Today has been a day of great excitement for us. After packing up and happily leaving smelly Rotorua we head just out of town to some adventure place Simon and Ali have read about. They try to tempt me out of the car with the promise of a sheep show but I'm not having any of that in the drizzly rain. The plan is to have a look at the Zorbs and bungy and in the end Maisie decides she is going to have a go on the "Freefall Xtreme". Not too sure why it was called that as rather than falling anywhere you get blown up in the air by a giant fan.

We pay the required 45 dollars and after a quick explanation Maisie gets into her suit and scrambles across the bouncy thing towards the blower. What a disaster! I don't know whether she was too light but it seems she just can't stay in the flying position and twists her neck when she falls. Tears all round and we get her out of the suit and Ali into it!

He thinks its great and we laughed so much watching him on it, his cheeks seemed to literally fill with air and were so blown out it looked liked his face would pop!

We stop for lunch in a place called Hamilton and then get back in the car for the rest of the journey to Auckland. We are going to be staying with Simon's friend Nick and his wife Roni for a few days and I'm looking forward to meeting them and spending a few days at their place.

We get to Auckland and drive past the Skytower in the city centre. Ali has been obsessing about jumping off something tall here in NZ and we tell him it's now or never. (Cut the talking about it) He decides he's going for it and we park the car and head for the Skytower Experience desk. I think undoubtedly I'm more scared than he is. Its described as the worlds highest base wire jump (192 m) over 50 m higher than Nevis Highwire Bungy and while Simon gets him in his suit I run off to the toilet for a little cry. I'm proud of him though and I think it's definitely the best thing to just do it and not spend hours agonising over whether it's too scary or not.

I give him a quick hug and the fella takes him off. We can watch from a platform and I find I can hardly bear to look up. The tower seems so tall and I can only imagine how nerve wracking it must be standing there by the edge. Before we know it we hear 3, 2, 1 and down he comes, a terrific speed it looked awesome and he's so thrilled and shaky. Thank god he's down in one piece!

A pretty quick way to spend 145 dollars and Ali's delighted when the fella asks him if he wants another go for free. He must be mad but virtually skips back up for another go!

We make our way to Nick and Roni's house and stop on the way to buy some flowers, wine and beer(called Bowman's Beer-how cool!). I also get some cashew nut popcorn which turns out to be a big mistake, whilst munching it down I realise the gritty "popcorn" is actually a tooth filling and further investigation reveals half my tooth has fallen off (presumably swallowed)- Shit. If there is one thing I hate more than heights its the dentist and it has taken me the past 7 years to get used to Dr Bram (Stoker) my dentist at home and be able to go there without becoming completely hysterical. On a positive note it's not hurting much and we decide to think about it later.

At last we reach Nick and Roni's house and its great to be there, it’s a lovely house, really big but cosy with the wood burner and cheeky dog Drum who has a nip at Maisie as if for fun! They are so welcoming and make us feel very at home straight away. We go to the pub for dinner and sit chatting for a couple of hours over a few beers before heading back and off to bed. Tomorrow Nick has taken the day off to show us around a bit and we're looking forward to seeing a bit more of Auckland.

We've had a really good day today, when I woke up about 9ish the first thing I noticed was the terrible smell. Due to the sulphuric pools the town of Rotorua absolutely stinks and although the evil eggy smells seem to come and go they definitely have come back with a vengeance this morning. Simon goes and buys some bacon and after having bacon sandwiches for breakfast we get in the car and head for town. First stop is the bookshop, having the time to read has been one of the best things about this trip and I have added joining a library to my list of things to do when we get home. As I enjoyed reading Wild Swans so much and also want to reread it again I am going to send it home in a few days and therefore have to swap Ali's Alex Rider book instead. What I really want to buy is the latest Harry Potter book but we haven't seen it on sale anywhere so far here.

We pay for a family ticket (57 dollars) for entrance to the Maori Village of Whakarewarewa. Try saying that when you've had a few shandies. The entrance price includes a guided tour of the village and a cultural show. The lady who shows us around is called Irenie and is very friendly and welcoming.

The Maori Village is built in a thermal area and the whole village is a mass of steaming holes, geysers, mud pools and hot water pools. Many of the pools are boiling and although it looks tempting to jump in she explains even the water in the bathing areas is upto 60 degrees and has to be cooled using a cold water hose. She shows us the food cooking areas which all have pots of various meals steaming away. In one of the pools is a big bag of corn cobs. Although I'm a bit dubious about trying these due to the stink Irenie assures us the smell doesn't permeate the food and the steam is in fact good for you. Hmmm! I don't know about that, how can anything that smells so vile be good for you!

We stand watching the geyser for a little while; it's very impressive and can at times reach 30 feet into the air. We couldn't go too close as apparently the NZ government own the land and themselves run guided tours of the area for a lot more money than we have paid. Irenie also shows us the local hall which is used for ceremonies and we have a wander around the souvenir shop.

At 2pm we watch the cultural show. The 8 Maori performers open the show with a traditional welcome and speech and to be honest in the cold drizzly afternoon air it did all seem a little bit strange. To my ignorant eyes it seemed a bit like a cross between a sort of South Pacific Hula and a gospel church worship. When they performed the famous Haka it did make us laugh as it does appear funny but despite this quite impressive and I can imagine very scary if there were more warriors doing it. I'm not too sure of the authenticity of all this and this wasn't helped by seeing the "Maori Maidens" leaving afterwards in their jeans in a Landrover with their cigarettes in their mouths but despite all that we loved it. It was a great show performed with loads of enthusiasm by a really friendly group of people.

We got up about 8am and after breakfast set off for the Volcanic Centre. Its seems that there could be no better place in the world for Ali and Maisie to learn about volcanoes than here and despite the fact that it is absolutely pissing down with rain we're all looking forward to the day. The Volcanic Centre isn't very big but has some good displays including a model of the worlds 8 tectonic plates which we build, a room where we experience a 6.1 (on the Richter Scale) earthquake, loads of information including explanations of magma, calderas, lava etc and a 20 minutes video showing footage of the eruption of Mt Ruapehu in 1995/6.

We buy a miniature table volcano to play with later and I get a face mask made from thermal mud. Next we stop at the Geothermal Walk area called Craters of the Moon. Although it's raining very heavily we really want to get out and have a good look around. The kids aren't as cheerful as earlier and the atmosphere as we make our way around the boardwalks isn't very happy. Still it only takes us about an hour and is definitely one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. The area is covered with steam vents and mud pools and it's quite a strange experience listening to the steam pouring out of the earth in huge clouds. Although you weren't supposed to go too near, we did and although expected it's weird to feel the heat coming out of the ground.

Back in the car we're fairly soaked and decide to drive to Rotorua about 40 minutes away. When we arrive we vote for pizza hut for lunch and spend an hour in there stuffing our faces which cheers the kids up no end. We book into a motel. It’s a nice place with a Jacuzzi out the back and we pour loads of bubble bath in before jumping in. Our own foam party! The kids have been concentrating on literacy for the past week and practicing their writing and spelling (Maisie!). They do some good work, researching famous volcanoes on the internet, making notes and then presenting the information to us. Ali presented Mt Vesuvius and Kilauea and Maisie presented Mt Fuji and Tambora. Well done kids.

We spent the evening watching a couple of films from the local video shop and eating sweets and chocolate for dinner. Tomorrow we're going to the Maori Village in an effort to learn a bit about Maori Culture so looking forward to that.

We asked the fella if we could have a late check out this morning and he agrees so don't get going until about 11.30. We are driving to Lake Taupo and I'm looking forward to getting there and admiring some of the scenery. If South Island is famous for the Southern Alps then the North Island is known for volcanoes, hot springs, mud pools and geysers.

