26th September 2008 We spent most of today driving towards Rotorua. We had a couple of stops for food and refreshments and thought about having a look around ‘Hobbiton’ and ‘The Shire’ from ‘Lord Of The Rings’ but it looked naff and overpriced so we thought better of it. Rotorua looked very touristy so all we did there was visit Rainbow Springs Nature Centre. It was very well done, we saw gigantic Rainbow, Brook and Tiger Trout, a Brown Kiwi, Keas and a Kaka Parrot (Pili’s favourite clearly because of its name). After we decided to head south [View Full Entry]

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We had agreed to go and watch the daily water release from the Artiata Dam at 10am with Chris and Brid, first we went off to town to find an internet café to call home. At the café we realised the clock had gone forward over night and that we were going to miss the dam, DAMN! We walked around the town doing a little window shopping, the sun was warm and it was a pleasant distraction for an hour. We headed to the information center to find out about the walk through the Tongariro Crossing and there we bumped into [View Full Entry]

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The next morning Brid and Chris decided to go just south of Palmerston to visit the Tui factory; we opted out and decided to press on to The Kapiti Coast and more importantly Kapiti Island Bird Sanctuary. On the way down the very hilly South East coast we made a couple of quick stops. First was at Waitarere Beach, all very windswept and a taste of things to come. On the turn off for the beach we saw a sign saying ‘HORSE POO 50c Bag’; of course we stopped for a photo. By know it was mid-afternoon and we were ready [View Full Entry]

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Wellington 01-07 10 08 This evening we arrived at Peter and Fiona’s house in Wellington. Peter had just returned from cycling home from work, all sweaty and red faced when he met us with his daughter Alice. I’m not surprised at the state he was in, in fact I think he’s gone a little crazy, Wellington’s all hills! It was really good to see my old buddy if not a little surreal. Pete left the UK last September, a big leap by any standards especially with three young children. Fiona and the kids looked very well, Dominic who was just a [View Full Entry]

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Sunday 21st September (half an island done!) We set the alarm on Pili’s phone for 6:00am to catch and film the sunrise, WOW it was really worth facing the cold of the morning. This was Pili’s first full sunrise, she’ll never forget it either, stood on the very northern point of New Zealand and capturing it all on film, it was a great moment to share together. Invigorated by the magic we had just witnessed we set out for an hours walk along the headland to get a better view of the beaches from above, all before breakfast. We worked up [View Full Entry]

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15th September 2008 In Leigh we take our Marine Reserve tour on the glass bottomed boat, we see snapper, some rays and a solitary seal. We also visit some caves. The whole trip is about an hour. We spend a little time on the beach, I’m still a little unsteady and take a slight fall on the slippy rocks. I bang my camera but no damage done as far as I can tell. We then hit the road towards the Bay Of Islands. It’s getting late so we pull over in Whangarei. The coastal road is all picture post card stuff. [View Full Entry]

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18th September 2008 In rained all night and disappointedly the dive was cancelled because of an unusually large ocean swell. It seems the whales don’t want to meet us. Oh well we set off again to the Bay of Islands via a visit to the ‘Longest Foot Bridge in the Southern Hemisphere’. To our surprise we were met half way across by a lady leading a beautiful horse. The horse was in the water swimming, his morning exercise apparently, he seemed to really be enjoying himself. We also were welcome by a gorgeous dog which we made a big fuss of [View Full Entry]

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13th September 2008 At sunrise I was awoken with the screeching of a Pukeko (see photos) outside the van. These birds are like Moorhens on steroids, we love them, full of character and a brilliant royal blue colour. I dressed, put the kettle on and held my breath at the loos. When I returned Pili was up and we decided to have a little walk around. The grounds of the park were amazing, covered in a light mist with all the plants glistening with morning dew. We heard and saw our first Tui (see photos) from the family of Honeyeaters; unfortunately [View Full Entry]

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NEW ZEALAND 11-09-08 We flew into Auckland with our friends Jason & Maria whom we’d met again at the departures lounge in Tonga. They had flown to the Northern Island and had been Kayaking with the Hump-Back Whales while I near death. They had some really nice photos, this was the final kick in the nuts from Tonga. We said our goodbyes at the airport and caught our bus heading to Parnell via Auckland city centre. We met a couple on the bus from Holland, Trisha and Baz, they were staying in a hostal just down the road from us so [View Full Entry]

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Tonga Nuku'Alofa Well after a year plus of juggling plans and destinations we finally headed for Heathrow on September 2nd 2008 for our flight to L.A. then Tonga Nuku'Alofa. The trip with New Zealand airlines was, well, boring but the food and service was excellent. My sinuses exploded due to cabin pressure midway across the Atlantic. I wasn't alone with this problem but a few free beers and a little medication put me in a warm fuzzy place, although a little sweaty, but I settled in for a couple of movies to help pass the time. 1st stop L.A. airport…….LAX is [View Full Entry]

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