9 February
Left home around 5.15 pm to go to airport. Not too much traffic so got to airport around 6 pm
Flight was at 8.45pm. Had brought cakes and papdi lot for dinner and also for Shuchi and Hinesh
Had coffee and drinks at airport and ate some food but Kirit and Hitesh also got croissants and muffins
Flight was completely full and we were right at the back. About 6 hours, got dinner, rice and tofu with vegetables. Watched Bridget Jones’s baby which was quite funny. A few hours later, got breakfast a veg wrap which was actually very nice. Landed early on Friday morning. Immigration control took ages

10 Feb
Dubai
Hinesh and Shuchi waiting at coffee shop. Lovely to see them. We took a taxi to their place
Around 15 mins away.We had a quick breakfast and showered then went to Dubai mall. Walked there quite pleasant weather, not too hot.
Amazing number of shops and the shop windows were spectacular. Everything so pricey though. We saw the aquarium, yes a huge aquarium in the mall with manta rays and sharks and puffer fish. Also saw the waterfall with lots of sculptures of divers. Beautiful. 

Then went to see the ice rink. Amazing! It really is a playground for the rich. We then went for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the mall. It was lovely. They make the guacamole in front of you fresh. We had that and burritos and quesadilla. Lunch was 270 dirhams
After lunch we headed back home and booked tickets for burj khalifa in the evening post dinner. Dinner we are going to the marina to meet up with Kirit and Jayshree at a Lebanese restaurant along with Sagar and Binita. Afterwards went to sleep in the afternoon. Hinesh and Shuchi have sold off most of the furniture so no dining table or chairs no sofas either and only one bed. But they insisted we sleep on the bed and they slept on the air bed. It was so comfortable the bed. We had a lovely sleep
Their apartment is on 39 th floor and the view is amazing. In the evening we took a taxi to the marina
And walked around for a little while before going to the restaurant.

A little while later Sagar and Binita
arrived. No Kirit and Jayshree. Sagar thought that we were all together.We thought they would come with Sagar and Binita. Confusion. Kirit and Jayshree waiting at the hotel. All turned out OK in the end and dinner was wonderful. Hummus pitta bread taboulleh falafel. Everything so delicious
We got back around 9.45 by taxi and Hinesh and Shuchi said we may as well get dropped off at mall
Watching the fountain show at 10 pm. It was wonderful. Then went up the burj khalifa
Goes up 124 floors in under 1 minute and you can’t even feel the lift move. But you feel the ears pop
The view was amazing from the top. Dubai is a glittering city by night and it was a wonderful clear night

Saw the fountain show from the top and it was wonderful to see from above as you could see the full choreography. Walked all around to see the whole of Dubai from all angles. They also had these zoom in cameras so you zoom to each interesting bit of architecture. It was also interesting to see how they constructed it all. It is amazing. All the architecture here is so stunning. One tops the next one
The amount of concrete in the building is enough to lay from here to Jeddah. We only went up to 124 and 125 but you can also go further up right up to 148 the floor. But it is 500 dirhams
The tickets for this 125 each but worth it once. Hinesh and Shuchi had not come with us and had given us directions on walk back. We looked around the mall for a while still open at midnight and got home around 12.30. They were still up and we chatted for about an hour. They really are so hospitable and lovely.
Finally went to sleep around 2 am

Saturday 11 Feb
We got up late around 9.30. Had  breakfast and showered and left around 11 to go to Emirates mall we went by metro. Before that I made dough for naan as we had decided to have dinner at home. Hinesh and Hitesh went in the  gold section. Like first class. Not allowed to sleep on the metro. Wonder what happens if you are caught. Shuchi and I were in the women’s only section. Very busy. When we got off Hinesh realised he had left his water bottle at the start station so he went to collect. We had a look around the mall
All high end shops again and then looked at the ski slope. Got very tempted to go skiing. Have signed up Hinesh and Shuchi for next year. Hinesh came back with water bottle and we all had lunch in the food court
Had bhel Pooli  sev poori. Mehdu vada etc. Really nice food. Came back by metro and decided to rest for a while as late flight. Managed to sleep for an hour and then got up. Realised I had not put yeast in the dough
Had left it fermenting by the side. Shuchi sweetly asked if she could now put it in. I was so embarrassed
Not to worry we put it in kneaded it again. Kirit and Jayshree came to the flat from their lunch with all their bags. We all had a cup of tea. We all went to the mall Hinesh and Shuchi stayed at home
Showed them all the highlights of the mall and came back around 7.30. Shuchi and I made the naan. Turned out really nice
She had already made mug bhaat and cabbage and potato saak and salad. Really nice food
Afterwards Hitesh and I had a shower and changed. Hinesh had ordered a taxi and we left their apartment at about 10 pm. It was wonderful to spend such quality time with them and they really were the most hospitable hosts. Got to the airport in really good time only to find flight is delayed by 45 mins
Now waiting at the airport.

