Hi folks

Hi there, we haven't been very good at providing you with amazingly interesting information about our travels so far, and can't promise we will, but at least we'll try. So, this is all hopelessly out of date, but to be logical I'll start at the very beginning..... Christchurch, where we found our great van and generally sorted Stuff For Travelling. We then drove southeast to Lake Tekapo, a beautiful turquoise lake (due to minerals and things) with lots of great walks and a fetching statue of a dog. Hum. When I work out how to attach photos i will do as it's much more interesting looking at them than read my blather.
Then on to Mount Cook - climbed it before breakfast. Sort of. Stayed in a cool campsite just at the foot and nearly got blown away. Again, nice photos if we can put them up. We also visited Dunedin, went on a wildlife tour to see penguins (v cute) and sealions and fur seals

and lots more. Lots of rain. So moved swiftly over to Te Anau, where we spent a happy few days taking photographs of the view round every single corner, had a look at Milford sound, stayed in a great campsite that we had all to ourselves, and then partook of a delightful overnight cruise on Doubtful sound. Perhaps i should explain. They aren't really sounds, they're fiords. There you go. Anyway, bit of a mission to get there - drove to Lake Manapouri, boat across the lake , coach over the hills, then cruise ship. It was all rather jolly with activities and mucho munching and sharing cabins - everyone really got into the spirit of things. We went kayaking from the ship, then 3 of us actually swam - freezing - actually technically i got myself in then out pretty sharpish. Ash swam round the ship (getting worryingly slower and slower all the time!) and was awarded a free cup of tea in honour of the fact that he was the first to be mad enough to do it this spring. The cruise was great though - no one else on the sound, lots of wildlife, most notably a big pod of dolphins that put on a great dipslay of leaping around.
Think that's enough for now! seeya

ps photos: from left to right from top: our cruise ship in the doubtful sound; ash near mount cook; me kayaking; the lonely campsite and our van (ash calls it me-julie!) and a pretty lake near mt cook; a dolphin riding the bow wave in Doubtful sound