Hey pet and mario!

We're so so sorry for the delay. We really didn't mean to miss our flight. But well, no choice lor, we're leaving tonight from Singapore at 9:05pm and will reach CHC tmw (26/5/06) at 10:45am. Flight SQ 297. See you guys at the airport. We'll be there for sure! =P

p/s: Just in case you didn't get our sms about the whale watching thing. Is it possible for us to cancel today's appt and change it to the 30th in the morning just before we head for Hanmer hot springs. So we'll not do the quad bike things which we planned to do before hot springs. As we're staying at Kaikoura on the 29th night so same place shouldn't be a problem rite? So the rest of the things can go according to plan. Which means we'll head directly to Picton when we reach CHC instead of stopping over at Kaikoura. Hope this works out and you can make the necessary changes.

So sorry for all the problem. We managed to get the cigs for u. =) Send us an sms when u read this. Thanx.

Hey Sylvia and Miaoli, sorry I didn't tell you but I already emailed the shark dive people.

Petrina
We have discontinued our shark dive due to the low number of sharks and will
be taking it off the website. Normally we would only run during summer. We
do have a wonderful seal and dolphin swim though.

Hope this helps, kind regards Danny and Lyn

So yah... we can't do that.

Okay I remember the other thing that we need to get back to Gordon about - because linen isn't provided on the boat, I need to know how many of you need sleeping bags (as blankets / sheets). We have extra duvets here which we can bring along, no problem. Just not sure if we should bring 4 sets of things.

Also:

I usually have two sit on kayaks on board but I've taken them off for the
winter. If you are brave and want to do some kayaking, let me know and I'll
put them back on the boat.

So yes, if you would like to kayak that day please let me know ASAP. Remember, it'll be really cold out. Also, remember to answer my previous post!

regarding the shark dive, I went to the website and sigh, it does not state the timings available. I think we can get off Lady Karen after an early breakfast? I found a contact no. and an email add. to get in touch with the people for the shark dive. Tel: +6435765204, email: adventure@SeaSafaris.co.nz. I can email to find out..? if u think it's not a good idea to eat at the restaurant at night, then we eat at one of the restaurants for lunch and cook our own food for dinner on lady karen, since we are spending money on lunch already.

hope your essays are going on fine!

we will be landing at the airport at 10.45 in the morning. so see you two then!

Update for 26-28 May

Okay I've booked the night on the Lady Karen. A couple of things you need to confirm:

1) What time should we finish the trip? It's entirely up to us, whether we want to get off on the 28th in the morning or later in the afternoon. I suggest that we see what time the shark thing is, since we're going to be doing on that day anyway. But we need to confirm with him soon.

2) Food options: I know I've asked you this before but I really need a confirmed answer from you guys. We need to confirm both lunch and dinner on the first day. Catered or not? Remember, the choices are to cook ourselves, eat at one of the lodges/restaurants along the way, or to cater. We can do different options for the two meals. Whatever it is, I suggest that we shouldn't eat at the restaurant at night.

3) Please bring your stuff in small bags (i.e. pack only what you need for 2 days), as there is limited space on the ship. Also, dress warmly at night (duh).

4) There was something else but I can't remember. ARGH.

Remind me to find out where we're supposed to meet Gordon in the morning before we leave.

Anyway, I've booked us in for Whale Watching (ph no. 0800 655 121) on the 26th of May at 10 am. We meet at the main office which is at the railway station. (There was a slot for 7.15 am as well, but I wasn't sure if you guys wanted to head out so early. If you think it's ok - because Singapore is 4 hours ahead anyway, so it'll kinda be like 11.15 am for you - then let me know ASAP.) Our booking reference is 262 110.

Oh, and guys, you can contact me on my Singapore number anytime. My phone is on all the time. Just SMS me at that number if you're still in Singapore. It's probably cheaper that way. I gave my NZ number in case you were here and lost. :)

More updates to come.

Hey! 3 more days! And I still have 2 more essays to go... Ergh.

Alright more things:

Remember to bring food if you don't want to spend so much here on food. DON'T bring meat, dariy products, plant products, etc. Bring only processed and packaged food. Nutella is good, instant noodles too. Chocolate, snacks, biscuits, whatever. DO declare all food you have at customs and on your arrival form. They are seriously strict about that.