We stop after about an hour and have some lunch in a café that’s attached to an indoor climbing centre. Maisie doesn't want a go but Ali is straight up the wall. (I guess his fear of heights has now gone) It was really high and he had a good time trying the different walls although he said it was quite tiring.

We get to Lake Taupo and book into a motel with a lake view. Lake Taupo was the site of the world's largest ever volcanic explosion and the lake fills the remaining crater. On the way we passed through Tongariro National Park and 3 volcanoes including Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe. Mt Ruapehu is the highest and most active of the regions volcanoes. In 1995 and 1996 Ruapehu erupted showering volcanic rock high into the air and emitting massive clouds of ash and steam. (Ruined the ski season) Mt Ngauruhoe is famous as the mountain used in Lord of the Rings as Mt Doom, as well as being smaller than the other volcanoes it is also younger and the slopes to its summit are still perfectly symmetrical.

I spent the evening reading my book- Wild Swans by Jung Chang. It's an amazing story and makes me want to go back to China. I wish I had read it before we went there as much of the author's life was spent in Chengdu (One of the places we visited). I think it is giving me a bit more understanding of the Chinese people and I think I am realising more the true extent of the hardships experienced by the Chinese during the Mao years. Difficult for me to comprehend really.

We were up bright and early this morning as we have to catch the ferry at 9am. We were supposed to take the car back yesterday but Simon rang the company and we book it for another 5 days. He got this for 100 dollars which is good and we now plan to hand it back in Auckland.

The ferry is OK a big passenger ferry with shops, tv lounge and cinema etc. We sit reading for the majority of the three hour journey and it seems to go faster than I expected. When we get of the other end we head for a place called Palmerston North. There isn't too much here but it's halfway to Lake Taupo our next destination and there is the NZ Rugby Museum to have a wander round, which we do. It's quite good, so much information about the All Blacks and I have to share the toilet with a huge cardboard cut out of Jonah Lomu. ( The only rugby player I had heard of until I met Simon)

We decide we will stay the night here and book into a smart looking motel. Its 140 dollars but the fella did knock 30 dollars off the price and we're swayed by the free wifi and the lure of a Jacuzzi/Spa in the conservatory at the back of the apartment. - Yay! We all warm up and have a good soak, actually it's too hot and we can only stick it for about 20 minutes. Probably enough for a spa anyway, I feel a bit dizzy afterwards!

We decide we'll have pizza for dinner and Simon goes to get it, kids have just informed me tonights offering on Sky is Mr and Mrs Smith so guess we'll be watching that. I am looking forward to getting to Fiji so we can start going out for dinner again at night. Because it's cold here and the motels are quite pricey we tend to stay in, in an effort to save a bit of cash and keep warm!

We've had a great day today. After checking out of our motel we drive down to the quay and check in at the Whale Watch reception desk for 10.30. We have time for a quick coffee and watch a short documentary about the Giant Sperm Whales we are hoping to see today. We couldn't have picked a better day for it. Its beautiful, clear blue skies, nice and warm and lovely calm sea.

We catch a bus to the boat which is a large, fast catamaran called Tohora. Only one company offers trips to whale watch and although it keeps the prices quite high its good as it means the whales aren't too harassed. There are several different types of whales, dolphins and seals found just off the coast here and the guide Emma explains that it's due to a huge and very deep chasm in the seabed which is found just off the Kaikoura shoreline. In particular the Sperm Whales like to live in deep water scouring the bottom of the ocean for their favourite food of squid and there are resident and migratory whales in the area at the moment.

We motor out to sea doing around 26 knots and note the spotter plane overhead. As well as the planes the company uses equipment that pick up the echo location sounds the whales make. It's really exciting, we're only allowed on deck once a whale has been spotted and after about 10 minutes Emma excitedly urges us all on deck quickly. Four whales have been spotted on the surface and we head for two that are together. The whales come to the surface to breathe but have an amazing capacity for holding their breath (Over 2 hours). They usually lie on the surface of the water for about 10 minutes before diving again.

It is awesome! So amazing seeing them, they're massive up to 25 metres long and I really feel so privileged to be able to share such a wonderful experience with Simon and the kids. When the whale decides to dive after 5 minutes the image of it tail flicking up in the air in the classic pose has everyone on the boat entranced.

We spend about an hour out on the water and we're so lucky, we get to see at least 6 good and close sightings of the Sperm Whales with a lovely flick of their tail when diving on 3 occasions. We motor back to the shore and on the way view a Fur Seal colony sunning themselves on the rocks. It's been a great trip, well worth the money and we've all loved it.

On the way back we listen to Emma giving some information about the threat to the whales including whaling, (Goes on in 23 countries - Japan, Norway and Iceland -worst offenders) global warming, accidental capture in nets, toxic wastes and plastic. She tells us some horror stories such as a whale found beached in Queensland in OZ a few years ago with 26 square metres of plastic in its stomach. A sad and sobering end to the morning.

We get back and have some lunch before buying a few books in a second hand bookstore, then its back in the car for another 2 and a half hour journey to Picton. We arrive around 6pm and book into a cheapo motel (100 dollars) before going shopping for dinner. I'm going to bed now I've been tired all day and need a good kip. Tomorrow we're catching the ferry to the North Island and have to get up a little earlier.

Today has been such a long day. Seven hours of almost solid driving from the South West coast to the North East. The weather was so bad, really heavy rain and mist and our views of lakes, mountains and rivers were only occasionally broken up by sheep. We arrived at Kaikoura around 6pm and having found a motel room book a trip to go whale watching tomorrow. Fairly expensive at $380 but it sounds cool and we're all quite excited about going.

We go up the pub for dinner and have roast pork. Not as good as home but not bad. Back at the motel I go to bed leaving Simon writing yesterday's blog about glacier walking. Early start tomorrow.

We don't wake up this morning until 10 o'clock, how lazy is that? There's no sign of Simon and he's taken the car so I think he's probably been up for ages. We bought some bacon yesterday-yum and had bacon, egg and mushroom muffins for breakfast to keep us going on our glacier walk this afternoon.

We spend the rest of the morning doing schoolwork. Maisie does some literacy, I read her a passage about glaciers and we then correct her spellings and look at sentence structure. Simon and Ali do some maths, I have no idea what type.

At 1.30 we change into warm clothes and get in the car. We've arranged a 4 hour glacier trip which will entail about 3 hours walking. As the weather is loads better today, no rain and quite warm I'm looking forward to get out and about. Getting out of the car, disaster strikes and I seem to twist my already painful knee a bit more. What a nightmare, straight away I know I won't be able to go walking on the glacier and I'm so disappointed I could cry. I have been looking forward to doing this so much and due to time constraints we can't postpone it for a few days. In the end we decide Simon will go with the kids and I go back to the motel.

Its 3pm now- feeling really pissed off and bored, I'll get Simon to write about their experience on the ice later.

(My effort - Simon)

Having packed Charlotte off back to the motel with the car, we head into the boot room to get kitted out for our glacier walk. Once we're ready we head off on an old Bedford coach for a 10 minute ride to as near as we can get to glacier terminal face. During the journey our guide, Sam, informs us of the detail of the walk we have ahead of us. This includes ½ hour walk to near the face, then 1½ hour up a narrow cliff edge hugging path with 500 steps, we then have an hour on the glacier and finally about an hour back down to bus. At this point Maisie is a little apprehensive as to how she will cope with this amount of exertion.

We arrive and our little group of 10 plus guide begin our trek towards the glacier. It's fairly easy going at first and the kids are impressed with their first sighting of the Fox glacier. We stop for photos and Sam gives us some history about the glacier and points out where recent icefalls have closed the cave where the terminal river flowed through.

