Happy 30th Pete. Welcome to the family, Tinks. Congratulations Jenny and John!

I'm sat in an internet cafe in Sydney listening to Zane Lowe (ah, makes me a bit homesick). Thought I'd take the opportunity to update the blog a bit and tidy up the loose ends from NZ. Check out the Kepler photos and the Doubtful Sound cruise. Ah!

Well, as most of you know, we've been in Sydney just under 2 weeks. We've seen the bridge and the Opera House. We've managed to stand up on surf boards (in the sea and everything).

Pete turned 30 and we got very drunk to celebrate. On the same day we bought the adorable Tinkerbell. 1979 Hiace, she has a toaster, she has a double bed, she has a fridge and a pop-top! We love her. Our first overnighter together was into the Blue Mountains where we almost froze to death overnight (she now has a new duvet too!!!)












Now we're back in Sydney sorting our tax numbers and bank accounts so that we can replenish some of the money we have splurged in Sydney's many lovely restaurants. Arg! Kirsty and Paul led us astray the other night and we enjoyed a very lovely Italian. Now time to tighten the belts again! Thanks to everyone who sent us video messages with Kirsty. And a special thanks to Angela for the Montezuma's. A true friend!

Also thanks to Abs and Jon who plied us with red wine, fed us loads and gave us a bed so that we could get drunk following the trauma that was someone driving into Tinks in Sydney CBD. We're all OK, including Tinks. Don't worry.

I'm also proud to say that I've seen my first platypus (at the zoo). I am still in love with the little critters. Amazing things. I could have stayed watching it all day if Pete hadn't dragged me away. That day we also went to the Observatory and saw Jupiter and Saturn through the big telescope (nerds, we are, you always knew it). I can also point out Alpha Centauri if you ever want me to (and we're all stood in the southern hempisphere!)

Pete's just gone to pick Tinks up from the doctor and then we head North - our Oz adventure starts for real! We're going up to Seal Rocks today.. a camp by the beach.

Oh yes, must not forget to say congratulations to Jenny and John on the birth of the lovely Matilda (well, I haven't seen her yet, but if she's anything like her mam she'll be a beaut).

Last days in NZ: Kepler Track, Doubtful Sound and back to scoff in Queenstown

Well, we're near the end. We fly to Sydney on Friday after booking our flights tonight. I will be sad to leave NZ - the south-west where we've spent most of the last month is just amazing.
We're going out on a high though. Last week saw us tackle yet another NZ Great Walk - the Kepler Track. This is a 4-day tramp and we started off in wind and rain. Pete was so cold he couldn't get the sausages open. It was very nearly a disaster! The sight of the first hut in the snow was very welcome. The next day was cloudy and atmospheric as we tramped through knee-deep snow across the mountain ridges. I climbed to my first mountain summit - Mount Luxmore (1473m). It was an amazing day but the cloud stopped us from seeing what was around us on either side. Day 3 brought bright sunshine and we decided upon a quick change of plan - instead of the lovely flat walk to the next hut we'd climb 1000m+ back up into the mountains to see what we'd missed the day before... we didn't regret it (even with my 6 blisters). Ah. Fiordland.. God lives here, I tell you. The last day saw a mad sprint for the 3pm bus - but we made it and I happily hung up my boots for a while. My feet need to recover!
Yesterday we treated ourselves to a bit of luxury (with some help from Rob and Fee's voucher) and took an overnight cruise on the Doubtful Sound. We were the only boat on the water (apart from the Department of Conservation) and it was truly stunning. So was the food. And the fluffy white towels (real ones, not travel towels!) And the barman giving us lots of free cocktails for helping him fix his ipod. And the dolphins surfing under the front of the boat this morning. And the 4-share cabin to ourselves. And did I mention the food?
No photos of Kepler or Doubtful Sound, they will follow. In the meantime check out the albums that Pete has marvellously put together: Routeburn, Caples, Milford kayaking and Milford Track. You need a log on, but it doesn't cost and it's pretty quick.