Hello from a rather wet Wanaka, which is currently doing its best to remind us of an English Summer! Typically, it's apparently been a weird summer this year with a lot of wind and cold autumnal nights & mornings that can take a while to warm up. And just as the locals have been insisting that with all this unsettled weather we're due a long hot spell, we've had a 4-day downpour off the back of the storm that has been causing floods over Australia. Please come back our lovely hot sun! But I am happy to report that our trusty old Buttercup has a new home now, safe from the septic tank, and when not pouring with rain, we can sit outside on our picnic table with a beautiful view of trees and mountains (pics on the Wanaka album). The move was quite hysterical: Winston and his youngest son Jacob came to find us one busy morning to ask us to secure our stuff inside Buttercup prior to her moving, so we downed cleaning rags and hurried over, before frantically doing our best to secure our stuff as Winston & Jacob were taking her off her blocks. So there we were, tipping from side to side, bouncing up & down, and trying to find a safe place for everything, in fits of laughter, as she was already moving! Then we watched with a mix of horror and amusement as she was attached to a quad bike and pushed up banks, into walls, and through a narrow passageway until she reached her new home, surprisingly still in one piece, with the contents of the fridge rolling around the floor! But we're much happier - thanks guys, we appreciate it.

Once our visas had been approved and we knew that we were staying for a little longer we went on a bit of a busman's holiday, bringing over a variety of cleaning products and we gave her a proper clean inside & out until she sparkled like a new caravan - well almost! She is still feeling her age in all this wet weather though, as the odd bit of water has been finding its way in, with little puddles forming under certain windows. But that's not the nastiest thing we've found inside, oh no, that honour goes to my old nemesis the white-tailed spider! You see, there was I, all smug after clearing the cobwebs off the outside of Buttercup and none being rebuilt, thinking that I'd won that particular battle, but I was forgetting that the white-tail, who doesn't spin webs, feeds off those spiders that do. I also forgot that they like to hide in clothes. So, I got back from work on Friday, picked up my brown cords from where I'd thrown them last night and out jumps a rather large white-tail, slightly indignant at being awoken. Luckily for me I still had my boots on. Then I sat there not terribly pleased at that little episode when her boyfriend popped in for the funeral, so he too felt the full force of my size 5's. Yes, I know that sounds mean, but their bites are supposed to be very painful and cause pus-filled blisters. Anyway, I'm hoping that Mr & Mrs have eaten all other spiders in Buttercup, but haven't yet had babies, but I have to say that I didn't sleep especially well that night, what with the rain drumming on the roof and the thought of what had been nestling in my trousers!

Anyway, as mentioned a couple of times now, Su and I have both had our visas extended and we are delighted about this and have already finalised plans for our final months here and our 2-month journey home via Southeast Asia. I really can't believe that we've almost been here a year. But for the whole extension process to run smoothly just wouldn't be in keeping with the nature of our trip, as we do like the odd drama, so Immigration and Courier Post have obliged by 'misplacing' Su's passport! Courier Post insist that it hasn't left the Immigration NZ office yet, and Immigration have the receipt to say that it's been collected by Courier Post, so poor Su can only sit back and wait while an inquiry into its whereabouts is conducted. We'll keep you posted...

And finally, as you can see from the new photo album that has popped up, we've just taken our trip to Milford Sound, courtesy of the lovely folk at IEP and Kiwi Experience. And we chose our day wisely - the sun shone warmly for us. Once again our position here at Wanaka Top 10 helped with our accommodation as our counterparts in Queenstown gave us a hefty discount for our 2-night stay, plus upon arrival an Aussie bloke travelling with his daughter gave us some rather fabulous folding chairs that he had found at the side of the road. So we got off to a good start. We were slightly nervous prior to this trip at having to go with Kiwi Experience as this is mostly aimed at the younger travellers, intent on getting pissed and partying all night, and this feeling was confirmed as a birthday was announced on the coach that, had I been a naughty teenager I could, at a push, have been the mother of - scary thought! But we were not the oldest folk on board, no some unscrupulous person had sold tickets to the Milford Explorer to an elderly English couple in their 70's, who sat there, holding hands, listening to rock music, penis jokes and watching the driver weave all over the road in an attempt to make the kiddies laugh, the poor couple. As for the driver, Mr Mangee, he was the chief joke-teller and entertainer, though I have to say he did grow on us during the day, as we know how difficult it is to tell the same jokes over and over again, while all the time keeping a sunny disposition - especially over a 12-hour day and over 600 kilometres! Yes, the journey was long, broken up by toilet stops (including one at a place actually called Knob's Flat, where we were encouraged to 'squeeze one out' as it was a long trek to the next stop!) and photo stops where we joined the throngs of people from the numerous other coaches heading the same way, and stood in line to queue for the best shot.

But despite all that the drive was spectacular as we passed through valleys gouged from ancient glaciers and tall mountains covered with trees, all clamouring over each other to get the most sunlight. You could see where tree avalanches had occurred as when one tree falls it can take down the whole mountainside as their roots are so entwined, and it is a highly dangerous road during the winter as snow avalanches occur frequently, and all vehicles are legally required to carry chains for their tyres. You also have to pass through the Homer Tunnel, which is over 1 kilometre long, a one-way road with a 1 in 10 gradient and traffic lights during daylight hours only! We drove in to the sounds of 'tunnel music', the soundtrack to Mission Impossible while Mangee weaved from side-to-side into the blackness...

Milford Sound itself was magnificent, the only fiord in the world that you can drive to, hence the numerous coaches that travel there every day. We were shunted onto the Pride of Milford boat where we quickly ate our free buffet and headed upstairs to stand outside, breathe in the fresh sea air, and watch as the huge mountains fall sharply into the fiord, the highest and most famous being Mitre Peak. The cruise took us along the fiord until we reached the open sea, the Tasman Sea, and then we turned back and returned past fur seals and waterfalls - the fiord is apparently even more spectacular on a rainy day as waterfalls spring up everywhere. After nosing the boat under a waterfall so we all felt the spray (said to take 10 years off your life!) we were dropped off at the Milford Deep Observatory where we watched the fish swim around the rare coral, before being picked up by the Spirit of Milford boat and returned to Mangee and our coach. And after the long drive home, we arrived back to Queenstown to the strains of Mangee's 2 favourite songs: 'The Wheels on the Bus' and 'If You're Happy & You Know It..' to which he joined in with all the actions, including hooting, opening doors and stamping feet (on the brakes!) as we drove along! While we wouldn't choose to join this sort of tour again, especially when aimed at a young party crowd, we did really enjoy our day and extend our warmest thanks to IEP for arranging it for us. It also ended on a lovely note as we arrived back to our second home for a chat with the Aussie pair who had been jet boating and bungy jumping all day, then a lovely conversation with 2 American guys, Steve & Stephen, who are over on a fishing trip and who were really interesting to chat with - we hope that you found your little hut in the wop-wops and caught some whoppers!

Anyway, that's enough for now, we have a good week ahead where the sun is due to come out again, I'm getting a long-overdue haircut, we're going to dinner at Deborah's, a friend from work, and we're planning a return trip to Cinema Paradiso, a cute cinema in Wanaka where you can recline in comfy sofas, or a Morris Minor, with a glass of wine, before hot cookies are served at the interval - yummy!

Finally, finally, February has been a bit of a birthday month, so Ross, hope you had a wonderful 50th birthday on 3rd Feb, and happy birthdays also to Tig, Laura and Helen - hope you all have wonderful days!

With all our love, Jo & Su, xxx