We have decided to change the itinery for our trip and head off to South America for 5 weeks! To say we are MEGA excited about seeing the Incas (and the rest) is an understatement! So lots of planning to be done over the next few months! We have included a couple of pics for you to wet your appetite! Any ideas or advice you have for us are very welcome!! [View Full Entry]

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Our base in Greymouth was a great place to be able to explore the surrounding area. On Monday morning we were up early to head 42 kms north to Punakaiki - Pancake Rocks. On the mountain roads again, Mike was having fun in the sipper! We arrived at the pancake rocks in time for high tide. (We had checked the previous day when high tide was as this is seemingly when they are best viewed). A short walk through some native New Zealand Palm trees brought us to the rock formations. Jutting out of the ocean after thousands of years of [View Full Entry]

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We had been told a visit to the Glaciers on the west coast of the South Island is a must. So we decided to take the journey from Greymouth to Fox Glacier on a clear day to appreciate these natural wonders. Our rental car - 'the Sipper' (So called as it literally sips petrol - unlike our campervan!!) wound it's way though mountain roads, with Michael at the helm making sure he introduced me to the concept of 'Holywood wheels!!' The journey to Fox Glacier took around 2 hours and we were able to enjoy the scenery on route. Once at [View Full Entry]

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After seeing Fox Glacier & having lunch we headed 23km back to Franz Josef Glacier. This is the larger of the two glaciers in New Zealand's west coast. A short walk took us to the viewing point which is 200 metres from the ice face. It was recommended not to walk to the glacier due to falling ice on the day we visited so we simply enjoyed the views along with the other tourists. The Glaciers were great to see & so unusual surrounded by mountains, waterfalls & rivers. Well worth the visit! There are lots of tours (& very expensive [View Full Entry]

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Though unplanned at the start of our trip, we decided to go and see Sting & the Police in the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Mark & Tamsin were able to get us tickets & while Mark looked after Gemma & Holly, we headed to the concert with Tamsin & her friends. Fergie was one of the support acts & was fantastic. Really getting the crowd warmed up & dancing! We made it onto the pitch, just in time for the Police to start. Plenty of singing & dancing was done. Sore throats ensued after loud renditions of Roxanne & Every Breath [View Full Entry]

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On Sunday we decided to hire a car for the day and take the 2 1/2 hour drive to Rotorua. We wanted to see the Maori village - Whakarewarewa (try saying that after a few scoups!) The first thing we noticed was the strong sulphur smell (this was not particularly pleasant - a bit like rotten eggs!) We just made it to the Maori village on time to see the show. The Maori people were in traditional dress, showed us greetings, dance & song. This also included the famous Haka, there is a video of this attached. After this we took [View Full Entry]

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Auckland, known as the City of Sails was a short flight from Wellington. We arrived & checked into our hostel. Yes we were back to hostels, although able to make good use of Mum & Dad's pool at their hotel! Dinner was at the harbour with a great view of the boats. It is easy to see why this is the city of sails, though mum was disappointed as she thought it was the 'City of Sales'!!! Guess the bargains will have to wait till Singapore for her!x A feature of our time with Mum & Dad has been long lunches [View Full Entry]

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After our flight from Queenstown via Christchurch, we arrived at Wellington airport. Jan and Dave were their to great us with a warm welcome as we got off the plane. They took us to their lovely appartment that overlooks the harbour in Wellington. We were pretty tired after the trip but headed out to Monsoon Poon for dinner. The food was fantastic, well worth the wait to get the table. David Beckham had eaten there a few weeks previously, but he had missed our visit. Wednesday was sight seeing day and the first stop was the museum, called Te Papa. It [View Full Entry]

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BUNGY & JET BOAT VIDEOS ATTACHED - IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK YOU WILL SEE MY JUMP IN REAL TIME!! THANKS TO MIKE FOR BEING CAMERAMAN FOR THE BUNGY!xxx New Zealand is adrelnine junkie paradise & we have had the chance to test our limits here, especially in Queenstown! We arrived by plane from Christchurch in the adreline junkie capital & were able to get a scenic view of the area on our arrival into the area! We checked into the Rydges hotel & enjoyed the magnificent views from our balcony of the river & mountains! We were only here [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Christchurch from Sydney & immediately felt like we were back in Ireland! Apart from the strange lack of sheep, we knew all the great reviews we have heard from fellow travellers about New Zealand were true!! Our first night in Christchurch was in the George hotel, very nice indeed & although we only had a couple of hours to enjoy the luxury of this hotel we loved every minute! We were all picked up at the hotel by Peter & Marion, the friends we were staying with for the second night in this lovely country! Their farm, outside [View Full Entry]

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