On the morning of the 29/1/13 we loaded up the Nissan and got back on the road, we were headed for Mount Cook but were making a stopover at Lake Tekapo. The trip was like judging a Postcard competition, every turn provided more beautiful scenery than the one before. Our accommodation at the lakeside was in the form of a cabin that overlooked the unfeasibly turquoise waters nestled in a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. The cabin itself contained not only a do...

Christchurch was a sad town to walk around, repairs from the earthquake are still progressing but many buildings and areas are still in ruins and fenced off. The Cathedral and the square surrounding it were restricted but one could tell that it was once a beautiful building but now like much of the town a victim of the devastation. There is a new shopping area called "Fresh Start" which is essentially constructed from ocean containers, painted brightly and housi...

Strong cross winds and aeroplanes are not a good combination for nervous flyers and so it was on the Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Christchurch on the night of the 24/1/13. Two hours into our flight, the plane started to shake violently upsetting the coolest of travellers, the flight attendants looked visibly tense. Heather, sensing the tension aboard took command of the situation and said loudly "we are going to die". The flight attendant release...

We hadn't seen Kevin and Michelle for nearly two years and Aoife was just ten months old when they emigrated, so it was an exciting moment when we arrived at their house in Minyama. We were met at the door by Aoife, who without a trace of shyness welcomed us and went to fetch Kevin - It was immediately like arriving home and it felt like we had never been apart. Kevin and Michelle had settled comfortably into the Australian lifestyle with a great house complete ...

Friends gone, we left Sydney in our hire car heading north up the east coast for four days. On the first day we noticed smoke to our left, then a bit later smoke to our right - vaguely concerning. When Heather saw flames ahead of us and a number of vehicles making rapid u-turns our concern level increased and after weighing the options, Heather suggested that we turn around before we die in a sea of flames. We took an 80 kilometre detour before arriving in Forst...