For the love of Tokyo... Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world. We arrived on the bus (after passing Mount Fuji on the way) and was soon part of the hussle of Tokyo. Coffees will set you back $12 and beers cost a fortune, but somehow all is forgiven here. Shinjuku area is covered with neon lights, tall buildings and hundreds of people walking round. We headed out for our first night out and picked up some Aussies along the way. We headed for a sushi train dinner and had the best sushi in all of Tokyo and [View Full Entry]

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Here are some snow pictures of us on the boards, and a view from a gondola... [View Full Entry]

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There are lots of things that make Japan great. For instance, the rice maker sings twinkle twinkle little star to you to let you know your rice is cooked, the pedestrian lights play a nice song for you whilst you cross the road, you can smoke everywhere including Macdonalds, and everyone wears faces masks without anyone looking twice. AND, to top it all off, there are snow monkeys. The snow monkeys hang out in the onsens (natural hot springs) and soothe away their stress. The monkeys are all around you, they are around your ankles, walking past you and just chowing [View Full Entry]

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Here are some photos from our day trip to Motsomoto castle, which is a beautiful traditional castle with a moat. [View Full Entry]

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3 days of no sleep later, we arrived in Japan. Immediately the temperature change was apparent and we were looking forward to the snow. On arriving at Tokyo airport, we joined a busy and noisy line for the limousine bus to take us to Shinjuku to catch our next bus. The airport is conveniently situated 2 hours out of Tokyo city, which is just great. A taxi would have cost us hundreds of dollars, so the only option for us was the bus. The Japanese are highly efficient and had our bags whipped out, on the bus and ticketed before you [View Full Entry]

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Here are some pictures of our overnight stopover in Sydney on our way to Japan. [View Full Entry]

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Abel Tasmin was the main last stop on the Oz and Lorraine grand tour of the South Island before facing work. So we made it a good un'. Abel Tasmin is a National Park at the top of the South Island. Beautiful blue waters and bush walks. We arrived at the Kayak company at 8.00 in the morning bleary eyed, but ready to go. Once we had put on our waterproof tops and lifejackets, we had to climb into a water taxi with the kayaks on the back of the boat. The only problem was that the tide was too low, [View Full Entry]

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Ahhhh, Nelson Lakes. You only have to look at the photos to realise why we love it here! We stayed at the camping ground (preparing for a cold night), and marveled at the lake with the jetty, with mountains as the backdrop. The only thing that killed the moment, was sandflies. They are unforgiving and everywhere! Everywhere you look there are ducks, baby ducks and more ducks. You actually don't need an alarm clock because at dawn the birds awake, and the ducks just call out to eachother over and over again. The ducks even follow you around the tent, to [View Full Entry]

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Marlborough Sound is a stunning place at the North of the South Island. The Queen Charlotte track is a (quoting from The Beatles) long and winding road with stunning coastal views. Kean cyclists were huffing and puffing up and down the hills, whilst me and Oz just whipped past them in our awesome wagon. A lot easier! We managed to take loads of photos, and the water wasn't just blue, but turquoise. It looked truely stunning, espcially with the sounds in the distance. As it is turning into Summer, we thought we would save some money and camp for the night. [View Full Entry]

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The Catlins is an area in the South of New Zealand, full of scenic drives, sheep, penguins, sea lions, seals and waterfulls. Our first night in the Catlins, we arrived at Curio Bay at a little backpackers by the sea. No tv, just a radio and a fire - real bliss. We wondered out to the Petrified Forest which is 180 million years old, and saw yellow eyed penguins coming in from the sea. They came on the rocks, one by one, and took their time to walk over all the rocks and make their way to their homes. Really amazing [View Full Entry]

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