Tuesday 27th March 2007. Wanaka to Franz Josef. New Zealand.

Up and off again. We drove along Lake Hawea which is used today, amongst other things, as a storage lake for forest fire fighting. As we drive along you could be forgiven for thinking that you are in Scotland. Up and over the neck enroute to Makarora.

One thing you notice as you drive around New Zealand is that the world and his wife seem to be here driving around in the endless flow of caravanettes.

Makarora Wilderness Resort was the first place I have encountered in New Zealand with unhelpful staff and a sales system designed to rip-off the tourist (i.e. no prices on many products so that you don't know the prices until you get to the tills...stop elsewhere would be my advice).

Over the Haast Pass and a stop for lunch at the Hard Antler in Haast where I had beautiful homemade soup just like my Auntie Georgie used to make.

The Haast Pass is the lowest crossing of any possible route over the Southern Alps and it traverses the Great Southern Divide. Opened in 1960 this was the Maori greenstone trading route to Wanaka and it was the Maori who introduced Charles Cameron to the route in 1863 when he became the first European to cross it. He was closely followed by Julius von Haast who was the quickest of the two men to register the pass in his name.

Today we also cross the 760m long Haast River Bridge which is the longest single-lane bridge in the country.

On our bus into Franz Josef I met a guy from Brighton who had been climbing in Fox Glacier the day before dressed as superman.

In Franz Josef I met Joff Summerfield a very cool guy from Greenwich who is riding around the world on a Penny Farthing for the Born Free Foundation. I love the Brits. No one does eccentrics like Britain and I love meeting other people who like me have an open outlook on life.

Check out www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com

In Franz Josef we check-in to the luxury of The Rainforest Retreat. Nestled in six acres of native bush in the heart of Franz Josef village the accommodation offers either forest floor or mid canopy bush views.

We head out as a group to explore the village and Alex, Tina and I have afternoon drinks at Beeches before heading on to the Alice May for dinner and drinks with the full group.

The Alice May has an interesting history as it is named after Alice May Parkinson, one of the twelve children born to George and Isabella Parkinson in the back country of Hawkes Bay.

Alice May's family were relatively poor and strongly religious. She worked from the age of 14 in domestic service and after she turned 20 she worked as a pantry maid/waitress in a Napier hotel. Alice May fell pregnant by her lover, but after the baby was stillborn her lover rejected her notwithstanding his earlier promise to marry her.

After an altercation Alice May drew a revolver from her raincoat pocket and shot her lover four times before turning the gun unsuccessfully on herself. She was tried and sentenced to hard labour for the rest of her natural life by the New Zealand Chief Justice.

The feminists of the Socialist Movement quickly formed a release committee gaining widespread and popular support. Alice May became a household name with public meetings held in Auckland and Wellington and two major petitions circulating New Zealand requesting her release from jail. In 1915, 60,000 people signed the petitions. Finally after serving six years in prison she was released in 1921 into the care of her mother. She subsequently married Charles O'Loughlin and together they went on to have six children.

Jennie O'Loughlin, one of the proprietors of the Alice May, is one of the many grandchildren of Alice May O'Loughlin.

Alex and I finished off our night in Monsoon in preparation for tommorrow's extreme sports.