Im writing this onboard the InterIsland Ferry, crossing the Cook Straights from Wellington at the tip of the North Island, into Picton, at the tip of the South Island. So much has been happening, we have driven the length of the North Island and seen and done loads.

After leaving Napier and Bex and Nicks fab hospitality we drove south and spent the obligatory couple of days in the capital, Wellington. We stayed in a great hostel that used to be a grand old hotel. The city is quite compact so very easy and quick to explore. We took a cable car to the top of Mount Victoria and explored the Botanical Gardens that are on the top of the hill. We walked back down and the scenic route took us through some really pretty and old cemeteries, which I though was a nice thing to do considering that cemeteries are usually such peaceful and pretty places. The Te Papa museum was great, home to the Colossal Squid (only place its on display in the world) and a huge range of Maori stuff. The waterfronts nice, but in my mind its no Auckland. It also has a fearsome reputation for being REALLY wet and windy. It was pretty much ok weatherwise for us but I wasn't bothered about leaving. Truth be told it reminded me a lot of SF so I was quite glad to hop onto the ferry (very nice, has its own cinema) and start heading to the South Island, home of Middle Earth.