Next we head up around the almost vertical side of the Fox valley to get to the area where we can get onto the glacier. The going now was getting seriously tough and a little scary! Scary, especially when Sam stopped us and informed us that the next 50m is a major rockfall risk area (A major rockfall closed the track for repairs just last week!) and if he yells 'Rock' we have to leg-it along the track. Ali gets particularly excited by this and feels he's in a real adventure now.

When we finally reach the glacier we stop to put on our crampons (spikes for the soles of your boots) and pick up our alpenstocks (Spiked walking sticks), we also get wrapped up with hats and gloves as its pretty chilly with all that ice around. Up close the glacier is seriously impressive and quite eerie looking. It a very strange landscape with all the peaks, crevasse's and the strange blue glow from the ice. The kids absolutely love the 'giant ice cube' and can't stop licking the glacier much to the amusement of the rest of our group.

Sam takes us to a small ice tunnel, after checking it out for safety he invites anyone to have a crawl through. Ali and I are up for it, I squeeze/wriggle/shuffle in first. It's a pretty tight fit and I'm glad to emerge safely from the other end, Ali also makes it through with a big grin. We have great fun exploring around the glacier but no time at all, it seems, its time for start our journey back. Ali and Maisie have found this a great trip and we all wish Charlotte could have seen it too. However in hindsight there's no way she could have coped with her injured knee.

We leave the ice and head off back down track. Maisie troops off in the middle of the group and I don't catch up with her again until we're nearly at the bottom. She tells me that she is definitely getting better at this 'Walking stuff!' That said we are all happy to get back on our bus for the short ride back Fox Glacier township. When we get back, Charlotte is waiting with the car and we head down to the motel with a much appreciated hot dinner ready and waiting for us.

Today we have travelled from Wanaka to Fox Glacier. The journey takes around 4 hours and the weather is shocking. It's raining very heavily, the fog and mist is rolling in across the mountains and it's still freezing cold. Simon and Ali took ages scraping the car before we left whilst Maisie and I sat shivering inside. We drive slowly as the roads are quite narrow and we have to go through a mountain pass to get there.

Once we get closer to the West Coast the landscape changes massively, from mountainous, sparse brown land to lush, tropical looking vegetation, almost like the jungle in Malaysia. We drive all along the coast and pass red sandy beaches, loads of boulder fields and creeks with nice names like Dismal Creek and Grave Creek. Seems quite appropriate for today.

We're all feeling a bit achy today from our skiing or boarding and I've now got some pain in my left knee that’s causing me to limp a bit. Good job we're not going walking on the glacier until tomorrow. We arrive at the backpackers we've booked and decide we will try a motel instead. For 120 dollars we get a lovely lodge style place with loads of space and two rooms.

Spent the afternoon watching the Discovery channel, after the past three days it's good to crash out in front of the telly with cheese and biscuits and a few beers. This is the life.

Today we were hoping it would have snowed overnight but no such luck. On the way we pick up a girl called Jackie, another snowboard instructor, from Lake Tahoe in California. She chats away and gives Ali a few tips on the way- perfect. It's cold again today but once we arrive on the mountain I'm pleased to see it’s a bit clearer and the sun is struggling to break through.

We sort Maisie out and Ali dashes off. I tell the instructor Steve that I want to go on the mountain but am shitting myself about the chairlift and he says he'll come on with me and I'll be ok. In the end it was, I was too concerned about the bitterly cold wind whistling around my throat and getting off the lift at the top to worry too much about the height and in the end managed to ski off the lift without falling over.

We start to make our way down the mountain, I keep doing my big turns and don't go too fast until I hit some icy patches, it all goes a bit tits up at this point and I fall in spectacular fashion all arms and legs everywhere. Steve looks a bit concerned as I'm all screwed up like a broken doll but I'm ok, not hurt and it's just a matter of unfolding myself and getting up which I manage to do unaided. At last we're at the bottom and I really thrilled, I feel like I've achieved something good and although I never went that fast I'm ready to go again.

We ski down MacDougalls, Skyline and Western Gap again twice and in the afternoon I go down with Simon. He's doing really well, more confident than me and has done some jumps and stuff. I'm not so confident with him and fall over again but not too hard and get up ok. I meet up with Maisie and we sit swapping fall stories and drinking green tea for a few hours. (Hoping those anti oxidants will limit the damage the sun and wind has done to my face over the past few days!) Ali comes back around 4 having thoroughly enjoyed his afternoon. He got really lucky again and had 2 more private lessons leaving him feeling really confident on his snowboard and doing jumps and turns.

It's been a fantastic experience and we've all loved it, I found it much less tiring and a lot easier than I expected and I'm relieved we all escaped relatively unscathed with nothing more than a few bruises. I feel sorry that we can't have any longer as I think we would all improve with more time. Definitely going to try snowboarding though next time. Still we're moving on tomorrow and I'm looking forward to walking on the glacier. Tracey emailed and said she has just walked on it for 6 hours! Somehow I don't think I need 6 hours to experience it. An hour will do.

Due to our early night I actually felt ok this morning and managed to get up with no more than my usual slowness. We have our breakfast, I make everyone eat porridge for energy and after a quick shower chuck my ski stuff back on. We get in the car and pick up an English girl hitching on the way. She is from Devon and a snowboard instructor and gives Ali a few tips on the way. As we get closer to the mountain the visibility is really poor and the temperature drops to minus 9.5. I think we'll definitely need our layers today.

We collect our boots and skis and Maisie mounts a mutiny at this point. Despite having some paracetamol her legs are really aching and she starts crying when we try to get her boots on. Ali dashes off excitedly and we stand there wondering what to do. When I hear another mother shouting at her daughter in a temper because her kid is having a paddy as well I make up my mind to be a little more understanding and not point out to our little darling that it has cost us a load of money and I could kill her for not wanting to go to ski school today. We take her over to the instructors and explain that she is finding it hard, luckily they are so friendly and she manages to dry her tears and sniffles off with "Cat" looking miserable.

It is upsetting and by this point Simon and have missed the 1030 lesson. We decide to practice on the beginners slope and after a few runs I'm also feeling a bit disheartened. The weather is really bad, more than freezing cold, with gusty winds blowing snow everywhere and thick thick fog. The slope is really icy and feels completely different to yesterday and I lose my confidence quickly.

We have a coffee and I decide I'm not going onto the mountain today and will stay with the beginners and repeat yesterdays lesson to get a bit braver. This turns out to be the right thing to do and after another two hours I'm feeling a lot better. Simon goes upto the mountain on the chairlift and Maisie is looking happy now with a few other kids. At the end of the afternoon we all meet up and swap stories. Ali is doing great and has managed to get four hourly lessons on a one to one basis today. This is excellent and should have cost us 400 dollars but as Maisie didn't hand in one of her lesson tickets yesterday he used that and got 2 hours free.Hurray!

I hope the weather is better tomorrow as the visibility was only about 2 metres and the conditions were hard. I feel pleased that we have managed to do what we have and although I was a chicken this morning I don't care and I'm glad I'm feeling more confident again now. It isn't really that hard and I think confidence is a major part so I need to work on that. Don't feel tired today and I think my boots are better with only one pair of socks. One amazing thing today was that mine and Maisie's hair froze as did Ali's eyelashes. Wow! It looked awesome. I told Ali he looked beautiful!! All in all a good day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Its 8pm now and me and the kids are watching A Bugs Life, Simon has gone to the pub to watch the rugby but we didn't want to brave the cold!

