Last Thursday didn't see the wineries get a bashing after all - the sun came out so we decided to take the famous Queen Charlotte Drive (scenic) and were not disappointed. Every bend gave a new view of mountains running down to the sounds and we've just chosen a few shots for the album, they go on and on! Richard has broken the 1,000 barrier for photos taken so far, 3,000 by the time we get back at this rate - but NO ONE has to see them all! At the end of the d...

Now it gets serious! We left Wanaka (a beautiful town in which we'd happily put down roots) on Saturday morning but, after climbing over the Haast Pass, the weather changed to normal West Coast weather, rain and wind! The photos are pretty accurate! Called in at the Fox Glacier but only stopped to say "hello" (in the cloud and rain) before moving on to Franz Josef Glacier, where we stopped for a nice meal and to book a helicopter flight for Sunday morning. N...

The last postcard referred to photos that we were unable to upload due to a poor internet link. Today we've made another attempt, hopefully more successful! Yesterday we duly rode on the "Shotover Jet" (see photo, which is actually a photo of a photo!). Check their website out for more details of the thrilling ride we had in the hands of a very experienced pilot. Unfortunately it was raining which added to the blasting our faces got - at least we felt well an...

On Easter Monday we travelled through The Catlins, a scenic reserve which was mainly a mixture of Devon and the Yorkshire Dales type country, not stunning enough to take photos except of Nugget Point and from Bluff lookout; Bluff is a singularly uninspiring place given its prominence as the last town before you fall off the end of New Zealand! Invercargill calls itself a city but was very "Hill-Billyish". Luckily "Waxy O'Shea's" was a more than average Irish Ba...

Now back in Dunedin with Gary and Gail Williams, parked on their drive on the edge of Dunedin. We've made a train trip up the famous Taieri Gorge Railway and been onto the Taiaroa Head to see the Royal Albatross We arrived here on Wednesday and were booked onto the afternoon train up the Taieri Gorge (a "must do") - Richard even got a footplate ride (see photos). Then, Thursday, Gary took us to Taiaroa Head, on the Otago Peninsula, where we visited the only mai...