Casey Jones you better watch your speed.

Our Mascot.
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Jada will be her name.  Our Toyota Corolla XE Saloon.  She's a beaut.  We hired her in Christchurch and drove her through Arthur's Pass with some stellar mountain views.  We would've liked to hike a trail called Devil's Punchbowl Falls, but it was closed for repairs.  So we settled on an easy and sheltered hike to Bridal Veil Falls (I wonder how many waterfalls thoughout the world are named Bridal Veil Falls-Ryan?).  With a brief hike through Castle HIlls (rock formation - pictured).  I don't think I've seen a country with more spectacular or dramatic scenery.  To quote Kev "It's like Canada, but everything is close together".

Castle Hill
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We were standing on the beach of the Great Ocean Walkway off the coast west coast (essentially where No. 9 is on the map) and I was staring out to the Tasman Sea and Australia.  And then I turned 180º and was staring at snow covered peaks through a rain forest.  UNBELIEVABLE!

We've been camping in Kev's tent each night to keep costs as low as possible.  Some of the campsites we've had have been absolutely stellar.  Even Kev says so, and he's seen essentially every corner of the beautiful northern Ontario parks.  So peaceful.  We've found little tramps (hikes through wilderness) everything, all requiring 3-4 days.  Kev and I have resolved that we easily could have taken several months and 'tramped' the whole island.