Wow, another week has gone by and it's time to update the blog. Time sure flies here. Honestly if Rob didn't have the time and date on his watch we probably wouldn't know what day it was and quite frankly many days it wouldn't matter. The odd day we have set times, and we meet them, but our schedule on this part of the trip has been quite flexible which is nice. After leaving the mountains of the South Island we had a short stop in the city of Christchurch. We wa...

Kia Ora - a Maori greeting from New Zealand. We arrived in Queenstown eight days ago and have primarily spent our time touring the southern part of the South Island and have enjoyed it immensely! While New Zealand is only a (relatively) short flight from Australia there is a 'world of difference' in terms of the pace of life and variation in landscape. Being the adaptable pair that we are we have adjusted quite nicely to the lifestyle and scenery. If you are a Lo...

Happy New Year everyone! The Christmas season has gone very well for us here in Australia. Given the hospitality of Jenny, a long time family friend, and members of her family we have been very well fed and entertained over the holiday period. Christmas day was spent with the Eckman family at their home overlooking Lake Macquarie - a gorgeous setting. There were several children present so that added to the fun. On Boxing Day we headed to another nieces of Jenny'...

It's only a few days until Christmas. Given that we don't have the "usual rush" of shopping, baking, etc., plus the fact that its warmer than we are accustomed to, make it harder for us to get fully into "the spirit". However that isn't from lack of trying on the part of Australians. They love Christmas and there are many decorations and wonderful Christmas light displays. We've added a few photos to a Christmas album so have a look. We'll update it with more as ...

As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "into each life a little rain must fall", and as luck would have it, (good or bad?) we experienced Uluru like no other European!! They have had more rain at Ayers Rock this season than any time in recorded (European) history! We arrived under clear sky's but by evening the rains had set in. There was about 20% more ground cover than usual and it was greener than the sandy color you see in all the photos. In spite of (or because ...