Queen Charlotte Sound

This is now the fruit and wine area of South Island. There are orchards – apples, pears, kiwi, hops, peaches everywhere and "wineries" off the main roads at many junctions. We are saving this for later! Our next destination is Marlborough and the Marlborough Sound.

These are rias on a grand scale. Flooded river valleys inundated by the sea following the last ice age. Ridges and islands running along the coastline and home to the famous Queen Charlotte Drive (by road) and Queen Charlotte Track (walkers and mountain bikes). We arrange to take the water taxi from Picton to the track's end/start point at Ship Cove. Landing place, a number of times, of Captain Scott duri9ng his many explorations and navigations through the South Pacific. There is a monument and some very interesting display panels, but we can't delay too long as we shall be picked up after 15 km at Furneax Lodge along the Sound. This is one of the great walks and takes us through native bush and forest along the coastline with views along the coast from our higher position on the track as it climbs and works its way along the ridge and around a number of headlands. At our destination a full pub, complete with TV showing the Olympics and selling cold beer, which I enjoy while Mary has a mochacino. The boat returning us to Picton detours across the Sound to track a pod of bottlenose dolphins who are busy creating a bait ball of fish and diving and jumping in a small circle. Spectacular!

Able Tasman National Park - Not to be missed

We are headed for the Nelson area and Able Tasman National Park. Just about everybody has told us it needs to be on our must do list and we are not disappointed! The camp site, the Barn is at the start of the Able Tasman track and we park up overlooking the sea. We have arranged two trips. For Caro and Benji a day of kayaking along the coast, a night at a DOC walker's hut and a day walking, returning by water taxi at the end of the second day. Mary and I have opted for a half day's kayak and a half day walking, using water taxi's at both ends of the day. I am glad to have opted for only half a day in the kayak! We see seals and seal pups up close off Tonga Island. Brilliant; but the nine km of kayak are far too demanding!

The walk back down the coast is full of scenic wonders! We are picked up by water taxi from the beach and taken back to our base at Marahau. The next day Mary and I walk the first part of the Able Tasman which we have so far managed to miss and it is one of the best bits! As we do a there and back walk we are able to enjoy seeing the coastline at both high and low tides. In the evening we have an excellent meal and watch a spectacular sun set. We take far too long over it and have the walk back to the camp site lit only by the stars of a now familiar southern hemisphere sky

The Buller Valley - Sand Flies!

We continued north and ran into the Westport marathon and half marathon event which slowed our progress; on leaving the super market we then ran into the family fun run! We were fortunately able to miss the runners, though there was a close shave when an old lady directed the massed runners directly into our road! We stopped for lunch in the Buller Valley, the river in full spate after the heavy rain during the previous night; and again to experience New Zealand's longest swing suspension bridge. For five bucks each provided a quite scary walk across the raging torrent below. We stayed the night in a Department for Conservation (DOC) camp site. A free site beside an old disused railway. This was our second choice as the first was abandoned when we saw the number of sand flies swarming around the van! These nasty little beasts are the plague of South Island. Visit, but come prepared and even then expect to be bitten. Use insect repellent, bring Anthisan and other anti-histamine, boost your use of vitamin B; some say eat marmite and avoid bananas!

We were awoken twice during the night by a passing vehicle and shouts of "Wake up!" and the blasting of a car horn. I suppose that's the most entertainment young people get in the Buller Valley.

Punakaiki - The Pancake Rocks

We stayed at a lovely site, just behind the beach. A typical west coast coastline with white sand, trees washed up on the beach with low cliffs backing the sand. There was a wedding taking place on the beach, we sat and enjoyed the late afternoon sun and watched the waves tumbling in. The next morning we were able to visit the amazing rock formations at Punakaiki. Known as the pancake rocks, these are sea sculpted cliffs with caverns, rock stacks, surge caverns and blow holes and are very spectacular as it was high tide and the weather had been stormy overnight.

Flight over Glacier Country

Mary had wanted to take a flight onto the glacier but the following day helicopters were all full. "A seat may be available at 11.00, but we won't know until we see the size of one of the passengers who have booked. Yes it is a six seater but we have a note for four passengers only." Americans? So an alternative light aircraft flight was found instead. Mary sat in the co-pilot's seat and had a wonderful time! She will want to show her photos and share her experience on return, so you'll have to wait for our return for full details!

Trekking on Franz Joseph Glacier

One of the most amazing experiences of a trip which has been filled with them. From Franz Joseph town we were taken by bus to the start of the walk to the Franz Joseph Glacier. The scale of the glacier is difficult to describe and although it looked no distance away it was almost an hour before we reached the safety ropes. At this point our guide Cliff (insert your own sea gull gag) took us into the area at the base of the glacier's terminal moraine and we put the crampons onto our boots ready for our day adventure walk on the ice. The first part was a steep climb up the face of the glacier, a mix of rock debris and ice, which had steps roughly cut into the ice forming a rough staircase over the terminal moraine. Eventually we reached the "clean" ice, a gleaming mix of white and blue ice with a dusting of rock dust. Cliff took us into crevasses, cutting a pathway of steps as he went.

There were some spectacular moments – Mary threw herself into Benji's arms at one point as we climbed down into a crevasse; I managed a particularly spectacular trip and fell headlong on the ice, slithering forward, penguin like on my front! At one point as we passed through an ice arch I also managed to step into a deep puddle of icy glacial melt up to my knee. Cold? Yessss!

Glacier Country

It is raining when we wake. We head up the coast, making for glacier country. We stop at Fox Glacier and walk up to the terminal face. This is really impressive, a massive wall of ice with a river emerging from its base. It is cold as well, with blocks of ice floating down the river through a scene of total devastation. The consequence of centuries of ice movements in this valley. Although we plan to do a glacier walk tomorrow we will do this at Franz Joseph glacier a short distance up the coast where we plan to stay for the next couple of nights.