We had a cracker night's sleep - the bed was wonderfully comfortable - and got up early for a delicious breakfast. We love the way that that they serve fresh fruit for breakfast; gorgeous. Having said that, Iain discovered that there were mini packs of Marmite, which I love, so I duly spread some on my toast. I thought that the texture was a little different that our Marmite but didn't let it put me off. Unfortunately. I think it must be one of the most disgustin...

Sydney to Christchurch 6 am came far too quickly! Mike and Rose were checking out later in the morning as their flight to Singapore wasn't until later in the afternoon, but they said they'd be up to say goodbye to us, which we thought was pretty nice of them; very much appreciated! And it was really hard to say goodbye to them, even though they should be home in about two months' time. It was fabulous to spend time with them and we really enjoyed their company - ...

(St Patrick's Day!) Another glorious day with gorgeous sunshine and a cloudless sky. The had day started rather ingloriously, however, when Tom informed us via Skype that we'd left some Travellers Cheques in the hotel safe in Dubai! After half an hour on the phone, we headed for the American Express Exchange [and another half hour to fill out a form with all the information we'd already given over the phone] for replacement cheques. Luckily, the American Ex...

Had a brilliant night's sleep - thank goodness! When I woke up I thought it was after the more usual three hours I've been having, but Iain informed me that I'd been sleeping for nine hours! I don't think I moved all night; excellent. The internet in the apartment is so expensive - especially compared with Melbourne - but we decided to have it as the management reduced our rent because the air conditioning unit is broken and the rebate will go a long way tow...

Melbourne / Sydney While we were waiting for the taxi to take us to the airport the heavens opened and it absolutely poured! The storms forecast for yesterday obviously arrived a day late. When we got to the airport we discovered that our flight to Sydney had been cancelled and we couldn't get another flight until 3.15pm, so we're putting in time at the moment. Rose and Mike are playing cards and Iain is deep in his book - almost at the end, so he can't put it...