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...

As much as it is nice to laze around the pool and ponder on life, we do get itchy feet and are getting involved in various activities. We have got into a routine of walking the beach a couple of times a day. We have perfected the art of crab spotting and observing the various coral, shells and coconuts washed up by the sea. There have been a couple of windy days which have made the sea very stormy allowing us to watch some impressive wave action. ...

The Island we are staying on is simply beautiful and is providing the perfect setting to completely chill out. The locals who work at the resort have so much spirit and Stuart and I are enjoying learning about their families, culture and traditions. They live a simple but very happy life and the little children in the village are adorable. Special thanks must go to Lucy, Ravi, Yaba (The Fijian Daffyd) , Viri, Ameo, Dewally and all the other staff a...