Well my last day in New Zealand and I’ve still managed to get in some exciting stuff. Unfortunately I wasn’t riding a proper Magic Bus as those on it the previous day had suffered it breaking down so it was a Nelson Coach which was a shame from the point of photographs. Looks like I’ll have to go back and get a proper photo in the future.

[thumb:1572:r] White water rafting was what I was up for and what better place to do it than on the Rangitata River which is supposed to be one of the best in the country. Stopping off in Geraldine I got off the Magic Bus for the last time on this holiday to head off to Rangitata Rafting. [newline]

Had a good fun coming down the Grade V rapids and managed to hang on most of the time. Only managed to get soaked three times. Twice jumping into the river from height and the other I did fall out once.[thumb:1558:l][thumb:1560:l] [thumb:1561:l][newline]

Getting dropped off at airport was the end of my adventure on New Zealand soil. From here on I’m flying back to London as the Magic Bus doesn’t go that far.

Having sacrificed the dolphins it was time to see if Mount Cook was worth it. So back on another, though smaller bus from Lake Tekapo off to Mount Cook via Twizle. We stopped off a number of times on the way to Mount Cook to get photographs with it getting ever larger in the distance.[newline] [thumb:1525:l][thumb:1524:l][thumb:1526:l][newline]

[thumb:1527:r]Getting out of the bus I got chatting to Jenna and we decided to go off and tackle the Hooka Valley Trail and see the ends of the glaciers. Quite close to the start of the trail we passed a monument to those that had died climing Mount Cook and other mountains in the area. Fortunately it hasn’t been covered in plaques yet and I hope it stays that way.

The area around the mountains was quite rocky with the perhaps the hardest part of the walk actually the crossing of the two bridges over the river with the high winds blowing along the valley. The mountains over head appeared to be covered in snow stopped in mid flow with ripples that had stopped moving. The water here was very much like at the Fraz Josef glacier, cloudy and full of glacier powder. [thumb:1528:l][thumb:1530:l][thumb:1531:l][thumb:1541:l][thumb:1540:l][newline]

On the way back we stopped at a hut, chatting to an American couple who were travelling round new Zealand. Trying to guess the age of the hut via the graffti was a challenge though I think 1976 was the earliest date I spotted.

Coming back to towards Mount Cook we took a detour up to Kea point to have a look at the end of the other glacier . Climbing up the viewing platform the glacier looks really mucky as if its snow. The only thing that gives it away are the lumps of ice floating in the lake at the end of the glacier.  The end of the walk was celebrated by a much deserved cup of tea.  Strangely though they had no concept of putting the tea bag into the tea pot.

Driving back it was goodbye to Jenna at Twizle.  Arriving back at the Lakeside Lodge, where I was staying at Lake Tekapo, I was pleasently surprised to bump into Lisa again.  You just keep meeting the same people again and again on the Magic Bus

[thumb:1505:l]Having had to trudge up the second steepest street in New Zealand I felt that I should atl least do the steepest street in the world whislt I was in Dunedin.  [newline]

[thumb:1507:r]On the way to Lake Tekapo we had a stop off at the Moeraki boulders.  Weird spherical concreations that have formed in the mud over millions of years and that have now been exposed.[newline]

Arrived at Lake Tekapo we found it was too windy to to go horseriding so I ended up walking round the lake for a bit with Cloe.

In the evening I received a bit of education going up Mount John for some star gazing at the observatory.  Finally I realised why Orion looks weird in New Zealand; it’s upside down.  As well as that the Southern Cross was also upside down which is why I didn’t recognise it compared to the New Zealand flag.  It appears the simple solution would have been to stand on my head whilst I looked at them.

Another early start mounting the Magic Bus to take us away from the adventure centre of Queentown over to Dunedin on the east coast of New Zealand. Had a fabulous Saturday morning breakfast on route scoffing a pancake with maple syrup, banana and ice cream.

Arriving in Dunedin and checked into the YHA with the delights of a room to myself I had a bit of a break to write out postcards and get them sent off. Apologies if they arrive after I get back but isn’t that always the case with postcards unless you send them on the first day.

In the afternoon I went on the Elm Wildlife in search of the natural fauna of the area. Hopping on the bus masquerading as a Cloe as for some reason they didn’t have my name we headed off to the albatross centre on the Otago Pennisular. On the bus over there I got chatting to Zoe.

We were very lucky as it was the first day in the year that albatross centre was open. We could see 4 albatross sitting on their nests. [thumb:1444:I]. Further down the slope is a colony of shags. [thumb:1445:I]. After a bit of a wait and nearly having to leave before we saw them in the air an albatross flew past. I was impressed at how they made the seagulls look small. [thumb:1450:l][newline]

Back on the bus we headed off for the second half of the trip. Here we saw New Zealand fur seal, basking on the rocks. We think one of them might have just given birth. [thumb:1455:l]. [newline]Yellow eyed penguins, [thumb:1456:l],[newline] New Zealand sea lions [thumb:1462:l][newline] and blue penguins. [thumb:1460:l][newline]

After a couple of hours out we boarding the bus and headed back spotting some teenagers heading out for a Saturday night out we thought in the middle of nowhere till we rounded a corner to find a party going at full pelt in a village hall. Getting back said goodbye to Zoe who was heading off to the south of the South Island to do some tramping.