Te Anau

As we fly down to Queenstown from Auckland I am very mindful of those stranded, stuck and inconvienenced by the volcanic ash clogging the airways of Europe, so I am grateful for clear skies and a good flight into stunning as ever Queenstown. There is something about the mountains that make me feel good.

We pick up our Jucy camper. The biggest queue is for Jucy - they are by far the cheapest. However, you get what you pay for. Basic and simple I guess, with a terrible lay out and a leaky gas cannister. Heh ho. The bed, is entertaining to put together and I feel I am part of a Krypton Factor challenge. It makes a large and fairly comfy bed though so all is good.

You cannot get a decent cup of coffee of Te Anau, well at least we didn't manage to find one anyway. The first one we tried tasted like dish water and we had to leave it - that bad. But you are surrounded by glorious mountains and at the gateway to Milford sound, so we aren't actually complaining. The weather is warm, the skies are blue and the sun is shinning. So off we go. It is a minefield out there though so be warned - hunt for what you are after in terms of tours and trips, there are lots and it is a wee bit confusing and none are excatly cheap. We have a great day, got soaked by a waterful and feel wonderfully alive (and wet).