The landing point for the interisland ferry is a lovely little town called Picton. Unlike Dover it has heaps of character and was an excellent base for us to prepare for the Queen Charlotte Track. The alarm went off at 6:30am and we awoke to howling winds and torrential rain; perfect conditions for a 23.5K tramp! After putting on enough layers to make the Michelin Man look positively slim we made our way to the harbour in happy spirits to catch the ...

Hot Water Rotorua - Friday 4 November 2011 We arrived at our Best Western Motel in Rotorua after our walk in Karanghake Gorge. Provisions were required so we walked into town (about 4km away). The smell of thermal pools became stronger as we approached the town centre - a sulphurous bad egg smell that reminded me of our nephew Samuel. The pools are right next to town; safely enclosed in a nice park and surrounded by fences wherever the heat of the wate...

Upon leaving Nadi I had a dodgy tummy so I was not looking forward to the flight. The severe turbulence quickly took my mind off this as my life repeatedly flashed before me. When we finally landed in Auckland we thanked our lucky stars that the trip had not come to an abrupt end! After a brief sleepover we awoke early to make the drive to Kerikeri, a small farming town in the north of the North Island. The temperature was noticeably cooler and mid-wa...

Like the Littlest Hobo, it was time to move on from Octopus Resort. Unlike the trusty dog however we had done nothing of benefit. We did not reconcile a child with his workaholic father or make a bitter old widow a better member of her community. On the positive side, nor did we chase cars, moult or sniff a strangers bum. Before we left Fiji altogether we had a few days on the Big Island (Viti Levu) to prep for the Kiwi's (people, birds and fruit). Oops upsi...