Make sure you have gloves and try to get a windproof/water resistant jacket. Also, bring a pair of stockings or two to wear under your jeans or pants in case it gets cold (like on the mountain).

Please bring guidebooks with maps (even the small town centre maps in the guidebook would be good) if you have them.

My details, just in case something happens and you can't find me, are as follows:

Mobile No. (calling from within NZ): 0211 678 909
Mobile No. (outside NZ): +64 211 678 909
Land line (within NZ): 3411500 ext. 52315
Land line (outside NZ): 0064 3 3411500 ext. 52315
Address: Homestead Lane, Ilam (at the University of Canterbury, in Ilam Village). I'm in Flat 54.

Alright I'll post again when I think of something else.

Cigs

Hey guys,

Apologies, I haven't really been doing much to reserve /book stuff on my end because I've been really busy trying to finish my essays in time.

Will handle everything come Tuesday. Don't think it'll be too late then lah.

Please remember to check back on the blog before you leave. I will be updating as and when things pop into my head, because I can't store too many things in there anymore. Limited RAM.

Okay so the update for today is:
Could each one of you please buy a carton of cigarettes in for my friends (and me)? Dunhill superior mild - it will be the only Dunhill in a light blue carton. Call me if there are any problems at the airport. Thanks lots!

hey,
for 26th May,
we can do whale-watching in the morning as suggested.

for 27th may,
we'll stay on Lady Karen. Both of us do not mind if we cater food. so cater if u two are alright with it.

for 28th may,
we can do the shark cage dive in the afternoon, after we have docked at the shore. cool right? but we have to make a booking for that at http://www,seasafaris.co.nz. and cos we only have 4 people, we have to ask if it's alright for us to do it since minimum of 6 is needed per dive.

as for 30th may,
we can do the quad-bike, as suggested, in the afternoon.

regarding milford sounds,
besides the redboat cruise, we found 2 other cruise companies: http://www.mitrepeak.com and http://www.fiordlandtravel.co.nz. the former is cheaper. it's $55-63 for a 2hour and 5 min cruise which an addition of $28 for the deep underwater oberservatory tours. we don't really know if we are doing a short cruise or a half day-full day one, so maybe you can go take a look and decide what's the best? anyway, what's the deep water tour about?any idea?

by the way, you can go ahead to book the glacier tour.

and we will definitely be staying at mt hutt to do something on the 15th june. so if you have to book acc, sylvia and i will stay till the 15th. can the 1 day snowboarding lesson be cancelled if we decide not to do it by then? cos we checked other options, and they are more expensive. we are uncertain if we have enough money left by then to do a $180 LOTR guided tour. so we are thinking, you help us book the 1 day snowboarding lesson, then we decide if we want to do it when we reach mt hutt.

let us know if we missed out on anything.

Okay here are the things that you guys need to confirm with me:

Activities to do in Kaikoura, as well as the timing of these activities (which session you want to go for)
Lady Karen food option / itinerary
Picton activities (if you intend to go for a "big" activity, we probably need to book in advance)
The whole skiing thing
Glacier climb (just confirm whether it's ok and I can go ahead to book it)
Which cruise company to use for the Milford Sounds cruise (so far the cheapest I've seen has been at Redboats, and costs $115

Most other things can be settled once you're here I guess... I'll put more stuff up when I think of it.

Hey,

Just my two cents worth - I'd rather go see whales than swim with the dolphins. For one thing, you can swim with dolphins in Batam for cheaper, and they let you touch the dolphins there! The only really cool difference is that in New Zealand, there are a LOT of dolphins. My friend said there are easily a hundred of them around you.

But personally, I'd rather see whales. Up to you guys, we don't all have to do the same thing. We can split up. Anyway, the links for dolphin swimming / watching and whale watching are in my previous post, but here they are again:

Whale Watching
Swimming with Dolphins (offers a watching-only option)
Guided Kayaking Trips

Go to the webpages for updated prices and timings, if you guys are sure what you want to do then let me know and I'll work it out.

Picton, 28th May
We probably won't have all that much time, just to let you know. Of course, we could set off from the Lady Karen really early so that we reach back to shore at 12pm, latest. That's fine by me, but that would mean that we'd have to wake early. The shark cage dive sounds AWESOME haha and I really don't mind.

