6th Jan We left Christchurch two days ago and headed into the mountains. It feels like we have been on the road and travelling for quite a long time now and we were anxious to get into the National parks and explore the New Zealand we had read so much about. We were not disappointed and the drive to Lake Tekapo, our caampsite for the next two nights was stunning. The mountains just seem to draw you in and I can really understand why NZ was chosen for so many of...

In Christchurch at a camprground in the city. It's a bit noisy from the traffic but very central - we'll stay here a couple of nights and then move on. The Ferry crossing was smooth which Michele was particularly pleased about as she's not a great fan of Ferry rides after a few bumpy cross channel efforts. The final part of the Ferry crossing through the Marlborough straits was spectacular with tall hills either side of a narrow channel (see pictures). The jo...

Since the first day of arriving in Auckland we have been quite busy, doing both site seeing and preparing to go off on the camping trip to the south Island. We are staying with Nikki and Bruce and their two children Beth and Jonny. Michele worked with Nikki in a school in North london in the early nineties and have remained great friends ever since. For new year we went to some friends of Nikki and Bruce's and joined in with their celebrations, seeing the new y...

We're now all safely arrived in New Zealand! We left Hong Kong, on the evening of 28th Dec, and flew overnight to Sydney, where we stayed for 3 hours before flying onto Auckland! We have been amazed at how well the kids are managing with the travel and upset to their body clocks and so on. Obviously we have had a couple of moments where things have been tricky, but on the whole - fab!! We collected our vehicle of choice - our Mazda bongo at the airport, which...

Last day in Hong Kong and we've spent it in the markets and shops around Nathan Road. I'm writing this in the airport which has complete wireless and is very swish - so much space and again, very efficient. We made a few purchases and did some hard bartering with the stall holders. One of the most recently uploaded shots sees Rosie turning her nose up at some sweets. This was basically a pick and mix shop with the normal mix of traditional sweets and then a lo...