16th Jan 2012

Hello everyone! Hope you are all fine - we've got some internet time left so I thought I'd update you before we move on.

We're loving the freedom of the campervan in NZ - staying somewhere different every night or every 2 nights makes it seem like we've been away for ages! We especially like being able to take our little house with us everywhere we go!

As Dave has already mentioned - we've managed to see loads already - can't believe we've only been away for 2 and a bit weeks - it's amazing how far you can travel in such a small space of time!

In Rotorua we stayed on the edge of Blue Lake which was beautiful - just around the corner was Green Lake - its amazing how 2 lakes next to each other can look so different in colour! Yesterday we went to the volcanic valley in Rotorua and saw lots of active volcanic geysers, steam and bubbling lakes! It was fab - all explained by extensive scientific accounts that we both pretended to understand as we wandered around! Tee hee! Last night we ventured into Rotorua for the evening and did a bit of sightseeing before ending up in a pub where we had a little drink and some cheap food - Dave managed to charm the barmaid so much that she only charged us 16 dollars (about 8 pounds) for a glass of wine, a pint of beer and 2 main courses! Well done Dave!!

Today we went to White Island - the world's only marine volcano off the coast of Whakatane which last erupted in 2000! The boat ride took about an hour and a half - it was a little choppy but I only went pale once - am getting better! The highlight was seeing the dolphins swimming by the side of the boat which was absolutely amazing!

When we got there we were both impressed with the fact that it really was an active volcano which looked like it was about to blow at any time! It also felt like we'd landed on Mars or some other planet because of the rock piles, steam and hissing!

We had a tour around the crater in our helmets and gas masks (cool!) and were told to follow their path or we could stand on a part that was so hot it would collapse underneath us! Dave was too busy taking pictures with his beloved camera that he missed that warning so I kept him on a tight leash for the rest of the tour! He was like a big kid while I was scared that it was going to explode! Very glad that we did it as we saw so much! We're staying on the edge of Ohope beach tonight - a lovely huge beach.

More exploring tomorrow - can't wait!

Lots of love to everyone

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S. We're having regular hot showers now but might need to do some clothes washing soon! J X x