New Zealand: The Unexpectedly Long Journey

I've woken up to some beautiful scenery on this trip - watching the sunrise over the Coramandel and seeing morning break in the Himalayas to name but two - waking up in the middle of a car park in the centre of Nelson was not one of those. We were not woken by the lapping of waves on the shore or by birdsong, but by early birds of a different nature: it was market day and the locals were up at the crack of dawn to peruse the assorted offerings of the farmer's stalls.

We paid a couple of dollars to use the showers and I considered how long we would've lasted sleeping in a camper in an inner city public car park in England, not long, I concluded. Luckily our van hadn't been propped up on bricks and we made our way out of Nelson's bustling town centre and headed south along the West Coast Highway.

Since a few of the places we wanted to visit were in the south of the island, we had decided that we would spend a day driving and try to get some miles under our belt. I knew, therefore, that we would be spending a fair amount of time in the van, but hadn't expected the coastal road to be quite as long. For hundreds of miles it hugged the rugged coastline, occasionally offering stunning panoramic views of jagged cliffs and long golden beaches.

One such place was Punakaiki. Here, thousands of years of constant pummeling by the Pacific Ocean had revealed beautiful and unique rock formations. We spent a while there, watching mighty waves force themselves up through the blowholes in the 'pancake' rocks and swirl around in the wash below.

We were fortunate enough to have a decent stereo in the van that allowed us to listen to music from our iPods. Driving for hours is definitely made easier when you can chose your own music. As well as the likes of Ben Howard, Bonobo and the Kings of Leon, we were also accompanied by Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode - Steve had introduced me to their Radio 5 film review show whilst we were on the trip and hearing two Englishmen bicker about grammar and debate the merits of the new Muppets movie was strangely comforting when you've been away so long.

By late afternoon we had reached glacier country. Where the Southern Alps meet the ocean it is possible to see two big rivers of ice as they carve their way down the mountain side. Time and money constraints meant that we didn't hike up to get a closer look at either Franz Josef of Fox Glacier, although we did find a good layby from which we could catch a glimpse of the later. Unfortunately, unlike the sweets, there were no polar bears standing on ice cubes there.

After a long day driving we were eager to find a place to eat and rest our heads for the night. The little community of Fox Glacier offered just that.

The next day's drive was no less dramatic. We passed through little settlements on our way over the Haast Pass and eventually arrived in the incredibly scenic town of Wanaka. After Steve had enjoyed a coffee and we'd stocked up on food, we found a great spot by the lake to have a picnic.

Our final destination that night would be Queenstown, but Steve wanted to stop one more time before we got there. Just outside Queenstown stood a bridge over a deep gorge. It had probably once been a beautiful look out, but a couple of decades ago some bright spark had the idea to attach a Bungy chord to the bridge and charge people to jump off. I, being of sound mind, had never done a Bungy jump before - I'd done a skydive, but jumping out of a plane thousands of feet up seemed far easier than throwing myself off a platform with a giant elastic band attached to my feet. Steve on the other hand had already done two!

We watched a few gulable souls plunge towards the icy river below. Some even dunked their heads in before bouncing up again and eventually dangling like a human piñata until they were rescued by two men in a big canoe. I was relieved when we discovered the price was too expensive for us to have a go, it meant I could use expense as a justification for me being a wuss!

That evening we found a church to visit and then located a campsite for the next few nights.

Queenstown is a dream destination for anyone who enjoys extreme sports; in the winter it has three world class ski resorts and in the summer it is a Mecca for all adrenaline junkies. As well as numerous Bungy jumps, the town offers (amongst other things) paragliding, speed boat rides and dozens of mountain bike trails.

The next day we settled for a slightly more serene, an altogether cheaper, ride on the cable car and a few goes on the toboggan ride at the top of the mountain. As well as offering fantastic views of the town and the surrounding area, the toboggan offered Steve and I the chance to race against one another. At one point Steve was so keen to pass me that, much to my amusement, he didn't apply the brakes and almost managed to launch himself off the track.

