Arrived in Oz

Hey everyone.
Just a very quick blog to let you know we have arrived in Sydney. All has gone well so far. We checked in to our luxury hotel on 'the rocks' by the Opera House and a short stroll to the Harbour Bridge. It was really lovely to chill. However on our second day here it was all hands to the pump in order to secure accommodation for the next 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. We naively assumed we would have no trouble finding somewhere. We were even prepared to hostel.....yes....hostel. Not a familiar word amongst us 'flashpackers'. As it turns out many hostels are reasonably pricey unless you want to share a dorm with a load of sweaty teenagers in bunkbeds. Anyway, to cut a long story short we got on the boat, headed out to Manly across the harbour and have fallen on our feet with a serviced apartment 50 yards from the beautiful sprawling beach. Its a one bedroom place with sofas, telly, big kitchen, lavish bathroom. Fiona is ecstatic, she is even looking forward to housework and cleaning.....definitely her mother's daughter. For me, the telly has Channel 9 which is broadcasting the Ashes 'slaughter', so I'm a happy camper....or rather flashpacker. The apartments also have their own rooftop pool as well as a smart gym and sauna. Like I say, it really has fallen well for us. We can only have it for two weeks however and then we move to a studio apartment with beach balcony views.....not so shabby eh!!?? The funny thing is that we couldn't get accommodation for the two nights between lets so unbelievably the woman in the agency is letting us stay at her place....how cool is that. She seems really nice and has really gone the extra mile for us!!!!
So that's the news for now really. We intend on spending a relaxing couple of weeks on the beach popping in and out of the city as and when the mood takes us and retiring to our very own pad when the sun get just that little bit too hot.
Finally, we think we have decided to can the Greyhound idea up the coast to Cairns from Melbourne in the New Year. We are trying to sort out another campervan 'Kev mark II'. We have made enquiries and are now waiting to see if we can get what we want at a reasonable price. Fiona is truly converted to life on a campsite....I really can't believe it!!!!!
Anyway, the supermarket is calling now as we need to do a 'big shop'.
Hope everyone is well and Christmas plans aren't getting increasingly fraught.

Love to all

Phil and Fiona
xxx

Is it a bird?.....Is it a plane?.....No, it's SUPERFLUFF!!!

'Bungeeboy'

Superwoman takes to the skies

Hi everyone,
It's been a week since our last blog so we thought we'd better post an update. Its been a very busy week for us with lots of driving in Kev (over 1400km this week). Our travels have taken us from Dunedin to Mount Cook and a gorgeous little place called Twizel. We then headed to Christchuch midweek and then to Kaikoura and back in a couple of days to watch the whales and the dolphins at play.
The scenery has grown ever more spectacular and breathtaking, especially around Mount Cook (the southern hemisphere's highest peak at just under 4,000m). The colour of the water in the lakes is truly amazing and the pictures we have taken certainly don't do the place justice.
Tuesday was a momentus day for Fiona. Having not quite made the weight for skydiving myself, Fiona decided to take up the challenge on her own. She had been talking about it for several days but to be honest I never really expected her to actually go through with it. I mean, its not exactly the sort of adventure, extreme sport Fiona is used to! The day was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and clear views of mountains and lakes for miles around. No sooner had she uttered the words 'we'll just drive by and find out what it's all about' than she was kitted out in a rather fetching grey jumpsuit number...complete with full frontal zipper and signed the relevant paperwork. It did help of course that her tandem instructor happened to be a strapping 6ft 4in Brazillian hunk by the name of Maurizio. Bit of a poof I reckon!!!!! Still Fiona seemed pleased!!! Before you could say 'bugger we forgot the parachute' she was off in her little 3 seater Cessna up to 13,500 feet. I could see the plane circling up throuh the sky and then after about 15 minutes of climbing I saw this dot freefalling towards the ground. I was a little relieved to see the chute open at around 5,000 feet and hear Fiona screaming and shrieking like a banshee. She clearly loved every second and was enjoying the glide down with Maurizio pressed into her bum. I have to say, the landing was something of beauty. Well, not quite!!!! Just at the moment when I expected them to slow somewhat they seemed to gather pace and the knees up moment ended as a face in the dirt moment with Maurizio bent over behind her....It was bordering on comedy now but Fiona didn't seem to mind one bit as she did her damsel impression. Lots of hugging and kissing ensued (with me this time which was nice and the whole story was played back on dvd. I'm sure you'll all get to see it when we arrive home. The talk is now of another jump in Oz somewhere but I guess we'll have to see.
My exploits can't quite match that...although Fiona does say she still doesn't think she could bungee (bet she could....she's like superwoman now). It was an amazing think to do for me, hurtling through the air above a canyon strapped to an elastic band is not the sort of thing you do everyday. Maybe I'll convince her to join me in Australia.
Anyway, after spending time watching whales and over 300 dusky dolphins at sunrise in Kaikoura we have now headed back to Christchurch in preparation for dropping Kev off to KiwiCampers and catching our flight to Sydney on Tuesday afternoon. The past 38 days have really flown and we will miss Kev and his homely ways. We have however checked in to a beautiful hotel in the city centre tomorrow and Monday. We really struck it lucky. Can't wait to relax and not have to put the bed up each night.
Christchurch is a lot like Cambridge, very pretty, rivers and bikes everywhere and the people seem friendly and there seems to be plenty going on so we will be spoilt for a few days. That is assuming I can get out of the hotel and tear myself away from watching England getting a thrashing from the Aussies in the first test. Ah...the life of an England cricket fan.....or football fan for that matter!!!
Anyway, we've rambled long enough....We hope everyone is good back home and miss you all lots. Hope the Christmas preparations are going well and the weather isn't too grim for you. It's mid twenties here today with barely a cloud in sight. Tough life eh!?
Like I say, better head off now as the lunch interval in Brisbane is nearly over and there's an armchair and beer with my name on it. We will post more messages as soon as we can when we arrive in Sydney on Tuesday.