12 Feb
Flight delayed by 1.5 hours so hoping we don’t miss connecting flight
Luckily quite a lot of time made up mid air so we arrived in Melbourne about half an hour late
Flight was uneventful
Managed to get some shut eye but lots of babies crying
Flight was just over 13 hours
Then flight to Christchurch delayed but again we landed in Christchurch early

13 Feb Lyttleton and Christchurch
Have skipped about 13 hours due to time difference. At Christchurch very strict on what can be brought in
Had to declare all food items even hiking boots. They looked at mine and cleaned them thoroughly from bottom! Could not even bring water bottles. But we had plenty of time to kill as car hire at 8 am but our flight landed at 5 am. So still waiting at airport before we pick up car. Went to pick up car at 8 am. Had to take shuttle there. Car hire Aerodrive. Got the Hyundai Tucson but unfortunately too much luggage, so had to upgrade to a bigger 8 seater. Huge but still got filled up with all the luggage. Had to pay extra NZ 441 to upgrade. Also had to pay NZ 235 for one way drop off fee. Had put the directions in the goggle maps so got to Chris’s house without too much difficulty. Hitesh driving. Got to his house but up a very steep slope
Driveway very narrow and up a steep slope so quite tricky navigating up. Afterwards had to walk quite a few steps with all the luggage. He had left instructions on how to get keys from locked box. Everything fine
Stunning view of the harbour from his house. Phoned and suggested they come over for dinner tonight so we decided to get some supplies. Had thought we would just get some milk and bread so ended up walking to the shops ( 3 of us as Jayshree in shower) and ended up getting lots of provisions including beer wine milk drinks etc. Luckily Hitesh had brought rucksack. It was a steep walk back. It really is so hilly.If we did this everyday we would be really fit. We all showered and had breakfast around noon
Hitesh made omelette and we also had cereals. Afterwards we cooked potato curry and made salad for the evening as had invited Chris and Helen over for dinner. We all decided to have a short nap. By this time sun was shining brightly and Hitesh and me managed to get a really good nap. Woken up by Jayshree as we had decided would go for a short drive. It was around 5 and a glorious day but very windy. Decided to go to Governors bay. Very pretty drive as driving by the coastline but then noticed a smoking cloud. Thought it looked a little odd and then realised there was probably smoke somewhere. Came back around 6.30. Chris and Helen came about 10 mins later. They had brought their dog Sky who was very placid
It was great to see them. They had brought a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate. We gave them their presents. Decanter bottle with 6 whisky glasses and handbag for Helen. They were really happy
We had so much to talk about and everyone got along famously. They loved the food. Meanwhile the smoke we had been seeing was rapidly turning into a fireball. 

On the internet now and looked  like a blazing sunset as we took a picture  when the sun was setting. Their next door neighbours cat came over as very fond of Chris. He let him in after locking Sky out of the kitchen area. Beautiful Burmese cat. Huge looked like a dog with lots of white fur. Kirit must have been in his room and unknowingly opened the door and Sky came rushing out and chased the cat ho was so frightened and Chris had to quickly let him go whilst Helen restrained the dog.
Of course lots left over so gave them some to take away. We then made some spiced chai which they really enjoyed. We had so much to catch up on and decided would try and meet up the next day probably in Christchurch

14 Feb Christchurch
Woke up early around 2 am. Had kept blinds open so could see the stars and also the fire. Looked like it was spreading. Hitesh gave me a massage. Really good and then fell asleep again and then woke up around 5 am. Hitesh sorting out stuff. Showered and made breakfast. Meanwhile heard a siren call and were panicking thinking had to evacuate but didn’t last long. However Jayshree in shower washing her hair and Hitesh knocked on the door and told so she really believed him and go out quickly thinking had to pack and go. Made vhagherla  rice with the left over rice and had this with cereals and toast. Then headed out to Akaroa around 9 am. Fire still smouldering. Kirit driving. Stopped at a place called little river. Beautiful cafe with lots of lovely sculptures and paintings. All New Zealand artists. Also they had this silo holiday accommodation. Took tourist route to Akaroa so took longer but spectacular views. It was really picturesque. They had cruises to take out to see the Hector dolphins but we were late for the 11 am cruise and also didn’t have too much time. Quite pricey. Walked around the shops. Very nice shops. Headed out to Christchurch later. As were driving saw all the charred hills from the fire and saw lots of helicopters taking water bags up. Got to Christchurch and parking hard to find near the botanical gardens. Finally managed to find a spot near the cricket grounds. Cricket grounds of Christchurch where international matches played. Walked to the botanical gardens. Very pretty. Rose garden was lovely. Roses scent was very powerful. Afterwards drove to city centre and parked nearby. Went to a cafe and some drinks and a cheese scone and our nasto. Then went to bus terminal as Jayshree was meeting her friend there around 5
They finally came about 40 mins later and we talked for a while and then headed off towards the city centre
We left them to have drinks and wandered around. So much damage from 2011 earthquake and city has not been restored still. The cathedral has had a lot of damage and discussion as to whether to restore or build a new one still ongoing. We had all decided to meet up at bus terminal around 7.30 and had heard from Chris and Helen and told them we would go around 8 for dinner with them. They had tried to book some places but busy due to Valentine’s Day so we ended up in an English pub. It was great to see them again. They had brought us gifts. Bottles of red and white wine Pinot noir and Sauvignon blank both New Zealand wines. Also got me a present for my birthday. They had found out from Facebook. So sweet of them. Have not opened present yet. Helen told us that one of the pilots from the helicopter rescue had died in a crash as he was putting out the fire. Tragic. She knew a friend who was a pilot but luckily it wasn’t him but he knew the person who had died. Food ok not great but company lovely. Bill came to 205 and I said we would pick up tab. Least we can do after they have let us stay in his house here as well as his holiday home. Driving back in the night time was ok until Lyttleton then coming to his place very tricky as so narrow and very hilly. Challenge getting the car up the driveway but Hitesh managed well. Went to bed around midnight

