Time for another update, although lately we've been less busy with sight seeing and occupying ourselves by finding jobs in Dunedin. En route from the Fox and Franz glciers we've visted Wanaka and Queenstown (although briefly) and managed to see Pip, who is now home!!
Our time at the glaciers was great, and we managed to walk to the feet of both glaciers and appreciate the sheer mass of ice behind. Instead of taking the more adrenaline style glacier walks this time around we thought we'd save the experiences for when Katie, Steve and Sarah come out and see whether they would like to join us (otherwise we'd end up paying for it twice). I think it would be an incredible experience, but to share it would make it even better.
Moving on down the West Coast there was little more to see, and far fewer places suitable for a stop, so instead we went beyond the Haast Pass and camped in a small place en route to Wanaka. Unfortunately, due to the lack of supermarkets, there was a food incident here that left me dependent on a tine of spaghetti (to share), therefore I have now become obsessive about keeping plenty of snacks to hand.
After an over night stay we headed to Wanaka for a few days to enjoy its wonderful scenery and breathtaking colours as the autumn really set in. The first night we set up camp and took a walk around the shores of the lake, before having a fairly hefty session in the evening which ended with me cracking the ice off the tent when it was time to go to bed....so since then we've been hostel based. Whilst in Wanaka we stayed at a great backpackers, and explored the surroundings (including a trip to a Puzzle World not dissimilar to the one in Keswick!). It really is a stunning place, and one to go back to when the snow comes and skiing is a possibility.
From here we made the short journey to Queenstown, via a short visit to the former gold mining settlement of Arrowtown which was a mass of reds and yellows from the autumnal trees. Queenstown immediately struck me as a more bustly place, full of people (something we beacme unaccustomed to on the West Coast) and much more adventure tourism based than anywhere previously (as I expected). Its location is once again beautiful, on the shores of another incredible lake and framed by mountains and big hills...theres some walking to be done here after the job period is complete. We were lucky to once again catch up with Pip here, and managed a quiet couple of beers and wander around the city. We also made plans for him to catch us up once more in Dunedin. Queenstown would be a good place to spend a few days with all its activities, but it also seems very expensive, so perhaps, for the time being at least, it was as well to move on quickly.
From Queenstown we took the trip to Dunedin, or New Edinburgh, a city with definite Scottish roots on the East Coast. Here over the next few weeks we set to the task of finding employment (which in the winter season is quite a tricky business). Although it was time consuming, and at times demoralising, we now all have jobs - Anna at Larnach Castle Cafe about an hour away on the Otago Peninsula; Clare at The Otago Museum Cafe which is a very busy establishment in Dunedin City Centre; and me at two temping agencies where I do a range of jobs from setting up the Town Hall for functions to doing the really dirty work in factories (not always fun, but it does pay). I have also been very successful busking, which I did not expect following Pip's departure...in the next few weeks I have been asked to be a part of a local fetival as an 'on site busker' so am looking forward to that, although I remain jealous of those of you gathering for the annual beer-up at Robin Hood's Bay. Thats us until now, I hope you are all well....very much looking forward to the reports of the festival season and catching up with various of you down under (and of course back home in good time).
