Te Anau to Paparoa National Park

July 22, 2008
We got into a moving gondola and were lifted off the ground and saw sheep and a luge ride tracks and trees and everything else you can imagine that would be on a mountain. When we got to the top I made a delicious mess of a popsicle/ice cream.
Then me and my dad got on a ski-lift, helmets on, one pair of eyes closed. You can guess who that was, right? Correct! Me! We (me and my dad) got our instructions and were off. Before the first bend, I ran into the gravel and the lady had to run over and help me out. After that, the rest went pretty smoothly.
After that, we went to Puzzling world. Am I holding up this building? We (again me and my dad) went into the maze and then into the illusion room with a golf ball that ran up, a room where I shrank, and staring dead people.
We took videos, pictures and other things and then took to our campground.

July 23, 2008
We drove to 4 waterfalls and found giant trouts and numerous pretty rocks. We went over a swing bridge to the “Blue Pools”, which if you ask me, are more green than blue. Then we went to another waterfall, which had cow footprints by it!
Then we spent a long time being attacked by birds called “fantails”, because their tails are shaped and look like fans. Then we drove to a café and our campground and watched the “alpenglow” and a pretty sunset.

July 24, 2008
We started by clambering over brooks and boulders. We could see the glacier and mountains and cliffs and the view was beautiful. When we got on the glacier I poked around with my stick as we went along, as it is very hard to stop poking things when you have something to poke with.
We went down some ice stairs into an ice cave. We got to walk a little bit into a crevasse, then went through an ice tunnel and were in yet another ice cave. We talked a bit about why the ice looks blue, and me and my dad poked our sticks in ice water. Then we walked back.
Glacier Fact: Glacier ice looks blue BECAUSE THE AIR BUBBLES WERE SQUEEZED OUT.
Glacier Fact: If you are near a glacier and the water in a stream or river looks milky, that’s from the sediments from the glacier.

July 25, 2008
This morning…you know how I told you we were savaged by ducks? This morning we were savaged by CHICKENS! My dad took me to the farm/zoo at our campground. We saw ducks, furry llamas, swans, pukekos (a type of colorful NZ bird), giant, giant, GIANT pigs, so big and fat the strongest person on Earth couldn’t pick them up. Then we saw 4 goats, a white one, a brown one and 2 black ones. After that we left, as the chicken pen was open and empty. The chickens, all 7 of them, ran as we came.
We spent some time looking at jewelry shops and buying things. We bought 3 jade blocks and my dad bought 2 necklaces.
After that, we went to the Pancake rocks. We parked and saw 2 freaky “parking lot chickens” (my mom called them), they are really called “wekas”. I saw them screeching and flapping and poking at eachother and I guessed they were fighting.
Then we saw the rocks. They certainly did look like pancakes, but I prefer butter on my pancakes. We also saw a couple of rocks I thought looked like a lion, a fish and 3 people. We waited for HOURS for a blowhole to spray.
After that we looked at smushed wine bottles and bought a 3 drawer container made of wood and a necklace and a fernwood box and a pink mussel shell.