We arrived in Paihia, but on discovering a couple of difficulties with booking diving, decided to spend one night and then take the opportunity to explore a little further north before returning to Paihia for a few more days. We went about 2 hours north to the tiny town of Manganui, a fishing town reached from Paihia on a coastal road that took us past perfect (and mostly deserted) beaches with crystal clear water and forested slopes to the sand. Manganui was a great little laid-back retreat, with delicious seafood and - as we discovered the night we were there - great views for watching the astonishing comet that has been passing recently. It's really spectacular - big and bright with a vast tail that gets longer and longer as the sky darkens, like a plume of sparkling smoke rising from the comet itself. You have to see it to believe it really.

So back to Paihia, which is a great seaside resort, if a little busy. I've spent 2 days diving here, doing the Rainbow Warrior dive and a couple of reef dives. The Rainbow Warrior is quite amazing and up there with the best wreck dives I've ever done. There are little coral polyps making their home on it, covering the bow with all the colours of the rainbow (it's true!), and thousands of very cool nudibranchs, as well as big eyes, goat fish, stonefish, scorpion fish, and some stunning swimthroughs. There's a hell of a view from the sand up through the rigging, even if I was pretty narked the second time - makes it even better! The reef dives were great too, good fun - but let's face it, it's all about the Rainbow Warrior! Expect me to be back here in a couple of years to dive the HMS Wellington, which is being sunk as an artificial reef for next season.

Mum and Dad spent the time exploring Russell, once the "hellhole of the Pacific" and now an idyllic seaside town (they're planning their twilight years there...!), and walking the Mangrove Track up to the falls behind Paihia, so we've all been doing our thing and having a lot of fun. We're off down south again today - only a few days behind schedule! - and aiming for the Coromandel Peninsular via Rotorua, so another complete change of scene.