Hellllooooooo 'Straya! We have landed in paradise, Hamilton Island. This portion of our "mooniversary" is all about kickin' back relaxin'. We loved all of our adventures in New Zealand but here it is all R&R. However... That's not how we roll. Within…
Today we have to turn in our home away from home. The home that got us around the South Island. The home that was always waiting for us at the end of each adventurous day. The home we could not poop in.
We turned in old reliable and completed the last couple of our days in NZ in a little red Yaris. Not exactly as spacious as our previous mode of transportation. It’s so cute.
We crammed our luggage ( I totally over packed) into our tiny little Yaris and drove from Christchurch to a quaint town called Akaroa. We were told by Julian’s sister that this is a must see. So we’re going to see it.
Relaxed and rested we make our way to Kaikoura. Today is the day we are going whale watching! Today is also the first day of crappy weather we have experienced so far. Apparently we should consider ourselves lucky as experiencing 7 fantastic days (in a row) of weather in September is rare.
However, these clouds and drizzle will not deter us! We have whales to watch!
Today we arrive in Hamner Springs. Hamner Springs is a great little town. It has good shopping and of course thermal pools. The thermal pools are what they are known for. So of course we take full advantage of these warm rejuvenating…
If you grew up in the 80’s then the mention of a glow worm may conjure up an image of a worm shaped doll that when squeezed it’s cute little head lite up. Good concept wrong glowing end. You see the glowing end of a glow worm is it’s butt.
So off we go to see a bunch of larva with glowing butts.
Join us, will you…
If you enjoy hikes then do this. If you don't then do a drive by, wave and say hi! Don't get me wrong this is still a true wonder it just wasn't as wondrous as it's made out to be. …
Today is the day we get to soar like birds! This should be a breeze. So back up the mountain we go.
We’re a little early due to our eagerness so we grab some breakfast and a couple cups of tea. I can’t believe we are actually going to do this. Oh Lord, what are we thinking. It’s fine…we’re fine…it’ll all be fine. Right?!
Ok, shop is open. Time to make sure we pass the weight limit. Wait, what a weight limit?! Oh boy we shouldn’t of had that pavlova yesterday. Just kidding, one never says they should of never had a pavlova. We shouldn’t of eaten anything else yesterday.
This is nuts! Well here goes nothin’….
Today is another day in paradise. We’re taking a much more relaxed approach to our day today. So shopping it is! That is until we kept getting sticker shock. Queenstown you’re so fancy and expensive. So we abandon our “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” and decide relaxing is for the weak.
Another adventure we seek!
Whilst continuing our adventure down the east coast the “Great Poop Debate” begins. It’s a battle of wills and strength of stomach. The biggest question we as a couple have ever had to face.
Who is going to clean out the waste trap!!??
To all my more experienced camping friends out there I didn’t know that not all motor homes are created equal. Little did I know that there isn’t just a hose that you hook up to some pumping station. Nope, I clearly wasn’t paying attention during that part of the in-service (my bad). One has to actually pull out and industrial Tupperware type poop collection tray and dump it (pun intended).
Needless to say this person was NOT going to be me (even though I am responsible for desecrating our home on wheels). Uh huh, no way, not going to happen.
Four hours of gorgeous views and several stops for photo ops (notice a theme here) we arrive in Queenstown.
First and immediate stop (no, not the bathroom) is Heli Tours! We both love to fly so this is an absolute must on our list.
Since it is our 1 year anniversary we splurge (about $1800 USD ) and charter our own private heli tour over/around Queenstown. If you can work this into your budget, DO IT! They also offer group tours if you want a less expensive option.
Visit their site here http://helitours.co.nz