Love to all, keep in touch with your messages

Fiona and Phil

P.S Pictures to follow
xxxxxx

Sunset in Fiji, really a spectacular sight. Hope you like it Debs!

We survived Queenstown!!

(Picture from Fiji, just for you Debs!!)

Hello all,
Phil has just gone for a rather energetic jog so I decided that while I had time on my hands I would give you all a little update.
Since the last update we have been to Queenstown which is supposedly the thrill sport capital of the world and it certainly lived up to its name. The day started off fairly tame and then we decided to go on the famous Shotover Jet which is half hour of thrilling jet boating, getting wet, 360 degree turns and speeds of 100 mph down a fast flowing river, incredible!! It was so much fun, got a little wet but not too bad. Then we headed off to watch a friend do a bungy off a bridge and into the river below, I felt sick just watching him!! He loved it however and this brought on a sudden change of heart from Phil who decided that he would like to give it a go himself, much to my horror. Before he had chance to change his mind we were hot footing it to the gondola, taking a ride up the mountain where Phil proceded to do the bungy swing over the canyon below. Must give him lots of credit, he did it in style and I was very proud of him, but I then had 4 hours of him trying to persuade me to do the same, what does he think I am, stupid or something??!!!! Needless to say, he didnt succeed in getting more than a 'no' out of me.
After Queenstown we headed to Te Anau which is a small town and only for the fact it is the gateway to Milford Sound, we probably would have left it. Once again the rains fell and we had a waterlogged campsite, but still made the most of it. On Friday morning we left on a tour to Milford Sound (Fiordland) and were so glad that we did. The coach took us to the boat which took us for a 2 1/2 hr sail around the Fiords and it was beautiful. We went through waterfalls, saw fur seals, leopard seals (apparently eat everything in their path so we opted to stay in the boat, no Kayaking today!!) and saw some breath taking views. We had a scenic drive back and went on a few walks, really had a good day.
After Te Anau we headed to Dunedin which is home to Lanarch Castle, Speights Brewery, lots of Scottish settlers, and most importanly, Cadbury's World (Christian, you would have been in heaven!!) We had lunch at the brewery today with friends before heading off on a tour of the brewery which included us just pouring whichever beer we fancied ourselves and trying. Not quite the same as the vineyards as Im not the best beer drinker but think Phil enjoyed it. We then set off to see the 'Worlds Steepest Street' which Phil proceeded to run up while I stayed at the bottom (well someone had to take the picture of him!!). Then we headed to the castle which I think is a little modest compared to most I have seen but pretty all the same. Dont know if any of you heard, but there have been iceburgs spotted off the coast here (bizarre) and we had hoped to get a glimpse from up top but they have moved up the coast now, maybe we'll catch up with them when we get to Christchurch in a few days instead, who knows.
Cannot believe we only have a week left here and then will be heading off to sunny Sydney, guess we'll be sending the next post from there.
Hope you are all well and look forward to hearing your comments
Lots of love
Fiona and Phil xx