Somewhat lucky to be in one piece, we made our way down the mountain and indulged in the slightly less dangerous pastime of wine tasting. Steve loved talking to the staff about the subtle differences of the grape varieties and I enjoyed drinking, well tasting at least - I was driving and so the spittoon is where most of my wine ended up.

After two vineyards we decided that we had just enough light to complete a round of golf. I won't bore you with the details (we were both fairly naff), but, surrounded by mountains and a little airport, it was just about the most scenic place I have ever played.

The following morning, Steve met up with a friend and went hiking. Whilst they traversed their way up towards the incredible 360 views on top of Ben Lomond, I went to get my haircut and write a few postcards next to the lake. I felt so peaceful sat on the shore watching an old steam boat crossing the lake - it was easy to see why so many people fell in love with this place.

I had an hour before I'd arranged to meet Steve again, so I decided to drive the van alongside the lake and see where it took me. After a few miles of driving I picked up a couple of blonde German hitchhikers, unfortunately they also had beards and were called Sven and Nicolas. They wanted to get to Glenorchy and as I was pointing in the direction I happily obliged. What I didn't realise is that Glenorchy was many miles away and would take a good forty minutes to get to. I didn't matter though, the drive was absolutely fantastic and, as my two passengers were Lord of the Rings geeks, I would occasionally get filming locations pointed out to me.

Fortunately, my long detour didn't make me too late to pick up Steve after his walk. He was understandably shattered having just climbed a mountain, so I drove us a few hours eastward until we found a place to stop for the night. After a small detour down a deserted track we located a suitable place to stay. Funnily enough our campsite turned out to be another car park, though this one just happened to be surrounded by mountains - a slight improvement on the city centre, I think you'll agree!

New Zealand: The Return of the Kayaking

We'd been spoiled in New Zealand so far. Staying with friends and enjoying their generous hospitality. As much as I'd loved the time there, I was keen to do some 'travelling' again. So we decided to book a return flight to Christchurch, rent a vehicle and make our own way around the South Island for ten days. 

After landing in Christchurch, we waddled with our luggage towards the nearby car rental place, where our chariot awaited. Our 'chariot' was, in fact, a fairly old Toyota people carrier that had been adapted make a nice compact campervan. Although it had a couple of bits of cosmetic damage and a fair few miles on the clock, we were assured that the vehicle was a good shape. However, after stopping at the local 'Warehouse' to stock up on supplies for the week, we returned to the van to find that its battery was completely flat! Not a great start to our road trip.

Thankfully, the rental company sent out a mechanic who swapped our battery over and we were on our way again - north from plains of Christchurch and up into the foothills of the Southern Alps. Our plan was to get as far north as possible as we were aiming to be in the Abel Tasman the next day.

We stopped just before dark and set up for the night in a free campsite. Despite being plagued by midges, we slept well and got going early the next morning.

Taking turns driving gave us both the opportunity to enjoy the constantly changing views. Not for the last time that week, I was sure that I spotted mountains and river beds that Peter Jackson had used in The Lord of the Rings films. It was all so familiar and incredibly beautiful.

After a few more hours of travelling through stunning scenery, we arrived in the National Park of Abel Tasman. My parents had visited here a few years ago and loved the place, so I was eager to see what they had enjoyed so much about the area.

We spent our first afternoon there finding a campsite and then walked along the coast path to a secluded beach. Although the water was only about knee high, Steve and I still attempted to swim in the clear waters. We weren't particularly successful, but enjoyed splashing around anyway!

That evening, after a great shower, Steve cooked up a delicious meal and we sat playing cards. Sam had taught us a Brazilian game and we needed to practise so we could beat him and Reggie when we saw them next! We watched some Breaking Bad on my iPad and then settled down for another night in the camper.