Well by the time we have got all our gear on one thing I know is I won't be cold. I might be crap but I'll look warm doing it. We set off about 8.30 and pick up a Japanese fella along the way; there are loads of skint travellers here all hitching a lift to the ski field and we're hoping to get a few tips. As he hardly spoke any English it didn't work out that way but he was friendly and grateful for the lift.

We arrive and make our way to the reception area where we pay for our passes, hire of ski's and boots and lessons. Ali decides he wants to snowboard instead so we sort that out and head to the hire area. The ski boots are so tight I don't think they will go on but I know they are meant to be really tight and don't argue when the girl tells me they're fine. We collect our ski and poles and gingerly pick our way to ski school. Maisie goes off with an instructor called Paul and a 12 year boy Kieran for 1 -2 lessons and Ali gets one on one boarding instruction as he's the only kid boarding for the first time.

Our instructor is called Bridget and we join a group of 5 first time skiers. We learn how to put the skis on, take them off, tramp sideways and do the wedge. Our lesson is for 2 hours and after an hour we are gliding around on the flat and ready to go up the beginners slope. This is where everything starts to go wrong for me, despite being told not to sit on the pommer lift I must have put some weight on it and ended up falling off and being dragged up the slope. I felt like a right twat and it was all going so well.

I manage to make it up there and we slowly ski to the bottom using the wedge to slow us down. It's easy, a matter of balance and once we get the hang of turning we seem to do quite well, we go up again and again and by the end of our lesson we feel quite confident. Simon seems to be doing well too, he did fall over more than me but I think this was luck on my part more than any natural ability.

We meet up with the kids at lunchtime; Ali loves it despite spending most of his time on his bum. Snow boarding does look hard and I think skiing is perhaps easier. Maisie looks great, whizzing down the slope like she's been skiing for years- very brave, I'm impressed! We've been surrounded by amazing little kids all morning, racing down and completely putting the adult learners to shame.

At 2pm we have another lesson and it starts to get a bit harder as we get tired. We learn to jump on the skis and ski backwards. (Neither of which I want to do at all!) I fall over for the first time which doesn't hurt and find getting back up again is really hard. After struggling for a few minutes the instructor has to help me up but as I don't think I'm any better or worse than anyone else in the group I'm not too worried. He says we can go on the chairlift and up onto one of the slopes but I bottle it mainly because of the height thing on the chairlift. With your legs dangling down it looks horrible and I have watched it stop a few times leaving the skiers suspended in midair. I don't know how I'm going to deal with this and listening to a lovely girl called Kelly from Liverpool who is also shitting herself about going on the chairlift doesn't really help!

Its 8.30pm now and I'm in bed having had a steak for dinner, 2 glasses of mulled wine and a paracetamol to ease the pain. Although I only fell over twice today I've got a few bruises from falling off the lift and I'm feeling knackered. Although it's easier than I expected, it's more tiring, guess that bootcamp gym training is the answer after all!
The kids and Simon have also had a good day. Maisie got really tired and when she failed to stop at the end of the slope kind of fell off the end, (A few tears there) Ali is now boarding down the beginners slope looking cool and loving it.

I'm going to sleep now - need to conserve my energy. They say the second day is the hardest - bring it on dude.

We managed to get an extended check out this morning and 3 days of internet use for the price of one, on the basis that it had been a bit hit and miss! Good one Simon. He has been researching the local ski fields avidly for the past few days and we have decided the one that will suit us best is Cardrona which is about an hour from Queenstown and half an hour from Wanaka where we plan to stay.

None of us have skied before and we did think about snow boarding instead as Ali thinks its cooler. After talking to some guy in a shop who told us "skiing is the new snow boarding" we decide initially to try skiing and then change to boarding if we want once we're on the slopes. We leave Queenstown; a bit sadly as it's a great place and we've really had a good time here and drive over the mountains towards Cardrona. All the reports suggest it will snow on Saturday night which will be good timing for us.

We arrive at Wanaka and check into the Alpine Motel, it has everything the lovely apartment in Queenstown had but not nearly as nice and a bit bleak looking. Still we will be spending all day at the ski resort so it's not a problem. We are going to arrange a 3 day learner package which includes lift pass, ski and boot hire and 4 lessons. It will cost us in total a bit over 400 hundred quid which doesn't sound too pricy but we still have to hire ski pants and jackets. In the end we also buy thermal glove linings, socks and lip balm and I give up adding up the cost as it's too scary!

Well I always wanted to try skiing but have to be the least prepared person ever, have just been looking up skiing tips on the internet and deciding its all over exaggeration I reckon blissful ignorance is the best policy. I probably should be a little more concerned as everyone I know always seems to go into some kind of boot-camp training for at least 6 weeks before their ski trip but on the other hand we're only going for 3 days, I've learnt a bit of ski lingo and how hard can it be?

We spent the morning buying skiing gear, most of the stuff can be hired but we have to buy gloves, goggles and hats and spend ages trying to get decent stuff for not too much.
In the afternoon we decide we will ride the gondola to the top of the mountains, it's an extreme sport lovers playground up here with luge, ledge swing, bungy and paragliding all available. Ali has decided not to bungy jump and I'm secretly glad although I didn't say that to him and told him it would be more fun in a few years when he's travelling with his mates.( Probably true)

We have a go on the luge, the kids and Simon ride 3 times and I go once before escaping to the bar with a glass of red wine. I feel quite pleased that I managed to ride the skyride and gondola without breaking into a sweat or crying, but it wasn't as high as the one we went on in Singapore.

Back at the apartment we have a quiet evening I make dinner- beef marinated in Pale Ale and we crash out around 11pm after a few phonecalls home on Skype.

We sleep in late today which is good, something we all needed after getting up early for days recently. The kids sit and do some schoolwork for an hour, Maisie does a maths sats paper and Ali concentrates on some of the science areas where he's still lacking a bit.

At 2pm a fella called Peter comes and collects us in a raised up 4WD all terrain thing. It reminds me of the Hagglund we went on in Christchurch and we bounce off up the road. Peter gives up some good explanations of the history of the area along the way. Queenstown was all but deserted until 1862 when two shearers discovered gold on the banks on the Shotover River and an absolute deluge of prospectors flooded the area. One year later and Queenstown was a mining town with a population of thousands.

We take the breathtakingly scary 4WD only road past Coronet Peak (The ski field) and on towards the Upper Shotover River. One benefit of coming here in such icy conditions is that no one else is mad enough to want to go jet boating in minus 13 degrees (Peter informs us!) and we have the tour and jet boat to ourselves. The road is very narrow, covered in frozen snow and ice and hugs the mountainside and it's an exhilarating, if nerve wracking experience driving along it. (Almost an extreme sport in itself).

At last we reach the Upper Shotover River and Peter introduces us to Adrian the jet boat fella. I think he thinks we're a bit mad too and after kitting us out in waterproofs and lifebelts we set off up the river. It's amazing, we skim along the water, which is full of huge ice blocks and it's so cold it literally takes our breath away. Luckily the handrail was heated but our faces are so icy I wonder in all seriousness whether we will get frostbite. We pass the spot where Liv Tyler crosses the river on horseback during the chase in Lord of the Rings and Adrian also points out lots of old mining equipment that is slowly being claimed by the river. Apparently Skippers Canyon produced more gold in the mining years than any other gold field in the world.

When we get back we discover that the "Hagglund" has a puncture- shit! I wouldn't like to get stranded here, there is nothing around and the only way out is back along the treacherous road we've just driven. The fellas change it though and soon we are on our way. Peter takes us to the site of the 102 metre Pipeline Bungy. It's not operating at the moment but we walk out to the platform anyway. Despite my fear of heights I go ok but I don't think I could jump off there if my arse was on fire. We get back in the truck and continue home. Peter gives us loads of interesting information on the way, telling us about the devastation caused by rabbits and possums to the farming population as well as discussing the impact of tourism on the local community. It's obvious he adores the land and is very proud to live here and it's good to hear.

