Hi Everyone. Again. Not much has happened in the last couple of days. Except I walked a combined totalof 15km to get from our hostel in Taupo to the Volcanic Activity Centre just outside the town. It was an excellent exhibit of the country's volcanism. Then we headed into Tongariro National Park towards River Valley and both were a total wash out. I only got one glimpse of the 3 volcanic cones of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro and that was of their snow caps on...

Hi Everyone. I have had a busy few days since my last blog. The Maori Concert and Hangi was amazing and the kiwi pavlova for dessert was the best. Unfortunately those arrogant Australians beat the All Blacks under a NEW ZEALAND coach. I then went on to do black water rafting in the Waitomo Caves, which included abseiling, jumping into freezing cold water on a back dingy as well as floating through tthe cold water on the dingis. I saw glow worms (larvae) and amaz...

Hello all. What a great couple of days I have just had. First up I saw views of Auckland from Mount Eden and went on to the Coromandel and Cathedral Coce and done some kayaking around the eastern Coromandel shore. The views were serene and the weather was superb. I learnt about native birdlife and the geology. Then, I moved on to the Waikato and Matamata (aka. Hobbiton), which got me excited as I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan (Bring on The Hobbit films). I t...

Hi again. The last 24 hours has been excellent. I went to bed at 2pm and slept thru most of the most of the night until 7am. Yesterday, I went up Sky Tower up to 220m. Its total height is 328m and is claimed to be the highest in the Southern Hemisphere. However, somebody told me that Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia is taller. Screw that anyway. As I am pro Kiwi, in my eyes Sky Tower is the tallest. I went to see the Auckland Museum and embarked on a good wa...

Hi Everyone who is reading this. Just to let you know I have landed safely in Auckland, New Zealand after flying the equivalent of 2 days to get here. And I tell you it is definitely worth it. It is raining here but at 15 degrees celsius, which is mild at this time of year. Kiwi Paul