When you guys arrive (on the 25th, right?), I wasn't intending to head back to hall, but I can if you want. We can even do some grocery shopping before we leave. It just means we'll reach Kaikoura pretty late. No problem, we'll just take it easy the first day.

About Christchurch, we'll arrive back late on the 31st, if all goes to plan. My group project is on the 2nd, which means you'll have the 1st to spend in Christchurch. After my group project, I was actually intending for us to leave straight away. That would mean we'd leave Christchurch on the 2nd of June at around 12pm. If all goes well lah.

The drive from CHC to the next destination is long and cuts through a mountain pass, so I don't want to be on it when it gets dark.

Just to let you guys know, please get yourselves mentally prepared for the cancellation of any activity. The weather is really unpredictable, and most (if not all) our activities are outdoor ones. Because we're on a fairly tight schedule, shitty weather (like we're having now) means that we might not be able to do things. Also, I really hope that the weather doesn't cause the roads to be closed, because that would mean we'd be stuck somewhere behind schedule. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, but just be prepared. That's why you guys should bring lots of things to do on the way :P

I'm not sure about the Canterbury factory outlet... never heard of it, but I can ask around. I'm not sure if it'll be cheaper than Singapore... So far the full-priced Canterbury stuff hasn't been cheaper.

I need to know about the ski plans. The cost should be something like this:
Rental skis/boots/poles - $39
Full lift pass (full day) - $52
Return transport - $25
Rental jacket / pants - (from CHC store website)

As you can see, it's actually pretty expensive. For lift pass and rental equipment alone, it will cost $92. Mario and I are probably going to take the 1-day snowboard lesson, which is $102 and includes a beginner lift pass and rental equipment. That's only $10 more and includes lessons.

It's up to you, I understand if you don't want to go ahead for a 4th day on the slopes. Thing is, I need to know if you guys are going or not, because if you're not then we have to head back to CHC and return your rental clothes. That way, we also have to settle accommodation in CHC for the 14th, 15th and (for Mario) 16th.

You don't have to go up the mountain on the 15th. There are other activities in Methven. (Like horse riding, etc)

So to clarify, right now there are 2 options:

Option 1:
Ski package on the 12th, 13th, 14th
All 4 of us continue skiing/snowboarding on the 15th
OR Syl and ML head off and do something else in Methven while Mario and I snowboard
We head back to CHC at night, and Syl and ML leave the next day

Option 2:
Ski package on the 12th, 13th, 14th
Head back to CHC on the night of the 14th
Spend the 15th either in CHC or Akaroa or wherever
Stay in CHC at night, and Syl and ML leave the next day

Yep that should be it.
I have a rough idea of the itinerary for the 2nd half of the trip, but it's really unfinished so far. Here it is:

2nd June
Finish group project, head off at 12pm
1pm stop for lunch at Castle Hill (you guys have to prepare a packed lunch in the morning)
Continue to Franz Josef (approx. 4.5h more)

3rd June
Glacier climb
Stay the night in Franz Josef

4th June
Drive early in the morning to Wanaka (approx. 4h)
Spend the day in Wanaka (there are cool paddle boats and stuff there, we can go out on the lake and it's pretty cheap I think)
Spend the night in Wanaka

5th June
Drive in the morning to Queenstown (approx. 1.5h)
Spend the day in Queenstown
Drive in the evening to Te Anau
Spend the night in Te Anau

6th June
Cruise on Milford Sound
Spend the night in Te Anau

7th June (optional)
Drive back to Queenstown if we still have things to do
Spend the day and night there

8th June
Queenstown to Dunedin (approx. 4h) if you guys want.
Otherwise, we can head straight to Dunedin from Te Anau, or skip Dunedin completely.

Whatever it is, we'll head up back to CHC via the east coast (passing Oamaru and Timaru)

As you can see, the end of the trip is pretty open to suggestions still. I figure that at this point we'll almost be out of money, so I'm trying to avoid high-priced activities. Queenstown is pretty much full of expensive and exciting things to do, there are way too many to list but all should be available to read about in any guidebook.