The next morning I was subjected to a brutal assault. Whilst minding my own business and eating my muesli, I was set upon my three thugs. They used a youngster to lull me into a false sense of security and then, for the next five minutes, I was mercilessly attacked. I thought I would post a picture of the perpetrators so that no one else suffered at their hands... Or, more accurately, their beaks...

The evil (but very cute) ducks hadn't dampened my spirit though. We had booked a kayak that day and soon we were paddling our way along the stunning Abel Tasman coast. 

We stopped a few times to swim and wander around the park's forest paths. Steve had been here before with his brother and sister-in-law and so he said knew where we could find a particularly spectacular bay. I was a little dubious as Steve's sense of direction hasn't always been reliable, but this time he was spot on. As we reached the ridge of a hill we were greeted with a stunning view of Anchorage bay, its golden sands and emerald waters. I wouldn't doubt Steve's internal sat nav again!

We swam and walked so more, before heading back to our kayak and beginning the long paddle back to the campsite. It was now clear to me why Mum and Dad loved this place so much. On our way we saw some grey seals sunbathing on rocks, but sadly not the orcas that we were told sometimes come into the bay. Having said that, I'm not sure what my reaction to having a giant killer whale next to me in my tiny kayak would've been!

Although we were tired from our trip, we decided it would be a good idea to keep moving. Later, as I lay listening to some very loud locals leave a pub in the early hours of the morning, I wondered whether we'd made the right decision, I was now trying to get some sleep whilst parked in a public car park rather than in the beautiful surroundings of a National Park. But as I looked at a map of New Zealand I realised we had -  after all, the South Island was a big place and we only had a seven more days to explore it.

New Zealand: The Two Birthdays

For a brief moment, I was flying. The sort of flying you do in dreams - in slow motion - looking at the world around you and enjoying the quiet. But then came the fall: the ground rushed up to meet me and as I got a mouthful of sand I was aware of noises again. The sound of an idling engine and barking dogs and laughter, mainly laughter.

***

We were up in Hokianga Harbour. Steve, Sam, Reggie and I had come north to visit Sam's family for the weekend. Kane and Mel live with their three great kids, on a farm a few hundred miles outside Auckland. As usual, we were given a great welcome and treated to a barbecue whilst we had a few drinks and watched the sun set over the rolling hills.

Before the light had completely disappeared, Kane had brought out his antique clay pigeon launcher and, as we had conveniently picked up some clay pigeons on the way, we had some fun shooting down through the valley with Kane's small arsenal of weapons! Sam informed us that Kane had done some shooting in international competitions, which explained why he had enough guns in his cabinet to see off a small zombie invasion!

The next morning we packed up our stuff again and headed, along with the whole family, towards the secluded beaches at the mouth of Hokianga Harbour where we would camp for the night. This wasn't camping as most people would know it though, as well as the obligatory tent or two, we had also brought three motocross bikes, two 4 wheel drive vehicles and a quad! All vehicles were needed to help reach the remote location.

It was idyllic. We spent our first day lazing on the beach; Bob and Ito chased possums in the woods whilst we swam, sunbathed and skipped stones. In the afternoon we made our way, in various vehicles, down a long beach and over big sand dunes to a little lagoon that Mel and Kane often visited when they were camping. It was a welcome relief from the surprisingly hot Autumn sunshine, especially for the two dogs who splashed around with us!

Back at our makeshift campsite - Steve, Reggie and Sam went to find some mussels for dinner, whilst I had a go on the kids' motocross bike. Kane had offered me his own bike for a test drive, but I declined - something told me that it wouldn't be quite as easy to ride on the sand as Sam and Kane had made it look. I was right. Once I'd managed to kick start the machine into life I did a couple of tentative lengths of the beach. Feeling a little more confident I followed the tracks made by the guys looking for mussels, as I approached them I attempted a turn and promptly fell off sideways. Thankfully, Steve and Sam were looking the other way and all that was hurt was my pride as Reggie watched me stack it! She repressed the laughter and I raced off down the beach back towards Kane, Mel and the kids. And that's when my more spectacular crash happened.