The Bears and Matt and Jo

The bears had a great time
Fiona with Matt and Jo
Bears preparing for take-off

Heli-hike pictures

Fiona and Phil up the glacier and being very excited on the way up in the heli

Heli-hike up Franz Jozef glacier

Hello everyone,
Have got five minutes to let you know about our exploits up Franz Jozef glacier yesterday whilst Fiona has her nails done....again.
The weather finally cleared up yesterday and Fiona, myself, Jo and Matt decided to head out on a heli-hike. This basically involved a ten minute each way helicopter flight up the glacier and hiking on the glacier for a couple of hours whilst up top.
I can honestly say, the whole experience was one of the most incredible of my life. The chopper flight was so exciting and we were all like a group of eight year olds at a party. On arrival at the top of the glacier ( one of the three largest in the world ) it looked as if we had landed on another planet. Ice caves, waterfalls, and the most amazing glacier landscape you could ever imagine. Fortunately the stuff averages 300ft in depth but even so you need a guide to take you hiking. We donned our boots, woolly hats and crampons and set off, ice pick in hand. It was very scary terrain and tough on the knees up and down mountains of ice. The colours were amazing, the ice in many places appeared literally cobalt blue. After two hours of trekking we made our way back to makeshift helipad in the middle of this wilderness and flew back to the village almost 1000ft below. Hot chocolates all round at the local cafe made us all feel better. It truly was a remarkable experience and Matt now wants to become a helicopter pilot.
Today we have arrived in Wanaka. Another staggeringly beautiful place, resembling a Swiss mountain village. The sun is shining over the snow covered mountains all around and the huge lake is glittering perfectly. We head to Queenstown tomorrow although this place is so beautiful I don't know if I wanna leave just yet.
Great to hear from you Jane, sorry about the blatant bragging about the scenery....had to be done. Love to you and Kev.
Also wonderful to hear from you Jo, Rob and boys. The bears come verywhere and hopefully you should see a picture of them up the glacier with us if they manage to come out.
Love to all

More soon

Phil and Fiona
xxx

Looking good at Niagara Falls

What are the chances? Phil with old school and football mate in the Ear Inn, New York before they both got horribly drunk!!

Slumming it up the CN Tower in Toronto

Arrived at Franz Josef 12/11/06

Hi to everyone back home. We have decided to start up our own blog account. Totally free to use for you guys and a way for you to keep track of us, get in touch and see some of our photos so far. We will try to update our blog at least once a week and we would love to hear from you too. Maybe even send us some photos back, if you're able

Anyway, that's the boring stuff dealt with..... We are now making our way down South Island. The weather has been pretty atrocious since we came south and it has hardly stopped raining at all today. We arrived on the ferry on Monday evening and spent the first night at Picton. Met a really nice couple (Jo and Matt - from Brighton) the same age as us. Sat drinking in our van (Kev) till very late.

Tuesday was spent exploring the wineries of Blenheim and Marlborough. Fiona was rather tipsy but when in wine country it seems only polite to try as many different Sauvignons and Chardonnays as possible. She certainly got through a few!!!! You will note that drink seems to be playing a central role so far.
By evening we had arrived at Nelson and got our heads down and tried to recover from the tastings during the day.

Wednesday we travelled north to Golden Bay. The sun actually shone for us and the scenery was fantastic. Huge bays stretched out before us and azure waters lapped at the sand. Creates quite a picture doesn't it? We arrived at our overnight stop relatively early in Motueka. We met up with Jo and Matt again and drank some more and enjoyed a spa hot tub session and tried to sort Fiona's bad back out. Nurofen and deep heat appears to be doing the trick......That and Phil running here there and everywhere for her that is. Nothing new there then....(Fiona's words not mine!!!!).

Thursday was a lazy one, we never ventured further than the village in Motueka as Fiona was by now complaining more than ever. Bless!!!! We headed to the Warehouse ( NZ's answer to Debenhams/B&Q/Costco....Fiona sings the radio jingle every bloody five minutes it seems) to buy extra blankets as the previous night it had snowed on the hills around us and we were bloody freezing. Drippy nose icicles by morning!!! Armed with new fluffy blankets we hurried (Fiona lurched) back to the site and we sat in the hot tub some more and did our chores to keep Kev spick and span. Emptying the toilet waste is actually becoming a real joy and highlight of our week. Fiona has still kept up the ban on No.2's in the van though. Think she's right actually. Jo and Matt were still about and we are actually becoming very pally.

Friday meant a long drive. We weren't sure whether we would stop at Westport or plough on to Greymouth. As it happens, after a quick stop to see the Seal Colony at Westport we made our way down the coast to Greymouth. A largish town but still not really loads to do so we'll be moving on to Franz Jozef next.

Saturday - A windy journey of about 180km brought us to Franz Jozef, a small village in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The village draws people from all over to hike up it's glacier. We had a quick look today and it seems really impressive. We are planning a heli-hike tomorrow but no helicopters are flying today because of the weather. The cloud is almost at our head height.... no joke and it is absolutely lashing down as we sit here. Fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow. The good news is that Fiona's back seems to be improving now. She has her moments when she needs things and can't be arsed to move but on the whole she's making more of an effort. I'm getting nasty looks whilst writing this. And the rain gets ever harder. It is honestly tipping it down.
We seem to have stayed together with Jo and Matt since we arrived on South Island and we are on the hike with them tomorrow and we are all having dinner together tonight. Phil's in charge of fajitas. With that in mind we will end now so we can head back and get prepared but we still have time to try to post a couple of photos from our travels so far. We hope they come out and you are able to open them. We're not holding our breath but perhaps you would let us know what you think.
We will still attempt to e-mail personally when we can but this will now be our main diary of events

Love to all...

Fiona and Phil and (Kev the Campervan)...its so sad isn't it!!!!
xxxxx

Arriving in South Island 06/11/06

Arrived in Picton after ferry delay, safe and sound and no sea sickness.....result!!!!