Wednesday 8th October It rained heavily from about 0400 and both of us had a fitful night. On our way and first stop was just up the road, Fox Glacier. A short walk got us to the observation area but when we saw others in the distance near the foot of the glacier we ducked under the marker tape and moved quickly along a rockfall area, keeping our eyes peeled. On our return this section was open so it couldn't have been too bad. After a bit of fun trying to get across streams of gushing cold water we managed to get very near the glacier. Rags was a little worried about ice-falls because of the rainy conditions, so Judy didn't get close enough to actually touch it. Looking at some posters later we could see ... read more

Wednesday 1st October What a night! At 0300 we were woken by strong winds, heavy rain, occasional lightning with the accompanying thunder. The van was buffeted by the strong winds and rain and we dozed fitfully, expecting to wake up with water all around the van and having problems getting out. No worries, daylight brought a few puddles and no hassle driving out. Rags battled the wind gusts which hammered the van, and was happy to take a break in Invercargill, where we found a Countdown store. There was a New World store there but Judy wanted to see if they had different specials. Nothing great, just mushrooms and broccoli! They didnʼt sell wine there so we decided to go “dry” for a few days (except for the scotch & Coke we have). After refuelling in ... read more

Thursday 25th September We were picked up by our airport transfer, Luxury Airport Shuttle, just after 1130 and by 1400 we were at the Auckland International Airport. It was a smooth flight to Christchurch and we were picked up and taken to the nearby Sudima Hotel a few minutes after advising them of our arrival. We were quite impressed with our room, large, modern, well worth what we paid. Hotel.com does give you a good bargain. We caught the bus into Christchurch, walking one stop further than the one outside the hotel on the advice of a local, saving us $5 each. We have noticed on several occasions now that the tourist is certainly made to pay here! Cathedral Square was our destination, this considered the centre of the city. Very pretty, nice cathedral and buildings ... read more

Friday 19th September Today we set off on what will probably be the last section of our exploring of the North Island. Just before we reached Rotorua we visited the Kiwi Encounter facility which is a working hatchery and nursery, kiwis being hatched and nurtured here until they are old enough to be released into the wild where they came from. The eggs are actually taken from the nests of wild birds. This is done as the survival rate otherwise is very low. It was an interesting hour or so, we being shown eggs hatching as well as live animals in the nocturnal room. Each bird is fitted with a microchip so that they may be monitored in the wild, details of their breeding also being kept. Lunch was on the bank of Lake Rotorua, followed ... read more

Tuesday 16th September This was to be a day of rest! After a couple of loads of washing, an hour or so of Judy dusting and vacuum cleaning we were on the road again. This time our objective was to climb Mt Maunganui, an extinct volcano near Tauranga. Last week when we were there it was covered in haze as was the surrounding countryside. Today was the perfect day with hardly a cloud in the sky, no wind and the temperature in the low 20s. We set off on the ocean side of the mountain, up steps from the beach. We passed through green paddocks with many sheep in them. Rags had difficulty getting the sheep into a photo, they seemed very nervous of humans!!! After explaining he was an Australian they paused long enough for ... read more