And The Challenges Of International Driving Now I'm not going to sugar coat this.... driving on the right side of the road is exhausting!! Not so much physically but mentally it drains you. It should be said that I really enjoy long distance driving. The open road, music cranked, nothing but possibilities in front. But when having to constantly think for hours on end it can get a bit much. You see, it's not just the constant reminder you need to give yourself to stay right... it's the little things too. The fact that because you're in a left hand drive you continuously hit the door as you automatically go to change gears... that you find yourself glancing up and to the left only to find the rear view mirror is not where you're use to ... read more

In Transit Possibly the two most frown inducing words in the world. Expensive food, uncomfortable seats and the ever present smell of body odour relegates you to the world of travel no-mans land. The worst part is that it is necessary for the budget traveller to traverse this waste land more often than not. By saving money on accommodation and catching the red eye out of Perth it meant that the 7 hour layover in Sydney was always going to be a hardship. Couple that with luggage carousels (why don't they let you ride on them), and the constant threat of being stuck on an uncomfortable airport lounge next to someone that wants to shave their legs (yes that actually happened) and it becomes the "perfect storm". There are definitely some deciding factors that relate to ... read more

For every holiday there are a couple of things on a list that originally made you want to go to that particular place.... a new trail.... a new people or custom.... or in my case for this particular holiday, a new landscape. Something so far removed from my norm that it gets the imagination running. Something never before seen or experienced that it leaves you speechless, breathless and giddy with a the perceived freedom that comes with it. And it nearly didn't happen... When I arrived in Franz Joseph the clouds were rapped tightly around all the peaks making it almost appear like a misty plain. One of the main driving factors for me to visit New Zealand had been to get out on a glacier, preferably by helicopter (which I had also never been in), ... read more

Leaving Te Anau and Fiordland behind, I headed to the adventure capital of New Zealand, Queenstown. A ski resort village in the winter with The Remarkableson their doorstep, when the snow isn't falling there is still much to do. A tourist mecca, the town is set up to cater for everyone's needs. Lying on the banks of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountains, there isn't a water sport in the world which is not available to do here. From kayaking to steamer cruises, jet-boating the lake or the canyons, swimming, tubing or even diving, the list is endless. It is also renowned as the birth place of bungy jumping with the god father of the sport, A.J. Hackett, lending his name to the worldwide company that operates from here. You can even jump the Kawarau Bridge ... read more

Purakaunui Bay dawned and I woke to the sound of waves crashing on the shore. A quick check out the window told me the surf was up and some brave souls were out in full wetsuits.... and I mean full.... booties, hood and all. As the 3 of us settled in to breakfast, we had one of those moments.... you know the ones.... when something happens that just takes your breath away. While munching and talking about our route for the day, Mo suddenly exclaimed that there was something on the beach, and as the waves pounded and the surfers bobbed in the water, a sea lion pulled itself up above the water line to laze in the sun on the sand. Nature has a funny way of making you remember that you are just a ... read more