As the region of Southern Patagonia is so vast and spectacular and divided by the Andes with Chile to the left and Argentina to the right, we felt it best to combine the blog for the area to reflect it’s true character rather than stick with the country by country format we have adhered to before now. Hopefully this will help some travellers who may chance upon this diary as accurate information about travelling in this part of the world is really difficult to come by - which is surprising given the huge number of people that travel here each year. The best information is from other travellers who have been there, done it and got the T shirt - so why this information isn’t universally available seems a mystery. On the road from El ... read more

Wellington After the 3 hour (blustery if you were up top) and slightly rolling crossing from Picton to Wellington the first thing we notice is the highway flowing with heaps of traffic - a total contrast to the South Island. We disembark & catch the free shuttle to the Railway station. This is linked to the bus stop area where a whole host of buses can take you to the city centre for a dollar. We catch one & are surprised - pleasantly - at how colourful Wellington is. Not what we expected at all. It has small shopping districts (very small) that blend into one another. The buildings are old art deco style - many coloured brightly, co existing with the new/modern structures - only a few high rise stuff. After all this is the ... read more

Nelson From Picton (which for us was in the eastern half of the mainland),we drive to Nelson. It’s been described to us as an interesting town & it’s close enough to the Abel Tasman National Park which we have been recommended to see by various Kiwis we‘ve met on our travels - not least Paul & Karolina who we met in Nepal & who we hope to see again in Wellington the capital. We stay at the Accents on the Park hostel, Trafalgar Square @ $79 per night. It’s a beautiful old NZ house similar in style to the Queenslander wooden houses in Oz. This is big & charming. Royce the guy in charge is very helpful. Only complaint is that they advertise free Wi Fi - what they actually give you is ½ an hour ... read more

So, the thing you need to know about New Zealand is that it’s fantastic. The people, the scenery, the purity of the air & light of the place. Within two days of being here C has picked up all the property sales mags & is busy trying to persuade M (not without a modicum of success!) that we could live here!!! Not bad for a place that we had once thought of bypassing on our big adventure. But we’re rushing (C‘s influence - she‘s definitely a NZ fan). We arrive at Christchurch airport after a good 3 hour Qantas flight - having been served a terrific Lamb & spinach curry with rice, peas & dhal - flavoursome or what - washed down with NZ red for M & white for C (2 each).This is all at ... read more

Noosa So it’s off we go in the rain heading for the Sunshine Coast - 16 hours away due south on our trusty Greyhound bus. A tropical storm brewing is pretty apparent with all the lightning & thunder about though it vanishes after an hour or so thankfully. We make our way through MacKay - a large city, when we realise that like the US, every largish city in Oz looks the same with the same layout and same brand outlets and same styled inner city & outer city Malls - it’s as if you’ve been to one you’ve seen them all! En route we are treated to 2 films: Nancy Drew - entertaining, about a girl sleuth and a bizarre film called Jumpers - totally meaningless Hollywood madness but the actors got to travel ... read more