Ok, so I'm really in Wellington (New Zealand) as I write this, but let's pretend I'm not. Actually it doesn't matter where I am but more when: this all happened about 3 weeks ago... The bus did get to Cape Trib and it did get me out, though it might as well have been a boat as torrential rain continued and the roads were literally like rivers. My SLR was still out of action following yesterday's liberal dousing, so my old point-and-shoot took up the challenge. ...

Rain, rain, rain. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it's the wet season, and guess what? No irony here; it's wet. There was some irony yesterday, however, when it stopped raining long enough for me to take a shower in the morning. How convenient. So, I'm in Cape Tribulation. It has been tsing solidly for the past 36 hours, during which time we've had about four times as much rain as London gets in one month. Not to be deterred,...

I now have a definite answer to the question "where is the most exotic place you have thrown up?". That would now be without doubt the Great Barrier Reef. Twice. I thought I didn't get seasick. Evidently I do, and without blaming anyone, it's all my mum's fault. Those pesky genes again... So I'm avoiding eating anything until I'm safely back on dry land. Or wet land (this is Cairns). I have been on a boat out at the Reef all day, and the trip out this morning wa...

What's the maximum category a cyclone can be? I'm pretty sure it's five, which is what we're facing today. I have flown into the biggest cyclone ever to have hit Queensland. It's 8am and I've already been evacuated from a seemingly sturdy hostel that has easily dealt with a category four cyclone to a school hall that looks like it'd struggle with a light breeze. It has a tin foil and corrugated iron roof and it is slowly filling with people after the university w...