New Zealand. Land of the long white clouds, well rather grey and wet clouds, but what do you expect after arriving in the middle of their winter. It did come as a bit of a shock after spending 14 months of summer. So we immediately took advantage of the season and headed to Queenstown to hit the ski slopes. There is no dought that New Zealand is a beautiful place and with 12 months in the country we managed to get to see most of it.

New Zealand Stats:
Size:270,000 sq km
Population: 4 million
Capital: Wellington

Days spent in NZ: 359
Images in Diary: 479

Useful Links:
Lonely Planet
NZ Hazard Watch
Queenstown
Katikati
Isuzu MU
Radford Software
MTV Osbournes
Ozzy Osbourne
Taupo Tandem Skydive
Pure NRG

...Skiing the Remarkbles.
What an introduction to NZ. Fantastic scenery and fantastic weather. The journey down to Queenstown was pretty hectic but once we got there it just a week of skiing and relaxation. This was Sarena's first attempt at skiing and Toby's first time on snow in 15 years. It didn't take long for the skills to come back but the fitness was decidedly lacking. read diary

...Wheeler dealing at the Auctions
Thanks to 2 new friends, Andy and Charlie, who put us up for a while in their home in Wellington. It gave us the time to go car, job and house hunting. We didn't have much luck on the job or house front in Wellington but after some hectic days of car hunting managed to pick up a bit of a mysterious brute at a, 'No Reserve' car auction. Lets hope its OK as neither of us had a look at it before we bought it. read diary

...Moving in.
After 11 months on the road Toby and Sarena finally settle down, For a short while at least, and move into a great 3 bedroom flat in a small country town called Katikati which is in the Bay of Plenty on the North Island. The flat was unfurnished but didn't take too long to get filled up with stuff. Lets hope it can all be sold when its time to move on. read diary

...Zorbing in Rotorua.
Sarena and Toby managed to break the chains of routine and hijack their new friend, 'Hilly', and went to explore some of the Highlights of Rotorua. Geysers, Hot Spa's, Mud Pools, Foam Parties, Massive Breakfasts and Hydro-Zorbing!!! where the order of the day.. read diary

...Skydiving in Taupo.
Fancy throwing yourself out of a plane at 12,500 feet over a clear blue lake with snow capped volcanoes breaking through the clouds? We did and it was fantastic One of our best experiences so far whilst travelling... read diary

...Exploring Volcanoes
Managed to get a glorious day to catch a boat out into the Bay Of Plenty to explore New Zealand's only active marine volcano, 'White Island'. Unluckily the sea did get a bit choppy by the time we got there so we had to wait before we could land on the volcano. The wait was well worth it... read diary

...Watching Whales
One of the first stops on our farewell tour of NZ was Kaikora on the South Island. Famous for its whales and dolphins this tiny coastal town didn't disappoint. 4 sightings of Sperm Whales, loads of dolphins and even a few albatross decided to come and say hello...read diary

...Flying By Wire
What better way to celebrate Sarena's birthday than strapping her to a plank and launching her off the side of a valley. Fly-By-Wire is a typical quirky kiwi past time. Not exactly an adrenaline rush but great fun...read diary

...Hiking Glaciers
Take a short scenic helicopter flight, strap on the talons, grab an ice pick, and we are ready to explore the pure blue ice of the Franz Josef glacier. This 5 hour hike took us through tiny crevasses, across gapping holes, and through mirror like ice caves...read diary

...Kayaking with Seals
Saving the best to last. A magical two days where spent kayaking up the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park. The weather wasn't too good, but it was completely made up for by the playful seal pups who where all intent on climbing aboard our Kayak...read diary

...and then we went back to Australia>

...for 2 weeks before going to Fiji>