Arrived in Cairns from Alice Springs on 9th Jan to the cooler temperatures of 30 degrees. Quickly realised it is the rainy season here, torrential downpours every day, but still mixed in with sun! We are staying in a lovely hostel and have met some really nice people. We spent a day on Fitzroy Island, snorkelling and walking in the rainforest. It is stinger season here so we were clad in glamorous stinger suits which are really a full body pair of tights! W...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Hope everyone has a great 2006! Driving from Brisbane to Sydney in our lovely rented car (imaginativly named Sheila) didn't take as long as planned. Guess there is a limit to how many sun drenched, golden sandy beaches with lots of tanned people you can see in one week, sorry everyone! So we had a stop off in the Blue Mountains, so named for the blue mist that comes off the Eucalyptus trees and hangs above the mountains - actually smells ...

Well we've been pretty busy since we landed in Oz! We've been staying with our Aussie friends Neil and Bec and their family who were kind enough to have us for Christmas too and what a scorcher it was! So hot that we caved and stayed in the nice air conditioning - not often that you are wishing it was colder on Christmas day! Santa even managed to find us all the way over here and we had a great time! During the rest of our time we have made it up the coa...

Arrived safely in Brisbane on Friday, what a change in temperature!

Have just finished a busy tour of the South Island encompassing wine tours, a full day glacier walking which was hard work and our poor wee legs sufferred for a few days after! Spent some time in Queenstown where we went on the shotover jet and Max went on a stunt plane!! Visited the Milford Sound where it was raining however, this made the waterfalls more spectacular. Have spent the last week in Christchurch meeting up with Yvonne and Ben, Ali and Julie and A...