Ozzie beaches, kiwi beers and breathtaking views!

Our four days stay in Sydney was expected to be a relaxing city-holiday with lots of sightseeing, good food, long walks and a little beach-hopping. The first day was spent recovering from the 12 hour plane ride and enjoying being back in civilization. On the second day we managed to do all the major tourist things in Sydney; visiting the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and a ride around town on the mono-rail. Having completed all of the must-do touristy stuff and taken all the photos, we decided that the last couple of days in Australia were best spent at the beach, since the thermometer was showing 27 degrees and Sydney has a great selection of beautiful beaches! Consequently our Scandinavian skin got two days of UV-beams at Bondi Beach and around before leaving for the airport and New Zealand.

Arriving in Christchurch, we meet up with Nina (one of Carsten’s friends), who decided to take us out. Four hours after leaving the airport, we were heading for the clubs and some good New Zealand brew. Our first very late night out since we left Denmark! The first couple of days in New Zealand were spent at Nina’s parents’ house in Christchurch, where we experienced real kiwi hospitality.

After three days, it was time to head south in our rental van (complete with double bed, cooker, fridge etc). On the way, we made stops at Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook before arriving in Queenstown on the night before we had to set out for our three day hiking trip on the Routeburn Track (one of World Heritage’s top ten classic walks). The 33 km long track crosses over mountain ridges, through valleys and forests and passing magnificent waterfalls. Although clouds were blocking the views on the last two days, we had a great hiking trip with a lot of fantastic views and meet some great people. The mere pleasure of a glass of red wine and a shower after three days in the wild was worth it all :-).

We have decided to spend another day in Queenstown before heading north again where a stopover in Kaikura and the Able Tasman National park will be the highlights prior to the ferry crossing to the North Island. Take care and feel comforted in the fact that the temperature down here is below 20 degrees for the first time on our trip :-).