NZ Update

New Zealand Update
December 27-January 3rd , 2010/2011
We went to Queenstown and stayed with Lisa & Steven, friends of Jeff. We had a lovely BBQ and enjoyed sitting on comfy a sofa. Queenstown is a cute little town with lots of shops, restaurants and plenty extreme sports for the thrill seekers (Jetboating, Bungee Jumping, Downhill Mountain Biking). We spent most of the day there then made our way to Te Anau.
Te Anau is another cute little town. We camped there then the following day booked an all day Fjordland Adventure Tour to Milford Sound. The Sounds was beautiful, scenic with heaps of waterfalls, crystal clear lakes and amazing views.... simply breathtaking!! Highly Recommended!
After a long day we drove about 2 hours to a National Park and camped for night. It was an old historic campsite but it was free!!!
December 28th, we rolled into Mount Cook. It was a perfect, blue sky day!! The scenery was beautiful. We walked around the village and enjoyed the sunshine. Jeff went on a helicopter ride around the park. While he was on his adventure JC and I went for a lovely walk and soaked up the sun!!! We camped in Mt Cook and had a great night. The sun was out, we were able to sit outside and enjoy the scenery of the mountains. It is light out until 10pm at night which has been a change for us as it gets dark early in Australia.
We arrived in Christchurch on December 30th. We parked the camper for the last time and enjoyed sitting outside until 10:30pm.
New Year’s Eve we ditched the campervan and JC and I rented a little car and drove to Akaroa. It is a cute little French Settlement Town!! It was a beautiful, sunny day and only about an hour away from Christchurch. It was well worth the windy drive. We walked around the town and had a great lunch down by the Bay!!!

We spent the night at the Grand Chancellor Hotel, finally a normal bed and shower. We headed out for dinner and to the New Year’s Eve festivities in Christchurch. It was a fun night and I even managed to stay up for the countdown!!!
There have been a few recent earthquakes in Christchurch, we even felt one on the car on way to the airport. The rental was rockin'. At first we weren’t sure if it was one but it was confirmed that it was an earthquake of magnitude 4.4.
The city has bounced back from the September 4th earthquake (7.1 Magnitude), however, the structural damage is still very noticeable. When we arrived at the hotel they gave us a letter about the damage done in the rooms...aka, the large cracks and tell you what to do in the event of an earthquake. The letter was also stating that the hotel is completely safe and has been surveyed by structural engineer and is "sound". The engineer reports that the building behaved exactly the way it was designed to in a large earthquake.
On New Year’s Day we all left the south and headed back to Auckland. Jeff boarded a plane for Canada and JC and I went to the Bay of Islands. It is paradise. A must see!!!
We leave for Hawaii on Tuesday where we will be hanging’ by the pool and doing lots of relaxing before heading back to Ottawa and work.
A BIG Year has passed and another one is about to begin...
Happy New Year, we wish everyone the best in 2011!!!
Mel & JC=
P.S. Pictures to Come!!!