We arrived in Brisbane early this morning from Auckland. The three hour flight saw us take a 10 degree increase in temperature and during the day we have gradually wilted under the intensity of the sunshine. Brisbane is a rapidly developing city, with some beautiful old colonial architecture backed by the obligatory big city skyscrapers. Locally, it's called Bris-Vegas due to the casinos and 'Pokies' (Poker machines) which are abundant in town. The main...

After our adventures in Christchurch we headed to Hamilton, a town in the North Island, about an hour and a halfs drive from Auckland, to meet up with another old friend of Chris's. Ben and Sian were originally travelling like ourselves, but after 3 months on the road decided that they would settle in NZ, as old Blighty just didn't hold any attraction any longer. It was great being with people who knew the local area and we explored part of the east coast o...

Kaikoura is an exceptional place due to it's geography which means it is one of the premier places in the world for marine life. It is unusual in that along half a mile of the coast, the continental shelf drops away very quickly to a depth of half a mile which combined with the mixing of two currents (one warm and one cold), form perfect conditions for krill,which is the lifeblood of so much marine life, including whales, seals, sealions and many sea birds. ...

Continuing north along highway six, we spend a couple of days hugging the rugged coastline of the West Coast. Here there are long, wide sandy beaches and coves which are lashed by the Tasman sea, maed after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who was the first person to spot NZ in 1642. In amongst these coves and caves are seals and sealions and strange rock formations, including the Pancakes which are tall rocks like a plate of pancakes formed by the erosion of the T...

So we have now arrived in Christchurch after a wonderful and relaxing two weeks on the road around the South Island. Our main reason for coming to Christchurch is to enrol on a sailing course in the nearby Lyttelton Harbour. This harbour is where many British expeditions to the South Pole started from. One of the islands in the bay is where Scott of the Antarctic trained before his ill-fated expedition to the south pole. Christchurch still has a strong cone...