Kaikoura again. Catching up with Kelly and Nigel who have done wonders to thier dive shop and are busy as with the summer season fast approaching. Aside from popping round every so often (most days) and bothering them, I've seen a lot of Kailoura on foot-the walks around here are beautiful; you can toddle off to the seals down on the penninsula or loose yourself in the inlets in the many bays around here that used to be whaling stations, there's lots of nautica...

Picton-the palce to venture to the Malborough Sounds-a beautiful wilderness where you can tread in the footsteps of Captain Cook and his crew of the Endeavour who landed in NZ a long long time ago on a voyage of discovery...and what a great place they found. We got dropped off at Camp Cove where there is a memorial to Captain Cook and his crew who made many visits to NZ to trade with the locals. The trail started on a huge incline-and kept going for quite a whil...

Finally made it to Wellington on a sunny day! Got the train here from param which took an hour-but the views were stunning, a shame I had to the share my carraige with a thousand screaming kids-roll on school I say! I quickly walked up to the Beehive (built in teh 1970;s)to do my tour of parliment. It was much more strict than Canberra-where we had to leave all our belongings in the foyer before the tour...anyway it was worth it. Shown around teh Beehive; the ac...

So off I went after leaving a sunny Napier to drive to a horribly wet Palmerston North-only stopping here for the rugby museum-a homage to the great sport started in Rugby in the late 1800's and then getting to Nelson in 1871-it's taken very seriously here-but with lots fo nice displays, and I actually felt I learnt something about the game (more than I know about football anyway). On my way I made a detour to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikima...

Napier, a city on the East coast of the North Island-only famous (i think) for two things; wine and art deco.Staying in a hostel that used to be a stables-intersting, and they got the horse smell out which is something! Hawkes Bay-in which Napier is in, is a big wine growing region as it has a fairly moderate climate all year round...except when I'm here when it rains every day! Anyway had a good walk around the city, some beautiful buildings that I dont think t...