Sorry it's been a while since we updated but it's been christmas and we've been kept busy. Back tracking slightly....... Em, Ju and Katie headed for Fiji leaving me in NZ to meet m,y Dad, bro and Ellen. The girls had a fantasic time it was soooooo hot, so they spent their time lying on stunning beaches, swimming in crystal clear water, drinking the local Cava and making lots of new crazy american friends. They got to see 3 islands and stayed on a boat. They did s...

Tomorrow Katie, Emily and Julie are leaving New Zealand and flying to Fiji. No, we haven't ditched Alyson and done a runner, she is going to stay in NZ with her dad, who has recently flown out, as well as her bro Dave and Ellen. Daddy Barker and us girls have spent some time admiring the architecture of Auckland and broadening our minds in the Art Gallery. Daddy Barker has been hopeful that we have found ourselves and are raring to go get jobs when we get home, a...

Julie, Emily & Alyson did an all day glacier climb up Franz Josef which was beautiful, but hard work and bloody cold! Everyone got to wear very fashionable footwear and clothing, but the crampons were much appreciated (it's all about the passion not the fashion) when clambering over the sheer ice faces and through caves. Luckily, nobody got lost or fell down a cravass. Katie on the other hand decdied to see the glacier in style, via a helicopter so all the hard w...

Having left Dunedin, we ventured down the coast to Invercargill which we found to be very industrial and not particularly interesting so we headed on for Te Anau and Milford Sound. From Te Anau we went on two trips, one to Doubtful Sound and one to Milford Sound. They were both really beautiful and we saw dolphins, penguins, and about a million seals. After a few days in Te Anau, we headed for Queenstown - Adventure Capital! It's a wicked little town with loads...

Been in New Zealand a week and three days now. We flew into Chrsitchurch, which was pretty and quite English. We had a little ride in a punt down the river with tartan blankets over our legs, old before our time! More exciting was our adventure white water rafting on the Rangitata River, where the city of Rohan is filmed in Lord of the Rings don't you know. We braved the Grade 5 rapids and managed to stay in the boat the whole time, yay! We were also invited to j...