New Zealand

We had 2 good flights to get to Christchurch. We only got about 2 hours sleep on the overnight flight and have had to adjust to another 5 hour time change so we are a bit tired. We are really pleased we went to Hong Kong- it was great to catch up with Matt. The place was phenomenally busy - the most densely populated area according to statistics and we can believe it.  And they are still building more tower blocks for housing. The streets were clean and the metro very efficient and, thankfully, air conditioned.  There are signs warning against spitting in the street which is the norm in mainland China. There is a lot of animosity between native Hong Kong people and those coming in from the mainland.  There were also signs in some parks banning the hanging of linen - people living in small apartments in the huge tower blocks dry their linen by hanging it over bushes in parks where they can.

So now here we are in New Zealand on the South Island with all this space and only 900,000 people! What a contrast. Also we left England in the autumn and have arrived in Spring- azaleas and tulips in full flower in the Christchurch botanical gardens. We found it quite sad in this city - since the earthquake they have lost 13% of the population.  Many buildings are empty, many others are construction sites and the sight of the devastated cathedral brings home the scale of the disaster.  It just felt very quiet and sad and other visitors and residents we spoke to agreed.

After a night in the YMCA we picked up our campervan which is our home for the next 3 weeks. It's very small- I think this will be a greater test of our marriage than the Clipper race! We spent last night at Lake Tekapo and then did a short walk by Lake Pukaki with a super view of Mount Cook before the clouds came in. We then drove for a couple of hours- lots to look at out of the window: fabulous scenery, sheep, lakes and rivers, woolly sheep, vineyards, birds of prey, shorn sheep.

We are now at Lake Wanaka and hope to hike to the Rob Roy  glacier tomorrow although this is weather dependent. Our campsite here is about £23 a night but this includes really good facilities including 2 very large jacuzzis which may well come in handy after a long hike.