Yeh, Dick Smith had a sale and we have got a new laptop to play with. Now if only we can keep it out of the drizzle that seems to be following us then everything will be sweet. I will make a big effort to upload more photos. I can make a gallery from Scotland Island alone.
Planning our trek up Mt. Somers and I find they do not have oat cakes, can you go walking without them? Luckily they do have fruit cake – I hope they have the fruit, cake, nut ratio right otherwise I may not get as far as I hope.
Yesterday we went on a walk up a gorge with the bluest river I have ever seen. If I drew a picture or showed you the colour you would think that I had got it wrong. I took loads of pictures but when I checked through them somehow the blue seemed to have been diminished and looked a much more normal grey blue. I will have to try again with Angela’s whizzy camera. I am sure there will be a setting for unbelievable blue on there somewhere.
I am sure that someone told me that New Zealand would be the cheapest country in our English speaking section of our trip. I think that might have been true when Britain held a gold reserve – now it is way off the mark. We may be camping more than we first supposed, that and a vegetarian diet. Well that won’t work as they do have quite a pie culture –yummy.
How come Louise gets all the best kit? She has grown quite a bit over the last 6 months so needs new shoes; it must have been all the dhal bat in India and Nepal. I went into an equivalent of Wilkinsons and found a pair for £12. Angela went into bespoke walking outfitters and found a pair for a lot more; a pair of stiff soled running shoes, not water proof but quick drying. Ideal for the sunny weather we have been having. Any way you can guess which pair Louise ended up with. Oh and then it transpires that she managed to leave her very practical $2 poncho behind in Sydney. This was replaced with a Montane weather proof coat that she can wear over her down jacket. I like my poncho but a coat would be nice. Angela says I can eat an extra pie, seems a fair swap.
familytriparoundtheworld 
Sounds amazing John.
Blue rivers, bankruptcy, growing children, economic comment on Gordon Brown’s need to sell the gold reserve to avoid the UK needing to go to Brussels to avoid an EU rescue deal, a comparison of commodity pricing effects on entry level foot ware, the decline of sterling as an international safe haven of choice and an insight into why all children, irrespective of colour, creed, age or location, will always vote for the most expensive option offered. Did they have a small 1c plastic doll in the heal? That’s always a winner for shifting large volumes of mediocre tat.
The pies sound a delight!
Love to everyone and good luck selling a kidney to pay for a new coat and new trainers for Jacob and Angela so they may keep up with Louise.