From Wanaka....

Norie at the top of the Crown Range

The campervan adventure began Friday afternoon, after a few tearful goodbyes and a serious case of the grumpy house cleaning blues.  Thankfully we didn't have to travel far, just up and over the Crown Range to Arrowtown.  We were received with open arms at the house of our friends Fritha and Gordon and their children.  Our first night on the road had an awesome home cooked meal of mac 'n cheese and toasted with a bottle of Rippon Pinot Noir.  Our one night with friends stretched into two nights, with a fun walk around Lake Hayes, a trip to the Arrowtown Chinese Settlement and a trip to the Queenstown pool where Ben went down the slide for the first time.  

Lake Te Anau

From Arrowtown we drove to Te Anau and took the boat across the lake to see the glowworm caves.  I had visions of Disneyland the entire time we explored the underground cavern with the roaring waterfalls, the pitch black boat ride through the glowworm grotto and the perky guide.  We really lucked out well with the weather, considering it rains up to 9 feet a year in Te Anau.  The boys happily played at the local park, while I took a run and Dan cooked dinner in the back of the campervan.  From Te Anau we drove a short way down the road to Lake Manipouri where we stayed in a very eclectic holiday park with vintage cars, funky cabins and an assortment of junk littered around the property.

Lake Manipouri