Last blog (at last) - Thanks, Laughs and Graham

This is the last blog of the trip, so hope you have enjoyed some of our tales, experiences and photos.

Big thank-yous are due to all the following who have helped to make the trip so memorable:

• All at Beck Head and Witherslack (Carole, Nigel and Peter) who have watched over the house and cars in floods and deep snow
• Ron and Sheila, Lee, Niki and Paul, Lin and Rob, for accommodation around the world - much appreciated.
• People we met along the way - 2 Kendalian couples, 2 couples from Perth on the QCT track, all at Wanaka Tennis Club
• People who have given us lifts to and from airports - UK, NZ and Oz
• People who have emailed us and updated us on snow conditions around the world
• People who have commented or admitted to reading this blog
• Sheila for our Christmas cake and loan of coolbox/chilly bin
• Ron and Sheila, with friends Keith and Barbara, for a memorable New Year on Stewart Island - we learned a lot about Ron we never knew before!
• Lee for the surprise meal with our friends John and Barbara (ex-Beck Head)
• Niki and Paul for the loan of their wonderful beach house
• All the hundreds of helpful, happy and downright welcoming New Zealanders - staff at hostels, cafes, bars, info centres and shops. Except the sourpuss at the Bay House cafe, Westport - I shall get my revenge on Tripadvisor all in good time.
• All the guides, drivers and boatmen on our many trips - especially the 5 minute water taxi at Manapouri - see below
  

Plus the people who have made us laugh

• Japanese in masks in the purest air on earth
• Asians taking photos of themselves everywhere
• Japanese couple using accelerator instead of brake near a cliff top
• People in flip flops (jandals in NZ speak) on tough hiking trails
• People in furry Ugg boots in the hot sun at the hot pools
• Hitchhikers expecting a nice room on Christmas Eve in Milford Sound
• People in summer gear in mountain weather
• The guys who opened their bag of groceries to make risotto for 5, only to find it was someone elses from the previous hostel
• 2 Israelis expecting to walk the Routeburn track (3 days tramp) in 1 day in extreme weather - and get back to Queenstown (4 hrs drive) - all in a day
• Us in our walking shoes, hiking shorts and borrowed rackets at Wanaka Open Vets Tennis Tournament
• Graham putting salt in his tea instead of sugar - (I know, very childish)
• Not a laugh, but amazement - the English couple (twitchers)in their mid 60's who have just spent 5 months touring the entire South Coast of Australia in a Micra size car - sleeping in the front seats and only using campsites when one of them in hospital for 5 days! And you all thought we were doing it on the cheap and basics - we lived in sheer luxury in comparison!
• The sign at the ice cream parlour "UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN WILL BE SOLD TO THE CIRCUS"
  

and last but not least - a huge thank you to Graham who has:-

• Put up with interruptions to his footie results on the internet, whilst I pestered to get my blog done
• put up with sore backs, colds, endless photo reviews etc
• driven me around everywhere, whilst I often drove him around the bend
• done the washing up and occasionally acted as commis chef
• been dragged around craft markets, shops, galleries and other boring places
• picked up all the things I have left behind
• organised all the accommodation (most of which was fine!)
• always had a Plan B or Plan C (sometimes getting down to Plan J or K) due to weather, closing times, weather and weather.

and just being a great travelling companion again.

END OF TRIP - END OF BLOG

THANK YOU ALL FOR WATCHING