Alex's image on the wall at Te Papa museum

Check out the wall between 5.15 and 5.45 on 12th July and try and find us all, including Kiwi!

http://www.ourspace.tepapa.com/wall_snapshots

Exploring welly...

Enjoying the sights of Wellington

Kiwi's leaving south island..

Left Picton on the ferry for Wellington.

There she blows 1

Kaikoura whale watching from the Whale Way station was a BIG success...

There she blows 2

Even kiwi enjoyed it... Chris didn't!

Over the mountains

From Franz - Joseph we headed up to Greymouth and the Pancake Rocks.
Dad did the Brewery tour whilst the girls played Jungle Speed.
the plan was to catch the Tranz- Alpine train across the mountains to
Christchurch. After we checked in our luggage we hear that the train
is running really late so it we wait for it the journey will be
mainly at night, it wasn't worth the wait so we repack the car and
drive off to Christchurch across Arthur Pass. More Kea parrots and it
was cold!
Arrive at the hostel whichis next- , to a tram- Stop.

Franz Josef Glacier 2

Franz Josef Glacier 5

Franz Josef Glacier 3

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier 6

The glacier was awesome and we enjoyed it while Chris enjoyed a birthday massage.....

Sledging1

Sledging 2

Sledging 3

Sledging 4

Wanaka was beautiful So we decided to go quad biking to get up into the hills. As we were I driving to the place we passed a uteand trailer with a dog sledge on. We called the number on the back an the ute stopped so we agreed to follow him up to the snow field and had the first slegding of the season. A BIG HIT WITH ThE GIRLS! It did mean that we drove the last hour to the Franz Josef Glacier in the dark So we will wane up tomorrow with great excitement.

Sunday, Te Anau to Wanaka - 1

Sunday - 2

We awoke to clear blue skies and thought that it world be beautiful in Milford Sound today- anyway we headed South and east and north until we reached Queenstown again and then 'we the pass to Wanaka and the puzzle place where the girls got lostin the maze and enjoyed themselves solving the wooden shape puzzles.
Mean while I headed to the airport to find I had missed the last flight to Milford Sound by 15 mins. So I Comforted myself looking round the museum of NZ fighter pilots.
A long dayin the car today and not ever the stunning stars could entire the girls out for a walk.
The crack in the windscreen has how grown to be about 8" long , by the time we get to Greymouth it should be twice that length!

Saturday - Milford Sound

Leaving Te Anaubehind us this morning we head off for Milford Sound. As we climb towards the Hommer tunnel we pass the mirror lakes and the show-capped Mountains. We Count to 9 7 as we go though the tunnel and descend into a different world of mist and mountains, and rain as we approach the Sound. As we stop to a refreshment break we are greated bs a Kea, a mountain living parott who runs to each car in the hope ot food. He waddles away empty beakedc

Two hours cruising the lake admiring the watefalls and the cliffs that Are measured in 1,000s of feet. A few seals but no dolphins! If we carry on west we would reach Argentina, south to Antarctica. Even in the clouds the Sound is awesome and dwarfs the boats that poke their -noses into the waterfalls

We head back to Te Anau and another 1000 piece jigsaw.

Saturday 3rd - Milford Sound

Friday pics 5

Friday pics 1 - where's kiwi?

Friday pics 4

Friday pics 3

Friday pics 2

Friday - We head south to Te Anau...

After four days at Queenstown we packed our bags and loaded the Rav4 and headed for... The skating ring 9 again ! Whilst the girls salcoed and toe- looped around the ring I head of to the shops to replenish the TimTams and check that Avis have given us snow chains . We are off to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiojrdland. Picnic by Lahe Waitapu and resist the temptation to go on a Steam train. Lana has a tooth coming through, judging by her comments it cant be a wisdom tooth! Had a picnic and skimmed stones on the lake .

Te Anau boasts very little, apart from a cinema that series a great Shiraz whilst you watch the aerial film ot the Fiojrds . The Small nature reserve boasts two of only 200 fat waddly parrots that look like bigger versions ot what I see run over on the road every day.

YOUTH HOSTEL IS MUCH SMALLER WITH a GOOD SuPPLy Of JIGSAWS also the wifi works here so I can blog In comfort . It is Friday night so at 8.30 the girls will head off to the tv room to insist that Glee is put on.

Jet Boating in Skipper's Canyon