It's been another cracker day, with hot sunshine and no clouds. No alarm clock, either, this morning, so a little lie-in. We'd bought bread and marmalade and fresh fruit for breakfast, so we had that and then planned what we were going to do. 'Waiotapu Wonderland', despite its dreadful name, sounded like a good first stop; we couldn't come to Rotoua and not check out the geothermal stuff. Apparently, George Bernard Shaw visited New Zealand in 1934 and wished...

Napier to Rotorua The weather today was just fantastic! Deep blue skies and not a cloud to be seen - and really warm. Gorgeous. We checked out of the hotel and headed into the town to find breakfast. We found a café and while we were waiting in the queue to order, a lady passed us with a small parrot on her finger (or something like a small parrot!). She left the parrot outside, sitting on her handbag while she made her food order and then, when her food came,...