Yes we are coming to the end of our journey around the North Island. We have booked the ferry across the Cook Strait for Sunday. I am praying very hard for calm seas.

The first night on the west coast we stayed in a very sweet campsite in a town called Levin. We asked the owner what there was in town to do and she was quite proud to say some shops, a restaurant and a lake to walk along. That has been about it in many of the not so touristy places we have stayed. No pubs and those we do find have TVs in every corner and a load behind the bar! In fact as we drive through these very similar looking towns the streets are almost empty. Peter got his haircut in one such town and the barber (a very nice lady who got quite excited at having a customer) said it was generally like that. Satellite TV must be very popular.

We had driven over to the west coast to check out another car museum, the Southward car museum (designed and built by the late Sir Len Southward) which houses the southern hemispheres largest private car collection of over 400 automobiles. The collection, which he started in 1956, includes many famous classic and vintage cars. He had on display Marlene Dietrich's 1934 Cadillac Town Cabriolet and a 1950 Cadillac "Gangster Special" that had belonged to gangster Mickey Cohen (a mate of Bugsy Malone).

Compared with the British Car Museum we visited outside Napier it was like chalk and cheese. This one was neat, very tidy, very very clean and exceptionally well organised- in fact a bit sterile. Every car had been immaculately restored. My favourite car was one were every piece of the bodywork had been replaced by hand beaten copper plate. There was no explanation as to why the owner had done this but I suspect he didn’t have satellite TV.

We then drove back towards the east coast (not good planning you might think but I did study the best route and that was it) to see some weird rock formations called the Putangirua Pinnacles, an unusual wild west ‘badlands’ landscape of gullies and weird pillars called Hoodoos. They form when rock layers protect underlying soft gravels from rain so they don’t erode uniformly. We had to walk about 2 miles up a steep hill to get to them and then back along a very rocky riverbed. I was exhausted.

That night we camped wild in Pinnacle park and wild it was with very strong gusts hitting Sid all night. We ended up moving to a more sheltered spot but the wind still shook Sid.

Next morning we drove along the coast to the very end, a place called Cape Palliser. It has a lighthouse up 254 steps; yes I made Peter count them. Along the way we drove through a small fishing town with a golf course. Sheep were being used as mowers on all but the greens. It was bleak and windy; you would have to be a very keen golf player.

Finally we headed to Wellington (the capital) to a campsite Peter had chosen in a Council car park on the waterfront. I think he needs to leave campsite choosing to me! Its big advantage (which may have had a lot to do with his choice) is that its right in the town centre near four craft beer bars. One even had Fullers London Pride, his favourite. Wellington sits between two fault lines and its last big quake was in the mid 1800’s when the land was raised by around 1 metre. We are not great city lovers and had only given ourselves one day in Wellington; we could have stretched it to two in hindsight.

We went on the cable car up to the botanical garden established in1868, which had great views over the city. The garden has over 300 varieties of roses which would be quite something when blooming. Overlooking the city is an old gun battery built in the 1880s, the result of a scare - well a rather good hoax really. During the 19th century Russia and Britain were involved in a number of conflicts, which made NZ a bit nervous. This fear was exploited in 1873 when the editor of the Daily Southern Cross, David Luckie, published a hoax report of a Russian invasion of Auckland by the cruiser Kaskowiski (‘cask of whisky’). Peter calls me gullible but these Aucklanders were alarmed to read that the crew of the Kaskowiski had seized gold and taken the mayor as hostage so after this a decision was taken to construct fortifications to protect various harbours including Wellington. These fortifications were based on British designs. Heavy artillery pieces and ammunition was ordered from Britain. They were a nervous lot!

Also in the garden is a small observatory which gave a good outline film of the universe and about man’s search for other life- you would think there was enough on this planet without looking for more. Peter especially enjoyed the bits of space launches, he is very easily pleased, they just looked like bits of burnt metal to me.

We also visited Old St Pauls, (built between 1843 and 1866) one of NZ greatest heritage places. It is one of the finest examples of timber Gothic Revival architecture in the world. From 1866 to 1964 it was Wellington’s cathedral. It is built entirely out of wood-because there was a lot of it and timber buildings withstand earthquakes better than stone. It is a beautiful building (Peter managed a good 20 minutes inside); I especially liked the stained glass windows; all but one of which came from England. The architect was strongly influenced by the teachings of the English Ecclesiological Society, a movement in the early 1800’s that had ideas about architecture and worship. It believed that Gothic architecture was the most appropriate style for churches as it was associated with the religious piety of the Middle Ages. The Anglican church (in the early 19th century) was already undergoing reform due to corruption. This reform was influenced by another movement – a lot going around, the Oxford Movement which advocated a return to the theology, sacraments, and liturgical practices of the middle ages. So combined with Gothic architecture they hoped we would recapture the religious perfection of the Middle Ages, but obviously it didn’t quite work out as they hoped.

Before leaving Wellington we went to the theatre- a small semi- professional company in a rundown building in a back street- Peter knows how to treat me to a good time. They did a production of ‘Gaslight’ a good old Victorian melodrama, which was very good although the maids Cockney accent was a bit more Australian than cockney and gave it a surreal atmosphere.