Kane tells me that he saw me approach - instead of warning me of my impending doom - he told his family to watch, as he knew what was going to happen - I was going to come off. And sure enough, as I got up speed I went from the hard, wet sand to the much softer, dry sand. The result, as Kane had predicted, was that my front wheel dug in and I was propelled head first over the handle bars.

For a brief moment, I was flying. The sort of flying you do in dreams - in slow motion - looking at the world around and enjoying the quiet. But then came the fall: the ground rushed up to meet me and as I got a mouthful of sand I was aware of noises again. The sound of an idling engine and barking dogs and laughter, mainly laughter.

I regained my senses quickly enough to jump up and stop the hot exhaust burning my leg more than it already had. Mel stopped laughing long enough to enquire whether I was okay (which I was) and offer some food as a consolation! Then I sat back and watched as small children showed me how to actually ride a bike.

That evening we followed up a family game of boys v girls rugby with a meal around the campfire and then lay in the sand to watch the stars. Watching shooting stars and trying to remember any of the names of constellations was a great way to end the day (at least Steve and I thought so, Reggie's attention span didn't last too long and every few minutes we'd hear her whinge 'I'm bored!'. We ignored her!).

The following day we packed up, said our goodbyes to the family and made our way back to Auckland. I'd arranged to meet an old friend that evening.

As I left school at Christmas, there was a far more important departure. Mrs Roberts, who'd taught at St Helen's for far longer than me, had left for pastures new. As it turned out, those new pastures were New Zealand - so it was a a great opportunity to spend a few days with her in her new home.

Mrs Roberts lived in a house with a stunning view, or at least that's what she told me. I had to take her word for it, as by the time I'd arrived it was too dark to see the garden, let alone the volcanoes in the bay beyond.

When I sat admiring the view the next morning, I realised that I'd arrived just in time to celebrate Mrs R's birthday (I think she told me she was 25 or something like that!). Her kind boss had given her the day off to celebrate. Mr Roberts' daughter, had come down with a sore neck which meant that she couldn't possibly attend school either and so the three of us set off for a walk along the beach.

Two strange things happened once we sat down in a cafe for some brunch: first of all, Susie's neck was mysteriously cured and I actually had a hot drink. Now that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think the last time I attempted to have a hot drink was when I was camping three years ago; then I burnt my mouth and couldn't taste much for a week. I was like a proper grown up, well, actually, I wasn't - I had a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

Mrs Robert's boss, Charles, took us out for a meal that evening. It was great to catch up with the Roberts girls and hear all about their new life down under. I have so much admiration for people who grab chances like this with both hands. I know I will miss Mrs Roberts a lot, she has supported me so much in my early few years as a teacher, but I'm glad she has been brave enough to embrace such an incredible experience.

The following day was my birthday and to round off a fairly stunning long weekend, Steve, Sam and some other friends (Gillan and Debs) decided to treat me to a meal. When pressed, I had admitted that I'd love to eat steak, so Sam took us along to a place he said I would like - and, my goodness, he was right! I've never eaten such a delicious bit of meat - it was cooked to perfection. 

A great way to celebrate my thirty-first!

A message from Alan... (#4)

Dear all the lovely people at St Helen's,

Greetings from Brazil the World Cup!

Woohoo! It looks like you're finally getting some warm weather back at home! I hope you are having lots of barbecues and eating loads and loads of Hocking´s ice cream (I can officially tell you it is the best in the world - Mr Kent has tried lots of ice cream whilst he's been away, just for research you understand!).