Back at the apartment, we leave the kids and go shopping for dinner. We want to make some decisions about our plans for the next few days. Ali is considering whether to jump the Nevis Highwire Bungy, 134 metres high (Crazy) and we tell him he needs to make up his mind as it takes around 4 hours to get there, do the jump and get back. Settling in for the night with a few beers, we've bought Pale Ale by mistake - it's not lovely Corona but will have to do.

We left Te Anau just gone 10 this morning and set off for Queenstown. It's described as the extreme sports capital of the world and home of the infamous Nevis Highwire Bungy. As its ski season we are expecting accommodation to be pricey and difficult to find and it turns out to be just that. We try loads of places, some of which look crap and are expensive. Eventually we decide on Oaks Shores Apartment complex, overlooking Lake Wakatipu and the mountains it's absolutely fantastic. A massive, luxury loft style apartment with loads of mod cons including under floor heating, flat screen telly and 2 ensuite bathrooms- How the other half live.

It's definitely the most luxurious place we have stayed in on this trip and for 80 pounds a night, a lot but worth it for the spectacular views through the 3 huge windows that make up one wall. We spend the evening in, none of want to go anywhere when it's so cool here and the kids make us some Mexican food. Even loading the dishwasher seems like a bit of a novelty! How sad are we?!

Off to bed now, not been feeling too well for a few days and want to get a decent night sleep before going jet boating tomorrow.

After checking with the locals that the road to Milford Sound is open and passable we set off about 8.30 am for the 2 hour drive. The road is reputed to be one of the most spectacular in New Zealand and it really is so beautiful along the way. Despite detesting the cold weather I think we are actually seeing the countryside at its best. The awesome mountains topped with snow compete with frozen waterfalls and lakes, frosted trees, grasses and bushland for the prize of prettiest sight.

The mist that is hanging in low sheets across the roads and valleys adds to the eerie and mystical appearance of the landscape. We reckoned that this amazing journey would be overwhelmed with about a billion tourists in the warmer months and we stop along the way loads of times to take photographs, have a snowball fight and grab some massive icicles. There are about 4 other cars on the road and we take it in turns to lead as everyone keeps stopping. We won the race in the end; we said Simon was like Penelope Pitstop.

On the way he tells us about merain fields and the difference between a sound (Formed by river erosion) and a fjord (Formed by glacier erosion) apparently Milford Sound is incorrectly named as it's actually a fjord. Hmm clever!

We arrive at the cruiseboat terminal and book our tickets for 11.30am. The operators are offering a deal where children go free as its NZ kids winter holiday at the moment so it costs us 110 dollars in total. The boat we have chosen is a smaller boat and there are around 10 people on it. We set off through the fjord and gaze up at the mountains all around. The Captain of the boat tells us that when Captain Cook was chartering New Zealand in the late 1700's he sailed straight past here. The reason being, that from out to sea the mountains appear to cross over each other and the entrance to the fjord is therefore concealed.

There are 3 waterfalls to see and the lots of evidence of the huge glacier that cut through here. The sides of the mountains are scratched with deep gouges where the rocks carried by the glacier ground the mountain rock away. We learn that glaciers often move quite fast, up to a metre a day and when they finally terminate leave behind many boulders in the merain fields. Interesting. Best of all we see some wild sealions, how cool is that? Lying on a rock their big blubbery bodies spread out and we're all enchanted.

Its 11pm now and I spent the afternoon reading my book in the warmth. Travelling around New Zealand is quite different to travelling elsewhere. Very easy, everything is mapped out for you. Although the hostels are nice I am beginning to feel a bit like I'm on a school trip, actually I quite like it, I always thought I would suit an institutionalised life. Endless magazines, tv and board games, give it to me.

The beds in New Zealand are so comfortable and it’s a major struggle to drag my lazy arse out today at 9am. I jump in the shower and after a quick breakfast we set off for Milford Sound. First stop of the day is the Gore Moonshine Museum. It's not very big but I like it in there, finding out about the Scottish descendent locals who brewed illicit whisky here for years following prohibition around the turn of last century. In this part off NZ there are lots of Scottish influences to be seen including a statue of Robert Burns in Dunedin. As the video wasn't working the lady let us in for free and we spent half an hour examining old stuff before the kids got a bit impatient.

On the way we stop for petrol and Simon chats to the fella who tells us we should consider staying overnight at Te Anau as there isn't much at Milford Sound. We drive for a few hours through the lovely countryside. Its much more like England here with rolling green hills, loads and loads of sheep (And lots of deer) and thick mist and drizzly rain.

We arrive at Te Anau around lunchtime and check into the YHA hostel. These hostels are really good, very clean and friendly. We heard from some other travellers that they felt some of the hostels in New Zealand are very unwelcoming and that they felt bullied by the hostel staff into booking trips they didn't want to do, but that hasn't been our experience at all and all the kiwis we've met have been friendly. We go and get some lunch, Simon has a venison burger and we have soup before heading back to the hostel for an afternoon in front of the telly.

Its 9.45pm now, Simon and Ali have gone to watch some rugby at the pub, The All Blacks v South Africa. Come on New Zealand! Hopefully we will at last make it to Milford Sound tomorrow.

Today has been a funny day really. We intended to get out there and see a bit of stuff but it's really so freezing here that it's hard to motivate yourself to go out. Despite this we were up early and had a fry up for breakfast before setting off for Otago Peninsula to see the rare yellow eyed penguins, the royal albatross and a seal colony in the wild.

What a disappointment it all turns out to be, we get there and find that the beaches where the wildlife live are owned by farmers who charge what we think is an extortionate amount of money to go and see them. The cost to see the penguins only was 120 dollars and as its icy cold my reaction is basically stuff it up your arse, we can live without seeing them. It is a shame though and we would have happily paid maybe half of that but still, our loss perhaps!

We were told that there are some public beaches on the peninsula where we can possibly see the penguins for free but when we head there we can see from above that the penguins aren't there and in the end give up. A bit of a waste of time but we have seen some beautiful scenery on the way around the peninsula on the way so all wasn't lost!

We drive for a few hours to the town of Gore. There isn't much here although a sign proclaims it to be "The capital of brown trout fishing and country music" - help. We book into a motel which is a really nice place but rather chilly and leave the kids with strict instructions to keep pressing the button on the heater which has a half hour timer on it. Damn them!

The travellers we have met in New Zealand definitely seem to like a few luxuries and everyone us including us carries around any number of large grocery bags. So much for the image of penniless backpackers living on beans on toast, we've seen some tasty creations being put together in the kitchens of hostels and we're no exception. Getting all we need for roast beef with yams and pumpkin, we want some decent food due to the wintry weather and are sick of eating take out. (A miracle for me)

Just watched a program on the telly- "The man with the largest penis in the world". The highlight of the day.

We woke up to the sound of someone's kids screeching in the corridor. Bless them, the little monkeys.

We have to go out for breakfast which is a pain but quickly find "Bronx Bagels" and put our orders in. I go last and the kids are outraged when I choose a cinnamon and raisin bagel with banana and nutella. Especially as they had to chose some thing a little healthier- hehe!

We decide to pay the Otago Museum a visit and make a donation of 10 dollars for the pleasure. And it is a pleasure, a really cool museum with loads of interesting galleries and exhibits demonstrating the history of New Zealand, Maori culture and the extinct Moa bird, as well as clothing from around the world, fossils and a large section on the South Pacific Islands. Can't wait to go to Fiji, The Cook Islands and Tahiti now! The kids enjoyed the practical demonstration by a physiologist called "Grossology- the fight against illness", which included the making of blood snot and pus, the best!

