Day 69

Sorry I haven't updated you for so long - internet access this week has been a little sketchy! I hope you have all had a good week, and you are all beginning to look forward to Easter:)

I have been on a tour across the North Island in NZ and seen an amazing amount in 6 days!! I started by flying from Auckland to Wellington and spending 24hours there which was great - a really lovely city. I think I prefer it to Auckland, and the National Museum (Te Papa) was excellant as well - I could have happily stayed longer!

I left on the tour on Wednesday morning, scarily I was the only newbie as the others had all done the South Island together; everything was good though and I met some great people including a couple from Cambridge (small world!). We started by driving to Rotorua in the centre of the North Island - via volcanoes and look out points, including Mt. Doom! Opportunity for lots of good photos:)

Rotorua was great (but very smelly!), it is the "sulpher bath and mud pool" capital of the world, and the smell of sulpher (a bit like rotten eggs!) is everywhere. We spent the first night in a Moari Marae which is a traditional carved meeting house where we were welcomed in traditional Moari style with songs and a Hungi - the tapping of noses to signal friendship! I then went swimming in a nearby lake (very very very cold!) and we spent the night in the Marae, which was suprsingly comfortable and very very beautiful.

I spent the next day learning about Moari culture and traditional poi dances and then at a mud bath and spa! Really good fun, but very smelly! I was able to see areas where the pools were "bottomless" as they empty into caverns inside the earth's core and places where the earth's crust is only 10cm thick! You will all be relieved to hear I didn't walk there!!!

We then travelled up to the Bay of Islands via Auckland to collect some more passengers. It is spectacular and I was fortunate to have beautiful weather. Yesterday was another amazing day - sailing on a catarmaran around the bay and swimming with bottlenose dolphins and blue penguins! Fantastic!!!

Back to Auckland today for a night, then off to Christchurch to meet Mum and Dad tomorrow... I'll be in touch from the South Island!

Photos to follow soon...

Lots of love to all of you,

Miss you lots and lots (am fast heading towards the half way point!!)

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