Mummy and Daddy were a little late getting up, and packing took much longer than expected. Daddy and I went off to the Warehouse as well, to get some chains for the car, as we'd heard on the news that the weather was looking like snow, and we didn't want to be stuck anywhere.

After we eventually got going, we went down to a petrol station and Daddy filled up the car with water, and checked the oil, and pumped up the tyres. Then off we drove, the car packed up with all my stuff, and even a bit of Mum and Dad's.

We were zooming up the hills to the north of Dunedin, when the car started to slow down, and then finally it stalled. Dad tried to get it started again, but it wouldn't. Oh no I thought, maybe we won't get to go on holiday!

So Dad lifted up the hood and had a look around. Oops, he'd been very silly and put water where the oil was supposed to go! So Mummy and Daddy talked about it for a while, and then they rolled the car back down the hill a bit, and then spun it around, and we rolled all the way back down to Dunedin.... whee!

When we got back to Dunedin Dad rolled into a service station, and went to use the phone to call up Baxter - a man of many skills, he can fix cars. So he came along, and looked at it, and then they decided they'd have to drain it all out. Mummy took me for a walk and they messed around for a while, and we came back, and them Mummy gave me a feed and they drained it out, and cleaned it, and put in new oil. It took a long time, but eventually the car started again, and we got on the road - only about 3 hours late. Luckily we got some bread from a local bakery, the Crusty Corner, so Mummy and Daddy weren't going hungry.

So then off we drove. Back up and over the hill that we hadn't made it over before. Daddy just drove and drove, because we were running late and it was going to get dark before we got to Cromwell. So we drove through Palmerston, and then straight through to Ranfurly and we just kept on going.

A while after that I started to get sick of travelling, and I wanted to be changed and fed and played with. So I started having a good cry. Daddy pulled over to the side of the road and Mummy fed me and Mummy and Daddy had the rest of the bread so they ate too. It was starting to get dark, and everywhere but the road was covered in snow. I've never seen snow before, but I was too busy feeding to pay too much attention to it.

Then after a while we got going again, and drove into Alexandra. Mummy and Daddy were still hungry, and I needed to be changed, so we went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken store. It seemed to be the local hangout for the young people - there were lots of them there.

Then after everyone was happy again, we set out for Cromwell. We drove past the Clyde dam, which was all lit up. And then we zoomed into Cromwell. We went to the police station, and got the key for the house, and followed a police officer there. Then we warmed up the house and settled everything down and stuff, and I went to sleep. Mummy and Daddy stayed up for a while watching TV, and then went to bed too.

This morning I just slept and slept. Mum and Dad had to wake me up in the end so that I got up in time, otherwise we would have been late again. We got everything ready and then packed the car and went off to some place called "Old Cromwell Town". It seems that Cromwell had to be shifted a bit when they built that big dam that we saw the night before, and the old town centre is now under the lake. So they shifted the town centre, and build a replica of Cromwell Town as it was 100 years ago during the gold rush.

After a while looking around that place, and taking a couple of photos, we went and got some petrol for the car and then went back to the house to get my medicine because we'd forgotten it. Then we returned the keys and drove off Westward.

We stopped at a fruit stall and picked up some fruit, and some pistachio nuts for Mum, and then kept on driving towards Queenstown. As we got closer, we passed a couple of wineries, and then we drove up to see one - along this narrow windy road. Mummy and Daddy tasted a couple of wines, and then ended up buying a very expensive one. Then we kept on going to Queenstown.

We got there in time for lunch, so we parked the car and went looking for a bakery to get some bread. We wandered all around the tourist district, and changed me in a mall, but no bakery. We also spotted the gondolas, so we went up there and found out that they were too expensive for us, and the same with the Kiwi House.

Eventually, as we were heading back towards the car, we found a bakery, and bought some lunch. By this time it was getting pretty late, so we just started out in the car and Mummy and Daddy were going to eat on the way. We did so, and stopped alongside Lake Wakatipu to take a couple of photos, and so Mummy could brush all the crumbs from lunch off her. Then we drove on.

