Rarotonga to Christchurch

We are now on our return flights to Christchurch via Auckland, having enjoyed seven days in The Cook Islands. As we left the Island it was pouring with rain in a tropical downpour.

In the past few days we tried big game fishing, however the fish weren't biting so we came away with nothing.

So a relaxing few days has come to an end. We will be travelling down to Alexandra in the next few days where Roger starts his next placement.

Cycle ride around Rarotonga

Rarotonga is the largest of The Cook Islands but is still very small. Today we hired bikes and cycled around the only road circling the island. It is only 32Km long and took us just three hours at a leisurely pace including a lunch stop.

Rarotonga -The Cook Islands

We have popped over to The Cook Islands for a few days relaxation in the sun. Not bad views from our beachside bungalow which overlooks a large sheltered lagoon. The water is warm and we are able to see lovely brightly coloured fish around the coral.

Antarctic Centre Christchurch

This morning we saw William off on his journey back to the UK. After depositing him
at the airport we went to the antarctic centre. There was lots of information about exploring the antarctic a ride on a explorer vehicle over rough terrain and water and more views of penguins!

Moeraki Boulders and Oamaru

Tonight we are back in Christchurch as Will has an early flight back to the UK tomorrow morning. On the way back we stopped off at The Morekai Boulders. Unfortunately it was high tide so had to risk getting a bit wet to view them. Further up the coast at Oamaru we saw some blue penguins, although most were out at sea we did see some in their nests.

Otago Peninsula

This afternoon was rainy and dull in Dunedin but it didnt stop us taking a trip out along the Otago Peninsula to see penguins. Yellow eyed penguins are only found in the south east coast of the South Island New Zealand. They are an endangered species with only about 3000 left in the wild, so we very very lucky to see several coming home after a winter's feed in the ocean.

Roxburgh and Dunedin

Today we travelled further south through Roxburgh to Dunedin. Noticeably warmer here than central Otago. We completed the family pilgrimage to Roxburgh Dam and hydroelectric powerstation before a quick tour around central Dunedin. Penguin spotting is on tomorrows agenda.