New Zealand Travels, Part 4

After leaving Stewart Island and Invercargill, we returned to Queenstown for one night.   From here I begin the last part of my travels in New Zealand.  After Queenstown, we stop at Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand.  This time we'll be driving along the eastern part of the Southern Alps as we head north.  We'll stop at a place called Rangitata on the Canterbury Plains.  In the past the bus would have stopped at Christchurch after Rangitata but because of the earthquake in 2010 and 2011, Stray Travel decided to skip Christchurch.  The bus will drop me off at Christchurch, however, so I will spend a couple of nights there just to get a feel for the city.  Another Stray bus will pick me up in two days and we will go on to Kaikorua, a town on the east coast of South Island, known for dolphins and whales off its coast.  After Kaikorua, we'll go north to Picton where we'll take the ferry to Wellington.  After spending the night at Wellington, I will be on the final leg of my trip from Wellington to Auckland.  I will reach Auckland on November 28th, where I will spend about 4 days before flying home on December 2nd.
The next posts will be on Mount Cook, Rangitata, Christchurch, and Kaikorua.