The ferry crossing from picton was 3hrs but the drive there from Nelson was nice through all the vinyards, it was a nice day a bit windy so we couldn't sit out on the crossing. Then we started a long drive up to Stratford where Brendon lives, after stopping for dinner in a pub on the road Brendon was only a little way behind us so we got to follow him back. We met the rest of the shearing family and had a few beers, brendon was so sweet and gave us his room for the night and went off to his girlfriends for the night.

The next day Annemarie and me went off to walk on mount taranaki it was beautiful and we did two easy walks as Brendon had invited us to go out for the night to a shear a sheep, eat a pie and drink a pint competition. It was the best night in a little place called Alton such a laugh and us girls even joined in with a shave a shearer, eat a pie, drink a pint comp, we didn't win. Everyone was so nice in this little local pub where everyone knows everyone and made us very welcome, we were going to sleep in the car but one of Brendons friends put us up for the night. I did manage to get myself a t-shirt to remember a great night and all the nice people I met.

We were ment to get an early start but after the night before that didn't happen, we did manage to make it to Taupo and drove the most senic route ever the forgotten road, which really is. We were so tired when we got there we didn't see much of the town altough we had a good view of the lake from the hostel.

Another nice drive to the very smelly Rotorua which stinks of sulphur, we got there early enough that we could book on to a trip to a maori village and a show. We got picked up by bus and had a wonderful evening and a huge meal. They told us all the maori history and did their traditional dances including the hucka which i think is better being done by the rugby team. Then it was a early night all this fast travelling is so tiring.