My New Zealand Roadtrip

When we were in Queenstown it was my daddy’s birthday. So as a treat me and my dad went on a Luge. A Luge is basically a go cart, which can go really fast. Here’s  some pictures of it:

Another thing we did in Queenstown was go on a cruise around Milford Sound. It was a three hour journey, but on the way I mainly slept. When we finally arrived, we got our tickets and got on the boat. It was very big and there were lots of people on it. We went onto the top deck and found a seat so we could look at the view. It was beautiful. There were lots of mountains and while the crew was giving us a prep talk, we took lots of pictures. Then we got very lucky and saw some seals relaxing on a rock! They were sooooo cute! Then we were even luckier and saw penguins! Here are some pictures:

Lake Tekapo was our next stop. When we arrived we settled in and got ready to go to the lake that is named after the place. Soon after we arrived, we got in the car and drove to the lake. When we arrived we took pictures and dipped our toes in the chilly waters. Here are some pictures of the amazing scenery:

We’ve left The Catlins and now we’re in Dunedin. Our house is very nice and we have an amazing view of the bay. So far I really like it here. Here is a picture of the view:

 Now we’ve left Hanmer Springs and we’ve moved to Greymouth. I was very bored on the way there. When we finally arrived, we unpacked and settled in. We were staying there 4 days and so far I quite like it. One thing I really liked about our stay was that the people who owned the place had an adorable dog called Jack! I loved playing with him. He is a very big dog and I can play with him easily because he lives right outside the entrance of the house. Here is a picture of him and me:

Our next stop was The Catlins. We hopped in the car and went on the three hour journey from Queenstown to The Catlins. When we arrived we met the lady that owned the place and she showed us to our house/shed that had been turned into a house. We went and unpacked and settled in while I was playing with the lady’s dog, Ginny and her cat, Poppy. Here’s some pictures of them:

Christchurch

Our first stop is Christchurch. We got on a plane from Brisbane, Australia, (our last stop), to Christchurch, so we didn’t have to take a boat,(I get sick).

It was a half an hour journey from the airport to our first hostel, and in the car I was very bored. When we finally arrived we went inside and started to unpack and settle in.

I found an amazing park right outside our house and I had lots of fun there.

Ruby is nine years old and she is a traveller, which means she travels all around the world, trying new food, making new friends and going on exciting adventures. She wrote this book when she was roadtripping around New Zealand and she hopes you like it.

To learn more about Ruby and her travels, please visit: <a href="http://unkemped.com">unkemped.com</a>

Recently, me and my mum went on a nature walk to the beach. We were hoping, that when we got there we would see wild sea lions relaxing on the sand. And I guess our luck was in! Because there were about six sprawled out on the beach, enjoying the sun! They were soooooo cute! Here are some pictures of them:

We saw the cutest seals on our trip in Kaikoura. We went along a rocky trail and they were so camouflaged that I very nearly stepped on one. Here are some pictures of them:

Another thing we did in Hanmer Springs, was play crazy golf! We had lots of fun. In the end daddy won, but I still had a great time. Here is a picture of it:

Kaikoura

We’ve left Christchurch and now we’re in Kaikoura. It was a 4 hour drive, but on the way I played games to keep myself entertained. 

Quake City

Quake City is all about a terrible earthquake that happened in Christchurch, 2010. It tells you all about all the terrible damage the earthquake did to the city. I learnt a lot. There were lots of pictures of some of the terrible damage the earthquake made. There was also a thing called “make your own earthquake,” where you basically jump on the spot and see how much pressure you make, or something like that. Here’s a video of me doing it:

Pancake rocks are the cool rocks that the earth has shaped throughout the years. Pancake rocks are basically layers of limestone, shaped into what looks like pancakes stacked on top of each other, (not as tasty as it sounds). They were formed over 30 million years ago. Here are some pictures of them:

This cool video is of a thing called the “Chimney Pot,” it’s basically where the force of the water is pushed out of a hole, making it look like smoke out of a chimney, hence the name “Chimney Pot.”

Tulip is the adorable cat that lives here, at the hostel. He is Mike (the hostel owner’s) cat, but I loved to play with him. Here are some pictures of me, him and Mike.

Cathedral Caves was somewhere we went in The Catlins. It is basically rocks that have been shaped by the water into something that looks like a cathedral and it’s very big. A strange thing we found was a tiny blue penguin hiding in a nook in the back of the cave, he was so cute!!! Here are some pictures:

Cardboard Cathedral

In Christchurch, one of the terrible things the earthquake did was destroy a once beautiful cathedral. So instead they rebuilt it out of cardboard! Here are some pictures of parts of it:

Recently, we went to Franz Josef Glacier. It was lots of fun. I was extra excited, because my friend, Anna, was coming over for a sleepover! When Anna arrived, we messed around a bit, playing Minecraft on the iPad, playing with our Minecraft toys, (we ever so slightly liked Minecraft). We played until my mum said we were going on a trip to the glaciers. So we got in the car and drove there. When we finally arrived, we got out of the car and went on the 20 minute walk towards the glaciers. When we arrived me and Anna sat on a rock and played with our Minecraft toys until it was time to go home. Here are some pictures of the glaciers:

Hi, I'm Ruby, I'm going round the South Island, New Zealand on a roadtrip and I’m going to tell you all about it. This is the route we are taking, in code.

1 - Christchurch 2 - Kaikoura 3 - Hanmer Springs 4 - Greymouth 5 - Franz Josef Glacier 6 - Queenstown 7 - The Catlins 8 - Dunedin 9 - Lake Tekapo

Recently, we went to ShantyTown! We had so much fun! ShantyTown, is basically a recreation of old New Zealand. We went on an old fashioned train, a steam engine, and went to a recreation of where people used to go panning for gold! They even showed us the technique and let us try! Guess what! I ACTUALLY FOUND SOME REAL LIFE GOLD!!! I couldn’t believe it! Here are some pictures of what we did:

Recently, we went on a whale watching trip! It was sooooo fun! The boat ride was very bumpy and I felt immensely sick. After a while, the boat finally stopped because one of the crew members had spotted a Sperm Whale! We all went out on deck and watched it flick it’s massive tail and then disappear into the murky waters below. Soon after that we saw a parade of dolphins that seemed to be chasing our boat! They were so graceful. Here are some pictures of them and the whale:

Hanmer Springs is where we went after Kaikoura. We are only staying here for one day. When we arrived, we went to the springs that is named after the town. It was very relaxing there. Here are some pictures of it:

<a href="https://www.skyhi.nz/">Sky Hi hostel</a> is a beautiful little place just by the mountains. I had a wonderful time there. It has a lovely host called Mike and his adorable cat Tulip. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s reading this book. Here’s a quick tour of what it looks like:

Queenstown was our next stop. When we arrived  we went inside our apartment and unpacked. Later on we drove into the city and stopped to see the beautiful scenery. Here is a picture of the view:

Here is a video of me going down the track on a Luge:

Recently, we went to a sheep shearing show, (try saying that ten times over!) to watch the sheep being sheared (obviously) and to see the other sheep as well. At first we went to see the other sheep, there were loads of them in a massive pen. Then we went over to the babies, they were soooooooo cute! I even got to feed them! Here are some pictures of them:

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