David Watterson

I thought I’d arrived in heaven when I saw the sun setting over the lake after a long drive down that day from Christchurch via Franz Jozef.

My ideal place to live in New Zealand.

Maybe I was missing something again, but I found Dunedin a bit of a let-down after the glories of Franz Jozef, Wanaka, and Glenorchy.

A pretty unremarkable town.

Or at least, my idea of heaven. A great place for walking or just lazing about in the sun.

I’m not a huge adrenalie junkie, so I found Queenstown itself a bit tacky. I much preferred the nearby Glenorchy – great for walking or just lazing about in the sun.

I only had a short time in Franz Josef so, despite the expense, I took the helicopter ride up over the glacier landing on the snowfields above.

The views were stunning – it was money well spent. I’d love to have spent more time exploring the park.

After disappointment in Aukland and Wellington, I really warmed to Christchurch. It had quite a small town feel, with some nice buildings and plenty of greenery.

I’ve rarely been so sick on a boat as I was on the whale watching excursion, but catching a glimpse of the whales more than made up for it. My photos suck, but the image is still there in my mind.

I was really charmed by the little town of Blenheim nearby, too.

I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings exhibition, but I was distinctly underwhelmed by Wellington. Maybe may view was tinted by the first bad weather I had experienced on my trip, but the only thing it had going for it in my view was an interesting location.

The view over the city from the ferry for South Island was impressive.

Definitely worth seeing the glow worm cave… very memorable.

I’ve lived here for 9 months now, but my parents were first time visitors for a week at the beginning of April and they loved it. To give you some idea they’ve been married for 30 years and it’s the first time they’ve been on holiday together outside the UK. Within a week of getting home, they’re already planning to visit Paris and other European cities and I may now be able to convince them to try trips even further afield.

Why is Prague such a tourist-friendly destination?

(1) It’s had a lot of visitors since the fall of communism, so local businesses are geared up for tourism.

(2) It’s much easier to get by as an English speaker than in many other central and eastern european countries.

(3) Food and drink are generally really good value, and the beer is the best in the world!

(4) There are so many other attractions within a short distance of the city.