Being woken early is not my idea of fun and it never will be. This morning was no different as I was woken up at 5 am by the Waipoura Avian Operatic Chorus. Once I'd got over how early it was, it was quite incredible to listen to the variety of noises. A bit like listening to opera blindfolded... I would have loved to see the costumes the singers were wearing. There were arias that would rival Dame Kiri Te Kanawa! There is something about breaking camp that i...

Lying in my tent for my first night of camping I feel very proud and pleased with myself. I have passed my NZ driving induction with a 3.5h journey north of Auckland to the Waipoua Forest. My only issue with the locals is their impatience. Some of us are trying to take in the scenery whilst driving! I have also completed a shopping trip so we now have a complete camping ensemble, including a very cute mallet! Driving in a new country is always enlightening, and a...

I started my morning trying to find a weather forecast on tv and ending up watching NZ's Phil & Fern equivalent for a while. I filed my nails and did nothing, and enjoyed it! The map I have of Auckland describes it as NZ's big little city. Having spent a day pottering around I now understand this. It takes less than 20mins stroll from one end of Central Auckland to get to the other and yet there seems to be a lot that has been packed in. Before I left the...

We touched down in Auckland at 1pm, 39 hours after leaving the cottage in Devon. I was trying to work out when I first developed a desire to visit New Zealand but as hard as I thought I couldn't pin point a time. I do remember spending hours looking through the lonely planet guide when working at Cotswold Outdoor in South Cerney when I was about 18. I know that since then, NZ has happily had the #1 spot of places I want to visit. That's 20 years, uncontes...

First flight done. I'm now very confused as I watched the sunset whilst tucking in to BA's finest, slightly damp, reheated 'English' brekkie. Now at Hong Kong airport waiting for the next leg to NZ. Pleased to see that they are celebrating Winter Festival here!