I can think of worse places to spend a few hours than Hong Kong's airport. Although it opened ten years ago - replacing the infamous Kai Tak Airport with its hair-raising approach and relatively frequent instances of planes taking a dip in Victoria Harbour after overshooting the runway - it looks barely a day old and is an extremely impressive structure. Unfortunately, our flight is at half past midnight and by the time we arrive most of the airport's fancy shops are shutting for the night. We're not short of time, however, so have a tasty bowl of noodles at one of the terminal's umpteen restaurants and loiter there until check-in time reading our trashy airport novels. We're just about ready to call it a day and fall asleep when it's time to check-in. It's not ... read more

A flight from San Francisco to Toronto takes us to Alex's cousins, who live near Mississauga on the shores of Lake Ontario. In the space of five days the temperature, for us, has plummeted from 25 degrees above freezing to 15 below. A change we are sartorially unprepared for! Thankfully we borrow some heavy coats, but I still to pop by Wal-mart to pick up some thermal long-johns. It's just TOO COLD! We spend a lovely few days being treated like royalty and gorging on Krispy Kreme doughnuts - surely one of life's guiltiest pleasures. Alex's cousin Jaki takes us on a little jaunt to Niagara-on-the-Lake - home of Inniskillin icewine - and then to the Falls themselves. The spray has coated everything in a thick layer of ice - it is quite a spectacular sight! ... read more

North of Taupo, bang in the middle of North Island, is a geothermal area known as Orakei Korako. Boiling mudpools, mineral-rich hot springs and dazzling, technicolour mineral displays abound. Nearby, Butcher's Pool is a natural hot pool ideal for a dip - if you can stand the heat and are not too worried about catching amoebic meningitis! Our very last evening in New Zealand is spent in Raglan, a small surfing community only a couple of hours away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland. We spend the night in a converted railway carriage before making our way to the airport - and a long, long trans-Pacific flight to California. The last leg of this epic journey begins. New Zealand will remain etched in our memories for ever - it won't be long before we're back. ... read more

From the wineries of Marlborough, we make the short hop to Picton, a tiny town which happens to act as the departure point for ferries across Cook Strait to Wellington. The crossing - which is, counterintuitively, East-West and not South-North - takes us along Queen Charlotte Sound, across narrow Cook Straight and into the beautiful Wellington Harbour. A pleasant, leafy town, Wellington keeps us only a couple of nights - during which we take the opportunity to catch up on a little culture...if you can call Borat culture. I laughed so hard I was nearly sick. ... read more

Along the Northern edge of South Island, facing North Island, is the very special Abel Tasman National Park - the best way to explore this beautiful, sunny part of New Zealand is by sea kayak... Various outfitters in the Park's gateway towns, Motueka and Marahau, rent out kayaks, tents, and everything else you could possibly need for a kayak-in, camp-overnight and walk-back trip. On a trip full to the brim with highlights, this was...a highlight!... read more