A mouse, jetboating and getting chilly at the glaciers....

From the majesty of Milford Sound we travelled back down the Milford highway for about 40kms, through the 2km Homer Tunnel to a small and very rural little campsite called Cascade Creek, run by the DOC. to say it was dark when the sun went down would be an understatement of mythical proportions. You could not see a sausage. Also, due to parking up with no one around and next to a large, dense forest seemed to give the whole thing a bit of the Blair Witch effect. To compensate for the lack of any light the night sky was simply staggering, a superlative justified on this occasion as we saw satellites, constellations and shooting stars. Back inside the van, after settling down for the night trying to ignore the various unsettling noises surrounding the van I noticed out of the corner of my eye, whilst we watched a movie, a small friend had joined us. A small and not-so-timid mouse. I thought I was seeing things but knew what I had seen. And so started the worst night I can think of. Seven hours of trying to hit a small rodent in my pants with a wooden spoon. I'll leave you with that thought for a while. The next morning, with our little friend seemingly on board (he had probably fallen after all his excitement sleep bless him) we headed onwards and towards Queenstown, stopping briefly in Te Anau for coffee. After a couple of hours and after passing at least two Lord of the Rings film locations we reached Queenstown. We had heard about Queenstown a lot both in the guidebooks and from other people, essentially based around it's popularity as an adventure sports Mecca. What no one mentioned was how stunningly beautiful it was too. After spending a night in a horrible campsite that had both the look and atmosphere of a building site crossed with a drug-fuelled youth club we ventured out the next morning and out into Queenstown to explore it's salubrious surroundings. It was beautiful, and made even more so by the time of year. With it being Autumn the trees had turned a multitude of different colours and leaves littered the floor and gathered in big clumps. The smells were amazing.

Anyway, despite it's beauty, Queenstown is, as mentioned, a place where exhilaration is what people come for. So with that fact in mind we scoured the vast array of activities on offer and decided that as a treat we would pay for a jetboat ride that would take us at insane speeds across the lake and along an adjacent river. It was unbelievable, roaring along at around 60mph in water no deeper than a couple of inches. Awesome stuff. From there we took a self guided tour around the town then headed west through another stretch of truly amazing road until we reached Twelve Mile Delta, a stunning conservation campsite situated next to lake Wakatipu. Just another in the long line of stunning locations we have been fortunate enough to wake up in. The next morning, after a brief visit into Queenstown for coffee we headed north down a half-forgotten dirt road for around half an hour until we reached Lake Moke. It was another perfectly sunny day so we whacked on the walkers and started out on a 8km lake walk. We even had the energy to run the last two or three kms together, Shell running-believe it!

We ended up staying around the lake that night as it was just too beautiful to move. The lake, almost split in two by a jut of land was two separate colours on each side and was circled by pristine hills on both sides. Unfortunately, it's geography, come night time, was it's ultimate downfall. The way the hills enclosed the valley and lake meant that cold air being pushed down became trapped. This meant that an already cold night was made so much colder. The ranger the morning after told me that it had got down to -4. Not record breaking I know but when living out of a metal box it was painful, literally. The next morning we left the beautiful Queenstown behind and headed for Arrowtown, a small but perfectly formed little place that seemed to have everything just right, maybe too right. Almost like a show home. It was a complete humdinger for tourists but then hey, it was beautiful. After drinking coffee in another great little place we took a walk around the town finishing down at the Chinese settlement. These little stone cottages, almost 150 years old were used by Chinese gold prospectors who not only had to compete with the brutally cold winters but also a local population who despised their presence. Fascinating stuff.

From there I convinced Shell to go for a hike, one mentioned in the guidebook as moderate to hard that would take 3-4 hours. I can safely say that in nearly nine years of our relationship I have never seen Shell so momentously pissed off. To be fair, once again the walk started steeply. In fact for about an hour we snaked up hill through a gorge in between two mountains until we reached a plateau at the top. By this time Shell was convinced that we were lost and were going to have to call the mountain rescue or something but we kept walking and eventually got to the end. We even passed a couple of seasoned hikers who looked at Shell in one of those 'are you a little bit insane' kind of ways. Anyway, from Arrowtown we once again headed north towards Wanaka, another stunningly beautiful town set beside a large lake, lake Wanaka. After travelling so hard for a few days it was really nice to relax for a day so decided to stay an extra night and check out Wanaka's most famous thing to do, Puzzleworld. It was astonishingly good. Essentially two halves, one was dedicated to illusions and tricks of the mind (we will try to attach videos) and the other half to a huge fenced maze. We had a great time here despite the hoards of irritating children (NZ Easter holidays) and totally rolled back our inner child once again.

