After many weeks in wild and wonderful places, we were back to civilisation in the form of the cities of Dunedin and Christchurch.

These places, more than any so far have felt a lot like home - lots of old-looking churches, university buildings and guesthouses. Both felt quite crowded with their populations of 200, 000 and 400, 000 respectively - how did we ever cope in Tokyo? Too many people and not enough penguins.

Dunedin is a good place for exploring the Otago Peninsula, where Albatrosses soar by day and tiny Blue Penguins shuffle by night. So that's exactly what we did. We went late in the day and subsequently had a really good tour of the Albatross Centre. Only 2 other people on the tour meant extra time at the observatory, which gave us fantastic views of the sea and these massive birds in flight. A few hours later as it got dark, we were shivering on the beach awaiting Blue Penguins to pluck up the courage to come ashore. When it's dark enough, they arrive in large groups, creating a 'Penguin Raft' which is as funny as it sounds. Unfortunately it was really dark by that time so we had to rely on moonlight and a Department of Conservation Warden's flashlight to see the 25cm high pingus waddling ashore - it was worth the wait. They were exceptionally cute and some came within a metre or so of Rob and I. As we walked back up the path to the car, penguins were hopping alongside us in the dark, on the way home to their nests. We happened to shine a light to our left and saw two fluffy chicks meeting their parent at the nest entrance.

With a quick stop at the mysterious round boulders at Moeraki on the way, we were in Christchurch. We spent a while wandering around and getting our affairs for South America in order, as well as catching up with our new old friend Michele, whom we met at the Catlins Beach House. I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of Rob and Michele's two night cook-off and can happily announce that they both won - Carbonara cooked by an Italian - how lucky were we?! We also went to The Antarctic Centre together, a big attraction in Christchurch, and with good reason. There's loads of information on the research that goes on there, with amazing film footage and documentaries, as well as a chance to have a ride on a 'Haggland', a specially created Antarctic vehicle that can drive on pretty much any terrain. We also experienced an Antarctic storm at -18 degrees C with a freezing cold wind (see pictures for Rob merrily sliding down an ice slide at -8). Blue Penguins with various ailments (and varying degrees of scruffiness!), who would otherwise not have survived in the wild, have been rounded up on a rescue mission and can be seen at the centre as well - it was good to see them by day, if a little worse for wear!

Saying goodbye to Michele, we've headed back to Auckland for one last night before we fly to South America tomorrow. This will probably be one of the hardest countries for us to leave behind as it has been so fantastic - the things we have seen and done here have overall surpassed our other adventures so far.

Noteable highlights have been: Tongariro Crossing, Milford and Doubtful Sounds, Stewart Island, Taupo Skydive and growing a beard (the last two were Rob's). We've had great weather, caught up with family, seen old friends and made new ones, encountered all sorts of wildlife and quite simply, loved every minute.

South America has a lot to live up to!