15 Feb
Woke up around 4. Fire still burning and looks like getting nearer. Heard siren go off around 4.30 and started panicking but all ok. Now around 6 am and will head out to Fairlie and lake Tekapo today
Left around 9.20 am having agreed with Chris where to meet so as to give him used towels and sheets
Had put in address and given to Hitesh but then internet not working. Went to local shop to get some pasta and tomato tins and then headed out to meet him en route. Waited for a while before phoned him and turns  out he was waiting at other cross road. Not a problem and afterwards we headed out. Stopped at Geraldine for a coffee. Lovely little town. Coffee shop had lots of antique stuff like old skis guitars tennis rackets and old thermos etc. Lovely little shop. Afterwards went on to Fairlie. Tried to check in but a bit early and office not open yet. So decided to go to information centre and picked lots of maps and there was a fruit stall selling peaches apricots cherries etc. There was a box for 10 NZ and then she piled in lots more. She was from Borneo and was very interested in talking to us. Drove to lake Tekapo. It was such a beautiful turquoise blue colour and it was so peaceful. Water completely clear and no boats or anything in the water. Went to a little church view from the pews was of the mountains and lake. Pretty spectacular. Afterwards drove to Lake Pukaki which is the foot of mount cook. Driving and then suddenly got the spectacular view of the lake and mountainside beautiful again pristine and clear water and lovely blue colour.  

Then drove back around 5. We’re worried would run out of petrol so Hitesh driving slowly to conserve petrol. Back to lake Tekapo and filled up petrol. Back to Fairlie and checked in motel
Nice2 bed apartment with small kitchenettes. Made pasta and sauce and garlic pitta bread and salad
Gourmet meal and looked really good but had to improvise as utensils too small. There was a trampoline and playground we went there and did some trampolining. Quite hard. Really nice meal and then cleared up and Kirit said we need to go out and to wear warm clothes. Went back towards lake Tekapo and to an area called Dog Kennel corner. And got out saw the stairs. It was such a magical night. Clear night and saw thousands of stars and could see the Milky Way clearly. It was truly magical

16 Feb
My birthday. Woke up around 7. We are leaving today for Queenstown. Talked to the boys briefly before their squash game. Opened present from Chris. It is a beautiful coaster stand with coasters. Left around 9
Passed lake Tekapo and lake pukaki. Lake Tekapo not as pretty first thing in the morning. Looked grey like any other lake. The turquoise blue effect is due to the sunshine so must see in the afternoon. Same with lake pukaki although as sun was warming up this was looking more blue. First stop was town called Twizel. Not much happening and then stopped for a while at lake Ohau. Another magical lake and very blue. Surrounded by black mountains. Stayed there for a while and admired nature. Driving along and passed Lindis pass. Climbed up at the top and took a picture. Looked a bit like the Transfagaran highway. 

Next stop was lake Wanaka. Very busy place. Lots of restaurants as well. Had lunch here. Chevdo khakra etc by the lake. It is so beautiful as well but due to boats and the amount of people not so peaceful. 

Afterwards walked around and found out there is the triathlon happening here at the weekend. Had a veg pie from the dough  bin bakery. Voted best veg pie in NZ. Also had ice cream. 

Then drove via crown pass and Córdona at Queenstown. 

On way passed this place that had lots of bras hanging on the fence. Afterwards stopped at a viewpoint to take picture of Queenstown from above. En route also stopped at Arrowtown. Very quaint little town with lots of restaurants and gift shops. Has become fastest growing tourist destination in NZ now but before was a gold mining town and after that had virtually become a ghost town. Now thriving. Afterward got to the house. A beautiful brand new 2 bedroom place. Had to phone her for code for key as didn’t have that to hand. It is beautiful with view of the Remarkable range of mountains. Freshened up and then decided to do washing. Huge washing machine but no soap powder. I said to use shower gel and we did and it seems to have worked. Afterwards drove to Queenstown and walked in the gardens. Beautiful gardens by the lake. Typical English garden with tennis courts rose garden bowling green and band stand
Could also hear bagpipes in the background. Then went for dinner at the Cow. Pizza place recommended by Nirmal. Waited a while for the table. Pizzas really nice. Garlic bread a loaf of bread. Stuffed then got some milk and drove home. About 6 km from Queenstown. Went to bed around 11 as very tired from a full day