We want to go and see the latest Harry Potter instalment and when we get to the cinema the film is starting at 3.30. We book our tickets (only 35 dollars and no queue) and get some popcorn, maltesers and coke. Healthy diet these days. Two hours later and we're out having all enjoyed the bit of escapism.

We have dinner back at the hotel and pay 100 dollars for a crap meal that none of us enjoy. I phone mum and we have a chat before heading off to bed. We're travelling again tomorrow, heading towards Milford Sound on the west coast.

We seem to be making a bit of a habit of sleeping in recently and so last night set our alarm for 7.30. We're all up and about by 8 and after breakfast, my new favourite -cinnamon porridge, we pack up our stuff. It's so cold and when we realise Maisie is too small to ride the huge mountain bikes I welcome the opportunity to curl up in front of the fire with my Wilber Smith book.

The bikes are ten dollars each and they go for about an hour, mad fools! When they get back they're so cold and have apparently fallen off about 8 times between them! They said the cycle paths were very steep and snowy and now have blue fingers and red noses to show for their bit of exercise, but loved every minute of it.

The day was spent driving back towards the east coast and then south to the coastal town of Dunedin. The south islands second largest city has some good museums and art galleries as well as Cadbury World and some wild penguins. Cadbury World sounds like the biggest draw to me. Although- the headline in the local paper discusses the 6th annual jaffa race where 20,000 jaffas are rolled down the world's steepest hill. (Oh no! we missed it)

We arrive about 6pm and head for a backpackers recommended to us. When we get there it has closed down and we decide to try some of the many motels instead. They turn out to be really expensive and I begrudge paying 180 dollars for some crummy place. After trying at least 10 places we opt for two hotel rooms at a Mecure Hotel. Not cheap at 185 dollars but at least it’s a decent quality kip.

We have had an email recently from Sam and Dan, a couple we met way back in January in Malaysia. They are now back at work and gave us loads of tips on NZ. It was interesting to see that they thought overall Asia was the best place, despite cutting their Asia trip short to return to Australia. We talk about this and also agree that even though it's so so beautiful here it isn't the amazing adventure we have experienced elsewhere. We've heard this a bit from other travellers too but feel quite conscious that we don't want to start yapping on about how much better it was when we were single handedly hacking our way through some mosquito infested jungle! Blah blah blah!

I have a lovely long and hot bath, looking decidedly scruffy and travellerish recently with dry skin, greasy hair and knackered nails. Simon made some cheeky remark which I won't repeat to save my blushes- how rude! He's just found the dedicated grass roots rugby channel -Oh give me strength!

Had a fab nights sleep and woke up around 9am feeling full of cold but toasty and warm. We decide we will travel to Aoraki/ Mt Cook today. It is the highest mountain in New Zealand and really popular with mountain climbers. We will be travelling from the east coast of the south island inland towards the west coast for about 200km.

Our journey takes us through and over the Southern Alps and we stop for a cappuccino in the ski resort of Fairlie around midday. It's getting steadily cooler but the sun is shining brightly and it actually feels warm out of the shade. The photo opportunities are numerous and as we get nearer to Mt Cook it just gets more and more stunning. We're all snow virgins and having never been skiing before the spectacular mountain range just looks unbelievable. The frosty pine trees, craggy snow mountains and wide flat boulder plains combine to make a wondrous and magical picture postcard image. It's like a beautiful fairy land.

Around 3pm we stop in the town of Twizel (How cute is that!) and share antipasto. Yum! Then back in the car for another hour to Mt. Cook. When we arrive it's almost dark and we have watched the temperature on the car drop from 2 to minus 8.5 in the space of 20 minutes. The YHA hostel is gorgeous, a Swedish style cabin with log burners, a lovely big kitchen and a sauna. Luckily the fires are blazing and the whole place is really snug. We make our nightly usual, mulled red wine and put some jacket potatoes in the oven for later.

Its 11pm now and we've just come to bed, we spent the evening watching my favourite film ever –Point break. I suppose it must be at least 15 years old now but I still love it and I must have seen it a hundred times. Ali told me it's really cheesy but I don't care! Tomorrow we're going mountain biking- god help me.

Bloody hell! I have never been so cold in all my life and for someone who truly detests the cold weather last night was nothing short of an endurance test. Since arriving in New Zealand Simon and I have developed sore throats and I now sound like I've got kennel cough. I tell Simon it will be a miracle if we survive the day and don't develop pneumonia as a direct result of the freezing conditions in this railway carriage. In between nursing my aching joints and picking green ice out of my frozen nostrils I actually fantasise about going home. (Definitely a first since we started the trip)

We gather up our stuff and the kids, skip the showers (There were icicles hanging down from the shower head) and head for the nearest pub. After a massive breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, omelettes and toast we're all feeling loads more cheerful and decide we will pay whatever it costs to get some decent accommodation tonight. We drive back down south, past Christchurch towards the town of Dunedin. We plan to stop halfway tonight at Timaru and the drive takes a couple of hours. We're all really tired, Simon and I hardly slept due to the cold and I chat to the kids and revise what they learnt of Australia's history on the way.

The best thing about this journey is the mountains. The South Island is divided by the Southern Alps and although they are a long way from us we can see them clearly on our right hand side. Covered in thick snow, they look magical and we're all really excited about going skiing or snow boarding sometime over the next few weeks. We stop off at a cookie factory, this was the kids idea and they had a good time reading about the baking of the worlds largest cookie( In Guinness Book of Records!) and then buying a few to have with a cuppa later.

We finally reach Timaru and check into the Homestead Lodge Motel. With a blower, hot showers and electric blankets on the beds it's as close to heaven as I can expect (or want) at the moment and we all crash out after a hot shower. We wash all our gear; it needs it badly as we have been wearing the same stuff for at least 24 hours. So grim. Get used to seeing us in the same stuff in all our photos. That blue fleece is my new best friend.

We leave the hostel about 1030 and set off along the Port Hills scenic drive around the Banks peninsula. New Zealand is basically all old volcano and we drive upto and around the craggy rim of a huge ancient volcano. The scenery's beautiful and although it's not as green and tame looking it reminds me of England in lots of ways. One thing we have decided when we get back is that we will travel England more and see what our own place has to offer. Because it’s a bit like England here I have felt ever so slightly homesick for the first time since we left home back in November. It's like England but not, if that makes sense.

The trees are also the same type and lots of the architecture is very similar, gothic and Victorian style houses and buildings are everywhere. Many of the places have the same names as English towns and cities. (We also really noticed this in Australia) The differences though are the size of the roads- massive, and the amount of space in between everything. We stop at a small place called Akaora for lunch. It looks like Salcombe at home but better, not so crowded and expensive! We have some soup for lunch and then head towards a tiny place called Waipara where we have planned to stop for the night.

Adrian and Liz, the couple we met in the Blue Mountains in OZ recommended a backpackers called Waipara Sleepers and it sounds really cool. Old railway carriages set on their own bits of track have been converted into accommodation and with brass beds and the original train seats they sound romantic and cute.

By the time we arrive it's almost dark and the temperature is starting to drop a lot. We wrap up warm and walk to the local pub, only 100 yards up the road, for dinner. This is sheep shearing season and by the end of the night I've met a few shearers and learnt all sorts! Apparently the kiwi shearers are world renowned and often travel abroad to places like Wyoming in America to shear upto 280 sheep a day. They shear them now to make them cold and therefore lead their lambs to more protected and warmer areas. Interesting-I love finding out all that kind of stuff!

