Sam and Martha – Page 2 – Sam and Martha's travel blog

Back to Christchurch

Yesterday we left Hanmer Springs and drove down back to Christchurch.

Today we went in to the city centre and saw some buskers. We saw an act where a woman was on a giant wheel. Then we saw Mr. Spin who juggled maces while on a unicycle. He also balanced a cup of water on his head. Then we saw a Japanese act doing some gymnastics and balancing spinning tops. He also did some balancing on a wooden plank. Then we saw the Birdmann and Egg. It was funny.

We also saw some Chinese lanterns and a dragon in the river.

Hanmer Springs

Today we went to the thermal pools. There were 4 slides. The water was really warm and the slides were fast. We went on:

a raft that went down a bowl
a raft that went down a dip and up a hill and down again

We also went in some hot pools and a Lazy River Rapids bit. There was a pool with a big bucket of water splashing down. For tea we had a burger and chicken nuggets and chips. They were nice!

Greymouth to Punakaiki to Westport

We left Greymouth and drove up to Punakaiki and did a small walk to see the pancake rocks. They were flat and layered and there were lookouts along the way.

Then we drove to Westport. We did some shopping in town. Then we had tea and then to the the beach. It was called Carters Beach.

Happy Chinese New Year!

For Chinese New Year we made Chinese decorations.

Franz Josef and Hokitika

Today we left Fox Glacier and drove to Franz Josef and did a glacier walk. We walked along the river up towards the glacier. It was very tiring and a long way but we got a good view at the end. The path was very rocky and we had to walk over stepping stones across the river (2 times). The glacier was bluey white.

Then we drove to Hokitika and had ice cream and then went on the beach. There were sculptures made from drift wood. We saw some animals – a dog and a stag. Then we drove to Greymouth and had pizza for tea.

Lake Matheson (part 1)

Today we went for a walk around Lake Matheson. It was 4 km. We walked all around it and there were view points along the way but it was cloudy.

In the evening we went to see glowworms near where we were staying. They were tiny!

Wanaka to Fox Glacier

Today we left Wanaka and we went to Fox Glacier. It was a long way. We stopped at Lake Hawea and the top of Lake Wanaka to take pictures. Then we stopped for lunch at Blue Pools. It was melted glaciers so it was freezing. We ran in and ran out. We saw people jumping from a high bridge into the water. Lots of sandflies bit mummy. They are called the Dracula of the West Coast.

Next we stopped at Ship Creek having driven through Haast, through the mountains, to the west coast. There were lots of sandflies at Ship Creek. We went on the beach and played cricket. We saw dolphins swimming in the sea.

When we got to Fox Glacier there was a huge trampoline. We made some new friends.