The South Island

I spent a couple of nights at the Sequoia Lodge Backpackers in Picton with free chocolate pudding and ice cream, I abstained for the record, before driving west along the unbelievably picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock and then via Nelson to the small hamlet and golden sands of Kaiteriteri.

Picton harbour with the Marlborough Sounds in the distance.

My ultimate destination was Milford Sound located over a thousand kilometres away in the south west of the island but first I had to drive back on myself to the small town of Motueka in order to travel south on account of there being no onward road at Kaiteriteri.

From Motueka I travelled to Greymouth, stopping off on route to see the famous Pancake Rocks, so called on account that they resemble stacked pancakes before heading to Franz Joseph to see both the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers.

Pancake Rocks.

Franz Joseph Glacier - See the climber on the ice?

Fox Glacier.

I then followed the road inland to Wanaka before driving the relatively short distance to Te Anau located just over a hundred kilometres from Milford Sound.

In between watching England humiliate the Aussies in the second Ashes test I found time to drive to Milford sound along the stunningly beautiful Te Anau to Milford Highway.



The scenery was something else, the kind that if you’re not careful you’ll find yourself driving off the side of a mountain whilst you’re busy gawping at it beautiful. Once there I took a cruise out onto the Sound which included a visit to the Discovery Centre with its underwater observatory.

From Te Anau I headed cross country to Dunedin and back up the east coast to Christchurch. After covering 5073km in almost four weeks I leave Christchurch early on Sunday morning and fly back to Auckland from where I catch a connecting flight to Fiji.