(NOTE: Posting of this was delayed by a day from when it was written, because NZ internet is a shamozzle.)

The TERRIBLE internet around the Queenstown holiday park and our general exhaustion has slowed this post down a little, sorry. But we’re catching up now!

Day 1: Flying. Arriving. Flying. Arriving. Driving. Shopping. Driving. SLEEPING!

We flew out of Brisbane at a bit after 8pm. We were really delayed from our 6.20pm departure time because our pilot was delayed. No big deal, right? It’s just a couple of hours. Except for us, that meant we arrived in Auckland at 1am and had the shortest stay at a hotel that either of us have ever had. We checked in at dark, and were up again at dark for our flight to Christchurch. We were a little tired, but powered through with caffeine (LOTS of caffeine).

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(Above: The cutest little airport shuttle you ever did see, from Auckland to our very short-stay hotel.)

The flight to Christchurch was surprisingly good (thanks Jetstar) and by then our caffeine was kicking in. We collected our awesome motorhome in good spirits (with another small delay because of a glitch, but they sorted it all out) and headed off for our first round of shopping – the all-important fishing gear. We brought some bits from home, but needed the specifics, including things NZ fish like to eat (or plastic versions of those things). Our second stop was Woolworths (technically called Countdown here, but I refuse to accept that) and then we were on our way towards our first campsite. Late, and chasing the sun to get to set up before dark.

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Which we did. Just! We parked at a gorgeous spot next to Lake Cook. We were failing fast at this point, so we unpacked and made sausage sandwiches for dinner.

And then we slept for 12 hours. Best. Sleep. Ever.

Feeling human again, we set off the next day in search of some pretty views, fresh salmon, and fishing in the general direction of Queenstown (our next stop).

We circled around Lake Cook a little, soaking in the gorgeous views and stunning sunshine – don’t be fooled though, it was cold as hell. Or ice. Whatever, it was COLD. It was 31 in Brisbane the day we left, so we were feeling the 3 degrees pretty harshly.

(Above: Lake Ohau.)

We headed in to Lake Ohau, mostly for sightseeing, but couldn’t resist the chance to fish a little. Kurt had the fishing license for that day, so he was the one fishing while I helped and read my book. It was still COLD, so we weren’t planning to stay for too long.

Kurt did a few casts, tried a different lure, and then needed to stop for a minute to put gloves on, so I held the rod… and accidentally caught the only fish of the day. He was much more relaxed about it than I would have been with my competitive Sharpe genes. (Sorry, Kurt. I maintain that fish was on the hook before you handed me the rod.)

Fishy was promptly released and Kurt managed a few more casts before we both started to ice up and headed back to the motorhome.

Driving to Queenstown was pretty stunning. I think some of the scenery was a little lost on us the day before, between Christchurch and Mount Cook, because we were racing the clock to get in before dark. But this time we had a little more time up our sleeves and got to enjoy a few little scenic stops.

(Above: Roaring Meg, on the way to Queenstown.)

Still, when we arrived in Queenstown we were pretty wiped out and had a quick dinner before going to bed, in preparation for our Milford Sound day (which we hoped and hoped and hoped wouldn’t be cancelled due to poor weather).

… And it wasn’t! We had the most amazing weather for the whole day, but the flight in particular we were lucky with. Low winds meant we got a smooth right, and had the chance to get up close and personal with some mountains. Holy hell, NZ knows mountains. Maybe living in Bundaberg has made us soft, but these were pretty damn impressive hills!

(Above: A few pictures from the flight into Milford Sound.)

The cruise was FREEZING but lovely, and then it was on to kayaking. The kayaking was probably the most informative part of the whole day. It was stunning (and shockingly warm) being on the water of Milford Sound.

(Above: Milford cruise photos, including Stirling falls.)

Our guide took us through the cove bit by bit, explaining its history and general facts about the area. Like how it was named after a sealer who loved penguins and documented them, going so far as to dress in seal pelts painted black to resemble penguins to get close to them, only to be killed by a leopard seal who was desperately hungry because they had killed all the fur seals… Sad, fascinating, and just a touch of poetic justice. What more could you ask for in a story?

(Above: Milford kayaking – yep, same day. It’s amazing how warm it was out of the wind in the cove where we kayaked!)

Then it was on to the return flight. I had thought it would be simple, because the flight on the way out was so scenic, but we were treated to yet another scenic route, with different mountains and lakes to gawk at.

We finished the day off with the iconic Fergburger, and then sat down to sort at least some of our photos to get this blog post together. Sorry it’s a long one!

We’re not sure yet where we’re going tomorrow. We know the general direction, but we’re not sure how far we’ll go, or if we’ll end up side tracked. We’re leaving Queenstown earlier than expected (measles outbreak – no thanks!) so we have some time up our sleeves to do something unexpected. That’s the beauty of having our accommodation with us at all times!