Originally we had planned on going to Singapore for just two
days but we ended up staying for 5. It was a break for us between diving in
Sipadan and camping in New Zealand. I
had to recover from my allergic reaction to sea lice and the cold I had no
doubt developed from the rain soaked boat ride back to Semporna.
Singapore isn’t cheap so finding a hotel under a 100 is a
challenge. There are many hostels and although many seem clean, they are
nothing more than boxes with beds in them and I needed some comfort after
Seafest and diving. Ibis was about 137 dollars and although the room was tiny,
it had everything we needed and was in a great location. Food cost us little as
we either ate at food courts or got take away (as the Asians call it). We also
caught a couple of movies (of course) for a very decent price.
Our big expense was Universal Studios. I know it seems
strange to go there but what the hell, it was our holiday and I wanted to see
if it was as good as the one in California. We caught the free shuttle bus
across the street from our hotel and off we went.
We went on the Madagascar ride, the Mummy (which was as good
as the one in California), watched the 4D Shrek movie, and best of all, did the
Transformers ride. It was fantastic. The ride was a combination roller coaster
with movie – it was as if you were actually involved in the action; a sort of
3D effect. Very cool.
We caught a few song and dance acts and I was serenaded by
one of the singers – good fun. 
Here’s the view from the observation deck –
Soon we were on our way to New Zealand and both of us were
very excited. We were arriving in Christchurch to stay one night after a flight
of 10 hours. It was an overnight trip so I slept most of it but with the time
change, we arrived in the morning. The view from the plane was terrific -
In the airport I gathered up a huge pile of free brochures
and maps for our journey around the south island before the taxi took us to the
Courtesy Motel outside the downtown core. I accidently left my tourist
information in the office of the motel and when Ian went to retrieve it half an
hour later we discovered the owner gave it to another couple who were checking
out. Nice.
The downtown centre of Christchurch remains fenced off and
out of bounds due to the earthquake of February 2011. It is still under construction and considered
unsafe and we could see many buildings behind the tall fences.
First thing we noticed was how cold it was!!!! May is their
autumn and winter was approaching. Ian and I didn’t have any warm clothes so we
bundled up as best we could and walked down the road for some Indian food for
dinner. Breakfast the next day was at a small café and it was scrumptious.
Things were slightly cheaper than Canadian prices but not by much. The trip
wasn’t going to be cheap.
Around 10am, our campervan arrived. We were given the grand
tour and I was impressed by how compact it was. There was a microwave, TV/DVD
(can you believe it!?) stove, sink, toilet, a table that could be dismantled
into a large bed, etc. We would manage quite nicely. Ian was shown how to empty
the grey water, turn on the gas that would run our heater and stove, and how to
clean the toilet. It was all rather simple.
Our first order of business was buying warm clothes. We
headed out to one of the cheaper clothing stores recommended by our campervan
folks. Time passed quickly while we hummed and hawed about what to get. Before
we knew it, it was late afternoon so we decided on a warm hoodie and long
shirts for me, thermals to wear under our pants for us both, and a waterproof
jacket for Ian. Grocery shopping also took us forever but eventually we headed
south with our first stop in not far from Christchurch.
The woman who ran the place was awesome. She asked us how
long we were going to take to see the South Island and then pulled out a map
and gave us a full itinerary to follow. She suggested (wisely) that we use the
showers at the camp sites rather than squeeze into our small bathroom to
shower.
The van was far more comfortable than tent camping and a lot
warmer. The nights were cold but with the heater and our warm blankets, we were
quite toasty. The cold days took some getting used to, especially showering in rooms without heat - it
was damn cold stepping out of that hot shower onto ice cold concrete floors. To be honest, the cold didn’t bother us at
all. It was a welcome break from the heat for Southeast Asia, and if rainy and
cold, I couldn’t complain. Besides, the scenery was stunning.
In Canterbury, we passed flat fields dotted with sheep bordered
by 2 storey high hedges trimmed to create a fence. I suppose this provided
protection from the winds.
Situated on its shores is the Church of the Good Shepherd built in 1935, the first in the Mackenzie Basin. It was a small stone building facing the lake. Close to this is a bronze statue of a New Zealand Collie Sheepdog.
Next stop was Lake Pukaki with its brilliant blue colour
created from glacial flour, extremely fine ground rock particles from the
glaciers.
We turned north and drove along the west side of the lake
towards Mount Cook. Apparently on a clear day, the mountain is visible from the
southern shores of the lake but with today’s overcast skies, we didn’t see it
until we drove to the end of the road, 30 minutes from our turn off. It was very exciting to see the snow capped
mountains peaking through the mist.
There was an
incredible lack of traffic. At one point, Ian and I got of the vehicle to take
photos and it was as if we were the only two people around.
We couldn’t drive all the way to the mountain so we turned
around in the tiny town of Mount Cook and headed back towards the east coast
and our next overnight stop in Kurow. Along the route, we were rewarded again
with some great scenery and great colour in the sky. 
The park was listed as being on the south end of the river
so I thought it would be nicer than it was. Once we closed the curtains, the
lack of a nice view didn’t matter.
When we headed out the next morning, there was a long low
layer of mist sitting just above the ground and below the hills in the distance.
The weather we were experiencing provided us with some neat pictures what with
the mist and clouds.
We stopped briefly in the town of Oamaru on the coast with
its old colonial style buildings and lovely churches.
On the point there’s a penguin colony but you have to pay to
see it. On route, we kept our eyes open for any penguins crossing the road.
Next up was Moeraki beach and the boulders. There were
photos in our tourist information and our ‘guide’ that first night recommended
a stop there. We bundled up with in thermals, hats, gloves, etc. and headed out
to the beach with its biting cold wind.
New Zealand has spent a lot of money on tourism. The road to
the point was in decent shape and we found a nice parking lot with a couple
vans already there. We parked and followed a path to a lookout and were
rewarded with quite a few seals off in the distance.
It took us a few minutes but suddenly we realized there were
two seals sleeping on the grass right beside us that I had dismissed as rocks.
On closer scrutiny, we noticed more and more sleeping seals
around us, on the rocks and in the grass. We took our time taking them in as it
was the first time we’d ever seen wild seals.
Our first few days in New Zealand proved it was worth the
price of airfare to get there. 
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