Before leaving Wanaka we decided to drive the tedious 40km down a very rocky gravel track to a small car park deep within the mountains. This would be the start of the Rob Roy glacier trek, 10km of paths of which over half were uphill. At the end lies Rob Roy Glacier, a huge foreboding arc of ice surrounding by dramatic rock formations. Once again we pummelled our way through the trek, the first half was a good workout but we made it to the top to be met by yet another stunning vista. They are never ending. From there we drove for around three hours to catch a sight of, in the late afternoon, Fox Glacier. We parked up then set off on the 2km walk to the ice terminal (front of the ice shelf). Although mightily impressive, it had that same dirty tinge that we had seen at the other glaciers we had visited, probably the worst time of year to see them. Still, to see such momentous examples of the power of nature literally a couple of kms from the roadside and more amazingly, from the sea, is something which makes it even more remarkable. The next morning, after our usual coffee fix at one of the little alpine cafes (real coffee snobs by now) we headed out for part two of glacier watch, this time to Franz Josef. Arguably more impressive than Fox due it's size it was amazing to see and even more impressive how these beasts had gouged out huge valleys, with sheer, jagged rock faces on each side. We could only get 500 metres away from the shelf due to safety concerns after two Indian tourists jumped over the fence to 'get a closer look' at the glaciers in 2009. Turns out a piece of ice, about as big as my mum and dads 4x4 landed on them. Only one body was recovered. Idiots.

From the glaciers we once again followed the road north, this time for almost 300kms up the lonely and desolate west coast stopping briefly in small Coastal towns including Hokitika. What we haven't mentioned yet, I don't think so anyway, is the royal nuisance that are sandflies. They are pretty much everywhere in NZ but especially along the wetter west coast these demons are just horrible. Smaller than mosquitoes, they only bite during the day and are, fall all of their nuisance, slow as f**k. You feel a tiny bit of pain and see the little black buggers enjoying a bit of leg. Fortunately, if you are walking, which is pretty much all the time here, you can outpace them as they are incredibly slow. Our legs have literally been covered in bites from these pests though and they itch more than mozzie bites, arrrrrggh! Anyway from the West Coast we then drive inland and over the desolate and foreboding Arthurs Pass, a remote wilderness area that connects pretty much the entire west coast with Christchurch, on roads you wouldn't want to take a soapbox down in. We even passed the remnants of a huge accident where a huge lorry had smashed through the barriers and down a sheer drop. The roads here are crazy! Just so you know, Shell did an exceptional job of winding our way through the slalom roads and delivered us, after stopping for the night next to a lake, in beautiful Christchurch. So there we go, pretty much full circle of the south island before we head up to Marlborough and all that wine! We've had to come back to Christchurch to swap the van as old mousey I was telling you about, well, he just doesn't want to end his free trip. Anyway, as I'm sure you can tell we continue to drive, jive and thrive in this wondrous land. Ta ta for now. Love Tommo and shello xxxx

EFE the campervan, 'scenic' mountain hikes and sunshine on the Banks Peninsula...

At last! Our two month nomadic journey around the land of the long White cloud was upon us. We have been waiting for this part with eagerness for a long time, maybe even as far back as when we left university, some six or seven years ago now. Although we have literally had the time of our lives so far on this trip I think it was this, the idea of full independence intertwined with the potential of a country as majestic and inspiring as it is possible to get that we have been looking forward to the most.

Anyway, after leaving our brother and sister, Teeny and Rowan, we headed down to Brisbane airport with one of Rowan's friends Blakey, another awesome chap who had kindly offered to take us on the hour or so journey south as he was off to see his mum in Brisbane.

After saying our goodbyes we got through immigration and onto flight number one to Sydney with Qantas. Although only an hour and a half the plane was huge and full of business men and women. What was also great and totally unexpected was that they were trialling giving all passengers brand new Ipads to use for the in flight entertainment, absolutely awesome! We whiled away the short distance watching An Idiot Abroad and thinking how much, even to the fucking idiots, travelling can do to the soul.

After initially being refused to check in for our connecting flight we were rushed through and soon enough we were on our second flight of the day, finally over to Christchurch, our first stop on our NZ roadtrip.

Now as you may have heard, Christchurch has been hit by several deadly earthquakes over the past eighteen months so we were expecting some lasting damage and continuing repairs. It would be completely astonishing then to find the vast majority of the city, especially the CBD, completely in ruin. The city actually suffered from five devastating earthquakes which caused the critical damage and loss of life but over 10,000 aftershocks have been felt in the last year alone. We booked a guide to take us out the following day, a big Old typical Kiwi called Al who took us out in his van to show us his city. Although obviously an attractive city it is an unfortunate reality that it's most unique sight is it's sheer destruction, a continuous story of what was there before. Al was a good man and showed us everything we needed to see both in and around the city, including Littleton, a town on the other side of the hill where the original frontier men founded the city and it's surrounding towns in 1840. Although Littleton and it's surroundings were stunning the depressing reality was that Christchurch was essentially a ghost town. We have never known a city be so devoid of, well, people. Only the sound of the demolition vehicles gave any hint of any sort if civilisation. In fact it is this last point which provides so much disdain for the local population. Due to finicky and overly bureaucratic insurance companies buildings aren't allowed to be demolished in the traditional sense but taken down piece by piece, taking care to save all of the furnishings. It's crazy that although the quakes happened over a year ago, to look at it could have been last Tuesday.

