Once off the ferry we were quickly chucked out of our comfortable back-country ways. No more single carriage windy main road clinging to cliff edges, no more one ice-cream shop towns, no more nothing to do after 8pm - you're in Wellington now baby!

Luckily on our stop we were in the very best company of Jon and Gemma Kneebone who put up with our smelly van and probably smelly selves and were generally totally fantastic hosts. Jon and Gemma are originally friends from Reading University Mountaineering club with whom Si especially has spent many a rainy evening playing drinking games in mountain huts. They moved out to New Zealand three years ago. They have a lovely house on a hill next to the beach with views across the sea back down to South Island, all only a 30 minute trip from the bustling centre of Wellington. I can honesty say without a hint of truth at all that we weren't in any way jealous.

On Friday Si and I caught the train into Wellington to go to the famous and highly acclaimed Te Papa museum, all about New Zealand life and culture. Imagine Si's delight when he found out there was a bridal dresses exhibition there! Come especially all the way from the V&A in London. I had a lovely time looking at fabulous and inconceivably expensive dresses worn by the rich and famous while I think Si mostly learned about tectonic plates.

That evening once Jon and Gemma had finished work we all went out for drinks and caught up properly over bottle of wine and a curry. It was a great evening and Jon won the "who can finish all their food, even thought we were accidentally given two starters which we ate anyway" award.

On Saturday we all went to Matiu/Somes island. Back in the days of major immigration to New Zealand by sail ships the odd vessel would come in where the folk on board had measles or some other contagious and potentially deadly disease. They couldn't bring them on to New Zealand mainland so they quarantined these people on a little island a few km offshore from Wellington. It also served as a military outpost during WWII and has some interesting gun placements (if you like that kind of thing). Oh, and once they had a leper on there that they "double quarantined" on a tiny island just off the main one. Just to make sure.

It also has NO stoats or possums (big deal that), a big smelly grey seal and some pretty little lizards called skinks.

It was a lovely sunny day and we all wandered around the island enjoying the views of the coast and looking out for wildlife. Gemma was quickly recognised as the groups expert skink spotter and she pointed the lizards out to the boys who were professionally snapping away anything that moved. I learnt that it is always best to be upwind of a seal.

After the ferry back to the mainland we had time for a quick ice cream (easily becoming Si's new Nesquik) before saying farewell to the wonderful Jon and Gemma and heading off to explore the rest of North Island.