Simon's first set of dispatches:
After an epic couple of days flying we realised that on top of losing the in-car charger we'd also managed to lose a day?!? I think this now makes me technically a day younger than everyone else who hasn't crossed the dateline so Leo and Claire Brittain watch out I'm gaining on you!
Queenstown was gloriously hot and sunny. After we'd checked into the teenage mega-city that is the nomads hostel, we headed up the skyline gondola to begin our month of adrenal gland milking with the luge. Depending on which of us you ask we'd either reply that it was "terrifying" or "quite tame". So one of us is going to have an interesting month!
The nomads hostel runs pub crawls every evening. After dinner the staff hunt around press-ganging impressionable young things into paying $10 to join in. Just to add to our sense of alienation the staff gave us a wide berth... no matter where I sat! Guess that means we don't look impressionable?
Queenstown is definitely the adventure capital of the world. Where else does lounging on the beach get crashed (not literally) by 7 para gliders landing all around you?