17 Feb
Woke up around 5 am. Couldn’t sleep so came to the lounge and did some meditation for about 20 mins
Floor is carpeted so quite comfortable. Plan is to walk up to top of gondola or take gondola up and do some walking there. After breakfast went into Queenstown. At info centre stopped and asked about walk up
Steep walk up so decided to take gondola and also do luge with gondola 3 of us for Luges
Went up gondola and walked up further to where paragliders taking off.  Then Hitesh and I walked up even further. Steep walk up but wonderful views of lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. Then went down to cafe
Kirit and Jayshree with some people from Canada. Turns out they know Kapurbhai from fort hall. Afterwards did the luge. Good fun but I was scared so went quite slowly first time. 2 nd time a little faster
Afterwards waiting for Ferberger. Very long queues so 15 min wait for order and 30 min wait for Berger
But worth wait. Huge burgers and fries. 2 veg options-Tofu and falafel. After eating went for drive to Glenorchy. Long scenic drive saw some sky divers in there. From Glenorchy came back and then drove to the remarkable ski area. Again very picturesque long drive up to the top and scenic look out.  Could see our holiday home from there with binoculars. Came down and went shopping. Got lots of food and cooked Mexican rice. Everyone all tired so went to bed early

18 Feb
Woke up around 7 am and quickly packed and had breakfast. Heading out to Te Anau. The place to take tours for Milford sound and doubtful sound. Chris s holiday home. En route passed quaint little towns such as Kingston and Lunsdom. Like a little railway town. Afterwards went to lake manapouri
Beautiful lake. Lovely place to have picnics. Went to Te Anau and booked afternoon trip for glow worms caves. Got some shopping and had sandwiches for lunch. Chris house beautiful. Huge house with sun deck and 2 large double bedrooms and lounge. 1 en suite with walk in wardrobe. Beautiful made some saak for evening now getting ready for glow worm experience. Blazing hot sunshine  29 degrees
Very relaxing sitting on the patio and admiring views. At about 4 pm drove to town centre to get to glow worm caves. Had booked a real journeys trip there. Lots of people. Got taken by boat on lake Te Anau
Very picturesque. Passed by South sound  small fjord. Lake very beautiful and serene. Then had to walk to caves. Had to bend really low and very dark inside. Only went a little way in and could already see a few glow worm. Then took a boat in the dark all glow worms in the ceiling so had to look up. Gushing water down very forceful. We only went to the bottom part of the cave 12000 years young. Other caves 250000 years old. We didn’t go to those due to environmental restrictions. Afterwards walked around town and went to the gardens. Then headed for home. Bumped into the Canadian Indians again. They were looking for pizza place so pointed them in right direction. Came home and made rice and naan and also corn on the cob. Delicious food. Afterwards tired so went to bed as early start in the morning

19 Feb
Woke up around 5. Made some sandwiches to take on the trip. Had breakfast and headed out around 7.15
Very scenic drive up to Milford sound. Lots of viewpoints along the way. Best was mirror lake with reflections of the mountains and trees in the lake. Also other lookout points to get dramatic views of the glaciers and valleys. Got to Milford sound and long wait to get to toilets. This lady was singing nursery rhymes to her kid in the only working toilet. Got on the boat and Milford sound commentary. It is a fjord which is a glacial lake that meets the sea. Very scenic. Nice days for it but very windy on the boat
Beautiful views of lady Bowen falls as well as Stirling falls. Saw some fur seals napping. They hunt by night and sleep during the day. Also saw a couple of albatross. Their wing span is about 2 metres. Milford sound boat ride about 2.5 hours long. Went up close and personal to one waterfall and got a lot of spray. Afterwards came back on shore.Lots of sand flies so made sandwiches and ate quickly in the car. Afterwards went for a nature walk around the sound. Beach walk and forest walk. Very scenic and Hitesh picked up some pebbles from the beach. Afterwards left Milford sound. First stop the chasm. A waterfall that comes with such force it had carved out the stones into quite ghoulish shapes. Next stop Humbold falls
Had to go in for 17 km inside a gravel track so a little off the beaten track. Took ages because of the gravel and then having signs such as. 

Dead mans track
Historic grave
Graves end
Hells gate
Dead end road didn’t help. We were wondering whether we should go further when we saw the final sign which said
Bluffs
Someone had a sense of humour. Climbed up to the waterfalls and I noticed a car key on the track Hitesh and I climbed quickly to see if anyone above had dropped but no so he quickly went down and this elderly couple who we had passed on our way up were the ones. They were very grateful. Afterwards came home showered and went out to pizza restaurant. Paradise da Toni. Nice pizzas and then had gelato. Very nice
Everyone tired so went to sleep early.