I expect lots of you are glued to your TV screens watching the World Cup! Mr Kent is watching lots too, he even managed to get along to a game. Unfortunately, it was the last England game against Costa Rica and by then England were already out! The atmosphere in the stadium was amazing though and Mr Kent and Steve really enjoyed themselves. Both of them had wanted to see England at a World Cup since they were young and so it was a great feeling singing along to the National Anthem!

The football is one of the reasons Mr Kent has been quite so bad at blogging recently. He's very sorry! He is going to catch up whilst he sits on a beach for the next few days.

We've been to quite a few countries since I last wrote. In fact, now we are in Brazil, which is our sixteenth different country! Wow. Here are a few brief notes about some of them...

Despite the airline losing his luggage (and me!) for nearly a week, Mr Kent loved his time in Bali. He loved surfing, riding on his moped and lying on the beach - and even managed to make some new friends when dressed slightly oddly.

His favourite activity was definitely snorkelling in the beautiful, clear waters off Nusa Lembongan. If you ever get the chance to do some diving or snorkelling, you should go - it was an amazing experience, like watching a real life version of Finding Nemo.

In March, Mr Kent and Steve made it to Australia. Mr Kent was particularly excited about watching the Grand Prix, oh, and seeing his family! They saw the Formula One, ate lots of great barbecue food and even managed to find a wombat in the zoo. Mr Kent says they're his favourite animal, but I just think its because they look a bit like him, what do you think?!

Next was New Zealand. If you've ever seen the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, you'll know how beautiful New Zealand is! Lots of mountains, beaches and open space. We spent lots of time with Steve's friends Sam and Reggie and their dogs Bob and Ito.

You'll never guess who I bumped into there! Mrs Roberts! She moved to Auckland in the new year and has an amazing place in the city, next to a very nice beach. Lucky her!

I was reunited with another friend too...

In April we were in California! Mr Kent loved swimming in the sea and visiting cities. We explored Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. We braved Death Valley (one of the hottest places on Earth) and eventually made it to Yosemite Park. Yet another amazing place...

In LA we bumped into more familiar faces! Lots of you will remember Reuben and Nathan from their time at St Helen's a few years ago. They've been living over there for a while and Mr Kent loved seeing their church, their school (their teachers weren't as cool!) and even had a Nerf gun fight with them! They told me to say hello to everyone back in Devon! So, Hello!

Since then we have been travelling through South America. First Peru, where Steve and Mr Kent helped out at a project in Lima for a few weeks. Mr Kent then fulfilled a childhood dream when we visited an ancient Incan city called Machu Picchu. It was high up in the mountains surrounded by jungle. An incredible place.

After Peru came Bolivia and another beautiful location called Lake Titicaca. In Bolivia we went cycling on some of the world's most dangerous roads - it was scary but exhilarating.

Next we flew to Argentina and spent a week eating amazing food before we went to Iguazu Falls. These water falls are the widest in the world and were flooding, so they were even more spectacular than normal! We got on a boat right underneath some of them! We were very wet!

Brazil is our last country before heading home! It is football crazy at the moment! People from all over the world are here watching the games. There is a wonderful atmosphere and the people here have been so lovely to us.

Mr Kent and Steve are going to visit the Amazon before heading back to Rio, which they loved when they visited last week. Then our adventure will nearly be over :( We are sad to be finishing our journey, but excited about coming home. We feel like the luckiest people (Well I'm a bear, I think!) in the world.

I hope you are all really well. You must have done so many things in the past few months! Sports days, residentials, SATS, etc. The summer term is so busy!

Have a brilliant last few weeks at school before the summer holidays! Year 6, I expect to hear about some wonderful acting at the end of term! Very sad I can't be there for the production - I'm sure Mrs Gagg and Mrs Theobald have done a brilliant job!

Take care,

Lots of love,

Alan

xxx

New Zealand: The Fellowship of the Steve

We were both excited about travelling to New Zealand. Steve had lived in Auckland for two years and couldn´t wait to see old friends and visit favourite haunts. I, on the other hand, had never been to New Zealand before but had heard so many great things about it from those who had. I'd been enticed, like so many others, by the promise of landscapes from Lord of the Rings - I couldn't wait to explore Middle Earth!

