Tues (17:00) - Back in Auckland. Now have 6 hours to kill at the airport until our flight to Los Angeles. The decorations in the Departures Area are the first signs of Christmas that we've seen. Bet they're everywhere at home. Definitely warmer in Auckland than it has been further south. A couple of people have mentioned that the weather has been unseasonably cool in the South Island, although it hasn't really mattered. Apparently the best weather is genera...

It's going to be a long Tuesday! We've spent the morning in Christchurch prior to flying to Auckland and then to the USA. The City Centre was devastated by the earthquake but they've already started to rebuild. The (Re:START) shopping centre has been partially reconstructed using old shipping containers (see photo).

Not a huge amount of things left to do in Christchurch (apart from looking at damage to the buildings), so we headed off today to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula, to see some of the scenery and wildlife. The area was formed following the eruption of three volcanoes. Nice two hour trip around the bay during which we saw a rock blowhole, seals and a few miniature dolphins (the Hector's dolphin only grows to 1.4 m in length). We've just had fish and chips on the harb...

Another day of great scenery on our drive north on Route 8 towards Christchurch, via Twizel, Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. The overnight snowfall on the mountain tips made the views particularly spectacular. Also stopped at Rakaia Gorge for a 45 min blast on a jet boat, complete with 5 mins of hailstones. Great fun (see video)! Now in Christchurch, staying in our very compact and functional apartment. Surprised at how much damage from last year's earthquake i...

Visited "Puzzling World" today. Fantastic place - hundreds of illusions and odd things like the tilting house (as picture). Followed that up with a trip to the cinema. Unfortunately someone had nicked our settee but it was a good quirky film - 'Safety Not Guaranteed'. Ordered our food before the film started and it was ready and waiting for us at the interval. On our way back to Christchurch tomorrow which will be our last stop in NZ. Wanaka has been one of our...