Did you know, Americans don't know what hot water bottles are?
Spending a few days in Queenstown, I got to experience some real live snow! Rather than wandering the streets with surf boards under their arm, the people here have snow boards or skis on their person. Whilst I was in Queenstown I went up the gondala, where you are supposed to get an amazing view of the City, I possibly didn't pick the best day for this...but it was a cool view, that which I could see anyway!Queenstown is also the place where A. J. Hackett created the 'bungy jump', I went to check out where it all goes on (I didn't have a go, just watched), quite liked the sign on the toilet doors...
Took a day trip to Milford Sound, a fjord in the south west of the south island, it was really picturesque, although I have to admit, I have become a bit greedy with all the amazing things that I have seen, so they impress me less, although looking at the pictures, it was pretty impressive...
Picked up my car in Queenstown and then spent a few hours in Arrowtown, a small town north of Queenstown that is an old gold mining town and has all old fashioned houses, made out of wood, and a quirky cinema that I went to and saw a New Zealand film called 'Boy'. I then stayed with Anna and Paul (my friend Abbie, who I stayed with in Sydney - her boyfriends, friends, parents...). Their house is right by the side of the lake in Queenstown and has an amazing view! When I got up in the morning, it had been snowing overnight, thought I wasn't going to be able to leave to begin with, but as soon as it cleared a bit, I took my chances, and headed south, for Invercargill.
Spent the night in Invercargill, then headed south to Bluff...the southern most point in the south island (well, actually, it isn't, but its the most well known southern point, so they make out it is the most south point, if that makes sense!). Apart from a sign post which states this, there isn't much else there (don't tell the people of Bluff I said that). You can see how far I am away from you right now...if you are in the UK, it's quite far - 18958km to be precise.
I then headed up the east coast through the area called the 'Catlins', which is like a national park, and they have a scenic route you can take through it, and along the coast. It was amazing! I don't think you could do it without a car, so loved it that I had one! I stopped off at loads of places along the way, these are just a few of the things that I saw...some blow holes...
Beaches...(it was sunny, but still really cold!)
Sealions! Shortly after I took this picture, the big one barked at me and then started running* towards me, I squealed like a girl and ran in the other direction... [*maybe 'running' isn't the right word for a sealion, but it definatley shuffled/charged/slid towards me, with some force]
Nugget point
I had planned to drive through the Catlins in one day, but got a bit carried away and decided to stay the night somewhere. It was quite random how I found the hostel I found as it was hidden up some stairs and by lots of bushes. When I got there, there was no-one there, but the lights were on, so I ventured round the back and found a girl in the kitchen, in actual fact it was someone I had met in a hostel in Queenstown briefly, and it turns out no-one else was there, just her, the owners weren't there or anything. So I stayed there the night, in a random bunkbed, in the freezing cold - all part of the adventure eh?! Anyway, Anke, the girl who was there, was hitchhiking her way around, so as I had a car, I gave her a lift to a few more places along the Catlins I hadn't been to, and then left her there, and headed for Dunedin, which is where I am now!
