AndrewK

Sadly today we leave New Zealand and looking back we have had a spectacular time. For Andrew it's been a Birthday he will never forget and for James it's been, hopefully, an introduction to Oceania that he will want to explore further. Our entire trip has been made even more special by the friends that we have managed to look up along the way and the generosity and hospitality they have all showed us has been heart warming and very welcome. Firstly our trip to Los Angeles would not have been so much fun without Jeff, Arlene and Shelly putting themselves out to make us welcome in their home, entertaining us, showing us around and driving us around Beverley Hills in a 1962 Rolls Royce.This was a real treat and a true Beverley Hills welcome. Northland ... read more

We have been entranced by Sydney. This really is an impressive, smart, attractive and friendly city, set around its large, scenic harbor. The architecture is interesting and varied, with some districts exhibiting something like a classic colonial style, while others have dramatic modern styles, exemplified beyond all in the Opera House. Our hotel is in the charming, rather select district of Kirribilli, which is just a short ferry ride across from the Circular Quay, the centre point of the city. From this base we have been able to explore a large part of this dispersed city, making good use of our public transport rover ticket. On our first full day after the parade and all the celebrations ,we walked the full length of the famous harbor bridge, lunched in Darling harbor, saw the Opera House at ... read more

Well its with some sadness that we are on our last day here on the South Island but we have managed to pack in so much and at the same time relax and enjoy our time here. I think we had just done our magnificent tour of Milford Sound when we last wrote and we thought that we had reached the pinnacle of our trip where spectacular vista's were concerned. One thing we have learned about this country is that just around the corner there is another natural wonderment, that takes your breath away and something as simple as the light changing can change the way a scene looks dramatically. As some of you may know, Queenstown is the home of extreme sports, where people willingly throw themselves off bridges, jump off mountains and all that ... read more

So last we left you in Carters Beach with some rather underwhelming seals. Now we are in Franz Josef Glacier Township in the sunshine, at last! We have been continuing south on the West Coast Highway. Most of this journey was done in torrential rain and so although we were passing by the Southern Alps we didn't really see them. We made one over night stop inland at Jacksons Retreat, a one horse town if ever there was one. It seamed to consist of a luxury Holiday Park and one tavern. We opted to follow the guidebooks recommendation and go for our evening meal at the local tavern, only to find it in darkness because of a power cut caused by a flood at Kelly's Creek. (It really had nothing to do with me) We were ... read more

One of the real highlights of our time in Napier was being able to meet up with family members - for James this is - whom we had not met before. After helpful research from my cousin Carol, we were able to contact a second cousin, Susan, and her husband who live in a beautiful house high up above the town, with great views out over the sweeping coastline of Hawkes Bay. An added bonus was that Sue was also hosting a visit from her mum and dad at the time, who live in Australia. So, we also met up with James' cousin, Zoe and her husband Fred. James and Zoe had never met before, so there was a lot of catching up to do during the afternoon and through the lovely meal that Sue prepared. ... read more