We reached the Bay of Islands at last. This is a beautiful spot with lovely beaches and Islands dotted around. It is also the site of the Waitangi Treaty grounds where the treaty was signed between the Maoris and the British government was signed in 1840. Unlike other British colonies this was entered into without violence or the threat of it. Just like Australia, the Dutch found New Zealand first but never landed. Captain James Cook found it later and claimed f...

We picked up our home for the next 3 weeks this morning. Kendrick the owner did a "John Mountain" style handover which lasted 2.5 hours. Everything is like a boat running on 12 volts with tanks for everything. By the time we had stocked up with food and had lunch it was nearly 3 o'clock. We set off north towards the Bay of Islands but only got as far as Whangerei. Wh is pronounced as Ph at home. We had dinner in the Camel restaurant which was Israeli food and ver...

Our bodies arrived in Auckland on a lovely sunny morning, I am not sure where are brains and stomaches are! What a joy to walk around in T shirt, shorts and sandals. We walked down to the harbour from the hotel and spent a couple of hours going round the nautical museum. It was fascinating with everything from original Maori twin hull canoes and sailing boats to America's cup yachts. New Zealand was the first country to beat America. Something we have failed to ...