Thoughts about .......

Royal Thai Airways
Legroom excellent - even for Dave !
Cabin Crew - bit disappointing on both legs except for 1 steward. They just weren't friendly or charming - could have been BA !!
Food - Thai options excellent, non-Thai mediocre (should expect that I suppose !)
Entertainment system - we had the old fashioned version on leg 1 to Bangkok, which I didn't use but which Dave moaned about until it started and he then confessed that the sound and picture (large screen on the bulkhead) were both excellent. Unfortunately the choice of films wasn't stunning ! I didn't use it, but if I'd wanted to watch, my vision was impaired as I was in the middle of the LH three. Dave was in the aisle seat and was OK. Second leg to Auckland we were in a 2-4-2 formation with the updated entertainment system, ie screen in the back of the seat, with access to all sorts of things - I found the games section and the trivial pursuit kept me happy for hours !!

Kiwis
Really friendly and helpful - can't think of one bad example. Happy to answer questions, provide advice, suggest things to do, places to visit, etc. One of the nicest aspects of this holiday - to be dealing with people who seem to find life enjoyable. Do sometimes find the accents a bit difficult to understand, though.

Food and Drink
Cheap, cheap, cheap; superb, superb, superb !! Just like their cousins over the Tasman, they believe in glasses of bubbles - what bliss ! And even if they don't do glasses, they have 200ml bottles of Lindauer sparkling, which give a couple of glasses - fine by me. We've worked out that the cost of it is about half of what we would pay at home - that's where we could get "it" at home. One of the things I particularly like is that even the garnishings you get with the meal (lettuce, toms, cucumber, onions, etc) are all fresh and don't look as if they've been sat around all week, like back home. Had some brilliant fish and salads.

Scenery
As already stated elsewhere in the blog, you could go on forever about it and it would still be an inadequate description. Miles of empty beaches around the Catlins (real chill-out and R&R land), mountains, lakes - it's got it all. I can understand why Peter Jackson filmed LOTR's here. Had a few Tolkien moments - even seen some of the places where filming took place.

Accommodation
Apart from the problem of finding somewhere (see elsewhere !!), we've had quite a variety so far. The Heritage was luxurious and worth it for the first couple of nights, just to get over the flight and sort ourselves out. The rest has ranged between $80 and $130 - our current lodging in Queenstown. That translates into roughly GBP43 and for that princely sum we have a very large room with two double beds, the usual cupboards, etc, mini bar, tv, ensuite. The hotel also has a pool, pool terrace, bar, restaurant, ten-pin bowling alley, gaming room, internet cafe (but lot more expensive that where we are now !) - tell me where you'd get that in England for GBP43, together with friendly service !!

Stressful Moments
1. First couple of hours in the car - if you've ever been in the car with Dave and I when we don't know what we're doing you'll know what I mean !
2. Realising that we couldn't just drive as we like and easily find somewhere for the night.
3. Driving round and round Dunedin, trying to find Otago Peninsular - it was unbelievable.
4. Landing and take-off in Milford Sound - it was so windy, take-off was sideways !! Having said that, the flights there and back were absolutely brilliant and wouldn't have missed it for the world.
5. Nearly falling over a dying seal on Morekai Boulder Beach - not at all funny and very upsetting.