Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane

We travelled out of the city to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where we got to see lots of native Australian animals. Some are pictured below but others we saw were freshwater crocodiles, wombats, dingoes, emus, snakes and lizards. The kangaroos and koalas were definately the highlights, we hope to see some in the wild on our drive down the east coast...


A sleepy koala dozes in a tree


Rebecca feeds a kangaroo


A wallaby bounces past us

A day at the beach on the Gold Coast

The four of us hired a car and drove to Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. The beaches are beautiful and the water lovely and warm. The high rises you see in the background of the photo are not a city though, but the huge residential development that dominates this stretch of coastline.


Burleigh Heads beach

Brisbane, Australia

Another country! We are staying with friends Naomi and Tim while we are in the Brisbane area (you will remember them from our time in Bariloche, Argentina) They have a great apartment overlooking the river and the city.
Brisbane is a really nice modern city situated near the southern coast of the state of Queensland. It has many skyscrapers and high rise buildings but is also very green with lots of parks. People here are fitness mad with running and cycle tracks everywhere. The weather is much, much hotter than New Zealand and the humidity is high as well, so we are trying to have early starts to the day and beat the heat!


Naomi cooks our first Australian BBQ


The artificial beach on the South Bank of Brisbane - absolutely packed with people at the weekends


The view from our bedroom window - what a view!

Tamaki Maori Village

A wet and windy evening took us to Tamaki Maori Village. It was a great evening which started with a Powhiri (formal welcome dance). For visitors entering such sacred places, it is customary for the host tribe to send out a challenge of peace. The warriors go through intimidatory gestures and movements until a peace offering is given and accepted. We then were treated to a concert of song and dance in the Wharenui (Big House) before sitting down for a Hangi feast. The Hangi (earth oven) is a traditional cooking method where food is buried under the earth for hours to cook on hot rocks. The buffet was plentiful and very tasty!
What a great way to end our time in New Zealand, especially to spend it with good friends Sandra and Paul.



Maori warriors perform the Powhiri

Rotorua, New Zealand

Our final stop in New Zealand was Rotorua. With friends Sandra and Paul we visited Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters), an area of thermal activity including craters, boiling mud pools and geysers - and not to mention that constant 'rotten egg' smell! The many fantastic colours we saw are due to the different mineral elements. The water is very hot - temperatures of up to 300 degrees celsius have been recorded.


Rebecca and Stephen with Sandra and Paul


Steam rises from the vibrantly coloured Champagne Pool



The Lady Knox Geyser blows out water up to 15m high


Crossing the Primrose Terrace


Walking along the Champagane Pool

Back in Wellington

After crossing back to the North Island, we stayed for a weekend with Dave and Tash again. They have been wonderful hosts during our time in the city and we had a great couple of days with them.


Our final lunch in Wellington with Dave and Tash at 'Chocolate Fish' - a must for anyone visiting!


Stephen and a gorgeous red head


Leaving Dave, Tash and Rosy the cat

Abel Tasman Park

After a few relaxed days, we had to keep on moving and headed to Kaiteriteri Beach. This was to be our base for the Abel Tasman National Park. We took a water taxi to the north of the park, Awaroa. The beach here was amazing and as it was high tide we got to see the beautiful lagoons that form...paradise. Before we headed off on our hike, we had lunch at Awaroa Lodge. It was a necessity (honestly!) as it reduced the amount of food we would have to carry for the two days. We bunked that night in one of the lodges that the Department of Conservation provide around NZ. We met two lovely America girls, Megan and Rye ( Hello if you are reading) who were doing the full track walk over five days. The next morning we met our kayak guide and headed back along the National Park's coasts in our kayaks. It was nice and relaxed, stopping off at one of the many beautiful beaches along the way. The sand is a colour we had never seen before; it reminded me Bird's custard powder! It is caused by the granite cliffs in the park, which when mixed with the salt water cause a rusting effect. The water changed colour throughout the day and depending on the beach, ranging from deep blues to light greens. Ho-hum, are you ready for some more pictures of this amazing country...?




What a tough walk!




Lunch at Awaroa Lodge-Beer before a hike!


Sharing bunks at the hut.


Stephen and Rebecca kayaking again. Watch for us on the river Severn next!






Can anyone help us with adjectives for this place?

Golden Bay

We took a few days to chill out (what have you been doing all year, I hear you all cry?!) and spent some time in the North of the South Island. Golden Bay is an area full of beautiful beaches and very cool, relaxed towns, such as Takaka. Takaka was very alternative; anything goes.


Shame we had left...Stephen could have taken part!


Arts in Takaka. A very nice place to visit.

South Island West Coast

After a fantastic week in Fiordland, we were on the road again, heading north along the West Coast, to the Abel Tasman National Park. It is a shame we had to do the West Coast in three days( which meant a lot of driving ) but we are actually running out of time in NZ, despite being here for nearly seven weeks. The West Coast is a stunning mix of rainforest and surf-battered coast line. Not many people live here, perhaps due to the dramatic weather it can experience.


We had time out from the beauty and visited puzzling world, where we were lost in a maze for nearly two hours!


Introducing Janelle-our little hire car who is transporting us around.


The Fox glacier


Franz-Josef glacier. Which is the better glacier- Franz or Fox?


The cheeky Kea- a very intelligent parrott, which will attack the rubber on your car.


A weka- a rare flightless bird. We are yet to see a KIWI!


The Pancake rocks at Punakaki. These are over 35 million years old, formed from the marine life on the bottom of the ocean but scientists are uncertain as to why they have created the pancake shapes.


Pancake rocks.


The longest swingbridge in NZ, stretching over the Buller Gorge.


The stunning west coast of the south island


And again!


The fern. A symbol frequently used in NZ, particularly for sports teams.





The Te Waikoropupu Springs in Pohara-apparently the clearest in the world.