Set off yesterday for the first leg of my Magic Bus adventure... Took a 3 hour ride north to the Bay of Islands and staying in an area called Paihia. I'd like to say that it looks exactly like the image above, but this would be a lie, firstly because when I first arrived here it was absolutly peeing it down (actually that's not quite true, it was raining from the time I left Auckland, but as I got up and dressed in the dark, this was not information I was privvy ...

So where did I leave you? Ah yes, Auckland. I'd booked myself on a nice little ferry tour to an Island off the coast. Raignatoto (not at all how it's spelt, but my memory fails me) is an active volcano and can be reached in about 20 minutes from the harbour. The island was formed just 600 years ago and 'only' errupts every 1,000 years or so. So I thought I better go sooner rather than later... Esentially it is a bit pile of rocks. I (wisely) chose to go up on t...

Well, one day down 239 to go :) Had a pretty productive day to start with, for me. Having been awake for what felt like weeks, I fully expected to snooze well into Weds. Wrong. I was kick-started into the cruel real world at 5am. And with a skyscaper being built right next to my hostel, chances of nodding off after that were minimal... Followed the good old lonely planets city walk round Auckland - (consult your local library for the full breakdown) but did find...

I made it! After what can only be described as a 'long' journey. I made it to New Zealand this afternoon. Had a stopover in Bangkok and Sydney with no major drama's - bar a soggy sandwich and 2 'nights' in 12 hours. However, I have already got reason to claim on the travel insurance (a new personal best even if I do say so myself) as one of me bags side pockets sadly didn't make the journey (neither did it's contents, which was more of an upset). Alas, I will so...