Thankfully, we weren't greeted by a great army of orcs as we got off the plane, but we did have to do battle with the very thorough customs guards! I say 'do battle',what I actually mean is that they politely asked if I had anything in my bag that I shouldn't. My trouble is, that although I knew I didn't, I always feel guilty under questioning and for some reason answered, 'I don't think so.' This led to me opening my backpack and the security guard searching it maticulously. Gratefully, satisfied that I was just awkward rather than suspicious, he stopped before the full body search.

Outside the gate we were met by Steve's good friend, Sam. Sam had lived and worked with Steve for the two years he was in New Zealand, so I think we immediately had a mutual appreciation for each other's ability to put up with my cousin! It was great to see the two of them catching up.

We spent the evening in downtown Auckland meeting various old friends and enjoying local food and drink. It was a little overwhelming to be introduced to so many new people in one night, but it was also clear to see why Steve had enjoyed his time in New Zealand so much.

Our night ended in slightly comical fashion as Regina (Sam's lovely girlfriend) kindly offered us a lift home only to find that Sam's 'classic' 4x4 had a flat battery. Being men, we were sure that we could fix this problem and assumed the hand on chin/blowing out cheeks position that is expected of us when we are looking under the bonnet and 'sorting' car problems.

Steve was soon behind the wheel and pressing buttons and other technical stuff, but unfortunately, despite getting close to starting the engine a few times, all he succeeded in doing was switching the squeaky windscreen wipers on. Much to the amusement of us, the unhelpful crowd on the back seat, who giggled like school girls at his efforts.

Reggie had promised to cook us her Brazilian speciality 'cheesy peas' for breakfast the next morning, but as I'd slept in and she had gone to work at the gym, I had missed my chance! Instead, as Steve and Sam went to fetch the classic 4x4 from the impound where it had been towed, I got ready for something even more exciting than cheesy peas (hard to believe, I know!) - Sam, Steve and I were heading to Sam's second home on the Coromandel for a boys week!

Now, when I was about ten I designed my dream home and then submitted my ideas to my Mum and Dad. Kevin McCloud would've been proud of my architectural drawings - they included, amongst other things, a go-kart track and a water slide that left directly from my bedroom. Unfortunately, my parents didn't take the plunge and decided to redecorate the living room instead. Disappointing. Since then, the design of my perfect home might have changed a little (although I'd still love the go-karts and the water slide) but I love visiting interesting houses and seeing how people have made their own dream homes become a reality. Going to Sam's place was one such opportunity.

The drive there already offered the opportunity to marvel at rolling green hills, but they became more and more dramatic as we got towards the Coromandel, a peninsula that juts up from the top of North island. Once we had passed through the town of Thames, the narrow ribon of Tarmac hugged the shoreline as it weaved around giant green hills.

Sam's house lay a few miles north of a little settling called Coleville. We stopped there briefly to pick up some supplies before making the epic journey down Sam's driveway to his house. The driveway wasn't your average driveway - it wasn't nicely paved or shingled with plant pots lining the side, instead it was six kilometres of dirt track winding its way through dense New Zealand forest.

As we drove along the bone shaking road, I wondered whether the original owners had done it to deter anybody delivering junk mail, however, the reason for the long drive soon became apparent once we reached a clearing in the trees. A secluded piece of land, off the grid and far from the stresses of modern life and with the most incredible view. It was Sam's own slice of paradise.

We had an incredible week up there. Every morning I woke up to the sun rising over the bay (like the photo above). We went sea fishing, shooting and quad biking; visited the beaches and managed to squeeze in a few barbecues. To pay our way, Steve and I helped Sam out with a few jobs - his rather large lawn needed mowing and we even found time to chop down a few trees for the woodstove.

