this way he got an adrenaline packed day as he 'flew' in the morning and did his bungy jump in the afternoon. Now I have to say I am so proud of Dale for doing this. I have never fancied jumping down into a valley or hanging upside down and knew exactly why when we got to the bungy. For a start it is the highest one in Australasia and at 134 metres is the 3rd highest in the World. You jump from a highwire 'pod' which is suspended high above a valley, held by cables so that it rocks when someone jumps off. The only way to reach it is by a small cable car with mesh bottomed floor which takes you over, giving you a great view of what you are about to put yourself through! I went over with Dale to get photos and torment...I mean support him! The glass floor and rocking of the pod freaked me out enough and I wasn't even going to jump off of it! By Dale's turn he was so nervous but did it straight off and came up with the hugest grin on his face! (Dale: just being up in the pod with nothing below us but air and the view of the valley far down below through the glass was bad enough and I was absolutely bricking it, tell no lie. I don't think I've actually ever been so scared in my life. Once the guy strapped me up I had to shuffle right to the edge and after 3, jump off which is pretty difficult! I screamed not for enjoyment, but because it made me! The rush is incredible. The cord allowing me to turn upright on the way up didn't work so I ended up upside-down emerging up the top like a fish that had just been caught).


Whilst in Queenstown we also managed to track down and spend some time with a family friend from Stebbing. It was great to see him so happy and doing well and we spent a great night out with him showing us the nightlife of Queenstown and maybe just a few of the local beers!

New Zealand is a great place to just drive around...even if you're not necessarily doing anything the scenery is so beautiful that you just enjoy yourself anyway and our drive from Queenstown over to the West Coast was no different. After passing two gorgeous lakes (Wanaka and Hawea) we drove though rolling hills and mountains stopping at little waterfalls and lookouts along the way. As soon as we travelled over Haast Pass (the lowest Alps crossing in the South), however, the weather changed. The West Coast is notorious for having wild, rugged weather and it seemed to want to prove this to us! The equally wild and rugged coastline was beautiful though and we didn't mind too much. We headed North up the West Coast until we reached another of the iconic spots in new Zealand – Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. There are over 3000 glaciers in New Zealand a lot of them around this area and these two are the most accessible. Unfortunately due to the heavy rain you couldn't get too close to Fox (for fears of avalanches etc) but we managed to get some photos from a lookout and then headed to Franz Josef where we walked to the face of the glacier (getting drenched in the process!) We had booked a heli-hike on the glacier that afternoon but, thankfully, they moved it to the next morning when the weather was a lot nicer. A heli-hike involves being taken up by helicopter to a spot quite a way up the glacier and then hiking around it exploring ice caves and other features for 2 hours before being flown back down again. It had been recommended to us as one of the best ways of doing it as hiking from the bottom means you only see a small area, without as many interesting features to explore so we took the plunge and booked it. We definitely made the right decision as it turned out to be one of the most incredible things we've ever done. The helicopter ride was amazing for giving you a better view of the glacier and then hiking around it was just indescribable. I never thought a block of ice could be so interesting but there were so many hidden crevices and holes (like giant plug holes that take water down and out of the front of the glacier) and the highlight was finding a huge undiscovered ice cave that we walked down into. The amazing thing about this glacier is that, unlike most glaciers which keep retreating, it sometimes advances forward down the valley which means that every day the 'landscape' of the surface is different. Definitely an incredible thing to have done (even despite me falling over but we won't talk about that hehe!). We watched an amazing sunset in Hokitika that night whilst searching for pounamu (greenstone – very famous out here) on the beach.

The following morning started with more gem stone hunting on a beach in Greymouth before we headed to Punakaiki famous for its 'pancake rocks', rocks that for some reason have formed shapes like stacks of pancakes. They are surrounded by mystery as no-one knows quite why they are this shape! The strange formations are great to look at, some you can even 'see' faces and creatures in. After lunch we went on a walk through an impressive limestone gorge alongside a lovely river. Unfortunately due to lack of rain in this area the river was quite low at points and we watched some poor people walking ankle deep in water dragging their kayaks behind them...not quite the idea!

Yesterday due to the tragic earthquake in Chile there were tsunami warnings all along the coast of New Zealand particularly in the area we were heading right at the top of the South Island – Farewell Spit a huge sand bank that stretches kilometres out into the sea. We decided to avoid that area totally and headed to Pupu springs, slightly further inland instead. These natural springs come directly from an underground source and have formed gorgeous lakes which then flow into a river. The water is meant to be some of the clearest in the World and it certainly seemed it as you could see right to the bottom even at the deepest points – 70m visibility.

Then today, with the tsunami warnings withdrawn we headed to Abel Tasman National Park, the smallest but most visited national park in New Zealand. It consists of gorgeous golden coves and bays lined with steep tree-lined cliffs and is stunning. We decided on a 2 and a half hour walk here, we would have loved to have done more but to do the whole coastal track takes 5 days and we didn't think we had the time for that! In order to access the track you have to travel by water taxi to your starting point and then get picked up again at the end. This was great as it means you get a good view of the coastline from the sea-side before you start and the sun on the turquoise water was gorgeous! The walk was lovely and didn't feel like 2 and a half hours. We even finished early and got to sit on the beach at the other end for a bit before being picked up! Tonight we've driven up towards the Marlborough Sounds (beautiful waterways carved by the sea) and Picton which is the town where ferries to the North Island depart from.

So that's it for the moment guys... we're travelling by ferry to the North Island in the morning to see what's in store for us up there. All we know for sure is that we haven't got enough time left in this incredible country. We're having so much fun travelling around in Lola,seeing such incredible things and meeting amazing people I guess it's no wonder that time is passing so fast! We've learnt so much about the power and sheer beauty of mother nature it's hard not to feel humbled and insignificant. Standing on top of a giant glacier, sailing on waterways carved by them and allowing yourself to give way to gravity definitely teaches you to respect and admire her!

Take care all of you, we miss you all so much and never stop thinking of you!

All our love always XxXxX


P.S. After hearing the devastating news about the earthquake in Chile we obviously have some big decisions to make. As most of you know that was meant to be our next destination in only 9 days time. We're going to phone the travel agency and get their advice before making any decisions and will keep you all posted as soon as we know anything! In the meantime we can only hope and pray that the situation doesn't get worse for the poor people of Chile and our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and/or all of their possessions, we can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for them and wish there was something we could do to help.