There isn't much to do in Dunedin, in my opinion. We can see the steepest street in the world, or visit the (overpriced) Cadbury factory, or visit another overpriced brewery. There are all pretty low-key activities, and can be covered in one day.

I'm leaving things open in case of bad weather, and also so you guys can add your input as to what you want to do. I'm pretty sure that the only thing that needs to be booked in advance is the Franz Josef glacier trip. So the rest of it can actually be planned when you guys are here.

We should probably pick a day with excellent weather to go out on Milford Sound. In the meantime I'm guessing we can bum around Queenstown and do expensive things, or whatever.

So we'll have time until the 10th, when hopefully the ski fields will open. If all things go well, we can even push forward the ski dates. But whatever it is, we'll be free and easy until the 11th, and the last date we can start skiing will be the 12th.

Hope this is clear.

REPLIES

Hi guys,

First of all, Sylvia forgot to add in that we will be arriving at 10.45 a.m. on the 24th.

Regarding the first part of the trip,we found some information on what are interesting and we can probably do at those places.

For Kaikoura on the 26th May,
If you guys want to swim with the dolphins, we don't mind staying on the boat to watch cos there's no life-jackets, right? We found out that it costs $115 to swim, $60 to watch. Haha, it's cheaper than whale-watching. But we got the prices from guide book, so we still have to check when we are there..?

At Picton on 28th May,
We found some things we could do. We can go sea-kayaking which costs $95-$110 for a day of guided trip (taken from book, might differ for different companies). Here's a list of websites you guys can visit and decide which one to go for: http://www.adventureguidesnz.com , http://www.marlboroughsounds.com , http://www.nzseakayaking.com . We can also go for the sea safaris. Can check out the available activities at http://www.seasafaris.co.nz . We found out some stuffs from the website such as the discovery and the wildlife tour that costs $70 per person and the shark cage dive which is quite cool but i tink we need a min of 6 person so dunno if it will work out. Its $98 per person. Can read more about it from the website.

On the 29th May at Blenheim,
Besides going to the wine tours, we can also do river trips from $40. The website to check out is http://www.riverqueencruise.com . Its a trip along the Opawa river on board a paddle boat consisting of a 2 hour lunch and dinner with a glass of wine.

On the 30th and 31st May at the Hanmer Springs,
Beside the hot springs, we can also go horse trekking. Go check out http://www.hanmerhorses.co.nz . There is a 1 hour to full day rides starting from $40. Alternatively, we can go rafting which is a half day to multi-day trip starting from $89 at the Waiau, Hurunui and Clarence rivers. We went to visit the springs website and looked through the spa charges and felt that its not very worth it so can give it a miss but we can go back for another dip the next day if its good. =)

As for the Lady Karen boat stay, we don't mind catering our food if we're not spending much the other days on food. So we can just relax. But up to you guys. We're okie with anything. We also don't mind doing this boat stay instead of that at Milford Sound. As for the walks we can do, we can go for a few but not all if they're boring unless we really dun have much to do there.

When we arrive at CC on the 24th, do we have time to unpack our unnecessary stuffs b4 we drive off to Kaikoura?

How many days are we stopping over at CC before heading south? so maybe we can plan what we want to do at CC while u're busy with ur proj.

Since its $45 for 3 days of rental of ski wear, we will just rent instead of buying. And we will take note of the extra $75 expenditure. Anyway, pet, do u know the extra cost for an extra day of skiing if we decide to stay on to ski on the 15th. Cause the cost listed on the website was quite confusing. So we can decide what we want to do. So don't worry about us, u guys can go ahead with ur plans. And we might need you to drive us back to CC so we can collect our remaining stuffs but if u can't find transport for us to the airport we can make our way there ourselves.

Hey pet, u have a cantebury factory outlet at CC is it? Are the things there cheap?

We will look through the accomodation and see if there's anything else if not we can just go along with pet's suggestions. Hopefully we can finalise out activities of the first half of trip asap.

We also did a rough estimation and realised we might exceed our budget so we have to consider carefully what we want to do exactly.

As for the second half of the trip, maybe pet can come up with a rough guide as to where exactly we are going to stop over and how many days so we can go look up for some activities we can do and keep u guys posted.

Pet, do let us know what u need then we can go shop for things within these few days.

