Well, Russell didnt seem to offer much else than the local pub so we jumped onto a ferry and arrived in Paihia. A touristy town, which is mainly used for cruises to see the bay of islands. It reminded us of a smaller version of Queenstown and with all of us not really being able to afford the 4 hour cruise we simply found a great place to stay by the river and a waterfall.

Along with Rowan and Abby, we decided to make our way up the coast to Russell. New Zealand's original capital city. This was where Captain Cook first landed in NZ.It's understandable why it is no longer the capital - it's tiny with nothing nowt going on! We had a quick look round which didnt take long and contemplated a walk up a hill to give us an excellent view of the 'bay of islands', but with the weather being nice and warm, sun shining and with not a clou...

Arrived into the city of Auckland, capital of NZ and with it being Dave's birthday we treated ourselves to a nice 'budget' hotel for the day and night. The feeling of just being able to quickly nip to the loo without having to put your coat and shoes on is pure luxury! We wandered aimlessly up and down the main street of the city, having nibbles of burgers, doughnuts and cookies before heading back to get ready for our night out! Stuffing our faces at one of t...

Woke up this morning to thunderous rain which is unfortunately due to stay with us for most of the day. It did, however brighten up a little as we got into Coromandel Town, but came down again catching us all up a hill, a good 45 minute walk away from the vans. We got into Thames into a very strange campsite, but had a few beers celebrating Dave's birthday tomorrow - Rowan and Abby even surprised him with a cake and candles!

This morning we took the puppy of the hostel, Mea for a walk into the nearby fields before we set off for the Coromandel Peninsual along with Rowan and Abby. Our first stop was at Hot Water Beach. Due to volcanic activity below the beach, if you dig a hole down through the sand, hot water comes up to the surface, so with a little work you can create your own thermal hot pool! None of us could really be bothered doing this, we stayed to dipping our feets in the...