Poor Don was quite poorly during the night. He spent half of the night with his head either down the toilet or over the sink. No further information needed. After another delicious breakfast for Lesley, Caroline and Gwenlli. the rain had stopped enough to brave the elements. The girls wanted a walk, Don wanted to keep close to a loo and I wanted to stay dry. So we decided to visit Waitangi Treaty Grounds. In 1840 a treaty was signed between the British and the Maoris. The British government representative was James Busby who drew up the treaty which was translated into Maori. The British consul who signed the treaty on behalf of the government was captain William Hobson. There were days of discussion until on 6 February 1840, with much pomp and splendour the treaty ... read more

We were greeted by our host Heinz in his kitchen with freshly ground coffee, cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruit and eggs to order. He was meticulous in ensuring that everything was strictly vegetarian with many vegan foodstuffs accommodating Caroline. There were only the four of us for breakfast and we sat chatting to him for quite a long time. He suggested that the weather might turn and whilst the sun was shining we should take a boat ride out to the Hole in the Rock. Being very involved with the tourist industry here, Heinz booked our tickets with a discount. The sun was shining as we walked down to the wharf. Don realised that it would be his brother Mike's wedding anniversary when we returned home so we bought a card and wrote it out and then ... read more

Well another morning we overslept - til 10 am this time. We had breakfast and decided that we would go to the island of Waiheke. Waiheke is the largest of the islands off Auckland. So down to the ferry we went. Except that we waved goodbye to the 12 pm ferry as we went in to buy our tickets. We told the guy behind the desk that we wanted senior tickets. He looked at us amazed - over 65 he challenged. No but yesterday we were told that we had to be over 60 when we bought them from this same counter. Well he said, in a very broad Stockport accent, if you want to blag it, you can have senior tickets. We are not proud and so armed with our senior tickets - including our ... read more

We arrived at AKL airport, collected our bags, a SIM card and a car all within 40 minutes. Not bad considering that the sniffer dogs were walking over all the suitcases on the carousel, following passengers out of the terminal and then all suitcases were x-rayed. They are looking for illicit food and wooden souvenirs. New Zealand is fastidious about preserving its wild life and its natural habitat. We drove through the rain to our hotel in down town Auckland. We are not staying in the absolute centre but only a motion away (Paul Simon fans will recognise the pun). Our room is an apartment with a small kitchen, lounge/dining area and bedroom. Of course if everything went smoothly we would have nothing to write about. So we got all excited at being able to shower ... read more

Saturday 12 July, Shabbat. We woke up very early. If we had been at home Don would have gone to the early service, but when in Rome... At 9.30 am we went out into the searing humidity to go to shul. There I was able to have my early morning coffee and felt a bit more human. The shul is situated in one of the posh looking blocks of apartments. But to get to it on Shabbat one has to climb the stone service stairs. The first three flights lead to the car park which will give you the feel of the place. The next floor up is where the shul is located. As is usual with the Chabad it was a very welcoming and spiritual experience. After the service and before kiddush the Rebetzen went ... read more