Throughout the week we were accompanied by Sam's loyal canine  companions, Bob and Ito...

In fact, there were only a few occasions when the two adorable muts weren't glued to Sam's heel - one was fishing, where Steve and Sam managed to catch enough fish for a good meal. I was on another boat with Sam's friend and, although I caught the first fish, most of specimens I pulled on board were too small to keep. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I caught the same fish about twelve times! Thankfully, Steve faired a lot better and he even caught a kingfish at one point.

The other activity Bob and Ito weren't with us for was our quad bike journey along the goat trails of an imposing hill called White Star. Our journey began with a painful drag up through the gorse bushes around Sam's house - I think scratches outnumbered hairs on my legs by the time we'd reached the more open ground.

Having had very limited time on a quad, I let Steve drive whilst I clung on for dear life and ducked every now and again to avoid low branches. However, once we came to a field nearer the top of the hill Steve said I should have a go, so on I jumped. The field wasn't flat and some of its undulations were hidden underneath long grass - but Steve and Sam said that I needed to keep speed up to get over them. So as I was faced with a bump just before the summit, I did as Steve instructed and pulled the throttle. Subsequently, we found ourselves staring at blue skies as the quad left the ground and tipped so far back it was almost vertical! After trying one more time, I decided I'd hope off and let Steve find a safer route!

We did eventually make it to the other side, but only after another scary moment when the quad became stuck on a small tree stump. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem had we not been on a narrow goat path next to a large drop! In the end Steve did a great job and managed to hold the quad in one place whilst Sam and I helped pull it over the obstacle. The rest of the trip was less harrowing and the views from the top were worth every scratch and near death experience!

The night before we returned to Auckland, as we watched the sun set over the Pacific with a glass of something red, I realised that all the hype about New Zealand was right. 

I was going to enjoy the next few weeks!

Hanging on Down Under

As Tamsin and Chris are occasionally partial to a glass of wine, or two, and as a thank you for letting us stay with them for the week, Steve and I decided to send them on a wine tour, whilst we looked after the kids for the day.

So as Tamsin and Chris left - wearing that giddy look that parents get when they have no responsibilty for the day - we made our way to the centre of Melbourne and a science exhibition.

Within seconds of our arrival Archie had sniffed out the SNES Mario game and Ella was trying to feign interest in my stories of 'old' computers. I'd just explained about how her mum and I used to have to wait for hours for the cassette tape in our Atari to load up Space Invaders, before I realised she had walked off to find Steve - and I had been talking to a confused Australian school boy.

We spent the morning exploring the interactive displays - making a Matrix style slow motion movie clip, playing on old computers and generally pressing buttons to our hearts content!

After lunch, Steve left to catch up with Todd. Archie, Ella and I decided to spend another hour or so in the museum. Ella particularly enjoyed playing hide and seek in the pitch black room  (a slightly unnerving experience when you're in charge of someone else's children!) and it took a bit of persuading to get Archie away from the computers!

Following that I made the slightly misguided decision to try and find a playground in the nearby park. After twenty minutes of walking I had two fairly grumpy children who at one point lay on the grass and refused to go any further. Like a good uncle, I bribed them with icecream and we made our way to a park we'd visited the day before.

We spent an hour and a bit creating adventure stories on climbing frames, slides and swings. Ella made me be the monster and chase her, but it was Archie who left with a big sense of pride and achievement. Having just turned seven he found it hard to even reach the monkey bars, however that didn't stop him trying. The previous day, with a little help from his dad, he'd tried time and time again and managed all but one bar before he was exhausted. This would be the day though; he'd done his press ups, he'd got a new haircut and he was ready.

The moment he achieved his goal was a little bittersweet for me - although it was great to see his joy at completing the monkey bars, he had also managed to kick me in a rather tender area on his way down. I blurted out a 'Brilliant!' as I crumpled on the ground in a heap.

