Well after a quick overnight in Auckland I headed by ferry to Coromadel Town. I was a bit nervous as I booked this extra trip with the magic bus but they really didn't tell me much about it so I kind of had to find out as I went. It was all fine though, it was a rather pleasant ferry ride out of Auckland past all the surrounding islands and on the Coromadel Peninsula. Sadly I didn't meet anyone on the ferry as not many people, I found, took this trip with magi...

Well I had heard grand things about this place and wasn't disappointed. It wasn't too far from Paihia we got there by about 10.30am. We were met at the information centre where the bus dropped us off by the most lovely lady originally from Yorkshire, Sue. She was an absolute gem, she had bought the hostel with her retirement money which she had taken early after realising that a nurses pention wasn't going to provide enough for her, and she never looked back. ...

Mike the bus driver (I think probably my favourite bus driver) got us to Paihia by lunch time, which was great as the sun was shinning! Apparently this area has more sun then the rest of NZ. I checked into my deluxe dorm room and headed to visit Waitangi Treaty grounds where the Maori people signed the treaty in 1840 to work together with the Brisitsh empire to ensure peace in NZ from foreigners and tribes that were fighting amongst themselves. It was very pea...

After a jolly start to the day as it was Beck's b day we headed to Taupo arriving about 10.30am to beautiful sunshine! Beck and Ric were doing the sky diving so I headed out for a kayak! Don't worry it was a group thing that I booked, they took you out onto Lake Taupo and you went round and looked at stone Maouri stone carvings that you could only get to by boat. I was however a bit disappointed as you were pretty much covered up by life jackets and canoe skir...

We left Mount Maunganui early I had my fingers crossed I had read the bus timetable right as I had to catch two buses today to get to my destination. Sure enough my second bus collected me in Thames and it turned out to be a mini bus, which was grand as it is so much easier to get to know people. The driver was pretty good at doing the whole guided tour bit and we went and visited hot water beach, you can dig your own bath there and you'll get hot water once yo...