20 Feb
Wanted to have an early start as long drive and places to see on the way. Will be a shame to leave Chris’s house . It was wonderful. Hitesh had a bit of a headache as been driving all the previous day so Kirit drove
Passed Queenstown lower shot over and lake Wanaka. Stopped at the bra house to take a photo. All for breast cancer. All these bras hanging on the fence. Stopped at Devils staircase to take a photo. Actually could not figure out which bit was the Devils staircase because all the mountains looked so formidable. Lake Wanaka still as beautiful as ever. Passed by it and stopped at Lake Hawea for a photo
Again so still and picturesque. En route we did the  Bush Nature walk. A short 10 min walk through the forest. Lots of sounds like a rainforest and the trees were so tall covered the whole sky like a canopy
Then a few kms later got to the Blue pools. Beautiful short walk to get to the river and lagoons via a swinging bridge. Water so clear you can see at the bottom. A real tourist attraction and lots of people here doing short walks and also jumping off the bridge into the blue pool.  I just dipped my feet and the water was icy cold. Then drove along a little more and came to. Fan tail falls shaped like a fan and thundering  creek falls which was another really tall thundering waterfall. Lots of sand flies there as well as near the blue pools. Got a few bites. Then driving all the way down to the bottom as Haast is on the beach on Tasman sea. Checked into hotel and then freshened up and tried to find somewhere to eat. The town is tiny only a couple of restaurants so ended up at this Hard Antler restaurant which was really busy and full of very chunky old men. The whole place had lots of antlers and deer and looked very mean. No other choice so ended up eating here. Soup and bread and garlic bread and chips. Just as well we are only staying for 1 night here. Came back to the hotel and went to bed early. 

21 Feb
Hitesh’s birthday. We will leave this place early to get to Franz Joseph. Left around 9am and drove to Fox glacier. Walked up the valley around 1 hour return track. Got there around 11 and then back around 12.15
Weather a little hazy but luckily not raining. Afterwards went to lake matheson and walked round the lake
On a clear day can see reflections of mount cook and other mountains on the lake but today very cloudy and hazy. Forest walk through temperate rainforests on to a glacial lake. How amazing is that. Then went to Franz Joseph and checked into motel. Big spacious room with a little kitchen as well. We’re quite hungry so went to the Landing for lunch. Just round the corner. Had pizza chips salad and nachos. Huge portions and could not finish everything. Afterwards came back and as it had cleared up decided to do forest and valley walk to see Franz Joseph’ glacier. Really nice walk through forest. But had started raining
Luckily the forest acted as canopy. And then it cleared up.  Good views of glacier. Came back and rested a while before going to. The tiger King for dinner. Fusion of Indian and Thai food. Very nice food. Also they gave Hitesh a piece of cake for his birthday and an aniseed ball shot. Had eaten too much already so brought the cake home.

22 February
Early start again .Left Franz Joseph around 9am to go to Westport. En route stopped at a view point for views of mount cook and mount Tasman. Much clearer day so could see them but lots of sand flies
So many came in the car too so spent next hour swatting them away. Now driving mostly coastline but very rough sea. All the trees facing inward. Next stop was for petrol at a place called Ross. Gold mining town in the old days. Thee was a golf on the lake where you hit a ball into a hole in the middle of the lake. I think you got a prize if you got it in. Afterwards carried on to Hoikitika. Got some information there on gorge About 33 km inwards but worth it. Very busy but view spectacular. Milky blue colour of the water. Scenic walk via a swing bridge max 6 people. Another temperate forest with lots of fern and then another lookout point by the stones. Walked up stones to get a better view. People jumping off stones into the water and some even jumped off swing bridge. Icy cold water. Totally worth it.  Met Indians who we had met at Milford sound. Then drove to lake Kanieri. Mostly drive through gravel road and view of lake hidden by large trees but then came to an opening and picnic table so had lunch there. Nice spot but cloudy day so lake looked a little grey. Had sandwiches for lunch. Sand flies here too. But if you put insect repellent it works
Then next stop Punakaiki. For the pancake rocks. Totally weird how these rocks have formed and lots of palm trees here. Very rough seas and at high tide can see the blowholes. But high tide late around 9 pm and we are staying about an hour away. So carried on to Westport and arrived around 6 pm. Went shopping for food. Hitesh made a stir fry and I made rice with vegetables. Really nice food and have some rice left over. We had been given leftover cake in container which will come handy for the rice. Afterwards chatted for a while then went to bed

23 Feb
Today heading off to Hanmer springs.  Hanmer Spring spa pools. Good spa massages. Rock pools with different temperatures. And aqua therapy pool giving a very hard massage. Tried to play golf but course closed. Cooked pasta in the evening. Very hot sunny afternoon. Was not feeling too great in the evening. Too much wind

