Hi everyone I hope you all had a great xmas and are looking forward to new year. December has been an interesting month the weather for one can't decide what it wants to do, one week is snows and the next is 20 degrees. A busy month for me, at work the Real Journeys office has really begun to get very busy. This time of year is the busiest of the season due to kids summer holidays starting and many tourist visiting during this time. Myself I have also been very busy this month, having kayaked in both Milford and Doubtful Sound. Other activities I have done in December are Quad biking, Shotover Jet boat, River Boarding and a Helicopter scenic flight. Moray and Lila also visited from Singapore with Jamie and Sophie.

I went Kayaking in Milford at the beginning of the month, with a company called Roscos Milford kayaks. Roscos is the oldest sea kayaking company in New Zealand with over two decades of experience in Kayaking Milford. Rosco himself came into the office last month to give us an update on his products and offers for the coming season. The trip I did is called Sunriser Classic. It's an early start (5.50am), this trips takes in Milford's highlights like Harrison Cove, Mitre Peak and Pembroke Glacier. I had a great time with my guide (Abi), the weather wasn't too bad either which always helps.

The following week on my days off I went kayaking Doubtful Sound, this trip was a two day (one night trip) including camping in Crooked Arm. It was a bit of a challenge at times, the weather particularly the wind was a bit of a problem but I love it. We kayaked out of Deep Cove, up to Elizabeth island and back down Crooked Arm, we stopped for lunch at the camp site and then kayaked down to the end of the Crooked Arm in the afternoon, we paddled for a about 20-25km. That evening we spent in the camp site, setting up tents and cooking our dinner, I had noodles in a kind of curry sauce. The next day we kayaked out of Crooked Arm and around Elizabeth Island and back down to Deep Cove. In totally we covered about 40km in two days which isn't bad going considering im unfit! Doubtful for me is my favorite because it's bigger, more remote and more beautiful I think but Milford is still incredible.

On the 21st Moray and Lila arrived in Queenstown with Jamie and Sophie. I hadn't seen them since leaving Singapore in early July so it was nice to catch up. I arranged a few things for them to do like visit Milford, Shotover Jet boat (me, Jamie and Moray), have dinner up the gondola and go on the TSS Earnslaw and Farm Excursion. I organized a chartered Helicopter to fly us to Milford Sound and do a cruise but the Helicopter was a bit late and we ended up missing our cruise but it didn't really matter because with Alpine Choppers took us on there Milford Extravaganza which is about 2.5 hours flight including 3 landings, we landed in Milford Sound, on Matagasga Beach which is at the end of Milford next to Tasman Sea and on Mount Earnslaw Glacier. The weather was also off the charts, the Heli pilot even said it was so rare not only to have clear blue sky but next to no wind in Milford! It was just amazing, like Moray said he had no words to describe how beautiful and incredible the landscape was. I mean we had a snowball fight in the middle of summer, Ryan didn't come off to well oooh whey! But to be fair Jamie got me a few times! I would like to thank Charlotte from Alpine Choppers for arranging it. After the Helicopter flight we had dinner at the St Moritz hotel in Queenstown which is where Ryan works. It was just a great day all round. Moray and Lila have now gone to the north island for New Years; it feels like yesterday they just arrived. It was awesome seeing them but weird at the same time, I am so far from home but have been so lucky since arriving in New Zealand. I have met some great people and I work for a really good company. Let's just hope it continues in 2010. I hope everyone is good. See you sometime.

Al