We are now in Auckland. When I said Tim was feeling a bit better I was wrong! I think it was the quiet before the storm. It was definitely the quiet before the day from hell! It turns out that he has campylobacter! It is some type of bacterial infection that can be caused by eating contaminated food or water, or eating raw meat. As far as we are aware Tim did none of those things but apparently it is rife in this area and it is probably just related to poor food hygiene such as using something that was not [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tim is ill! We knew it would happen sooner or later but we thought it would be in Asia. It was only a matter of time before one of us got the lurgi! Tim has had some nasty stomach bug that came on yesterday lunchtime on our way to Ahipara. He seems a bit better now but we had to cancel our trip to Cape Regina today. On the plus side I got to go boogie boarding which was excellent fun. You could go on the beach which was right outside the hostel. They even lent you boards for free. It [View Full Entry]

---

---

Having a great time in the Bay of Islands. Got here on Thursday and it was raining (first rain we had seen for ages) so we had a pretty quiet afternoon. Just made a brief trip into the town centre and the supermarket. Yesterday we went on a cruise of the Bay which was great. As well as a cruise it was a dolphin spotting trip and I am pleased to say we saw loads. We were very lucky on the dolphin spotting front as people we spoke to yesterday only saw two. We saw several pods. The first type of [View Full Entry]

---

---

After the black water rafting we headed to Orewa which is just north of Auckland. We decided to stop here to break up the Drive to the Bay of Islands. The most amazing thing about coming here was that we met Marion and David. We first meet them in Lake Tekapo and then in Mount Cook back in December. Our paths also crossed in Franz Josef. We were really surprised to meet them again in National Park as they said they were not going to do the Tongariro crossing but they had had a change of plan. By this time we [View Full Entry]

---

---

We have been black water rafting today and it was fantastic, if not a little scary! It is not really rafting at all, more a cross between caving and tubing. You get kitted out in wetsuits, helmets with lights on the front and these very tasteful white boots. You then get given a big rubber ring to sit on and you are ready to go. We started off by walking in the caves which are between ankle deep and waist deep in water. The first bit of tubing involved getting on our rings and lying right back so we could float [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left Hahei today to drive to Waitomo – we are going black water rafting tomorrow. The only highlight of the journey was that we went to Cambridge! It is not as nice as the ‘real’ Cambridge. It is MUCH newer for a start and it is a fraction of the size. There was also no university as far as we could see. Lots of people said “It is like the one in the UK”! I can only assume they have not been there. It is a nice enough small town and it gave us a chance to take the obligatory [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left the East Cape yesterday and headed for the Coromandel Peninsula. It was not the most interesting drive but we did pass a giant kiwi fruit! The Coromandel peninsula is lovely. We are staying in Hahei, which is a really nice beach town. It takes us about a minute to walk to the beach! We went for a quick swim yesterday. The beach gets huge waves so we had fun splashing about in the surf. Today we walked along the coast to Cathedral cove, which is this gorgeous cove, which has a huge natural arch. You can walk though the [View Full Entry]

---

---

After all the activities of the last week it is definitely time for some R&R. We are now in Maraehake Bay on the East Coast at this super relaxing hostel. It is in the middle of nowhere. We can see the sea out of the bedroom window! It is about 5 paces away. We have been very lazy the last couple of days. We have filled our days with walking on the beach, looking in rock pools and some kayaking. They had free kayaks here so we decided to paddle round the bay which was lovely. Off to the Coramandal Peninsula [View Full Entry]

---

---

We are now in Rotorua and doing more extreme things! We went zorbing today. Zorbing involves being in a large plastic ball and rolling down a hill! Think giant hamster ball and you get the idea. Tim and I went in the same ball together along with a bucket of water (don't know why). They tell you to stand and then release the gate so you start rolling. We tried to stay standing but it was impossible. Felt a bit dizzy by the time I got to the bottom of the hill but it was good fun. I am sure this [View Full Entry]

---

---

Being that we managed the Tongariro Crossing we decided to reward ourselves with a jet boating trip. It was wicked! You zoom along the river at great speed and then every so often you do huge 180 degree spins (bit like a handbrake turn) This, needless to say, results in lots of spray. The best thing about it was that the boat went over rapids! The first time we flew through the air but the next time we hit the water at a different angle and we got drenched! It was so much fun though. The other thing with jet boating [View Full Entry]

---

---