Reports from a variety of sources along the way meant that we were expecting something pretty special from NZ's South Island. On crossing the Cook Strait and into Queen Charlotte Sound passing impossibly pretty bays and inlets as the ferry headed towards Picton, we began to feel that we would not be disappointed. That was almost 5 weeks ago, and if anything, our experiences of this part of the world have surpassed expectations. The South Island is more rugged than the North and bisected by the incredible Southern Alps. It is similar in size to England, but having only about 2% of its population makes it feel 'wilderness like' in many places. An enormous part of the South Island is National Park and we have made every effort to get off the well worn roads that ferry the coach loads of Japanese tourists around on their whistle stop tours of the island. We have hiked (a lot), mountain biked, horse trekked, sea kayaked, 'flying foxed' and even white water river sledged our way across, through or over the incredible landscapes. We have been repeatedly overwhelmed by the sheer scale and beauty of this corner of the world. The photographs dont quite capture the magnificance of the place, but will have to do I'm afraid. If we have one highlight of our time on the South Island, it has to be our time at Kaikoura, an eco tourism area on the east coast of the South Island, which we visited to swim with dolphins in the wild. These tours came highly recommended, and with the NZ government restricting access, we had to wait around a few days. Whilst doing so, we mooched around a natural seal colony and swam with the furry (and rather smelly) beasts. The colony was incredible, and whilst you could get close enough to observe, they soon put anyone who came a bit too close in their place (as I found out!). The 'swim with seals' trip was falsely advertised though in so much as it was swim around the rocks whilst they bask in the midday sun occaisionally glancing at us, probably wondering what the hell we were doing in the freezing cold ocean. Still, a couple did swim close, and it was great to see them up in their natural habitat. As a result of the lack of interaction with the seals, Lisa decided to observe rather than swim with the dolphins a couple of days later. Whilst I sat on the boat felling decidedly uncomfortable in my wetsuit, I felt that she might have the right idea, especially when we were told that there were Orca (killer) whales in the area that may have frightened the dolphins away. I forgot my discomfort for a while as we came across two Orcas and watched in awe as they swam around the boat for a few minutes before scooting off. Pretty amazing stuff. We did get to see some dolphins though - only about 300 of them that had sought safety in numbers from the Orcas. I jumped off the boat and was amazed as scores of the things swam beneath and around me. It wasnt like Flipper though, so none of them stopped and held out a fin, but a good number took an interest, swimming close, eyeballing me as they swam in a half circle around me before swimming on. The process of the boat driving ahead of the pod and then allowing the swimmers to jump in was repeated a few times. By the third or fourth occaision, Lisa had become incredibly frustrated watching all this from the boat and was keen to go in. Unfortunately there were no spare wetsuits on the boat to protect against the bitterly cold water. Not to worry, she stripped to her underwear, put on a mask and snorkel and jumped in. It was like being at Primary School again where forgetting your kit was no excuse. She soon realised why we all had thick wetsuits on and hastily retreated to the boat, not before having a few dolphins swim beneath her. At the end, as if to top it all off, they swam, jumped and spun around the boat as it headed back to port. A truly incredible experience. Having bid farewell to the campervan - our home for the past 5 weeks and 3,500 miles (almost trouble free were it not for me ignoring an enormous sign that read ' Campervans beware - low overhang'. Doh!) we have spent a few days in Christchurch. The place is supposedly the most English city outside of England. Nothing like cities I know well such as Leeds, Manchester or Birmingham, but perhaps Oxford or Cambridge. I have yet to see a croquet lawn in Manchester. Pleasant as it is, it is far too dull, so we are ready for the bright lights of Sydney, which is where we fly to tomorrow (30th November). Enjoy the piccies. S