Anyway, after a couple of nights in the worlds most comfortable room (shell fell in love with the bed), we were off to pick up our baby. The campervan that we would be living and travelling with for the next 56 nights. Her name, beautifully, is EFE. we love her.

After being shown the ropes by the excellent guys at the rental company we were on our way, first stop to the supermarket to fill our EFE up with bounty. It's a sad reality that of all the things we were looking forward to, doing our first campervan shop was high on the list. What horrifically sad people we have become. After stocking up on beautiful NZ wine and something called food we were on our way, on the road for two months. It didn't take long for Shell to get used to things. After a tearful start, which was probably due to not eating anything till 2pm more than anything, shell was flying around the roads between Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula, our first stop.

We opted for a small and rural campsite in a place called okains Bay. It had nothing but pine filled, unpowered pitches but it was bliss. So silent except for the lapping ocean which we had to ourselves, right on our campervan doorstep. We set off for a walk around the desolate beach before heading back to our campervan to cook our first campervan meal and to well, soak up the surroundings. What has taken us so long to do this kind of thing???? We are in our absolute element.

The next day we were up early and full of energy and excitement so we put on our walking gear and headed around the coast on a half eroded old wharf path that used to be used by whalers at the turn of the century. Although not too long it made for some heart pumping moments! On the way back we found the small campsite had installed a huge flying fox, basically a huge zipwire, so like the big children that we are proceeded to spend the rest of the morning in a fun-filled haze.

That afternoon we drove up and over the huge hill and down into Akaroa, a stunningly beautiful natural harbour with a town of the same name as it's focal point. We decided to stay at the campsite on the hill looking down on the town and the harbour. Apparently it's one of the best places to stay on the south island and they did not lie! Of all the places to wake up in the morning we cant think of anywhere more striking or beautiful, especially lately as the weather since we arrived in NZ has been awesome.

Anyway, today would be the day that would test our relationship the most. Akaroa harbour, the place we are staying, lies at the bottom of a steep valley, formed by two huge volcanoes millions of years ago. Thing is, these peaks that surround it are indescribably beautiful and the views from the top were supposed to be even better. I tried my hardest to get Shell excited for the trip up the mountain but the look of sheer dread was just too hard to shift. In all fairness, I don't think I've ever walked up something so steep. With most steep hikes you are most likely going to start somewhere approaching a quarter of the way up, we started, naturally, from ground zero. It was a momentous ask really, even for the keen rambler. Amazingly, Shell battled through the pain and leg breaking, constant climb until we reached the summit. We were actually supposed to betaking a track across the tops to finish in a big circle but got lost, somehow, down a very long and overgrown sheep track. Turns out these sheep are the luckiest around as they get to potter around with one of the most beautiful backdrops behind them. Feeling sheep like ourselves, we plonked down and fell to sleep among the mountain top grass (it was like a soft mattress) and all in the beautifully warming sun.

This place, already, has gripped us like a vice. No wonder people look at us with eyes of envy when we tell them we have two months here. Get in.

All for now, Shello and Tommo xxx

Home brew, beaches and new family on the not-so-Sunshine Coast...

So after our nine day road trip camping all the way from Canberra to Brisbane we finally arrived at Teeny and Rowan's house, in a small town called Mooloolah, around 80kms north of Brisbane.

This part of the world is called the Sunshine Coast and compared to the monstrosity further south, the Gold Coast, it seemed beautiful. We'd gone past the Gold Coast on our way back which surely lays claim to having the highest number of bogans per square mile than any other place on earth. 'Bogan' being the Aussie equivalent of chavvy, maybe more wide-reaching though. It is interesting to witness how such a term of insult can be used in so many different ways, especially in a country that claims to live above the old English class stereotype. Over here bogan encapsulates a whole section of people but most notably the singlet (vest) wearing, rugby league supporting blokes. The Sunshine Coast, it seems, has a lack of them.

We've been here about a week and a half now and have loved every minute. The weather has been slightly tempestuous but where hasn't in Australia! The area we are in, The Sunshine Coast, even made national headlines last Friday after flash foods hit the area after a few days of squalid rain. And boy did it rain.

