A late start as Pete referred to it. ‘No rush’ he said, ‘breakfast at 7.45 on the bus before 9′. You can tell he’s a farmer, used to 6am starts! Our itinerary wasn’t too packed for the day and there was a chance we could fit in some helicopter flights. We left Queenstown and set out for Te Anau. We stopped off a couple of times along the way for some photo opps and toilet breaks. We arrived before lunch at the motel where we were going to spend the night. You can only get to Milford Sound via Te Anau, so we would be doubling back on ourselves after the boat trip. We dropped our bags and wandered around the town for a little while before grabbing some sandwiches to eat on the boat.

The road to Milford is quite slow going, with some steep climbs and descents. Pete explained to us that he had sorted helicopter flights, and that they would meet us along the road. Pete pulled in at a bend in the road and I could see a helicopter in the distance. There were 20 of us willing and two helicopters that could take ten between them. We split into two groups and soon the first team were up and gone. The rest of us travelled through a tunnel in the mountain and met the guys the far side after they had finished their flight.

Myself, Ma & Pa loaded up with three others into the bigger of the two helicopters and before I had time to prepare myself we were up, up and away. It is a very strange sensation flying in a helicopter, the movements are very alien. We meandered through the peaks getting up as high as 8,000 feet before the pilot landed us on top of a glacier to take a stroll. It is so surreal walking around this completely inaccessible place, with cliffs on all sides, and virgin snow surrounding you. We hopped back on the chopper and were safely delivered to the bus in Milford Sound. An incredible worthwhile experience but terrifying none the less.

From the air to the sea, on to a boat for our third mode of transport for the day. We all boarded a cruise ship which took us up the Milford Sound (it is actually a Fjord not a sound), out to the sea and back again. The captain narrated all the geographical features around us, and I felt like I was back in geography class. All those things I had been told about like U shaped valleys, hanging valleys, terminal moraines, I was now seeing in the flesh. One of the highlights of the cruise was the view of a waterfall we got. The sun was shining behind creating mini rainbows and the spray glistened like smoke in the air, it was unforgettable.

Off back to Te Anau for a bite to eat and bed. Another action packed day and the stamina was waning.

Well it had finally arrived. We met in the centre of Christchurch at an ungodly hour, bags in hand. 40 brave souls boarded a very fancy bus driven by Nadia’s father Pete and we were on our way. Pete immediately began narrating via his headset, giving us plenty of insights about the surrounding countryside. We headed straight for the mountains and Arthur’s Pass.

As soon as you get close to the mountain ranges here, you can see why kiwis laugh at what we call mountains. The southern alps which encircle the Canterbury plains are awesome, full of snow capped ridges. We passed by a farm that a friend of Pete’s had sold a couple of years previously, a measly 25,000 acres. They don’t do small farms over here! We made our first pit stop at the visitor centre in Arthur’s Pass and stocked up on some much needed coffee. Just driving through the mountain range is incredible, the views and the scenery are nearly too much to take in.

Having reached the west coast via the pass, we stopped for lunch in Hokitika. I think this place might have been forgotten about in the seventys! There is a huge proliferation of jade in the area and plenty of factories where they clean, polish and shape the stone. Pete was soon marshalling us back on the bus and trying to keep us on schedule.

We pushed on down the coast to Franz glacier, where we were due to take a helicopter up on to the glaciers. Unfortunately when we got there the mist was down and we would not be able to see anything from the helicopter. The helicopter company had another base in Fox Glacier, the town we were staying in for the night, so we decided to try the weather from there in an hour. The mist didn’t budge and instead we all headed up to the terminal face to get a close look at the glacier. There was some great excitement when we got up there. Nad’s friend Ginevra got engaged to her boyfriend Barney. We trooped back to town and got some great food after a long wait, and were delighted to hit the hay. End of day 1!

Click here for Bus Tour Day 1 photo gallery