By 9pm its pub closing time and we're turfed out into the cold. All the puddles have frozen and it's icy. We get into bed fully dressed realising too late that perhaps this is just too cold a place to spend the night! Simon takes a photo of me sat on the completely ineffective radiator in a sleeping bag. Despite it having been on for the past four hours we can still see our breath in here. I think its going to be a very long night.

No snow again this morning so we decide we will go find some. The Antarctic Centre is described as Christchurch's most popular attraction and when Simon finds two for one discount vouchers in some info leaflet we set off. We have hired an Astra for the next 20 days, it is a bit of a crap car but only cost 220 quid including hire of the snow chains.

The Antarctic Centre is the base from which travellers to Scott Base (New Zealand's Antarctic Base) leave. Over the past few years it has also been developed into a tourist attraction and it's interesting and educational for the kids. We read some information about the Antarctic first, learning that it is the coldest (Minus 89 degrees), driest and windiest place on earth. There are lots of models in the centre wearing the clothes needed to keep you warm there and we get the opportunity to try some on when we head to the snow room.

At minus 8 it's freezing and everyone wraps up in the overshoes and thick coats provided. Even those don't help much when the storm comes though. These happen every hour and although I wouldn't say it was good fun standing there in the dark with the wind howling around us and the temperature reduced to minus 21 it was a great experience. (The kids and Simon of course loved it!!) Maisie went in a couple of times and really enjoyed sliding down the ice slide and sheltering in the igloo.

We then went to see the penguin feeding; the Little Blue Penguins have all been rescued due to injuries that would have meant they would have died if they had been left in the wild. They're so cute, only about a foot tall and its great watching them swimming around through the underwater window. Lastly we have a ride on the Hagglund, these machines are used in the Antarctic for getting around and transporting stuff. It's quite a thrilling ride as the driver seems to enjoy scaring us by doing donuts at a 25 degree tilt. He assured us these things are made to do this but it was quite scary. We also go over a manmade crevasse and through a pond where we are relieved to discover the Hagglund are actually amphibious in case they fall into ice seas.

After some shopping we get back to the hostel and Simon cooks us some lovely New Zealand lamb for dinner- yum! I make us some mulled wine and we sit in the lounge watching a film before heading of to bed around 11pm.

Well we've been on our Air New Zealand flight to Christchurch now for the past hour or so and I'm getting excited about landing and checking the place out. When we boarded the Captain told us it was 4 degrees there and snowing - Brrrrrrr!! I reckon buying coats will be high on our list of things to do over the next few days.

Wow! -looking out of the window at our first glimpse of "Godzone" as Simon's friend Nick puts it. The mountains look awesome covered in snow. I know this is going to be completely different to all the other places we have seen and we can't wait to check it out.

Well we landed on time and it certainly is freezing here but no snow so far. We get a taxi to the hostel we have booked. Dorset House is a great find, a large Victorian style place with huge rooms, thick carpets, sash windows and oil filled radiators, it reminds me of our old house in England. For 100 dollars we have got a shared room with 4 single beds (The exchange rate here is about 2.6 dollars to the pound) and after chucking our stuff in we decide we will walk into town for some food.

The road we are on has loads of bars and cafes to choose from but in the end our minds are made up by Maisie who refuses to walk any further in the cold and drags us into a coffee shop. It’s a good enough choice with a roaring log fire and hot drinks and homemade cakes all round. We get chatting to the fella who serves us and tell him we want to hire a car; he lets us use his phone and tells us we will need to get snow chains also. (Apparently included in the hire price)As its late now, another two hours on the time difference- now 11 hours ahead, we decide we will sort it out properly in the morning.

We stop off and buy some fish, chips and tomatoes for dinner. Not a very exciting meal but it will do and we will be able to stock up on food more when we have some transport. When we get back to Dorset House we sit in the lovely big lounge watching Lord of the Rings. I guess we will see plenty of that while we're here!

11pm and we're off to bed with the hot water bottles we've been given. Feeling tired but very excited about our plans for the next few weeks.

Our brief stay in Oz has come to an end, on to New Zealand now.

The first thing we did this morning was try and sort our packs out a bit. Once again we seem to be travelling with a few extras including a fishing rod given to Ali by Liz and Adrian in Katoomba. We have a good look at their schoolbooks and they're so pleased to see we can send some home and ditch some. Maisie spends an hour doing some sats papers and Ali makes a check list of science subjects he has to cover again in more detail. Not much, only a bit on light and sound and matter. Good job really as school work has all but been abandoned recently!

We set of for Darling Harbour and the shops and whilst Ali and Simon go and look for some replacement piece for his PSP Maisie and I look for souvenirs. I have a look at the Didgeridoos but they are expensive and I know Simon will accuse me of being a tacky tourist lugging that about! We settle for a couple of boomerangs (No less tacky!!) and a few other bits and pieces.

After dropping our stuff at the hotel we set out again for Pitt Street. I've lost my favourite lipstick and am pleased to find MAC has it in stock. Cheaper than Bangkok too! We also get Maisie a new fleece top to keep her warm in frosty New Zealand.

Just got in, we walked down to see the Opera House lit up at night but it was really too cold to appreciate the experience. We decide to get take out for dinner, the kids have been dying to try Hungry Jacks and I had some Japanese food. Take away Japanese, what a great invention- love it!! We are flying to New Zealand in the morning- the trip is starting to fly by now and we're beginning to think about going home and making some plans for then. (Actually I have been spending quite a bit of time planning our next RTW trip -Canada, Japan, South America, Nepal, Tibet and Western Australia - so far!)

Australia is so vast that I think until you come here it's really difficult to comprehend how much time you need to see stuff. 6 weeks is nowhere near enough time to even experience all the East Coast has to offer and we have raced through New South Wales. There are so many great things Aussie has to offer - our favourites being the drive through beer barns, free BBQ's, wide streets and abundance of parking spaces, more than their fair share of blue skies and sunny days, fascinating wildlife, amazing beaches, stunning scenery and oh so friendly people. (Its easy to sound like a sales brochure when writing about Australia as it is as great as everyone says!)

What our time here has done is given us a small taster of life here and I would love to come back in the summer especially to spend time in the Outback. We have had a lot of fun here and met some of the kindest people- just hope it won't be too long before we come back. As the Aussies say- No worries mate! I reckon that’s definitely true!

We woke up to the sound of workmen chattering away outside our window. (We're on the 12th floor, I was a bit tempted to open the window and ask them to keep it down a bit!) We decide to get up and after dressing make our way back across the road to the YWCA for our freebie breakfast. It's lovely and sunny and we have planned to catch the bus to Bondi Beach for the day. Unfortunately by the time we've got our shit together it's clouded over a lot and we stick in our jumpers as well.

We catch the bus all the way up Oxford Street and eventually arrive at Bondi. We sit watching the surfers but decide as there are only a few waves and a lot of surfers that we're going to give the surfing a miss for today. The beach isn't as beautiful as lots of beaches we've been to but still its cool here and we have a good time despite the gusty winds.

We decide we will walk from Bondi to Coogee all along the coast. It’s a lovely walk and takes us around 2 and a half hours. We stop off on the way for a smoothie and then have lunch at a cute little café. The scenery is fantastic, loads of people are running along with their MP3 players clutched in their hands but we get creeped out when we enter the "atmospheric Waverley Cemetery" and the sun disappears completely. Maisie isn't too happy to see some of the graves have been dislodged and opened! Still I think it is one of best final resting places I've seen. Can't really beat that view.

We get the bus back and spend an hour or so in the spa and sauna. Although the pool is supposedly heated I'm too scared to try it as it's breezy on the hotel roof despite the warm sun which has once again made an appearance.