Despite the rain in our first week here we managed to do and see a lot. We went sea fishing down on Caloundra beach, Caloundra being the nearest beachside town, where I managed to catch a huge crab that flatly refused to let go of the fishing rod. After much persuasion he gave me his entire claw instead, something we were told they can do, all before they grow a replacement!

We've also been lucky enough to borrow Rowan and Teeny's huge 4x4 and go out and explore some of the amazing countryside to the west. This is prime wine producing territory so we managed to have our first wine-tasting experience and due to the weather managed to have the whole place to ourselves. The lady who talked us through the process was actually English and due to the time of year and the weather, was clearly happy for the company. We tasted two whites, an unoaked Chardonnay, another that was a close relative of the Sauvignon blanc, a sweet and fruity Rose, my favourite a good punchy Shriraz and then to finish, a fortified wine that isn't allowed to be called Port. They were beautiful wines and clearly very different to the mass produced variety in the supermarket. We were actually supposed to pay a fee for the tasting but I think she took a bit of a shine to us! Before we left we bought a bottle of the unoaked Chardonnay which, after drinking it that night with the others, was unanimously confirmed as amazing.

I think, again, one of the weirdest things to get your head around are the distances. At home, when we say 'I'm just going down the road to pick up some milk', it literally means what it says. Here, down the road can mean anything upto twenty miles away. Put it like this. Mooloolah, the small town we are staying in is pretty much classed as Caloundra, on the Sunshine Coast, but then we are fifteen miles away from the coast. Look on a local map and it is so far you think they would need to take provisions with them, just in case, but then scale that back to a State map or even a national one and they merge into the same dizzying place. It will never ever cease to amaze me.

At the weekend we made the most of our last weekend in Australia. On the Saturday we drove about 45 minutes north to a local (hmmm) Market at a place called Eumundi. It was a beautiful place full of unique items and more importantly, gourmet food. We wandered around for a while before grabbing some food, shell went for paella, Rowan the tapas, I went for the Malaysian roti and lentil daal and Harry the savoury crepe. I wanted to tell you what we all had to get a sense of the variety on offer, it was beautiful stuff. We ended the morning in one of the local bookshops. As far as bookshops go this one was the best. The four of us were in there for well over an hour. It really was one of those places you could get lost in or choke on the mounds of dust collected in old books.

From there we hopped down to the beach to take in the last of the days sun before scrambling back home to get ready to drive down to Brisbane for a big night out. Unfortunately it would have been a big night out, if Shell and I had remembered our ID's! How stupid! Turns out, even if you are 55 and look 55 they would still ask you for ID. Bloody Australians. In the end we went back to Rowan and Teeny's friend's house, not far from the centre, where we entertained ourselves by making nuclear cocktails, both in look and potency.

The next day we explored Brisbane city. This would be our fourth major Australian city and in a way, one of the prettiest. Don't get me wrong, they all have their merits, but Brisbane seemed to retain that sense of a large town, even if it's skyline and obvious mining riches suggested otherwise. Although it was a Sunday it was so peaceful. We ventured around the Southbank, complete with 'Brisbane eye' and art gallery and fantastic Sunday markets. I may have said this before about other cities but the resemblance to London was simply staggering. The fact it is on a river and not a bay or harbour gives this even more levity, compared to other Aussie cities. Brisbane also has some fantastically old buildings that seem stuck there in limbo compared to the skyscrapers surrounding them, continually in battle to retain their former glories. It is a horrific reality that the Brisbane authorities, both past and present, seem intent on destroying everything that makes Brisbane great. It's almost as if Brisbane suffers from third city syndrome, where people continually prefer to move to Sydney or Melbourne in search of culture when in a way, they have everything and more right here.

Anyway, we leave for NZ tomorrow. Although the thought of spending 56 nights in a van might make us slightly worried and apprehensive, the adventure, I am sure, will be simply outstanding. A lot has happened over the past seven weeks, in a way we never really thought about what we were going to do in Australia as all we thought about, naturally, was how little we could afford to do! In the end, we have simply had the time of our lives. I don't think we could have seen more if we tried. We have seen the country's four biggest cities, swam in two Oceans and one Sea. We have eaten some incredible food from the four corners of the world in a country that is the world's most sparsely populated. We have made some exceptional new friends and more importantly cemented friends for life with people we already knew. The weather hasn't been amazing but then who cares, it's made things greener, more interesting and you know what, you find out more about a place when things aren't how they are supposed to be. It has problems, lots of them in fact. We know so many people who have made the move out here and I'm sure lots of people will continue to do in the future. If you come out here, you live in the cities, make only British friends and essentially live the life you did in the UK, why bother?? Just move to Milton Keynes.

So on we go, literally to the other side of the world. Time to get all Ray Mears, albeit with a DVD player and comfy shoes....

Much love, Tommo & Shello xxxxx