IMPORTANT! Ski situation update

Okay here is another update. Transport up to Mt Hutt from Methven will cost $25 return. So for 3 days, that's an extra $75. I've found some pretty cheap rental jackets and pants in Christchurch, and will probably be going to check the store out tomorrow. Here's the link. As you can see, 3 days rental for jacket and pants will be $47. Sorry, but I had no idea these expenses would be necessary. If you're looking to save, try and get ski jacket and pants in Singapore. Borrow them, or something. They should be water resistant and wind proof. Otherwise you're going to go around with a wet bum the whole day.

Also, please get good gloves, a beanie for your head and proper socks.

Okay, Sylvia and Miaoli, here's something important I have to ask you. Mario and I were planning on going snowboarding after you guys left. I didn't realise that you had booked your return flight on the 16th, I thought you'd leave on the 15th. Thing is, we have to take the 3-day snowboarding class on the 15th, 16th and 17th, because he's leaving at 7am on the 18th.

The problem now is that we'll theoretically finish our ski classes on the 14th. Now we have a problem. Mario and I have to be back in Methven on the morning of the 15th. I can drive you back to a Christchurch backpackers on the 14th, but that would mean you'd have to make your way to the airport yourselves. (If you prefer this option, I will try and arrange for a friend to send you there, but no promises)

Alternatively, you could stay an extra night in Methven. I'm not sure if you want to try the 1-day snowboarding lesson, go for 1 more day of skiing, or do some other activity in Methven (there are quite a few things you can do). This means that we'll be done on the 15th, I can drive back to Christchurch to stay the night and send you to the airport early on the 16th, then head back to the ski fields. This means you'll get a ride to the airport, and you MIGHT be able to stay in my flat (if my flatmates are okay with it). BUT you'll have to spend quite a while in the airport because Mario and I have to leave quite early to get back to Mt Hutt.

ALTERNATIVELY, Mario and I can switch to a 1-day snowboarding class instead. You both can join in if you want. We can do that either on the 15th, if you two don't mind, or on the 17th, after you've left.

Is this clear? I hope I wrote it out properly. I've been planning the trip the whole day and I'm really getting a bit zoned out from looking at the computer screen and making calls.

I'm really sorry for the complication. Hope this is okay... let me know ASAP, because I think we have to book the accommodation in Methven soon. And I have to get back to the guy for the Lady Karen.

In the meantime, pray for snow, everyone!

Lady Karen Overnight Boat Stay

Here is the information I received from the owners of the boat that we could stay on at the Marlborough Sounds. It seems like a privately owned and intimate thing, compared to the Real Journeys at Milford Sounds (who were pretty unfriendly when I called). It has its advantages (more personal) and disadvantages (less professional?) I guess. But overall my opinion is that the Marlborough Sounds option is better. We can just take a day cruise when we go to Milford.

Hi Petrina
Thanks for your email. Sorry about the lack of detail on the Charter Guide. We are available at your requested time and can tailor your charter to suit. We have on board accommodation for four and are happy to drop you off to walk parts of the Queen Charlotte track.

Just as a suggestion, the first day we could have a leisurely cruise up Queen Charlotte Sound stopping at various points of interest and perhaps walk up to the look out on the beautiful Motuara island, stay the first night at Resolution bay. The next day, perhaps drop you at Ship Cove to walk to Furneaux lodge or further if you feel up to it, pick you up again and either cruise back to Picton or carry on for another night at perhaps the picturesque Double Cove.

Our charges would be $550 per day which includes full use of all our facilities, morning and afternoon teas. We can cater or you are welcome to bring along your own food and cook it yourselves. Please note that there are very good restaurants at Furneaux, Punga Cove,and Bay of Many Coves resort (my personal favoutite)

Please let me know your thoughts as soon as possible so I can confirm your booking. If you would like photos of the Lady Karen or if you have any ideas please let me know. We will do everything we can to make your Marlborough Sounds visit an experience to remember.

Kind regards, Gordon.
Gordon Low Marine Ltd Shipbrokers - Picton
78 Kent St, Picton, NZ
Ph / Fax: +64 3 573 8084
Mobile: 021 321 820
Email: gordonlowmarine@xtra.co.nz
Web: www.gordonlowmarine.co.nz

As you can see, we have the option of either catering or eating on one of the resorts scattered along the trail. In case you guys don't know, there are plenty of walking trails along the Sounds. Heh but I've walked some of them, they're quite boring.

