Hi everyone. Don't really know where to start. We have been very busy over the last few weeks and are having such a good time in New Zealand, we have decided to stay here an extra few weeks.

We were in Auckland for about a week when we first arrived, and have been staying with Holly. It has been really great to stay with friends, rather than just random strangers. We spent some time in the city, and went up the sky tower, which has amazing views of the city and harbour. We went to Kelly Tarltons, which is an aquarium with a ride through a penguin enclosure. We went up Mt. Eden, which also has some great views of the city as well as a sundial in the center which shows distances to all major cities. It was something around 19,000 km to London!! We also went to a Super 14's rugby game.

We decided to hire a car and have been really loving seeing the country that way. The landscapes just along some normal highways are really amazing. Our first trip was north of Auckland to a place called Paihia. It is a really beautiful town in the Bay of Islands. On one day, we took a trip to almost the very north of New Zealand to Cape Reinga, which is where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet. We also did some some sandboarding down some enormous dunes and drove along 90 mile beach before the tide came in. On another day, we did a jet boat ride called the Mack Attack. Apparently it was the fastest in the bay. I don't think either of us knew what we were letting ourselves in for!! In the safety briefing we were told to put our hands in the air if at any time during the ride we felt tingling down our arms as this could be a sign of spinal injury...gulp! It started off ok, but then we starting flying over waves that were like something out of Perfect Storm. There was one in particular, where I think we must have left the surface of the water by at least 10 feet and then smashed back down like we were landing on concrete. Everyone got soaked, but it was all part of the fun. The boat took us to the Hole in the Rock, but unfortunately the water was too rough to take the normal path around. We also visited the Waitangi treaty gounds where an important treaty between the Maori's and the Euopean's was singed.

After spending another night or two in Auckland on the way back south, we drove down to a place called Rotorua. We had a really fantastic time here, the only drawback being that the entire town stinks of egg!! This is due to all the geothermal activity there, and the sulphur. You kind of get used to it, but we don't miss that part. We stayed in a family-run motel, as it was so cheap. The room even had a private jaccuzzi!! Luxury backpackers, haha! Whilst in Rotorua, we went Zorbing. I had always wanted to do it since I saw it on TV years and years ago. We did a Zydro Zorb, which has water added to the chamber you are in. Sarah was a little bit scared about being rolled down a hill in a hamster all, but she did it anyway and loved it as much as me!! We both went down in the same one at first, and we couldn't stop laughing. It's how I imagine it would be like in a washing machine. Then we did individual zorbs down a zig-zag path. My ride went so fast that I went sailing over the side (not that I really knew about it ofcourse). It was so much fun, we think we will go to the one in Devon at home now that we are both Zorbonauts!!! We also went to Wai-O-Tapu, geothermal park (pictured), and a Polynesian Spa which are all heated by the Earth. One night we went to a Maori evening where we ate a traditional meal, cooked by the heat of the Earth and watched various dances and ceremonies. It was great to learn more about the Maori people and see how they used to live.

We decided to come back up to Auckland to spend some more time with Holly and Chris, before we make our way around the rest of the North Island and then cross to the South Island. On our way back we drove over to the Waitomo caves (it was an interesting journey, where we discovered that in New Zealand, maps and road signs don't always appear as they seem!!). We just made it in time, and then went down into some caves to see the famous Glowworms. There were literally thousands above our heads, and as we were in total darkness, they really shone brightly.

Anyway, back in Auckland now for the final time and we will head south from here soon, lots and lots more to do yet.