24 Feb
Heading off to Nelson. I had a little bit of diarrhoea but took one tablet and all ok. Drove to Lake Rotoroa
Very scenic and beautiful but could not stay there as so many sand flies attacking us. Jumped straight back into car and drove to lake Rototi but same thing there so had sandwiches in the car. On way to Nelson lots of vineyards. Stopped at a winery for some wine tasting and bought a bottle of wine. Next stop was
Berry lands fruit ice cream. Really delicious ice cream. Walked up to centre of New Zealand. Steep walk up but very scenic. Fields below where first rugby match took place in NZ. Walked around and did some shopping.Cooked beans and potatoes and broccoli at home

25 Feb
Woke up early and went to the Nelson Saturday market. Really nice market with lots of organic stalls. Bought some apples and peaches there. Then drove to Kaiteriteri and took boat to Anchorage. Saw split Apple rock and apple tree bay and some fur seals. At anchorage walked up to cleopatra pools. Steep 3 km hike up. Walked to the pools by crossing over some stone and I slipped and fell in but luckily no damage done. No one even noticed I had fallen in even afterwards. Walked down again and then drove to Golden bay. Long drive up through the mountain and forest. One side was Abel Tasman national park and other side was kahurangi national park. Setting for middle earth. Very scenic but windy roads. Golden bay was where all the whales had got stranded. But long bay. Hitesh had left his binoculars case in the boat so on way back went to Kaiteriri but they had not been able to locate it. Came back showered and went for dinner at a Thai restaurant

26 Feb
Left around 9.15 to go to Picton have a look around and catch ferry to Wellington. Very mountainous road up although coastline. On way took queen Charlotte route and saw the Marlborough sounds. Beautiful but little dull day. Afterwards stopped at Picton. Automatic toilets. When I went into one that wasn’t working started shouting at me that it was unauthorised entry. Got frightened but plenty of other toilets. Once inside played soft music and gave you 10 mins. Very relaxing. Walked around town. Did some shopping. Crossing very beautiful. Nice sunny day but little windy. Played cards in boat for a while too. Afterwards got to Wellington. B&B nearby. Owner a little funny. Place ok nearby. Freshened up and went to mount Victoria lookout to see views. Climb up nice. Lovely views of Wellington from top. Then walked to town and ate at pizzeria. Napoli. Walked around a bit and then came home

27 Feb
Left for Napier. On way beautiful gorge Manawatu gorge. Also stopped at Woodville. Nice classic cars
Antique shops. Stopped at Anzac park for lunch. Isolated no one else there. Full of cobwebs. Stopped at Hastings before Napier-Napier Pretty town lots of palm tree. Sculptures and artwork graffiti. Walked up to Bluffs lookout. Nice view of Hawkes bay. Went into Napier town. Nice town
Was destroyed by earthquake in 1931 now rebuilt all Art Deco style. Nice beachfront. Went to Indian restaurant for dinner. Food ok. Ordered a lot so had some left over. Didn’t want to take it home. Back to motel. Like a hostel type place but quite friendly and clean. Very small basin

28 Feb
Woke up had breakfast in communal kitchen. Long drive today as going via Gisborne. Walked around Gisborne pretty town. Had some drinks and apple pie at macdonalds. Went to Bay of poverty. Isolated beach. Very rough sea. Afterwards long drive to whakatane. Very scenic. Stopped at Matawi. Ghost town picnic here. Waieka Gorge. Beautiful very scenic. Whakatane very nice busy seaside town. On bay of plenty. Afterwards drove to Rotorua. Lots of volcanic lakes on the way. Stopped at Hells gate. Geysers spewing out sulphur fumes. Really horrible stench. Can go there for pools and mud bath. Quite pricey though. We came and checked in. Then went shopping and cooked rice curry and naan. Good food

1 March
Got up early as wanted to go to waitomo caves. A 2 hour drive. Thinking about going for black water rafting but then chickened out. Drive there was scenic and some alpacas and ostriches as well as lots of activities
Decided to do all 3 caves. Combo deal was Nz95 pp but we then had 10 per cent off so got it for 85.50. First glowworm caves. Much more spectacular than Te Anau. Tours were really good. Next cave was Aranui through a little forest walk. This is a temperate rainforest. Rain forest definition is when forest cannot burn by itself. Temperate means it gets below zero degrees. Absolutely beautiful cave. Then Raireki cave
Saw some glowworm here too and cave was spectacular again. On way home stopped at McDonald’s for a coffee and then got some potatoes.Guys made omelette and got some chips. I made boiled potatoes and salad and beans and veg. Nice simple meal. Then drove to town. Nice place for eating all covered up and lighting changes and heated up in winter- all in Eat street. Came home and tired so decided to have an early night as early start tomorrow as well

2 March
Early start to Wai O Tapu geysers. Lots of different sulphur pools and geysers bubbling away. Lady Knox geyser start eruption at 10.15. They put some powder in there to get the eruption going. Nice walks in the geothermal park afterwards. Lots of different coloured pools. One called Devils bath bright yellow and smelling of sulphur. One green lake. Finished around 1 pm and then went to Maori village. Whakarewarewa. Living Maori village. Got corn on the cob cooked in the geyser. Had a cultural performance dance show and afterwards had a guided tour of the village. Good visit and also saw natural geysers. Afterwards came home and went shopping. Swaminarayan temple on way so visited this. Nice temple and got Prasad-Yellow watermelon nice and sweet. Went shopping and got some groceries. Cooked rice and veg and Hitesh made egg curry. Played cards afterwards. Had more corn on cob. Very sweet