Tomorrow is our last day in Australia and we're going shopping for some souvenirs. I want to get a Didgeridoo but may settle for a Boomerang or two.

We've had a fantastic, exhausting day today. Although we set our alarm for 8am we really had to rush to make it in time for the complimentary breakfast available until 1000. We have been given 8 breakfast vouchers and we're so pleased when we check out that they don't take tomorrow vouchers off us meaning we can get breakfast for nothing in the morning!

We walk across the road and into the lobby of the Hyde Park Plaza Hotel. It's in a really good location opposite Hyde Park and on the corner of Oxford Street and after leaving our gear in the luggage room set off through the park towards the Opera House. It takes us around 20 minutes and we have to go back halfway to change. It very hot and we're all wrapped up in winter gear. Shorts and sandals would have been more appropriate clothing but we settle for swapping our jumpers for t-shirts.

The park's lovely with some really unusual trees called Bottle Trees, sculptures and signs asking you to smell the roses, walk on the grass and hug the trees! As we get nearer to the waters edge we see a long path that curves around the harbour and on the opposite side in front of the Harbour Bridge is the stunning and beautiful Opera House. Gleaming in the sunlight, the instantly recognisable building really is architecturally amazing. Very graceful looking, the curves are framed perfectly by the backdrop of the bridge and the impression with the sparkling water is really lovely.

As I stand there looking at it I wonder that we have even made it here. When we booked our trip I never gave Australia any thought, it seemed so far away in time and distance that seeing the Opera House felt like a dream that might never happen. When I think back over our adventure of the past months I think again how lucky we are to have the opportunity to do all this cool stuff.

We take loads of photos and then walk around the path towards the bridge. By now we're very thirsty but when we stop to buy a bottle of water and a packet of strepsils and it comes to over 20 dollars we think again about stopping here and carry on round a bit. We pass a couple of street performers on the way and the kids have their photo taken with an Aborigine fella. We buy their CD of Didgeridoo music and then hurray, arrive at a food court. Maisie, Ali and I have sushi and Simon gets a sandwich, in total less than 20 dollars. (I think we were really skinned earlier. Actually can anyone reading this let me know the cost of strepsils in England as it's really bugging me)

We decide to walk across the Harbour Bridge. It's really a long way but worth it to get some more photos of the Opera House. You can climb it but it's very expensive and although we're not as high the view is the same from where we are. We walk back across and through the area called The Rocks. This is where the first European Settlers lived and the houses are small terraces like those found in England. When we were talking to Adrian and Liz the other night in the Blue Mountains they described Sydney as being like London should be!
We get a taxi back and as our room is now ready we check in. Wow! What a fab room. It's actually a massive suite with a kitchen and proper bathroom. The kids get really excited when they find a playstation controller but we're not having any of that!
Simon has really excelled here in managing to get the hotel to put 2 extra beds in the suite at no extra cost and as we can also use the spa, sauna and rooftop pool I'm in heaven!

We spend an hour doing just that before making our way back to our room. It's 6.30 now and I'm sat typing this looking out of the window at the skyscrapers all around. Lit up they look beautiful and the glass of wine and Elvis on the laptop helps to make it feel so special. I never wanted to come to Australia and yet it's such a wonderful place. I can't imagine anyone coming here and not loving it. With such huge diversity across the country and the friendly locals it's been a great experience and one that I would love to repeat soon.

Today we are going to be making our way back to Sydney. Simon drops Adrian and Liz at one of the lookout points and I quickly repack. The journey takes a couple of hours and we stop on the way and have some lunch. Like a bunch of tramps we sit on the kerb in a McDonald's car park eating left over roast beef sandwiches. Sydney is going to be really expensive and we're trying to save some cash wherever we can. Even a few coffees can eat up the dollars quite quickly here.

We have booked somewhere to stay but I'm not too impressed when we arrive. It’s a YWCA hostel and we have a four bedded room. It's really cold and as the heating is broken I'm dreading staying here for the next 4 nights. It turns out that they only have the room available for two nights anyway and we decide we will move tomorrow. Simon and Ali go out to return the hire car and when they come back have found somewhere else. Expensive at 170 dollars a night but its opposite here, we are in a good area and although we haven't quite got an Opera House view it is very central.

Sydney looks to be a lovely city, Described as bewitching in our guide book with extensive parks and gardens, loads of shops, theatres, year round sunshine and amazing beaches we're all excited about getting out and about and exploring tomorrow.

We go out for dinner and walk up Oxford Street to a Turkish/Greek/Italian restaurant me and the kids have pasta and Simon has a risotto. With a couple of beers the bill comes to a respectable 87 dollars. Not too bad. We get back and sit watching the concert for Princess Diana on the telly, we guessed it would be big news at home as well as the news we see about bomb threats at some of the airports. Scary. I read my book and get off to sleep early. Very excited about going to see the Opera House tomorrow.

We woke up lovely and warm this morning. This guesthouse/hostel really is so cool. It's been a guesthouse since 1913 and has lots of 1950's charm about it plus stripped wooden floors, cosy checked duvets and underfloor heating. What a luxury!

We get up and after breakfast head out in the car. There are lots of lookout points here and we start with Wentworth Falls. The scenery is spectacular; The Blue Mountains get their name from the blue mist that arises from the oil evaporating from of the thousands of eucalyptus trees covering the mountains. Looking around its impossible to take in the whole canyon and mountainous surround in one go as it's so vast.

We decide we will take the "Scenic World" route around the area in order to get the best views of the landscape. First is a trip across the 300m wide canyon in the skyride. It’s a massive thing with a glass floor and surprisingly I quite enjoy it. We have a fantastic view of The Three Sisters. (Rock formation) The biting icy wind is my main concern and we skip around in an effort to keep warm when we reach the other side of the canyon. To get to the bottom we take the funicular railway, it's claimed to be the steepest in the world and I can definitely believe that as it was almost vertical.

At the bottom of the canyon are coal mines which were in use until 1945 when the colliery was finally closed down and we have a good look around. Some of the mining equipment is still there and we look into a ventilation shaft whilst reading the history of the mines and about the lives of the young miners who carried out such a dangerous job on a daily basis. We take some good photos of the kids posing with the coal cart and on a replica of the original mountain train called The Mountain Devil.

There are lots of different types of plants and animals here and we read about the various species of eucalypts, Jurassic age tree ferns, rainforest mosses and fungi. Animals frequently sighted here include possums, bandicoots, kangaroos and wallabies, none of whom made an appearance today. Presumably too cold!

We get another cable car back and after having chicken wraps for lunch in the café get back in the car and head for the local supermarket. Maisie has asked if she can cook dinner tonight and we decide roast beef will be lovely. We get all the stuff and drive back to the hostel for a quiet afternoon in front of the fire. Bliss.

Simon and Maisie get the dinner on and we sit talking to a really nice couple called Adrian and Liz. They have been all through New Zealand and give us loads of tips and advice about places to go. As they are heading up the coast to Cairns we do the same for them. They have a bottle of red wine and offer us a glass of mulled wine. So good and the roast beef is perfect. We have a hot chocolate with marsh mallows and flake for pudding. Just a normal relaxing Sunday afternoon!

Later Simon, Adrian, Liz and Ali go to see The Three Sister in the dark; apparently it is lit up at night and looks stunning. The photographs don't prove it as our camera isn't that good but they said the moonlit effect was excellent.

When they get back we sit talking until late about the effect the trip has had on all our lives and future plans. They spent two months in South America and it sounds amazing. Very safe, interesting and beautiful, I would love to go there.

Tomorrow we are going back to Sydney really looking forward to seeing the sights such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge- how exciting!