And so my Stray Bus journey begins... 12 independent travelers head off for an adventure around the North Island with 'Magpie' our driver. First stop, Eden Hil lookout for a view of Auckland before heading South to the Coromandel Peninsula. We stayed the night at a campsite next to the sea and visited 'Hot Water Beach'. It has a pocket of magma 175m below the beach which heats up the water and sends it back up through the sand as steam. We dug holes in the sand...

Phew that was a long flight! Santiago to Auckland - 14 hours in a tiny seat with only 3 movies... and then arriving in Auckland at 3.45am. Luckily for me a wonderfully kind family friend, Rachel, who lives in Auckland, picked me up from the airport. I am staying with her for a couple of days to get my bearings and sort out what I'm doing here. I have opted to use one of the hop-on-hop-off bus routes around the North Island, starting on Tuesday. Will keep you post...