Sadly, it seems our search to witness a counterclockwise flushing toilet in the southern hemisphere has been in vain. It was all a vicious ruse. Can there be crueler factiod? I think not. I am tempted to end our trip early.

We leave Queenstown this morning for points south and east. Farewell DSL...oh, and um, Irik.

I can't believe it is almost December...

As you may have noticed, there has been a bit of activity hear at the pill lately. No worries mate, its just that I have been staying with an old friend in Queenstown, and I have had access to his computers and dsl line. I have spent the past couple of months with limited computer and internet access, and it has been nice in some ways. However, I start to feel out of touch when I'm away, no email, chat, instant news access, web logs. It's not so bad really, but its nice to be where I can get access. A luddite I ain't...

Things I am missing:

• Film. Movies are released months later in new Zealand, and then tend to be in the Legally Blond variety.
• Restaurants that have water glasses larger than a low ball. I feel like I have been drinking water from a thimble for months.
• Drip Coffee. Cafes mainly serve espresso, no drip coffee. Don't get me wrong, I like espresso, but a drip coffee would be nice now and then.
• Music. The radio in the car is broken, and we only have a limited selection of cds with us. Also, I have been wanting to purchase Tenacious D, but they don't distribute it here in NZ.

Things I am loving:

• Too much to mention...

And now, even more photos. Queenstown

More bungy madness courtesy of queenstown.com

This is up there in the list of best things we have done in NZ. Fiordland Wilderness Experience.

Holy stretching elastic Batman....

Back from Stewart Island, and some photos for your viewing pleasure.

More New Zealand photos with the new Sony digital camera bought impulsivly in Queenstown. We are off tomorrow to Stewart Island. More pictures to come...

Images from New Zealand: Image Gallery

And yet another update from down under:

We took the Interilander Ferry accross the Cook Straight and through Queen Charlotte Sound.

A day hike on Queen Charlotte Track, and then off to Nelson and a kayak trip in Abel Tazman National Park.

Next off to Franz Josef Glacier. We took a half day guided trip up the glacier. We really didn't go up that far, but spectacular none the less. The next day we went on a scenic helicopter trip up the glacier, by Mount Cook and then back down the Fox Glacier. This was indescribable. We landed on top of the glacier, and walked around a bit, simply breathtaking.

I am currently sitting in a motel room in Lake Waneka where it has been cloudy and rainy...uck. Hopfully it will clear up today.

Our plane landed in Fiji on the 16th of October, and we had a few hours layover. I took a trip to the loo, and thats when it hit me. I was south of the equator, and this meant that the water would flow counter clockwise. I pressed down on the lever with anticipation, when to my dismay, the water flowed furiously straight down the bowl. There was no swirling motion, just a furious flow of water directly down the drain. I have yet to find a loo that works any other way here down under, and it has put a bit of a damper on our entire vacation.

Some more tidbits from New Zealand:

We spent a few days in Lake Taupo. Hiked around Huka Falls, then took a day hike at Tongariro Crossing. This was astounding, but a tad grueling. The guide book dubbed the hike as moderate, but there was a steep climb up a rocky wall that was over two hours to the top. Tiresome, but more than worth it.

Next off to Lake Waikaremoana where we spent three days backpacking around the lake. I will refrain from telling stories of ankle blisters and dislocated shoulders. However, all in all, a great trip.

Next stop Napier for a few days recuperation from our backpacking trip.

I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Wellington. Wellington is a great city, kinda reminds me of San Francisco, well maybe its younger littler brother, but with a lot more wind.

We are off for the South Island in the next couple of days, so no worries mate.