Wow, another week has gone by and it's time to update the blog. Time sure flies here. Honestly if Rob didn't have the time and date on his watch we probably wouldn't know what day it was and quite frankly many days it wouldn't matter. The odd day we have set times, and we meet them, but our schedule on this part of the trip has been quite flexible which is nice. After leaving the mountains of the South Island we had a short stop in the city of Christchurch. We walked into the city centre and saw some of the devastation from last years earthquake. It was quite eerie as it seems traffic moves through the area but there are no longer many residents. Quite sad. When we went for dinner the waiter seated us at a table near a wall away from many others. He was not intentionally isolating us, but this seating arrangement was necessary due to upheavals in the floor as the result of the earthquake. They were subtle but noticeable. The people in Christchurch are happy to see tourists returning as they are anxious to rebuild and get on with their lives.

From Christchurch we headed north to a town called Nelson. It is located part way between Abel Tasman National Park and Marlborough Sound so a great spot from which to check them both out. We spent four nights which is a long stop for us nomads. Both Abel Tasman and Marlborough Sound were stunningly gorgeous! There are very few roads in Abel Tasman so we took a boat out to commence our hike. The views were lovely. In both areas we completed segments of much longer treks. It would have been nice to complete the longer treks but one will have to return for that. Last Saturday evening we went to a local pub to see a Celtic Band in Nelson. It proved to be quite the experience. The band included their three young children and the audience had many children as well so it was a real family affair - not what we normally see in a pub at home. When the music ended at 10:30 everyone promptly headed for home after such a late evening (ha). The local brew and apple cider were tasty so overall it was a lovely evening.

On the 16th we took the ferry between the South and North islands. We then spent a couple of days touring Wellington, the capital city, and then headed north to Rotorua. The North Island is quite different from the mountainous South Island but still remarkably beautiful. It has a lot more agricultural land, many dairy farms and is certainly more populated. In the last census the South Island counted one million people for the first time whereas there are over three million living on the North Island. That said the North is certainly not crowded. Rotorua was an interesting stop. There is a lot of geothermal activity in the area and it is also a centre of Maori culture so we took in both. We saw plenty of geysers and bubbling mud. The smell wasn't the nicest but it was interesting that the Maori have lived with these conditions and used these resources for years and don't seem to be concerned - which is quite different from the sutation at home. We took in craft demonstrations and a concert that included a 'hangi' (war cry like the All Black team sings). We are now in Auckland and will head out shortly to explore this city. On the way to Auckland we stopped to tour "Hobbiton" - the movie set for The Lord Of The Rings segments and the upcoming movie The Hobbit. It was very quaint but you will have to wait to see it for yourself in the movie as we had to sign confidentiality agreements before entering so we can't share photos, etc. Amazing! The weather in the North has been "mainly fine". This is a non-committal term used by the local meteorologists for anything that isn't pouring buckets or drought. Bottom line is you get what you get and most days are quite pleasant so that's life. Our 'plus side' numbers are certainly better than the below zero numbers we're hearing about at home. Well, I've rambled on long enough so we will check in again in a week or so. Many thanks to those of you who have sent notes or posted comments - its fun to hear your perspective and hear what's happening at home.