A really early start (5.45am) to make sure we were up and ready for the bus trip to the start of New Zealand's best one day walk - the Tongarrio Crossing. It is a 17km, 7+ hour trek up to over 6000 feet, in the snow/ice! On the bus we went to the back to get kitted out with boots, crampons, trousers and jackets, even gloves and hats if you needed them. This was all while the bus was in motion - Kiwis are so much more relaxed about Health and Safety than in the UK, where it has gone too far. The cost of the guided trip, including the bus transfer and equipment was $85. We got to our destination (Mangatepopo car park, near the Mangatepopo Hut) and started to hike in to the snow, ... read more

Monday 14th August 2006 We went caving at Waitomo Caves, Waikato, which I was not really looking forward to. I had memories of very wet, cold and claustophobic school caving trips as a kid. I remember one part where it was so thin you had to take off your light pack and push it ahead of you, unabl to bring your ams down toyour sides, squirming your way two or three metres through a 'worm hole'. It makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about it now, but imagine me trying the same thing with my shoulder width now! So I was really pleasantly surprised to find it one of the best days so far! We were all kited out in thick wetsuits, white boots and helmets (see the super-hero photo) and it involved rock climbing, absailing, swimming, ... read more

Saturday 12th August 2006 Another really early start and we were on our way to a tiny place called Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula. We went for a walk round Cathedral Cove, which was really picturesque. The way the rock had been eroded created some amazing structures. We also stopped off at Hot Water Beach to make pools in the sand, where hot spring water came to the surface. If you got it right, the hot spring water mixed with the sea water to make a nice warm bath. We weren't brave enough (it was a pretty cold day) to strip down to swim shorts, so just went paddling. I managed to burn the soles of my feet by stepping in the wrong place (scolding hot water coming up through the sand...) I really wanted to ... read more

Monday 7th August 2006 Got up early (6.30am) to catch the 'express' Stray bus from Wellington to Auckland - I would see more of Wellington on the way back down. We stop of at a little town called Bulls, where they name everything after the bull. Consta-bull (police), cure-a-bull (doctor), inform-a-bull (information centre), etc... A quick pause at a view point over some unusual table-top hills by a river. Another break at Taupu (nice lake-side place) and Tirau (with an i-site built like a huge dog - see here), before finally getting to Auckland. We checked in to the huge ACB (Auckland Central Backpackers) that has over 600 beds! But good news was free sausages and bread in the bar and a couple of two-for-one beer vouchers. I ended up paying $9 for four pints - ... read more

Saturday 5th August 2006 I stashed my snowboard bag and kites (except the 4.9 Blade which went with me) and caught the (crappy old-looking) Stray bus outside Base hostel on the corner of the Square. I got onboard and met the driver - called 'Dodgy'... There was one other guy on the bus... Had I choose the wrong company to go with? To make it worse, at one of the stops we made, I spotted the (brand new) buses of Kiwi and Magic - both looking at least half full! We stopped off at a fur seal colony on the edge of Kaikoura and got up and close with the seals. I then checked in to the Adelphi Lodge hostel, which was had a good homely feel about it. We got the free soup and bread ... read more