Hi again Petrina
I'll try and answer your questions the best I can. Firstly the chances of seeing Dolphins and Penguins at this time of year is good, if we can get to Motuara island you can see into the Penguin's nesting boxes (if they are at home!)

If you haven't been to the Sounds before I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised, it's an amazing place.May/June is usually a good time as normally there is less wind than Summer. The evenings are cool but quite snug on board as we have a gas heater.
We are entirely flexible with start or finish times, whatever suits you best. Please let us know as soon as possible though.

We can certainly cater, the fare will be simple such as casserole, roast or whatever. We normally put the fishing net out and catch a few fish which we include on the menu. Are you OK with fish? Basically, let us know what you want and we will do our best for you.Cost would be around $20 per head depending on your requirements.

If there are any more questions, please feel free to contact us.

Kind regards, Gordon.

Let me know if you need anymore information so I can email him, or feel free to email him yourself. PLEASE let me know what you want to do as soon as possible, so I can confirm the dates and places to stay and all that.

Itinerary, Part I

Alright, girls and boy. Here is the tentative and heavily amended plan. I'll try to include the prices of activities that seem pretty confirmed.

Oh, before I start, I have to let you guys know that I have been at this for THREE HOURS. I started planning the itinerary based on the Marlborough Sounds option, found out the cruise I linked below no longer operates, started seriously planning for the Milford Sound option instead, found another option for Marlborough Sound, and had to RE-RE-DO THE ENTIRE ITINERARY. I hope you appreciate it!

I've already booked the car, will call the company to confirm it on or around the 20th of May. (Will one of you please remind me to do it?) I managed to get one for $19 per day, and ... well I doubt you guys will be interested in what type of car it is, but it's either a Pulsar or Corolla, which is a 4-door, and has a 1.5l engine. I think it's really very good for the price.

So here's the itinerary! (This works best if you have a map beside you)

25th May
Sylvia and Miaoli arrive at 1045
Drive to Kaikoura (approx. 2.5h)
Bum around and spend the night at Kaikoura

26th May
Morning - activities in Kaikoura (whale watching? Cost: $125)
Early afternoon - hang around some more in Kaikoura, if we want to
Late afternoon - drive to Picton from Kaikoura (approx. 2h)
Spend the night in Picton (I stayed at Bayview Backpackers / ph. 03 573 7668 the last time I was there, and quite liked it so we can probably stay there).

27th May
Spend the day and night aboard the Lady Karen, which we'll have all to ourselves, at $137.50 per person. I will put the suggested itinerary (suggested by the owner of the boat) in my next post. Feel free to add in any suggestions for the itinerary if you wish. The itinerary on the Sounds is flexible, and can include most combinations of cruising and walking. Linen/sleeping bags will be $2 per person. Only afternoon and morning tea will be provided, meals can be catered at $20 per person.

28th May
We'll probably dock in the afternoon, back at Picton. We will spend the rest of the day and night there.

29th May
Morning - set off early for Blenheim from Picton (approx. 0.5h)
Morning / Afternoon - driving around the vineyards, getting drunk!
Late afternoon - set off for Kaikoura (approx. 1.5h)
Spend the night in Kaikoura

30th May
Morning - set off early for Hanmer from Kaikoura (approx. 2h)
Afternoon - optional activities in Hanmer (there are lots of activities there, we don't all have to do the same thing. We can do a walk, which is free. Ride horses, or even go off-roading on a quad-bike. We can rent a bicycle, bungy jump, or play mini-golf! Will confirm activities later on.)
Evening - Hot springs!!! (Prices on website) We can even go to the spa if you feel like you have money to spend :)
Spend the night in Hanmer, possibly at Le Gite (a nice place I stayed at before) .

31st May
We can visit the hot springs again in the morning if you guys want, finish any activities that we didn't manage to complete the day before. Whatever it is, we'll head back to Christchuch when you guys are ready (approx. 2h).

