Live from Cooktown, Far North Queensland,Australia

Greetings from Cooktown, Far North Queensland. I sit on top of Grassy Hill overlooking the Endeavour River and the spectacular untouched coastline north to Cape Bedford. It was here, on top of Grassy Hill, that Captain Cook stood searching for a way out of the maze of reef so he could continue north after 6 weeks stuck fixing his ship (the Endeavour) from a run in with a reef just south of present day Cooktown. So Cooktown was actually the first place in Australia where white Europeans had an extended holiday. It was here that Europeans encountered their first kangaroos (or "gang-gah-roo" from the local native tongue), had extended interactions with aboriginal Australians and Joseph Banks had ample time to observe and collect botanical specimens.

But it is winter in the southern hemisphere, and Cooktown is a windy outpost of civilisation, too windy to go diving on the near-by Great Barrier Reef, but not cold enough to believe it is actually winter, and so my thoughts drift across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, where a real winter beckons. The snow is falling and so far the ski season is off to a fantastic start. I have one week to finish working in Cooktown, wax the snowboard, dig-up every warm item of clothing that I can find here in the tropics, and then make my way 4 hours south to Cairns and hop on the plane to Christchurch. From Christchurch I will hire a vehicle and go wherever the snow is falling on New Zealand's south island. So far it looks like the small ski resorts of Mt.Lyford and Ohau are the places to ski. I will also check out the snowboarding, scenery and nightlife around Queenstown and the beautiful lakeside town of Wanaka. From Wanaka I will report back on the Burton Snowboarding Competition, where Olympic snowboarding hopefuls will show off their skills. Stay Tuned!