Planning my New Zealand Trip

I have booked a plane ticket to New Zealand for three weeks in the period of April the 8th until May the 1st. During the last couple of days I have excitingly determined, based upon the lonely planet book and some feedback from friends, the route I will follow at the South Island of NZ. I have managed to obtain a cheap ticket to Christchurch from Sydney. This is because - something I found out after I purchased my flight - of the prevailing risks of an earthquake's aftermath in that city, which happens to correspond with flight discounts. Ah well, so far I have successfully survived the dangers of Australia with her spiders, snakes, sharks, alligators, killer birds, deadly jelly fish, but also her thunderstorms and bush fires, surely I can cope with a little innocent earthquake aftermath. I will spend three days in Christchurch, do some whale watching in Kaikoura, followed by a long weekend in hot springs and mineral pools in Hanmer Springs. Then I will catch a bus to Queenstown, where I will be staying five days in search for adventure and fun. Next I´ll be on my way to the dreamy Te Anau where I will spend a week finding my inner peace while exploring the magnificent Sounds fiords where the mountains stand so tall, straight out of the sea. After my rebirth, I will take my new found soul with me to visit the breathtaking Mountain Cook and Lake Tekapo, through Twizel, known for its flying fish. From there I will head back to Christchurch to catch my plane back to Sydney.

I would especially like to thank Arthur for broadening my opportunities to extreme widths by enlightening me with the Kiwi concept Naked Buses. By booking on time you can manage to find bus rides for only 1 NZ dollar (62 eurocent). Four out of my six booked bus rides have cost me 1 dollar, adding up to 4 dollars, and therefore in total I covered all my local transport at the expense of only 54 NZ dollars (34 euro). Arthur, thank you! I am so looking forward to this trip!

Update 18-01-2012:

Slight change of plans. I changed my return flight to May 17, so that I could spend three additional weeks in New Zealand with Onno Ebbens. Then we both go back to Sydney to prepare ourselves for a 6 week road trip on the East Coast of Australia (Sydney - Cairns). I am aiming to fly back from Cairns to Amsterdam on July 24. This needs yet to be approved.