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.