Today I'm off exploring geothermal wonders about 15 miles away from Rotorua where I'm staying. Unfortunately it's little drizzly so I'm kitted out in walking gear - walking boots, fleece, waterproofs etc. We pick up a few people along the way including one ditzy girl who gets on the bus wearing the flimsiest little summer dress and flip flops. The only other thing she has with her is a mobile phone. Rolls eyes! As we drive out of Rotorua Thomas our guide gives us the low down on Rotorua. Of the 70,000 population a quarter are involved in the tourist industry looking after around three million tourists a year! We pass a race course on our left. Who knew, horse racing in Rotorua? I wonder if the smell puts the horses off. Did I mention there ... read more

Another glorious sunny day dawns so I make use of my free morning with a saunter around the little peninsula that sticks out into the lake at Rotorua. I start at the busy end where there are people queuing for boat trips, helicopter rides and water plane rides. The shore side is heaving with little black teal with golden eyes which I find out are New Zealand Scaup or Papa go. There are some odd looking black swans in amongst the teal with smatterings of red around their beaks. I've noticed a few geocaches are hidden along this part of the lakeside so hope I get to find my furthest from home ever cache today. The walk takes me through pretty woodland and where it's boggy there's a boardwalk. Reading the slightly knackered interpretive panels I ... read more

Rotorua youth hostel is peachy. I'm in a four bed female only room and no bunks! The reception staff are lovely and put a map in my hand and give me directions to the nearest supermarket. It's a bit of a Lidl moment at the Rotorua Pak 'n Save, but I manage to find enough veggie delights. Chores sorted I decide to start off my holiday activities with some inactivity at the Polynesian Spa. I opt for the slightly salacious sounding 'adults only' section. Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on your proclivities) this just means no screaming kids jumping in the pools and splashing everyone rather than some car key swapping scenario. The pools are built on an historic Maori site The Pupunitanga, which means ambush, to remember the many battles fought here. Years later in 1882 ... read more

Yes, it really is another five hours flying time once you pass over Australia! But eventually the Chinese passengers are being told off AGAIN for ignoring the 'go back to your seats and put on your seat-belts' announcement that they've been ignoring all throughout the flight whenever we get a bit of turbulence, and we begin our descent. And beautiful it is too with lush green mountain folds giving way to a sun-sparkled sea dotted with islands surrounded by sighs of envy at realising people actually live on these mini spots of paradise. I know this won't last long as more people replace old passports, but for now I forgive my dreadful new passport photo for verily my new passport holdeth treasures of joy that help me queue jump like the VIP biatch that I really ... read more

Feeling uber excited at the start of my 'Journey to Middle Earth' sat on the train from Norwich to London. The title of my blog is of course a reference to The Hobbit whose film adaptations used New Zealand to evoke the other worldliness of Tolkien's fantastical imagination. I can't profess to being a particular fan, mostly because of Orks! Why all the rage and blood lust from dawn until dusk? What's their motivation? Instead of ripping out the guts of some poor unsuspecting random Middle Earth dweller why don't they just have a bit of a lie in before sauntering down to the local coffee shop for a frappeamericanolatecappocino (I'm a tea drinker, can you tell?) and a read of the Rivendell Review. Hobbit references aside I'm finding out a bit about New Zealand - ... read more