January 5th 2012 Lake Taupo We left our accommodation at 10.15am & drove up to to chair lift that takes skiers/walkers up to the top of the mountains from the village of Iwikau(really just a collection of chalets for the skiers in winter and walkers in summer). The scenery changed dramatically within a few kms from bush/forest to black rock lava fields. On close examination it was amazing to see the diversity of alpine plants growing on this seemingly infert...

Wellington to Martinborough to Whakapapa 1st January 2012 (Sun) (New Year's Day) Left Travel Lodge at 11am & parked up in the town (Wellington) to take the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens 7 Cable Car Museum. Spent about an hour there & came down again in cable car. Parked at the harbour & had a walk about. There was an old crane ship called the Hokitia. It was being restored. It was built in Scotland and sailed down to Wellington with the crane ...

Wellington Dec 30th 2011 (Travel Lodge Wellington) Well this place has lived up to its name today because it has not stopped pouring all day!! We were up at 6.15am to get ready to drop off our Rav 4 and catch our Ferry to North Island. All went smoothly & no weight restriction. We had a nice table in the bar with 2 easy chairs where we could see straight ahead out of the 'front' window. Sadly the weather was horrendous- heavy rain- so what should have been...

Dec 28th 2011 Nelson to Blenheim via Picton. Dare I say it - -we have an easy day today - only 50 miles to our next accommodation!!Drove through the Rai Valley. V scenic again through heavily wooded valley. Stopped at Havelock at the marina. V picturesque sound surrounded by heavily wooded mountains. Hundreds of boats moored here. We then took the coastal route to Picton. The road twisted and turned up the wooded mountains, Z bend after Z bend & the same goi...

Dec 24th 2011 Christmas Eve and I am so missing having our family around us but there we are. We would have been alone this year even if we'd been in the UK and that would have been miserable!!! But there are compensations. Thank goodness they are all healthy, happy and doing well. And we have wee George now too. Not only that but it's a year now since Pete finished his chemo & he is so well. In fact he has improved while we've been over her - in the sunshin...