Day 11 Saturday Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning. Went and saw geysers and bubbling mud – smelt of sulphur but you get used to it. A walk in a forest of redwood trees and saw a village that had been buried by a volcanic eruption in 1884. Went for a quiet cuppa tea and met a bloke who originated from Cheshire. He’d married a Maori girl and stayed. Used to perform for Bernard Manning. One night a man came up to him and said his playing of guitar was the worst he’d ever heard. He told him he should get out more!!! You do meet some amusing people in cafes. ... read more

Walked to Cathedral Bay in the morning. Drove to Hot Water beach in the afternoon - which is exactly what it is. Two hours before and after low tide you can dig a hole in a particular area and it fills with hot water. We were like kids again with our spade!! We dug a hole and wallowed for ages - it was great. There was quite a party atmosphere sharing our hole with strangers and sometimes it was so hot we had to shift along a bit!... read more

Day 7 Tuesday Breakfast on Peter and Jenny’s balcony in the sunshine. Morning in Russell, went to the oldest church in New Zealand and the museum, then drove over to the start of a footpath that took us to Whangamumu harbour. This actually turned out to be a 5 mile hike up a mountain and down the other side but boy was it worth it! We ended up in a small bay where there were about 10 dolphins swimming up and down right near the shore. We sat there for ages and watched them - magical! Memorable moment today in Russell. Went into a charity internet cafe run by volunteers to post our blog. The man in charge must have been in his 70’s, had great difficulty transferring our photos from the smart card to a ... read more

Day 1 Wednesday Would you believe it - a tube strike today! We have had to rethink how we get to Heathrow. Train to Victoria, bus to Paddington then Heathrow Connect. All work well, got to terminal 3 at 4.45pm. Man trying to get through customs with a Sainsbury’s carrier bag full of toiletries - definitely not 100 mils size. Customs officer raised eyebrows .... there’s always one isn’t there? Day 2 Thursday Arrived Singapore 18.42 Thursday (London 10.42), travelled 7006 miles, temp 13C Arrived Auckland 11.30 Friday (London 22.30 Thursday) travelled 5338 miles temp 16C Totals: mileage 12,344 Meals: 2 x suppers, 2 x breakfasts, no lunches, no daylight! Day 3 Friday Arrived at Auckland met by man with Jag to transport to hotel. Took a ferry to Devonport for the afternoon for a wander, ... read more