Dec 24 - woke up in Dunedin and our tent luck hadn't held up...one of the poles had snapped completely. Yikes! We packed it away and went and made breakfast at the campsite kitchen. This was a very exciting event for Jeremy because they have streaky bacon (or what Canadians would just call regular bacon, and Australia is lacking). After our bacon and eggs, we were off to Invercargill! Invercargill...well. We decided to rent a cabin for the night when we got to the campsite, as it was alternately pouring rain and hailing, with a fierce wind. This is the middle of SUMMER........like.....seriously?? It was SO COLD. Weirdest weather - probably the first time I've actually experienced the "4 seasons in a day phenomenon". It would rain, hail, be cold...then the sun would come up and it would be warm and lovely...then the whole cycle started again! We drove to Bluff (the southernmost town in NZ) just to say we had been. Back at the campsite, we went to see the lounge room and met a retired Dutch couple who shared Christmas cake with us. In the cabin, we had a nice restful time after a lot of driving - and way more yet to come!

Dec 25 - Crazy, crazy day. Much more driving - we drove through Te Anau past where we would be camping later and right into Milford Sound. 7 hours later after one hell of a scenic (and sometimes scary) drive, we were there. On the way, we drove through a mountain tunnel and TOUCHED SNOW!! ON CHRISTMAS!!!! The road was really windy and the views were incredible...numerous waterfalls, snow capped peaks, rivers , mountains...unbelievable. At Milford, we took a 1.5 hour cruise through a fiord, saw some more waterfalls, and even seals! Then we had to rush back to Te Anau, set up our broken tent, and then get to a Christmas dinner at a hotel at 6:30 pm. We made it right on time. The food...mmmmmmmmm. Turkey, ham, potatos, veggies, desserts, etc etc. Back at the campsite (which was on the shore of Lake Te Anau) we made friends with an older American guy who was travelling with his buddy and his buddy's wife, and they just shut themselves in their campervan so I think he was a bit lonely. We sat in the drizzling rain on the shore of the lake and talked for a couple of hours. Then bed, and another drive in the morning.