After white water rafting at Rotorua, we had a lovely day learning a bit more about Maori culture at Te Puia. We learnt that they have a geyser which shoots up to 15m, how to make uncomfortable dresses out of flax and that twenty-something Maori men don't enjoy performing love songs as much as they enjoy performing the Hakka. It was a good day! And then we came to white island. I was really looking forward to this one as it's a boat ride out to an active volcano...

Simon's despatch: Rotarua rafting. After all the excitement of the previous days gales we decided that white water rafting was the best way to let our adrenal glands recover. It was down the river Kiatuna - Kia being mauri for food and tuna being mauri for fish. Our guide gleefully explained once we'd already started rafting down the river that this was because the mauri thought anyone canoeing down this river would become fish food! In her infinite wisdom Be...

Simon's despatch: Taupo. We only intended to stop in Taupo to sleep as there's a free campsite and then see huka falls - the most visited falls in NZ apparently! What was supposed to be a quiet rest day turned out to be quite exciting as the worst winds Taupo had seen in 20 years started blowing in the early hours of the morning. I woke up as things started hitting our van at about 03:30, Beth was already awake and asked if we should move the van. She opened ...

Last Sunday (mothers day) we embarked on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. New Zealand has many "great walks" - multiday paths with some pricey but welcome huts dotted along the way. The Crossing is the second day's section of one of these walks and according to most of the people that we know have done it, it's among the best. The track crosses through a volcanically active area near the centre of North Island. The walk was stunning, even though the weather close...

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 friend...