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Dear All
Well it seems some time since we last updated the blog properly. 1st internet cafe to allow proper access at a reasonable price!! Great to hear from you all. well done Mum for catching up with modern computer technology - especially before Deb!! Pleased that the postcards are at last getting through, I winder if you have received any from Chile as we posted them at some remote place in the mountains? Big congrats to Julia as new grandmother but especailly to Ed.
Well what have we been up to since last updating. Kayaking along a beautiful prehistoric forested gorge, kept expecting dinosaurs to jump out any second(apparently they filmed part of walking with dinosaurs here). B was as happy as larry in the water and of course had to try the hardest rapids to paddle up, meanwhile I was stuck in fallen trees at the side and had to be rescued.
 We had a great time in Christchurch with Steve, Fiona and girls who were great company. We visted the Antarctic museum in Christchurch and experienced an antarctic storm and a very scary ride on a  Haggland transporter which floated!. The girls screamed a lot but really enjoyed it!! Sad to say goodbye but looking forward to meeting them all in Ashford in July
We then headed up the coast to do some whale watching at Kaikora when the sea floor plummets to an underwater canyon and favours deep water divers such as the sperm whale. Very lucky as we spotted 5 of them, magnificent creatures so magestic when they dive and the massive tail fin enters the water with hardly any splash at all. I looked over at B who is normally glued to the camera, only to see him looking green - yes the old time cornish fisherman was sea-sick for the first time in his life!!
Then upto the wine growing area of Marlborough to taste B favourite NZ tipple at Villa Maria. Some lovely wines here, so had to buy a few bottles but I think we will drink them before returning home. Then the heavens opened and it rained for nearly 2 days (so that should make a lot of you feel better as I know it has been really good weather in the UK) We then travelled over the Cook Sraits to the North Island - very wind with a 4m swell and an old unstable ferry, this time it was J who had to stay out on deck for fear of sicknesss!
Stayed a couple of days in Wellington, which is a beautiful city quite hilly surrounded by water , not too dissimilar to Rio(We did not experience the wind for which is known) Took in some culture and good dining. Some lovely art deco buildings especially the cinema "The Embassy" with the largest screen in Australasia and screened the world opening of Lord of the Rings.(Peter Jackson is a hero here).
Then off to the middle area of the North Island where we have visited "Hobbiton" like senery, witnessed bungee jumping and the flying fox in gravity canyon - a 180 m drop into a sandstone canyon (Didn't quite have the balls to do that one) We are now in the volcanic area - we have seen hot bubbly pools of boiling water and geysers spouting out, eerie mud pools gurgling as if alive - but the earth did not move for us Deb!!
Only one week left in NZ can't believe it.
Hope all of you are keeping well
Lots of love
JÂ and B
xxxx
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