More stuff

Not been keeping track of dates and places as I had been doing before so this will just be a quick update of vaguely where I have been and what I have been doing.

After leaving Kaikoura I had planned to go to the Marlborough Sounds but the weather looked rubbish and I could not get into the Hostel I wanted to stay in so I continued on to Abal Tasman and stayed about 4 days. I stayed at Old Macdonalds Farm again which is right on the edge of the National Park, because it is away from street lights the evening stars where very spectacular, saw 4 shooting stars in about 20 minutes. Took a water taxi one day far into the National Park and walked and swimmed my way down the coast in time for a water taxi back to Marahau.


Torongo Beach, (start of my walk)

Travelled down the west coast until Greymouth and took the TranzAlpine express to Arthurs Pass National Park in the mountains and walked to a 130m waterfall, quite spectacular! The train journey is supposed to be one the greatest in the world, it was quite nice, mostly impressed by the loooooooong tunnel through a mountain that took nearly 30 minutes to get through.

Only just managed to catch my bus from Greymouth as the return train journey was quite late. Then travelled to Wanaka/Queenstown area and spent about a week there. Lounged around really but did a couple of activities including River Surfing and Luge, planned to go Canyoning this afternoon but the trip has been canceled (so trying to do this instead). Went to a really quirky cinema in Wanaka which had sofas for seats and served fresh cookies and warm milk in the interval. Ate the biggest burger the world has ever seen, a 'Big Al', i'll get the fuill list of ingredients but it included 1 lb beef, 2 eggs, bacon, beetroot(??), salad, managed to finish it no problem, it was quite an event all the people I was with took pictures. Also did walk along the lakeside to a place called Franklin and took the Gondola up the hillside above Queenstown.


Wanaka Cinema


Chair Lift to Luge, above Queenstown


Luge (Death trap), Queenstown


Big Al, Fergburger, Queenstown

Think i'm going to go to rafting again before going to Akaraoa and New Brighton beach for some Dolphin swimming and surfing.

Internet running out so will tidy this post up later and add some photos. Actaully i'm sure I have done much more than this so will probably add some text too.