After a while we arrived in Lumsden. Mum and Dad figured it was time to change my nappy, so they went looking for a place to do so. Now, being Sunday, just about everything was closed down. In fact, the only thing open was a dairy. Mum and Dad went to the local public toilets to see what they were like, but came out saying something like "wouldn't change myself in there.". Then we drove up to the local maternity hospital to try and change me there, but it was closed. I don't know what would have happened if someone needed to have a baby!

So I ended up being changed in the back seat of the car by Daddy. We piled everything into the front seat, and then Daddy squeezed in with me. It was kinda fun. Except for when Daddy gave Mummy the nappy out of the door, and the bottle of wine fell out and crashed on the ground. Mummy and Daddy didn't seem very happy with that.

So after our visit to the cultural mecca of Lumsden, we zoomed out west to Te Anau. Near the end of the trip I was starting to get very tired, and pretty sick of being in my car seat. So I started to cry as we got near. But we kept on going, and went to a petrol station to get directions to the police station, and then got the key from the police, and went to the house. It was very nice, it's right over the road from the lakefront, and everything inside is new and modern.

We got settled in, and Dad went looking for some dinner, as we'd arrived too late for the supermarket to be open. He came back a while later with some stuff, which seemed to satisfy Mum and Dad. Then they gave me a bath in this monstrous bath. It was so much fun, I was splashing and swimming all over the place. After that I went to bed and they watched a movie.

Today we slept in for a while, it being the first day that we didn't have to go anywhere. Then we got the pram out of the car and wandered along the lakefront to the shops and did some window shopping. We also went to the supermarket and bought some food for lunch and dinner. Mummy and Daddy spent quite a bit of time looking in shops, particularly at baby stuff, but they didn't buy anything. Te Anau certainly is a nice place though.

Then later in the afternoon, we stayed around the house and read books, and Daddy went back into town to go to the local video store, where he got two videos. He put dinner in the oven and Mum looked after me, and then they watched one of the videos. After dinner they watched some more TV, and then put me to sleep. I guess eventually they must have watched the other video, and then gone to bed.

This morning when I woke up, Mummy and Daddy were already up cleaning up the house. Mummy was doing some washing, and Daddy was vacumning. By the time everything was ready to go in about an hour or so, it was looking pretty good.

We drove off and returned the videos, but then we had to go back to the house because we'd forgotten a tape of Mummy's. And then we went to the police station, and we saw Jane there. I didn't know her, but Daddy did, and she came out to the car to see Mummy and to look at me. She was I was "beautiful". What a nice woman.

Then we zoomed off, driving back towards home. We arrived in Lumsden pretty quickly, and Mummy and Daddy bought some bread there and had a quick lunch while giving me a feed. Then we kept on driving, and arrived in Gore about an hour later.

We stayed in Gore for a while. First we found out where the local plunket was, and went there and Mummy and Daddy changed and fed me. Then we went to a local opportunity shop, and Mummy and Daddy did some shopping for me, and for Mummy. That was pretty cool, because I got some nice stuff.

Then we drove on, and arrived in Balclutha. By this time I was getting pretty tired, and pretty sick of travelling in the car. Mummy had moved in the back and I was sitting in the front seat with Daddy. That was pretty cool, as I got to watch him driving and smile at him lots, but even that didn't work too well after 3 hours driving.

So after a short stop and a feed just outside Balclutha, we drove on, and by the time we reached Dunedin I was ready for a good cry, and I did so. Luckily we were close to home and so Mummy and Daddy didn't have to put up with it too long. When we got home everything was unpacked, including me, and life went back to normal. Wow, what an adventure!

Mummy and Daddy said that I was a really good boy while they were on holiday, and I lasted pretty well through three long drives. They also said that I seemed to be much more aware of my surroundings, and recognising people. They'd never seen me smile so much, and I'd never seemed like such a happy baby before. They said it was a really nice holiday.