Hi everyone It is Tuesday am at our lodge at Banff Gate....so there is a bit of news to catch up on. First - flight was very good - and I liked the downstairs toilets- got a bit of exercise going up and own the stairs there! Arriving at Calgary airport - evryone is so friedly with folks in cowboy hats calling Welcome to Calgary etc - not quite like Heathrow - and tho' I didnt spot him Suz and Tracie said there was a real hunky guy on the passport control. My B+B in Calgary was lovely - a women only place - so very good for me on my own - hosts Glo and Sandra were very welcoming and "my own space" consited of a bedrm, liv rm and kitchen and use of super ... read more

Hello to all friends and family, Most of you know that I have been travelling here and there in the last 18 months since the big trip to Down Under. That was the first time I used Travelblog and it was a great way to keep in touch as well as record all the "happanings". Well on Thursday I will be flying off to Calgary at the start of a 6 week trip in Canada. For the first 2 weeks Suz and Tracie will be with me and we are "doing" The Rockies to Vancouver - and then I will continue my trip to Ontario - visiting "old" friends and making new ones with the help of my Intervac hospitality swaps. So I think I am at the stage of all systems go now - only ... read more

No-one told me that when you get back after 22hours of flying( 10 hours from Auckland to Singapore , then 12 hours from Singapore to London) - even with a 2 day break in the middle- that I would be waking up at 4am thinking of wot to write in my blog!!!! Of course my brain and body are on New Zealand time. Jet lag didn’t seem to bother me going East but maybe it’s catching up with me now …or is it just because the travels have ended?? Last entry on the blog I had arrived in Auckland …. a city known for traffic problems. I can vouch for that on a Friday afternoon if you are arriving by bus - you are likely to get caught in a nice big traffic jam….reminiscent of the ... read more

Hi everyone Well I have about a week to catch up on...havent had Internet availablity for a few days and done a lot of travelling. Last time I was in Queenstown and setting off for Fjoirdland - well yes it was as amazing as everyone says it is. I have been so lucky with the weather too, it was a bit murky at Te Anau but now enought to stop me taking a trip over the Lake and to the Glow worm caves..never seen anything like that before ... a little boat ride inside the caves in complete darkness and silence and glow worms hanging from the rock above...was lovely. Rain that night was good news as you need rain for the waterfalls all the way to Milford Sound. Wot a spectacle...I was lucky to choose ... read more

Writing about Thursday I am losing count of when I last did the blog so I think I had just had the van delivered on Wednesday and had a trip over the Banks Peninsula to try her out. Planning the days and trying to get to see as much of this lovely country as I can, I have decided to see if I can have Betty for an extra couple of days and then spend a bit of extra time here in the South Island. There is a Trans Alpine Highway from Christchurch to the West coast going via Arthur’s Pass (924m)so I made that my trip on Thursday - I had in mind to do a walk there- having brought my walking boots all this way I thought I better use them!!! There are not ... read more