LA was spread out (you couldn't walk anywhere) scruffy and full of dirty/crazy tramps (that seem to like talking to Laura). But we had fun. Our first hurdle was getting from the airport to the hostel as neither of us had the address on us! We knew it was in Hollywood and we caught a cab with a really nice cab driver who charged us a lot less than the fare and found the Hostel purely by fluke. Our hostel was just off Hollywood Blvd so we were in within walking ...

Back in Raro we MET PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE ON THE NEW SERIES OF SHIPWRECKED!!!!! Kate is so incredibly excited, its pretty sad, but it is her claim to fame. They are staying one by one where we are, and we aren't meant to be talking to them or telling anybody that they are staying there. BUT WHO CARES? SPREAD THE WORD! Today a girl left (Lara) for Atuitaki and tonight a guy is coming. We are making the most of the tourism industry and going cafe hopping a...

Atui is a beautiful island untouched almost by tourism and modern day life and we spent a wonderfully relaxing 10 days there recovering from our non-stop NZ adventures. We stayed in a bungalow type lodge with our own bathroom, kitchen, lounge and 2 varandas to boot, fully self-contained in a secluded place surrounded by lush gardens and for the most part were the only poeple staying in the whole place. It was luxury for us and came at a price of just 60 bucks a...

So we arrived in Rarotonga with the beautiful music of an old man playing an eucalaly (don't know how you spell it but a small guitar) resounding in our ears. The guy has an OBE because he has greeted every flight into the Cook Islands for the past 20 yrs and most of them arrive at 3 in the morning like ours. The security guy let us through customs with bags of food (which we declared) despite big signs everywhere saying "Keep out pests no food allowed to be...

The Catlans is a real contrast to Milford Sound, it reminded us a lot of Kent but with more sheep and strange natural wonders. We spent a day touring the Catlans and had a great time going off down dirt tracks and finding our way blocked off by hundreds off sheep and wading through peoples farms of mud to go and see a blowhole a few hundred metres inland. Kate had bought some wellies in the north island at the supermarket much to laura's incredulance but boy did ...