1st May
I haven't really settled this yet, but I'm thinking that 1) if the weather's good and 2) if I don't have anything to complete for my group project, we can head to Akaroa (approx. 1.5h) for the day. It's just a pretty town with nothing much to do. There's a nice pebble beach there too.
Otherwise, you guys can just spend the day around Christchurch. You can go see Cathedral Square, visit the Gardens (although all the flowers will be dead), take a cable car ride, visit the Art Centre or even take a boat (called "punting") down the river. I've never gone punting before, so I don't mind that. Plus, if we stay in Christchurch we can even save on petrol! Heh. Don't hold out much hope for shopping though, there's not much to buy here...

Okay, that's about all I've planned so far. The next day I'll have my group project, but hopefully I'll be done soon and we can head off by 12pm. In the meantime though, let me know what you think of the planned activities. Seriously, go check out a guidebook or something and let me know if you want to or don't want to do anything. I've done most of this before, so I'm really flexible and fine with anything.

Hmm I realise that I'm probably being quite naggy and mother hen-ish, but I'll just say it anyway. Remember to bring face moisturiser and lip balm! Otherwise your face and lips will crack and peel and it will generally be uncomfortable and gross.

Sigh halfway through my FIRST essay...which is 8 days overdue. So dead.

XXOO

Hey... just a few things to add:

Can you post your flight details up? Flight number / times / dates etc? Miaoli, I don't think Sylvia gave me all the details.

Also, please try and get a sleeping bag to bring along with you. I'm not sure if we'll need it, but some backpackers don't provide linen (blankets, pillows, sheets). I will try and avoid booking us into places without them, but it might be unavoidable. Sleeping bags are good also because if you're too cold and the sheets provided aren't enough, you'll have an extra blanket. The alternative if you can't be bothered to lug a sleeping bag along is to pay about $2-$5 for sheets to be provided. I'll try to arrange something if you can't / don't want to bring sleeping bags, but no guarantees. Let me know in advance yeah?

The weather right now is about 5 degrees at night and reaches a high of 15 degrees in the day, and it's probably going to get colder in the coming weeks.

Here's a revised estimate of the prices. The price of the car isn't settled yet, I'm still trying to source out a good deal for it and I'm having problems now because I'm not sure if a 2-door car will be comfortable enough for all 4 of us.

Accommodation: 20 nights x $23 NZD = $460 NZD
Car: 22 days x $23 NZD / 4 = $126.50 NZD
Petrol: $70 NZD x 10 / 4 = $175 NZD

Total: $761.5 NZD

I figure if you guys bring instant noodles and if we share food (like bread, butter, eggs) we can limit expenditure on food to about $240 (meaning we'll have slightly over $10 a day to spend on food). So that's about $1000 NZD in total for the essentials.

Confirmed Activities and Costs

A 3-day Ski package (including ski equipment and lift pass - beginner lift for the first day and full pass for the other 2 days) will cost $295 NZD. However, this does not include clothing rental - like ski jacket and pants. Rental prices can be found here. So if you have your own ski pants and jacket please bring them. I don't think they rent gloves out, so be sure to bring your own.

As for climbing the glaciers, I'm looking at doing the Full Day Glacier Adventure, but I'm open to suggestions otherwise. Anyway, that one costs $135.

Other activities I'm looking at include an overnight boat stay out on either Milford Sound, Marlborough Sound or the Abel Tasman. I can't figure out which would be the best to go to (because of time / money constraints). But safe to say it will cost about $170 at least and about $260 at most.

Please go look at the pages if you have the time, and get a guidebook and find out about these three places and which you would like to spend more time at. See which trip appeals most to you. I need to know this one because these three places are in different corners of New Zealand. This is pretty much the biggest problem I'm facing in planning the trip so far.

Just to sum up the boat thing, the most expensive one will probably be Milford Sound. If we don't take the overnight cruise there, we will still be taking a day cruise, so no worries about that. If we take that, we will probably be departing from Te Anau. It will probably be cheaper than the prices started on the website, because we will be able to get a quad-share instead of a twin-share. I'm guessing it will cost about $260 or so.

The Marlborough Sound one is the longest, 2 nights. Best value for money, but it doesn't include food. Also, it sounds quite hands-off. A lot of time for us to just walk about doing nothing.

The Abel Tasman one is the furthest away. I wasn't even sure if we should head there, but if you guys think the sail cruise sounds good I can work something out, no problems. If we take that option, we will probably be departing from Nelson.

