I am in real doodoo today. Last night we decided that because of our long day yesterday we would have a quieter day today not least because we were going on an organised Maori evening tonight. It all started very well with a nice leisurely breakfast and discussion about which cache we would go and find. There was one on a track which would take us towards Huka Falls which is on the Waikato River. For interest this river actually flows out of Lake Taupo. We had decided that because this cache was about half way to the Falls we would return back to the Holiday Park. As the day turned out it was a very warm and sunny day which reinforced the idea that we should not walk too far. All went well until we ... read more

Continuing Where was l when l interrupted by Nancy. I remember - we had found this cache in Clive Square and along with the instructions about how to find the cache was also information about the square itself. In particular it told us about the local gardener whose name we found out was Kyle. He obviously knew about the cache and wasn't surprised to see people walking around with a GPS. Kyle was a font of knowledge about the square and he and Nancy had a long conversation about the exotic plants he was tending. The square also had a sort of chime, bell sort of thing which used to play 4 tunes every 30 minutes and included Greesleaves and Faere Jacque (my French has never been any good). It was obvious to us that Kyle ... read more

Welcome to the scond Chapter of our diary to New Zealand. Would you believe that we got lost (even with John Cleese help) going from the Holiday park in Picton to the Ferry Port a distance of about 500 metres. Well we did - l blamed Nancy for taking the wrong turn but never mind we got there and managed to get onto the ferry without problem. On the wonderfully scenic crossing to Wellington we decided (in total agreement) to have another big Kiwi breakfast and just watch the world past us by along the Queen Charlotte Sound and across the Cook Strait and into a nice sunny day in Wellington. Because our Holiday Park in Wellington was some 15 kms outside the city, and we were only there 1 night we did not actually go ... read more

G'day folks I think l really really spoilt Nancy's Holiday yesterday. I left her absolutely devastated. So what cruel and inhumane crime did l commit? I forced Nancy to walk on sand!!!. Anybody that knows Nancy will understand this - she just hates doing it. The fact that the sand was on the beach which was just feet away from the van and the sun was really shining did nothing to encourage her. Anyway she survived - just. While we on the beach we decided that we should 'bite the bullet' and go for a long walk. While we were walking we just happened to come across a small stream which was trickling into the sea. Nancy managed to transverse some stones and make it across without problem. Me being a clever **** decided that l ... read more

Hello Again before l begin Nancy has reminded me to tell you about a man we met a few days ago in Te Anau. We met this man while we having a drink in The Moose. This man was really upset because the Hotel he was staying at had stopped serving drinks at 9 pm and he to go out and find another place. This would not happen at the Pinegrove would it Ann. Anyway the really interesting thing about this guy is that is had a huge moustache and came from Frizington - where ever that is. Anyway back to the diary. After our overnight stay in Franz Josef which incidently is on the West Coast (that is the very wet West Coast) we set off to Greymouth. On our way we decided to stop ... read more