Hi everyone

In the Blue mountains nr Kootomba.Fantastic hotel with fabulous view but large thunder storm overhead so can't see anything at all!! We left Sydney on Wenesday morning and with some trepidation managed to find our way out of the city down towards Newcastle. The hire company have given us a Prius very green and smart but tricky to start and stop and it grinds a bit up hills. In heavy traffic however it glides soundlessly and burns no fuel so quite an experience.

We found our way down towards to Port Stephens and stopped off to see koalas. No luck but did see a kookaburra sitting on atree and posing for the camera. We found the Anchorage resort and a really lovely river side hotel. We were entertained by the local High School year 10s who arrived to take photos before their end of term dance. It was like something out of Muriel's wedding!

We then had a delicious meal and some very nice local wine. We contacted Pete Dahlhoff's cousin Pat and arranged to meet her the following day. This proved to be great idea she took us round Newcastle and pointed out all the sights, introduced us to Morpeth a small town with lots of bijou shops and then took us back to her house . We admired her pool and garden and then she kindly showed us the way up the Hunter Valley to our over night hotel.

The storm that has been chasing us all day today arrived in the night and we had a very wet ride through the mountains a bit like Wales in the rain but with gum trees. We did stop in one heritage town Windsor to admire the listed buildings and have lunch.

Tomorrow we head back to Sydney for our last night and hopefully some sunshine before flying out to Auckland on Sunday.

Love Rosemary