So, after just over 6 months we bade farewell to Asia. Having spent 4 days back in Bali doing very little it was time to catch our flight to New Zealand and begin on the next part of our journey in a completely new destination. We have so many amazing memories of our time in Asia from landing in Delhi back in November and thinking 'what the hell have we done' to the laid back life, frequent power cuts and the lovely locals in Indonesia more recently. We both felt it was time to move on however and were so excited about what lay ahead. I don't think we have ever been on an aeroplane where there was such a buzz of anticipation as we flew into a country. Almost everyone was at a window to take in NZ as it came into view on the crisp early morning flight from Sydney. From the beaches came the snow capped mountains which were breathtaking, followed by the green hills and mile upon mile of fields every now and then dotted with animals or a farm house. We were like 2 little kids, holding hands and smiling inanely at each other and we hadn't even landed yet! After clearing a very strict customs we headed for the exit and realised that we had indeed left Asia behind because there weren't 100 local men surrounding us touting for business! It is all very civilised here you know - people drive in accordance with the law, don't tell you that "my friend owns a hotel...very cheap for you" and there is no one offering you drugs, hair braiding, transport or massages. We were back on rather more familiar turf now and with it came more familiar prices unfortunately - although it will have to go a long way to compete with the extortionate rates offered in the UK. So we found ourselves in Christchurch which as the name suggests is a very English looking place. In fact you could well be in a town in Oxford or Kent going on the sights - there is Catherdral Square, Avon River and lots of well kept gardens. The cold weather is also reminiscent of home and a total shock to the system coming from the intense heat of Indonesia....we have dropped almost 20 degrees in less than 24 hours and our bodies screamed out in protest forcing us to hit the shops for some warmer clothes. The hostel was lovely and possibly the cosiest we have come across. It was also home to the fattest cat we have ever seen...it obviously did well out of all the travellers passing through. On the same day that we landed in Christchurch we bought ourselves a whole lot of used gear from a British couple who were leaving NZ, including kitchen equipment, portable cooker and a box of food! The following day we invested in a second hand snowboard and our beautiful 20 year old Toyota 4WD van, which goes like a dream unless you want to climb a very steep hill and then you need to add an extra 30 minutes to your journey! It came complete with a double mattress in the back although I don't think it will see much use in this weather - a cosy hostel is far more appealing. We spent the following few days sorting out our paperwork for the van, strolling around Christchurch and getting used to driving again. We also reintroduced our tummies to proper bread, cheese, cooking for ourselves, red wine, Marmite and a lot of other foods we had missed. The following Monday we loaded up our van and hit the road heading for Wanaka down south - we were soon lost. After realising that our compass works backwards in NZ (how strange is that?) we were soon on the right road and able to take in some of the fantastic scenery on offer. We drove through tiny towns surrounded by huge mountains and along long stretches of road not seeing another car for miles. At times it was like being in Wales or Scotland as the scenery was almost identical. As we neared Wanaka along the mountain roads we passed through a valley covered in snow which was a welcome sight, and we got far too excited about getting on our skis soon. The snow didn't last too long though as the roads were soon clear again as we entered Wanaka and began our search for work and a place to call home for a few months.