All Black Auckland

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We've had a hectic, touristy kind of week in the North Island. I'll leave Nicky to tell you about the rugby - I enjoyed waving my black "blow up" hand around. We finally succumbed to a Lord of the Rings trip and visited Hobbiton, which was actually better than I expected despite warnings that there was little left to see. And with a return to city life we spent Tuesday indulging our desire for civilisation, buying new shoes so we could dress up in something other than hiking boots for a posh dinner at the Orbit restaurant, which revolves at the top of the Skytower. Continuing the theme of trying new things, I agreed to a starter of natural oysters - definitely an acquired taste. We also went to the Gold Class cinema to see Miami Vice - the cinema was better than the film, with fully extendable, huge velveteen chairs and waitress service, including alcohol. A true pixie place.

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday travelling to Rotorua and Taupo - the cental volcanic area of the North Island. Once you get past the smell of sulphur, the scenery is spectacular, with active geysers, boiling mud pools and steam vents and hot springs everywhere. En route we saw the glow worm caves - breathtaking underground caverns which you sail through in darkness to see glow worm constellations above. We also visited a sheep farm and fed the animals (so much fun!), and then saw some kiwi birds. A Maori concert and Hangi (traditional BBQ) rounded off the trip. I had roast lamb with mint sauce (see photo).

Today we finally had some success with the whale watching on a boat trip out of Auckland - I was beginning to think we were jinxed. Off now for a final few days in the sun before we embark on the long journey home. love Emma

Yep, definitely tourist this week. Actually, I've found Auckland a bit of a shock after the quiet of the South Island. The rugby, as I'd hoped was great and Em seemed to be enjoying herself despite the nasty beer (I stuck to red wine, but that was the limit of my support for things Australian during the match!) The first half, which saw the Wallabies go into the lead gave the lie to the build up I'd given the All Blacks, who seemed rather unsettled - a number of handling errors, although the line-out was going well. The Wallabies put in some great defence, though and got lucky with a try that was given despite the iffy grounding and an even iffier tackle from Tuquiri who dumped MacCaw in what looked a lot like a spear tackle and wasn't penalised. The All Blacks came together in the second half and their running, kicking and determination saw them take the match, the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations convincingly. A fantastic atmosphere throughout, finished off with a night out in the marina area. Em was particularly delighted by waving around the all-black finger! I have enjoyed the fact that you can watch execellent rugby round the clock here!

Hobbiton was surprisingly interesting - we had to to at least one LOTR location officially. Full reign to coffee, books and shoppping on Tuesday gave way to sheep, volcanic/geothermal activity and Maori culture in Rotorua. The last two were fascinating - I wished we'd had a little bit longer for those two activities, but I think I've got closer than really necessary to the animals. To Emma's joy, as she started to take a picture of me and the sheep, the guide deluged me with sheep-feed, resulting in a mini-stampede. I wasn't as impressed as she was with this! Best roasted, in my opinion. We've just spent a glorious day cruising the Hauraki marine park, in the company of researchers and guides passionate about protecting the seas form human predation - I've learnt a lot of things that have given me pause for thought this afternoon and would thoroughly recommend a trip withe the Auckland Dolphin and Whale Safari. And we saw a whale! Looking forward to the Cook Islands next. Love, Nicky.

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Photos

Emma finds a new occupation
I am not sure who is more nervous!