Queenstown has to be seen to be believed, with a cinematic backdrop of mountains and lakes it’s easy to see how people lose track of time and run their bank account dry with the multitude of activities on hand. Known as the “adventure capital of the world” you can Jetboat, jump out of a plane, jump off a bridge attached by an elastic band and then spend the next week recovering from the adrenalin surge.

We treated ourselves to a stunning 3 bedroom apartment on the outskirts for 2 nights which was well deserved after our expedition down the West Coast. Nestled beside Lake Wakatipu we slowed down for a few days and just enjoyed even more of the sunny weather we somehow lucked upon the whole time the MnMs have been here.

Queenstown is within a stones throw of Milford Sound but takes a full day trip as there is only one road there and back and takes 4-5 hours to reach. We hopped on the BBQ Bus which included transport to/from Milford Sound a cruise plus a BBQ on the way, it was the closest thing we could find to Calypso this side of the world . The drive is spectacular as it winds through U-shaped valleys caused by departing glaciers millions of years ago topped off with snow capped peaks of the southern alps. The road rises to 945 meters above sea level at Homer Tunnel, which totals 1.2 kms long is one serious tunnel! It’s bored through solid granite and opens into a near vertical mountain side. Sheila took a few deep breaths as the bus negotiated the various switchbacks, we arrived at Milford Sound just in time for our cruise.

The cruise takes in Mitre Peak and various huge waterfalls as it heads to the mouth of the Tasman, we were lucky enough to spot a few Yellow Eyed penguins and Seals. The sun kept it’s cheeky face the whole day which is very rare as this is the wettest part of the world with around 7-8 metres of rain annually! And I though Penicuik got some rain!

Queenstown was also the venue for Katie’s birthday extravaganza, in the morning we opted for a morning Skydive and despite our best efforts the mums refused to come along. Very well run operation, we were up and down from 12,000ft before you could blink and no option of bricking it! Amazing experience and the photos just can’t do it justice!(Photos to follow) I also managed to find Katie’s wedding ring 3 years later which won’t turn her finger green and it represents our time in NZ as it’s made from Paua shell, as was the jewellery from Sheila and Helen,  all topped off with a Kiwi Birthday cake and a toastie.

Next destination was Dunedin for 3 nights, and our last Bach of the trip we had our own 3 bedroom cottage and even a deserted beach for our enjoyment. Apparently penguins dock in at night but despite our best efforts we couldn’t find any! Dunedin was founded by Robbie Burns nephew and decided to base the new city on Edinburgh. It’s quite bizarre to see Princes Street and George Street over here. Didn’t feel like Edinburgh though and we were a wee bit disappointed with it so we flocked to the peninsula instead to spot an Albatross. These birds have a 6 metre wing span and the peninsula is the only mainland place in the world to see them. Before we left we also visited the steepest residential street in the world which has a gradient of 19 degrees it would be a killer to walk up after a night out!

Our final destination before the final goodbye to our mums was Christchurch. It’s hard not to spot the impact of the recent earthquakes and after being in the country during these quakes we felt it important to take it in. Tours are run into the red zone now to raise funds for the regeneration and it brought it home the destruction and it’s so sad to see! Huge cracks in the ground, demolished buildings and landmarks destroyed, made us feel lucky we weren’t there at the time.

We waved goodbye to our mum’s from the airport as we picked up our Spaceship, named James May as we continued our Kiwi Trip in the South Island. Thanks Helen and Sheila for trekking all the way over the other end of the world to see us, we hope our tour guide skills were suffice and you enjoyed New Zealand after 3,246kms travelled, 3 bach’s and far too many portions of chips!