After a fun night out in Auckland with people from the bus, I caught a different Stray bus north to the Bay of Islands. We were heading to the town of Paihia and first stop was Goat Island, so-called because historically it was one of the islands where seafarers would leave goats to ensure they had fresh food supplies whilst travelling up and down the coast to Auckland. They apparantly put pigs on there too, not realising the pigs could swim to shore, never to be...

Tongariro National Park has one of the world's best one-day walks, passing over the volcanic terrain of the active Mount Tongariro and near to Mount Ngauruhoe. It has spectacular, barren landscapes, unusual coloured lakes and stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, when I woke up on the morning of the walk, I was painfully reminded of my toe-stubbing the previous day. It had turned completely black and stiff and I couldn't put any weight on ...

A day of extremes: from ultra relaxation to an adrenalin pumping skydive! Starting in Rotorua, I spent the morning relaxing in the Polynesian spa, a complex of 7 different pools. They are fed from the natural springs in this volcanically active area, which make Rotorua the smelliest town in the world! After a few hours of soaking in the sulphurous waters, I barely noticed the rotting egg smell. The bus took us to one of the local mud pools where we gazed at th...

Today was a very eventful day! I started the day by facing a fear of mine - caving. We traveled to the Waitomo caves, famous for the numerous glow worms which live there. There are a variety of ways to explore the caves and I opted for "black water rafting" - floating through the rivers and rapids on a tyre inner tube! We were kitted out in thick wet suits, wellies and helmets with lights and were led across farm land to the entrance of the cave. This...

We were lucky enough to spend a night in a traditional Maori lodge. We were given a delicious hangi when we arrived, a traditional feast cooked in the ground. We were greeted by Chief Boy who owns the meeting house, and he explained the ritual of welcome we were to experience upon meeting his tribe. The oldest man in the group was our "chief" and in the meeting house, he was responsible for accepting a token of acceptance. Two young maori warriors perfo...