Hi all!

We've been away from internet access for a while so here's a quick update on our latest adventures.

We went from Te Anau to Queenstown but it was hot and crowded there so just had a go up the gondola and visited the kiwi house (saw live kiwis being fed!) and then headed to Arrowtown (gold mining town, where we went round the Chinese mining settlement and museum, where the oldest things are Victorian!) and Wanaka, before heading for Franz Josef Glacier.

So yesterday, Monday, we went on a half day trip walking/climbing on the glacier with the guide cutting steps into the ice as we went! It was AMAZING, somewhat scary in places, going through narrow crevices and open spaces with holes and pools of ice water. Coming down was pretty hard, but we all decided it was the most unusual place we've ever had lunch! Bri - I don't think you've ever climbed on ice with crampons on have you?!!

We've now got problems with the van - that have become terminal! VERY noisy gear box with only 4th gear anything like usable! So we've limped to Hokitika, to meet a man with a new van from the rental company, who is going to stay with ours until it's fixed and take himself back to Christchurch in it, allowing us to carry on our journey. It'll be interesting to see what the 'new' van turns out to be like. We don't relish the prospect of moving all our stuff over, especially so near the end of the holiday, and we've grown to love 'Jimmy' (our old Nail!), but at least we'll be able to move on.

The idea is to head to Christchurch, via Arthur's Pass, and visit Banks Peninsula before we leave on Friday.

Angie, sorry, we won't be heading your way again, I emailed you a few days ago!

Rob, hope you're able to get the house warm for us, following dad's call this morning.

Weather's still great by the way! I hear Leamington had more snow yesterday.

More soon, love Mum/Mary xxx