After yesterday’s lazy schedule, I decided to tackle another of Auckland’s big museums today. The Museum of Transport and Technology. To be honest, there’s not a lot to write today. The museum is huge and covers two locations in the west of Auckland that are linked by an old working tram line. Pretty much everything linked to transport is here, plus some (but not all) technology. The kind of fire engines I remember from childhood were here, as were trolley busses and a good collection of trams. The army had a working display of their modes of land transport and of course there was a preserved steam railway in the grounds too (note the special station name in the photo). There was even mechanical ticket machine from London Transport busses that I remember from my days ... read more

I am very lucky to have a kiwi friend in Holland who happens to be ‘home’ this week. Sharon has agreed to spend some time with me acting as my guide and provider of trivia in Auckland, so I can see the city from the perspective of an ex-pat local. Overall, Auckland is one big mass of volcanoes. These are called dormant rather than extinct, as it could be disastrous to think that they’d never erupt again. Sharon’s sister Jackie joined us today (she has a car) so we toured some of the volcanic cones. By far and away the most impressive is Mount Eden. This is very close to the city centre, and also the highest point in greater Auckland. It’s quite sobering to stand on the edge of the grass clad crater edge and ... read more

Time to leave Kaiteriteri and its beatiful sandy beach, and head back to the north island. This is going to short. It's not a short trip however, but having got back to Nelson airport, and flown back to Wellington with just as much ease and comfort as the outward flight, there was a 5 hour drive ahead of me to New Plymouth. New Zealand roads serve their purpose. There is little dual carriageway, but not so much traffic, so you get along fine albeit slower than in Europe. The speed limit is 100km/h maximum, and most drivers keep to this. One of the only mild challenges on the roads is the number and size of lorries. It seems that the poor rail network encourages the development of road trains, so nearly every lorry has a trailer, ... read more

It's Monday 11th January, and day 14 of my trip. Yesterday's stormy weather has died down, which is just as well beacuse I am flying to Nelson this morning. I fear it may still be a bumpy ride though. I’ve seen a lot of great things in New Zealand, and think that today might go down as one of the highlights. I checked out of the hotel early this morning and made my way to the Airbus stop in light rain and little more than a gentle breeze. After an extended wait for an Airbus that didn’t seem to be materialising, another traveller asked if I wanted to share a taxi. In we jumped, and the first good fortune we had was that the driver forgot to switch on the meter, and when he realised his ... read more

Sometimes, labels are unfair. Wellington can be a nice hot sunny city. It is the capital of New Zealand, even though it's only a third of the size of Auckland. Today, our group saw the city at its best. We had a knowledgeable guide, and the sun beat down. It was my last day with the group, and it turned out to be a good one. As capital cities go, Wellington does quite well. It doesn’t seem to get seriously snarled up with traffic, has a lot of smart tall modern buildings as well as a few old classics in the centre, has enough posh shops, but most of all, has some dramatic hills. As you arrive by road, you weave through a steep sided valley or come along a coastal road, and there are only ... read more