The Cannons

Hello or Howdy as they say out here (well, on the films anyway). So, after leaving the bright lights of Las Vegas behind, it was off to Death Valley and all that it conjures up. As advertised, a spooky place, not much habitation, not many people or vehicles and certainly a feeling of being the only people on earth. The landscape went from mountains to sand dunes, desert to salt flats and back again; the contrasts in the scenery were incredible. In an area called Badwater, we were at the lowest point in the USA - 86 metres below sea level - and 76 miles to our west was Mount Whitney, the highest point on the mainland USA excluding Alaska. It was extremely hot about 36 degrees even though it is still only spring and ... read more

Well Hello and for those of you who thought we had disappeared, 'tis not true, just couldn't find any cheap/free or any internet access etc yet again!! Anyway, we had a great 2 weeks in Fiji and are now in the great US of A, touring around a bit of California. We arrived in Fiji during a thunderstorm - not good for the nerves, especially as the wing of the plane got hit by lightening, but the pilot did a sterling job and managed to get us on the ground safely. I do hate it though when the reassuring tones of the captains voice at the beginning of the flight state that the weather is clear "all the way to sunny Fiji" and then the heavens open. So, we hit the rainy season with a vengence ... read more

Yes, where has the time gone? 2 weeks since I updated the blog and it seems like a lifetime. We have been moving pretty quickly and consequently I have not been able to find internet machines/time etc to do an update. Still, I shall apologise no more,.,....... We left you on the East Coast in Oamuru where we had spent a miserable 2 days sheltering from the rain and waiting in vain for Penguins ... things brightened up a bit and Sunday morning we set off for Dunedin, a sizeable city and one which I had been promised contained a Chocolate Factory!! En route we stopped at a place called the Moraeki Boulders, where in a nut shell, the balls were made from various substances millions of years ago, have been uncovered gradually by sea erosion ... read more

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL*** I hope you had a good one and enjoyed yourselves. I thought I had better do an update as we head out of here tommorrow to explore the South Island for the next 5 weeks. We have had a very relaxing time over the last 3 weeks, helped enormously by the vast quantities of Sauvignon Blanc they make in this region and the fact that Gail and Mike have a Spa in their back garden. Kiera has had a fabulous time with her Aunt and Uncle and especially annoying her cousin Natalie who has been a star! We have been out and about lots in the Marlborough Sounds region which is the north of the South Island and it is a beautiful area. Blenheim itself is bordered on 3 sides ... read more

Hello again and I won't say Merry Christmas just yet. The decorations are all up here now and it seems really strange to even think that it is Christmas when it is sunny and hot. Mind you, not so much today (Monday) as once again we are holed up in a camp site while we have a dismal weather day. Still, can't all be glorious sunshine as we would soon get bored (?). I have to say though that the New Zealanders certainly give the British a run for their money moaning about the weather - must be that similar climate...... Well, back to Lake Taupo. We drove to Taupo from Napier through what was again beautiful scenery, crossing the Maungaharuru Ranges and stopping briefly at the lovely Waipunga Falls. It was then downhill all the ... read more