3 March
Redwoods forest walk. Was really pretty and lots of redwoods. Early start and afterwards Jayshree couldn’t find her trainers so went back to hotel to look for them but not there either. Headed off around 11 am. Very scenic drive. Lots of  lakes and then the east cape. Pacific road very stunning. Ocean on right and forests on left. Stopped at Whangamata lunch by the Pacific Ocean. Wedding going on. Mayor island. Bought Pitta bread and falafel. Really beautiful place – so scenic . Booked at Mercury holiday park on Whitianga
 Bunk beds and double but facility really nice. Lovely showers. Went for afternoon walk on beach and swim
Water lovely and warm. Came back and showered and went for dinner at enigma near the beach. Lovely Greek Italian restaurant. Great veg food. Pizza and lasagne. Then watched the stars. Lovely starry night

4 March
Woke up early around 6.30 am and went for a long walk on the beach. Just Hitesh and me and walked the whole length. Lots of walkers nice sunrise lots of shells on the beach. Cooked Saak and rice and corn and then after eating going to Cathedral cove and hot water beach. Left after 12.30 to get to Carhedral cove
About 35 mins drive but only 5 miles in water. Car park up there full so parked at bottom and took bus shuttle up cost was 5 NZ. Got there and walk down. Beautiful place – should have brought picnic and come here earlier.  Hitesh and me walked up and then walked to Hahei beach. Beautiful was a wedding going on there. Had real fruit ice cream then went to hot water beach. Have to dig hole. 2 hours either side of low tide. First hole we’d dug was cold. Next was very nice. Have to feel the water with feet and where hot water coming have to dig there. Came back and had dinner and played cards. 

5 March
Woke up and headed off as long drive. Stopped at Coromandel. Four square Kauri – climbed up to see this huge Kauri tree. Passed Thames town and stopped for coffee. Then lunch at Orewa picnic. Got to bay of islands around 6. Freshened up and went for dinner. Thai place. Staying at backpackers place

6 March
Decided to book boat trip. Called the cream trip cruises before used to pick up cream from farmers. Now still delivers mail to islands about 3 times a week. Had breakfast at 8 and then headed off. 144 islands in bay of islands we only went to a few of them. Commentary really good about bird life and about the residents on the islands. Saw lots of dolphins and they were very playful so great fun.

Stopped at one of the islands for lunch Otehei bay (on Urupukapuka island). Beautiful. Walked to the top and absolutely gorgeous view of the islands. 360 degrees. Stunning and then went for a little swim. Water so still and clear
Also snorkelling but just a few fishes by the boat. Then went to some more islands and through the hole in the rock. Only one in Southern Hemisphere that boats can sail through. Absolutely gorgeous day. Then did some boom netting. Basically they put fish netting in the water and you jump in and then hang on as the boat goes and swim alongside. Great fun. Really good day out. Would thoroughly recommend

7 March
Hareru falls
Feeding the hens chicks and cocks. Drove through Kauri forests. Kiwi country but kiwis nocturnal so didn’t see any . Stopped at wellesdan for lunch. Subway lunch. Came to hotel north side in Auckland. Rested and showered and then drove to mount Eden. Volcanic area. Auckland all volcanic region. Raining a lot and foggy. Walked up to see views of Auckland. Nice but not stunning as not sunny. Then drove to Jayshree’s cousin’s house for dinner. In west Auckland so a long way from hotel. Pay bhaji for dinner. Came home around 10.30

8 March
Woke up slightly later as raining hard. Left around 10 am to go to Auckland. Very busy and lots of intersecting roads. Hitesh navigating as good at that. Lot of road works so hard to get to the parking we wanted. Eventually managed. Expensive parking. But max NZ 55 per day. Luckily had stopped raining so managed to walk around quite a bit. Near the harbour. Got free ponchos and bubble gum ice cream
Walked around harbour and wharf area. Then walked to Albert park and university of Auckland. Afterwards went up sky tower. Good views from top. Cloud had cleared. Can even do the sky walk or bunjee jump from here. Went up to 51 st floor then to 60. Have coloured one road pink – cost them a lot of money Afterwards went to Mexican for lunch. Nice food. Then walked up Queen street. Lots of shops and restaurants. Also saw the Civic theatre. Beautiful and the festival gardens. Afterwards drove back but en route stopped at Auckland museum. Lovely Maori museum but we only had 15 mins. Then went to winter garden. Conservatory with lots of flowering plants. Pizza for dinner. Take away Not very nice