As we walked back down the road, with Ella trying to convince me of the merits of her having another piggyback, we heard a big crash. Turning, I saw that a car had pulled out in front of a tram and the two had collided. Whilst it was stopped we took the chance to hop on and rest three pairs of weary little legs - only to find Tamsin and Chris on board.

That night, our last in Australia, we had a barbecue and admired the amazing view from the apartment. Steve's friend, Jack, joined us an entertained with some juggling skills, whilst Tamsin helped ammend his CV, the best anyone can after visiting four vineyards in an afternoon!

We were leaving early the next morning, so, sadly, it was time to say goodbye to Archie and Ella. We read a few stories together before falling asleep on their bed. I'm terrible at goodbyes at the best of times, but with those two it always feels so much harder. Part of the reason - and I know I'm biased - is that they're such good kids, despite those devilish smiles!

Almost as hard is saying goodbye to Tamsin an Chris. It is not an understatement to say that without their help in past few years, I wouldn't have been able to take this amazing trip. I only hope that they know how much I appreciate their support - moral and financial! Thank you guys.

Our time in Australia was only short. Steve had used it to catch up with old friends and visit wineries (not a bad week!) and I had had the chance to watch F1, eat great food and spend time with my amazing family - oh, and see a wombat... Don't forget the wombat!

Awesome Aussie Animals

What is the best animal in the world? That's a difficult question, I realise, there are lots to chose from. When I ask children at school they often chose things like elephants, horses or little kittens and puppies. They're wrong. Until a few years ago I might have made the same mistake - elephants are cool, horses can run and jump 'n' stuff, and kittens and puppies are cute, I suppose. However, I learnt that the greatest of all the beasts is the wombat.

I didn't know much about wombats until my sister introduced me to her friends Robin and Rhinannon. Like me, they had done some backpacking in Australia when they were younger, but instead of the obligatory picture with a koala, Rob and Rhiannon were determined to get their photo taken with a wombat. And they did. Sitting pride of place in their front room, in front of pictures of their two young children, is a framed photo of them cuddling a rather startled looking Australian marsupial!

Robin has become rather evangelical about his love for wombats - telling anyone who will listen about the animal's ability to stick its head in the ground and leave their thick bottom in the air (a genius mode of self defence) - so much so that when Chris, Tamsin and I decided to take Archie and Ella to Melbourne Zoo, there was only one animal the grown ups wanted to see!

Steve, being the classy fellow he is, had joined his friends on a wine tour of the Yarra Valley. So the five of us embarked on our own adventure, through Melbourne on the city's tram network until we arrived at the zoo.

The first few exhibits we visited were a little underwhelming. All of the big cats appeared to be snoozing, prompting Archie to remark, "What's the point of having an animal in the zoo that sleeps all day?" Hard to argue with. The day improved, though, when we visited the sea life enclosure and saw a sea lion and his little penguin friends.

After lunch, we managed to find a few animals that weren't fast asleep: gorillas, monkeys, kangaroos and I even got to see the tigers that had alluded Steve and me in Nepal. We spent a while in the butterfly enclosure and Tamsin was very proud that her husband didn't scream like a girl (too much) as the beautiful creatures flew all around us.

We had left the best until last, though. Deep inside a network of tunnels, Ella and Archie came across what looked like a dead animal. It lay on it's back, motionless. Short stumpy legs pointing up in the dark, but if you looked close enough you could see its furry little chest rising and falling and a big fat bottom! We had finally found a wombat.

Back outside and we met another, this one only slightly more awake as it waddled around its enclosure. Nonetheless, a beautiful sight, I'm sure you'll agree...

We rounded off our day with a Chinese takeaway (something that is almost compulsory when you are with my sister) and learnt all about Steve's day - at least the bits he could remember.

That night, Archie and Ella settled down with a new cuddly toy that their parents had bought them at the zoo. Ella had chosen a lion and Archie a tiger.  I was that close to buying a wombat.