So we're in Queenstown now and before our memories of Tekapo get swamped by the majesty of Queenstown, I want to reflect further on our time in and around Lake Tekapo. I was tired last night and fear that I didn't convey the depth of my love for Tekapo. I might even have been pronouncing it wrong. I was pronouncing it Tee-Car-Po but the post office lady, the waiters and the pharmacy attendant in Cromwell pronounce it Teh-Kah-Po. But, with all our walking and with feeling natures call half way through our first hike - we prefer to pronounce it Tay-Ka-Poo. Get it? Take a Poo? And hike might be too strong of a word. There's no special hiking boots or walking poles. We don't prepare and we don't take a compass. I prefer to call ... read more

Up and Uber. It's as if the Uber was waiting outside our door - confirmed pick-up and Amriptal was 1 MIN away. Out we rush and we're on our way! 10 minutes from Gordon Park to BNE International - loving the Airport Link! Adrenalin is pumping and we're all excited about our trip together. Check-in was a breeze and bag drop was quick as a flash. Waiting for take-off and Millsy isn't looking good. She's crashed and is lethargic and grumpy. I scored the seat by myself and am enjoying my film (The Death of Stalin - funnier than the title suggests) when I notice Deaks and Jules trying to get my attention from across the aisle. Milla has half filled the sick-bag and I'm on call to dump the paper bag of chuck in the ... read more

I've been fascinated by the size, scale and efficiency of this city and what better way to get an understanding of it's amazing history than the excellent Edo Tokyo Museum. It traces the history of Edo/Tokyo from fishing village origins to modern day metropolis. Except - CLOSED on MONDAYS! Whoops! Probably should have checked that before we trecked across town specifically. Nevermind, Ryoguko is home to the Sumo stables and while it's not Sumo tournament season, we did see a Sumo in the flesh. Not a tall man, by any measure, but BIG! Long black hair tied in a top-knot above his dinner plate face and shoulders like a Rhino. His wide flat feet slip out of his sandals as he waddles to the train station in his yukata. The closed museum was a disappointment. Some ... read more

As suggested by Travelling with kids - Tokyo, we'd set aside a day to visit Tokyo Disneyland. (my preferred website is tokyocheapo.com). Neither of the kids seemed particularly keen and preferred to see the pandas and monkeys at Ueno Zoo. I honestly didn't influence their decision, but can't hide my glee. Tokyocheapo.com would be proud! Ueno Zoo costs $12 entry and Disney was looking like $220 plus themepark lunch and souvenirs. Ueno and Yanaka was awesome and I'm glad my kids prefer to check out real Tokyo. Ueno revolves around Ueno-koen - a sprawling park with about 3km circumference. Within the park is the Zoo and the Tokyo National Museum. The Zoo exceeds expectations and we luckily time our visit for when the two pandas (Shin Shin and Ri Ri) are feeding. You can't help seeing ... read more

On the shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo today. This train is even faster than the Thunderbird from Kanazawa. Yet still not the fastest. The Japan Rail Pass doesn't allow for using the Nozomi and I can only imagine the standard and speed of those premium trains. The Hikari is going seriously fast! 450kms in 2 hours 40 minutes to Tokyo, with half a dozen stops along the way. And what a way to travel! We collected an array of delicious lunch items from the subterranean department store at Kyoto Station and decide to wing it in the unreserved carraige for our last Shinkansen of the trip. I instruct Milla to weave in between the boarding passengers and get us some good seats together. In her determination she pushes in front of the orderly queue as soon ... read more