9 March
Sydney
6 am flight to Sydney – 31/2 hour flight but 2 hours time difference. Sanjay met us at the airport. Long drive to their place. All of us staying there. Kirirt and Jayshree downstairs – one bed and an airbed; Reyen given up his room for us. Bindi had made chopadias and tea so lovely to have that. Freshened up and then went to Cuckatoo island with Sanjay. Drove to Meadowbank and then took ferry from there. Was a big boat building island – naval repair station and closed off to the public for years. Now can even stay there camp there Came home – Bindi had made saak and rotli . Ate and chatted for a while. Early start next morning for blue mountains 

10 March
Left around 9 am to go to Blue mountain s. About 2 hour drive. Absolutely gorgeous day very clear . Lots of walks here . First went to Went worth falls. Saw from a distance but then can walk right to the falls so Sanjay, Hitesh and I went . Took a little while and absolutely gorgeous views. As we reached the top Jayshree and Kirirt came down  – felt they were waiting for a long time so decided to also walk . Hitesh went with them so essentially we waited for another hour and half  for them. Lawrie cascades – cascades of waterfalls – very scenic. Echo point – can see the whole valley – stunning as it was a clear day
Went down to the 3 sisters walk . Hitesh and Sanjay went down further to see if they could see the giant stairway but long way off . Can do the whole descent to the railway – takes about 3 hours but we didn’t have the time. We went to Katumba and had lunch – pizzeria he wanted to go to was shut – ended up with falafel . Very nice. There was also a vegan restaurant but don’t think others were too keen on that. Then we walked down Furbers steps. En route met a group of 3 ladies who said we should stop at Katooomba falls – a little detour . Definitely worth it. Katumba falls cascades. Then took Railway up – one of the steepest inclines in the world – you can even rotate your seat to be on a cliff hanger. Steep price too – 19 Aus $ for a 2 minute ride . but would not have been able to walk back up especially Jayshree. Came home around 6 and Bindi had got all the food ready. Mug and Dhebra . We ate and then Hitesh Patel and wife came round as well as Sue one of Bindi’s friends who is interested in climbing Kili. Good to see Hitesh after so many years! 

11 March
Saturday morning around 9.30 start. Everyone came including the kids  Went by train. Very nice trains – seats can change direction! Got off at North Sydney and walked to go to Harbour bridge – walked on the bridge . Can also go on top of the bridge and walk there but pricey. Went to the rocks
Market the – nice market with food stalls and lots of craft stalls . We had goslemes – Turkish pancake with feta and spinach
Then went to the wharf area . By this time kids getting a little bored and lots of work to do so they decided to go home . We walked to the Opera house and then stopped Opera bar for lunch. Pizza there – really nice pizza . Nice setting too. Then went to the Botanical gardens – stunning gardens with a view to die for . right next to the sea. Aboriginal exhibition slides about how they were wronged. Next walked to Hyde park – really nice park – memorial to war veterans here. Walked to city centre – took photo macqaurie building and then stopped at a place where the Sikhs feeding homeless – we got fed here too. Bindi normally cooks something for them. They do it every fortnight. Nice food  – gave a donation.Next stop Queen Victoria building – stunning building. Nice clock with a ship that goes round for seconds. walked from there to China town – very lively . Chinese garden of friendship unfortunately shut. From here Darling harbour – very lively – lots of eating places and coffee places. Coffee at the Lindt café – lovely iced chocolate for me.

12 March
Another early start . Took 2 cars as 6 of us . kids not coming. Parked at Coogie beach. Very very busy. Took ages to find parking. Walk from Coogie to Bondi – coastal walk. Swam Near Colvelly beach. In a rock pool so quite peaceful. Sea is ferocious. Huge waves. Ate at Bronte beach. Everyone had veg burgers. I had wrap but realised it was meat. Got put off. Some of walk was right next to the sea with huge stones – really stunning. Finally got to Bondi beach – surfers paradise. Swimming in Bondi beach. Very huge waves so could only swim near the beach. Lots of surfers. Apparently lots of sharks around as well so surfers have to be careful. Afterwards had a drink at a bar. So busy and pricey but bar was called the bucket list so very popular. Had a margarita one of the best I’ve had. Dinner at India town. A veg Gujarati restaurant
Nice food. Turned out Jayshree knows one of the partners and as we left he was there. Parramatta is the Indian township lots of Indians. Came home

13 March
Said bye to Kirit and Jayshree. Hitesh and I went into town. Took ferry to Tauranga zoo. Went to Zoo
Most of the animals inactive. Saw koala bear and kangaroo and wallabies but mostly sleeping. Skyride was really good . Very nice views of Sydney harbour bridge and opera house from there. Came into town back
Went to Bodhi in the park but just shut. Next tried Malaya but not open yet for dinner. Walking around aimlessly. Had pizza. Not too great. Walked to Chinese garden but shut. Went to see the tall ships
Then walked around for a while and came back home.

14 March
Going home today so lazy day. Reyen not feeling well so off school. Bindi working from home so will drop us at the station. Hitesh and Reyen playing pool. Flight is 4.45 pm so lots of time