So far, the things above are the major activities I've worked out. Let me know if you don't want to do any of them, or have anything else in mind. Other things to work out include the wine tour (Blenheim/Picton), the hot springs (Hanmer), possibly horse riding if anyone's interested. Also, there are many, many activities in Kaikoura. Most include swimming though. That probably won't be too fun in the dead of winter. Or for those who can't swim :P But we can go for a whale watching cruise if anyone wants.

Kaikoura links:
Whale Watching
Swimming with Dolphins (offers a watching-only option)
Guided Kayaking Trips

There are heaps of adventure sports in Queenstown. Really too many to list comprehensively, but there's jetboating, bungee jumping, etc. It's best to just get a guidebook and check out what you want to do from there.

I need to know what you guys want to do about the overnight cruise (if you want to do it at all) soon. I can't go ahead with the planning of the first and second halves of the trip until you do...

Greetings!

Hey! I've no problem with the invite (as you can probably see). We have just finished our papers, like yesterday! Haha, feel so liberated now. Poor Pet, you have to continue working hard. :( But both Sylvia and I will still be busy with our tuition kids for the moment until mid of next week. After that, we will be able to look through the guide books and let you know what we manage to find. And we are going to do the misc stuff too, like exchange currency, buy food and whatever else that we need. Let us know what food you are craving for, so we can buy for you! Will take note of the temperature and bring enough clothes. Sylvia has already emailed you our flight details, right?

Hmm.. there's nothing much else at the moment. If there's anything, I'll put up another post. Haha, this is not a bad idea, but it's kinda weird. I hope no stranger stumbles upon this blog. Hahaha.

Okay, good luck with the essays!

I was talking to Mario and it seems that his Yahoo account didn't receive the invitation email from Blogger. Let me know if this happens to you guys as well. His NUS account received it just fine, so I'll resend the invite to your school accounts if need be.

P.S. You'll need to sign up for a Blogger account (if you don't have one already) in order to post to this blog.

Okay guys, here goes. As I already explained in the email, this is just so that we can put up important information / questions before the trip, rather than email back and forth and possibly forget what we talked about over time. Also, I can post links here for you guys to look at instead of cluttering up my bookmarked favourites. :P

1. The weather right now is getting really cold really fast, so remember to bring warm clothes. If we're going to be out for prolonged periods of time and if you get cold really easily like me, you might want to look into wearing a thin layer of polypropylene or a pair of stockings under your jeans/pants. 2 to 4 layers on top (depending on the material) is also recommended.
   
2. Please get a good jacket. It will get cold on the glacier hike and down south. Look into a waterproof one with a hood to wear on the outside. It's not essential, but good to have in case it rains. Well, if it rains chances are we won't do anything and just stay in. Which brings me to point 3...
   
3. Bring a book / games / whatever you need to entertain yourself in case of bad weather or at night. It will start getting dark around 4.30 to 5pm, and will therefore be very, very cold and boring.
   
4. Gas prices have been going up LIKE MAD. I'm really sorry about this but I think we'll have to do a revised estimate of prices. Just to give you an idea, when I was travelling in December 2005, the price of petrol was around $1.51 per litre. Now it's $1.71 and due to increase again very soon. A full tank is going to cost a bomb.
   
5. I have a rough idea of what we're going to do on the trip already. I think in the period before my group project, we'll just head up north instead of going south. I doubt there's enough time to squeeze the southern half in, and if we do that first the second half of the trip will be quite boring.
   This means we'll head up to Kaikoura / Picton / MAYBE Motueka and Hanmer / Akaroa at first. After my presentation, we'll head down to the glaciers, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka and maybe (but probably not) Dunedin. And, of course, skiing (at Mt Hutt)!
   I'm putting all the names of the places down so you can go check on a map if you have one where all the places are. And also read up on the things to do in your various guidebooks. Let me know if there is anything in particular that you want to cover, or any small town on the way you want to stop at so I can work out the driving timing. Please don't leave all the activity planning up to me, or else I'll end up doing all the stuff I want to do, which will probably not be very fun for you guys. :P

Alright that should be it for now. Talk to all of you once exams are over! (I have FIVE ESSAYS to complete in 20 days!)

XXOO