15 December - Stopped at Riverton on the way to Te Anau, the weather had improved dramatically and we were back in T shirts. Riverton was quiet but had a beautiful shallow beach, we were thinking of staying because it was that nice. Fortunately, we decided to move on to Te Anau, the journey took about 1 1/2 hours and I did not overtake another vehicle or see one in the rear view mirror. We pitched the tent in record time and decided to go for a walk into town to ...

12/13 December - On a bright and sunny day we decided to move on to the The Catlins which is a forested region right down south. We didn't realise it was a rainforest and it didn't stop raining from the time we arrived to the time we left! Camping was not fun but we were dry and reasonably warm but Chris resorted to wearing her hat in bed as she was cold. The scenery was great but the wind blew and blew........ It didn't stop us getting out, we just donned our...

5 December - Went to Akoroa to swim with Hectors Dolphins which are the smallest and rarest in the world and native to New Zealand. On arrival we were kitted out with wet suits, boots, masks and snorkels and set off on the boat out to sea. After about 15 mins the dolphins were spotted and once the crew had established they were not feeding or didn't have any young we were allowed into the water with them. It was a fantastic experience as they are very inquisitive...

Sunday 2 December: Been in Christchurch for 5 days - have been finding our feet. Have been doing a lot of shopping in preparation for our impending adventure! Purchased tent, sleeping bags, table, chairs, cooker, airbed, pots and pans etc!! Still looking for a kitchen sink! We've yet to explore Christchurch properly so will update photos soon. The weather has been fine up to now - although today has been a bit overcast and windy. Watched the Christmas Parade in C...

Have been across to HK island and took a couple of tram rides - you can ride from one end of the island to the other for 15p! Quite an experience watching the world go by with lots of chinese people getting on and off (you have to get on at the back and fight your way to the front to get off)!!! We were lucky and got the premier seats on the top deck at the front. Tried a local restaurant for a chinese meal (looks OK at night but a bit grim during the day). Howev...