We came here after a recommendation from our mum!It's a nice enough 'alpine' town popular with people from Christchurch. We managed to do a couple of walks and then rested our weary bones at the Hamner Springs Thermal Reserve. Lovely jubbly!

Got the ferry from Wellington to Picton - thought we were in for a rough ride but sadly it turned out to be perfectly calm in the end. Boring! I was hoping to smile smugly while people suffered from sea sickness! ;o)Were treated with some lovely scenery while driving to Kiakoura - some of the mountains even had snow on them! Booked my 'swim with dolphins' thing as soon as I got here - and didn't regret it. It was a great experience - hundreds of dolphins swimming...

At least it's stopped raining!! Whoops, spoke too soon. Looks like the rain has followed us here. Boo! Still, at least there is a very big (and free) museum here in Wellington (NZ's biggest and best in fact) - ideal for rainy days!Thankfully, the rain only stayed for one day, so we got to enjoy some of the sights - the Botanic Gardens & Cable Car; The Beehive and Parliament House; and the views from Mt Victoria.We also met up with Ali's old school friend Dar...

Well, what can I say - the weather was nice when we arrived. Ali was even thinking of doing a skydive but (much to his relief) the rain arrived....and didn't go away for two whole days! TWO DAYS!Still, we still managed to see the impressive Huka Falls; watch the Aratiatia Dam floodgates open (and see a gentle stream turn into a torrent in a matter of minutes); got soaked walking around yet another thermal park; learnt all about volcanos and stuff at the Volcanic ...

We stopped enroute at Hamilton to see the hot air balloons taking part in the Waikato Balloon Festival. Some great designs - the best being Darth Vader. Take a look at the cool pics!Anyway, the first thing you notice when you arrive in Rotorua is the smell - this is one of NZ's most dynamic thermal areas and there is a lot of sulphur in the air!!! Just when you think you're getting used to it, a gust of wind sends a strong whiff your way, and you realise you have...