Australasia trip of lifetime

About half hour before we were due to board our plane we were called to the desk at the gate. We had been upgraded to Business Class. Two lucky people. We didn’t stop grinning for at least an hour. Individual pods which turned into a bed. Great service and food. Addressed by your name by the air crew. What a way to travel. It made it so much easier. At times we forgot we were on a plane.

Luggage came off first as well, so no delay to get to our hotel.

Hotel really nice. Not quite in the position we thought it was, but we have the hop on, hop off bus to get us around. Tried to keep going as long as we could. The bar is right at the top on floor 29, partly an outside terrace. It was still very hot and humid.

Shower and time for bed.💤💤💤💤

Well it’s goodbye to New Zealand, but we’ve already talked about returning sometime. We loved the country and the people.

We found driving easy. It obviously helps that we drive on the same side, but the roads are so good and they are repairing them where necessary, not leaving huge holes anywhere. The signage is excellent and the State Highways have plenty of passing lanes.

I was actually a good passenger but would rather drive myself. The majority of drivers adhered to the speed limit. We did see the police stop a couple of cars.

It was sunny when we left our hotel for the airport. Thought I might be homesick as we’ve not been away for so long before, but don’t want to leave.
There is so much we haven’t seen.

Awoke to rain. Had breakfast at The Landing Restaurant. All packed up and left about 8.30am. We wanted to make sure we passed the landslide before rush hour. We got to the traffic control near Whataroa and had to wait around 30mins while they were working to shift debris from the landslidelast week. It was 40m long and 3-4m deep. They were working hard in the pouring rain to shift it. It will take time there is so much of it.

Arrived at Greymouth and found somewhere for lunch. It was okay, nothing special, after a ridiculous amount of time we waited for it. I am longing for a jacket potato. I haven’t seen one on the menu since we left home. You can’t get slimline tonic either. Very strange.

Said goodbye to our car and pushed luggage across the road to the train station for checking in. We were a little late boarding but eventually the train set off at 2.05pm. Pouring with rain we couldn’t see much. Entered a tunnel and emerged the other end to sunshine, nearing Arthur’s Pass. Very bizarre. It made such a difference to the journey.

Arrived in Christchurch very tired and a little behind schedule. Luggage collection was interesting but we didn’t have any problems. My case was one of the first to come off and we saw it on the conveyor while we were still on the train.

Our shuttle was waiting for us and the 3.5km to the hotel was quick. The hotel is basic but okay for one night.

Again, we should have had an extra night so we could explore Christchurch. We found a nice restaurant by Cathedral Square. It was windy and cold by now. This restaurant had portable heaters and blankets. We had almost finished our meal when the wind really was in danger of damaging the awning we were under. Our waiter (who is a cyclist and knows about these things) said we should move indoors as there was going to be a storm. I have never finished a meal so quickly. We had to walk back to the hotel and didn’t want to get wet so did a quick dash back. He was right as it started to pour once we were safely back at our hotel.

Drink in the bar, then sort our cases out for our flight to Singapore tomorrow.

Lovely drive from Wanaka to Franz Josef. Lots of photo opportunities. Stunning views.

Stopped at Haast for a drink and something to eat. Not bad.

Onto Fox Glacier. We didn’t get to see it. The walk was very long and we were too tired.

Next was Franz Josef Glacier, 5 mins from where we were staying. This was an easier walk. Fabulous view.

Booked into our Motel for the night. Very nicely equipped and modern. Had an okay meal at Alice May Restaurant (she had her own story to tell).

Getting to the end of our journey. 😭. Don’t want it to end.

Left Queenstown around 9.30am or drive to Wanaka. Stopped at Cordona. The old school house, now a cafe and bar. Had breakfast here. Very nice. Lots of photo opportunities.

Arrived at Wanaka too early for check in, so went into the town to look around. Lovely atmosphere.

Back to Edgewater apartments to check in. Beautiful views from our lodge of the pond and lake beyond. Again, we wish we had longer here.