My New Zealand Holiday..self driving (day1)

Well we have been back for 1 week today and thought I should start blogging about our wonderful holiday. All I say to people is you really need to go to experience the magesticness of the South Island.
It was really beautiful. The mountains and the snow and the colour all combined to make it a truly spectacular, unforgetable holiday..
We can not describe adequately how great it all was.. we loved it..like really loved it. Before we left and for the time we were away we prayed for 3 things.. ! Good health 2.. Good weather  ..3 Time to go slowly..


Well God gave us all these things and more. I am going to do our holiday in a series so sit back and relax and enjoy instalment 1 of our holiday..


The week b4 we left was really extreme. Excitement was at an all time high plus anxiety about things getting done. There were jobs to be done, washing to be done, all the little things to be tidied up. After all I was becomming an International jet setter..yep me Mary tyson was going to travel OS.

Al ready to go

There were numerous mix ups with how we were even going to get to the airport to go on this extreme holiday. AJ was initially taking us, then had to dip out as she was house sitting, so then Kim thought he had the night off work so he would take us..but no he had to work..so we drove ourselves to Brisbane. We left Carroll ave about 6.30. So very excited, We arrived at Clareys about 9pm and I then quickly began to finish the last 100 or so rows of my scarf that I had been attempting to Knit for the past 5 weeks..nothing like leaving things to the last minute.

Filling in forms

We awoke at about 5.30am (thanks Clarey) She was very perky and happy and we are very grateful that she woke us. After many impromptu photos, showers and final checks we were off to the INTERNATIONAL terminal.Many thanks to Clarey and her chaueffeur services.


Well after filling in forms, getting bags checked AND passports, going through security, where  Alan was whoisked away for a body search.. O My gosh it was awful. We just got through security and I was looking for my missing handbag "Alan have you got my handbag" and as I looked up I saw Al being whisked away by 3 burley men..no stopping no chance to reply..so I who was still missing my handbag (backpack) ran over to where he had disappeared and yelled over the petitions "have u got my handbag" I had visions of it having been nabbed by some scary person..
Finally through time to relax and have coffee and breakfast..we were so excited.

Finally the call came to board.. on we got and settled ourselves for our 3 and a half hour trip. We were leaving at 9.30am and arriving in NZ at 3pm.. I ordered a dvd player and eventually got one that worked (no sound and the other froze) and we watched ghosts of girlfriends past..by the time we had watched it, had a snack I could see NZ..I can not describe just how excited we were. I have attached some pictures of our first view (the land of the long white cloud) right through to our arrival...an amazing sight..

Th

Please note in the last photo you can see Mount Cook. We were told that is very rare to get such a clear view of the Alps..and even rarer to see Mount Cook.

Ok so we arrived and as we walked up the entrywalkway we could feel the chilliness. Our hearts were buzzing. we were stoked. We got through customs..no probs. The man was wonderful. We then rang for the hire car and he told us where to wait...and so we did and it was sooo cold. In the shade..but it was all exciting. Even when we were picked up and buzzed over to NZ rentacar and saw our luittle bomb for the next 3 weeks we didnt care. We were there for 3 weeks and we were pumped. After signing up for everything and with map in hand we headed off into a new land. Everything seemed different..houses, streets, businesses everything.

We found our hotel easily enough and they immeadiatly convinced us to upgrade..(our own bathrobes). We went to our rooms and then quickly head out in wonder and awe. we felt like children in a candy shop. Our eyes wide, mouths open and gaping at everything. We were in a different country, it was so exciting. We saw beautiful gardens, red telephone boxes, baby ducks, tourist shops and heaps of eateries. In one souvineer shop we got me a cheap NZ pink fluffy zip jumper (which was very warm) and it was on sale for $20..so in Australian dollars that was like 50cents (!!!!)

We then settled on an irish pub for dinner just opposite the Millenium (our hotel)  and Alan started his 3 week tasting of NZ beers. Our holiday had begun.One of the beautiful gardens in ChristchurchAl ordering the first of many NZ beersCathedral square Christchurch..Our Hotel on rightOur Hotel room