Tom: Hi all! So we've achieved a lot in a very short space of time - although we've barely even scratched the surface of the South Island (Middle Earth). Yesterday we went to the Nelson Lakes, these New Zealanders can't possibly know how lucky they are to have these views on their doorstep. Mountains, pine forests and incredible wildlife that even Scotland can barely match. It was awesome. Quite sad to say goodbye to Jospeh Hassan's family (to fill in those who ...

Nil: Hey all! We're in Nelson now, staying with Joseph, Cushla, Tom, Matt, Patrick and Bridgette Hassan. Today the family took us out to the spectacular Abel Tasman National Park. We went bush walking and then stopped off by the sea for lunch. The views are so sweeeet, it would be criminal to try and describe them as I wouldn't do them justice. But to give you an impression it encompasses all my favourite things: mountains, seaside and forest- you can't get...

Nil: Sorry for the lack of blogs! We've been having technical issues with the camera and internet. So, we're now in Kerikeri staying with Tom's relatives. It's been an amazing pilgrimmage of the Hassan and Barnes clans! So far we've visited Anna & Giles who have a beautiful baby boy. They showed us amazing beaches around Auckland, took us eel watching in their gardens, and we were introduced to their horses! Then we met Peter Hassan who took us to see ...

Nil: Hey all! We're in New Zealand now, just arrived today after a very painless flight. Tom's relative, Anna and her little son Kori were kindly there to greet us at the airport, which was really appreciated. We only had one hitch when trying to pass through customs when we arrived into Auckland. The Customs Official asked Tom to go to one side so they could have a little chat with him before they'd let him into their country! A few nervous minutes went by...

Tom: Hi all. I'm flying solo with this blog, so sorry about that. Just thought I'd say a few words about this vibrant, exciting, frankly awesome city that is Sydney. Here goes: Take a relatively small British city that can be scaled North to South/East to West on foot in 4-5 hours, say Newcastle or Cardiff - or possibly even Glasgow. Then add strong elements of London, such as small, overcrowded, but strangely cosy bars, and rather cool markets with a global in...