We got so lucky being able to exchange our discounted Magic Bus tickets (on special offer back in Oz) for our Stray Bus tickets because it turned out that whereas the Magic Bus didn't go anywhere of particular interest, the Stray Bus stopped at all sorts of exciting places including ones (our favorites) in the middle of nowhere. A bus tour wouldn't normally be our choice of transport because it means someone else organising us and our time which, you have probably gathered, is not something we take kindly to. This tour though has actually been a welcome change. We have not been dictated to as much as we had feared and yet had the exhausting pressure of having to sort everything out ourselves taken off us for a while. The bus has also had the added bonus of a constant stream of people to chat to and make friends with. Our latest new groupies for that matter are a pair of 20 year old boys (hi Dan and Dave) who have kept us so entertained over the past week we are suffering from rib ache! So what have we been up to? Well our first stop was in the Coromandel Peninsular where we took ourselves on a walk to the pretty Cathedral Cove tucked away on a secluded little beach. Walking has become a bit of an obsession to tell you the truth, we do one almost everyday! This not only keeps us fit (always a good thing) but is also a necessity if you want to see any of New Zealand's finer attributes. Next stop turned out to last a little longer than anticipated. We drove through Hamilton (nice but a town is a town) to Raglan situated about 40km outside. Here the surf is apparently world renowned not that we got to try it out because Liz had a little accident. She would much rather make up an exciting tale of how she put herself out if action for a week considering we are after all in the land of extreme sports but the truth be told she twisted her ankle playing with a hoolahoop (oh the shame!) There are worse places to get stuck for a week and to tell you the truth when the ankle was healed sufficiently to move on we didn't want to leave at all! For a start there was a flying fox which didn't require a functioning ankle to have fun on plus glow worms in the hedges, amazing stars to look at every night, a wood fire to keep warm, a live in gormet chef and the sweetest group of people living there - we we set up for life! Dragging ourselves away we soon got over our woes when we arrived at the Waitomo Caves and embarked the Haggas Honking Holes (how could we not with a name like that?!) This was definitely a Liz and Cheryl travelling highlight and involved abseiling into caves, sploshing through underground water falls, squeezing ourseves through cave tunnels and crevaces, clambering up rocks...put it this way, we were in our element! Next stop, smelly Rototua! This place is cram packed full of geothermic fun including natual hot springs (one conveniently situated in our hostel), pools of boiling mud, geezers, steam coming out the ground everywhere you turn and the general sweet aroma of rotting eggs, mmm! It was absolutely facinating and we also got to spend the evening with a Maori family who cooked us a Hangi (traditional Maori meal steam cooked in the ground) and taught us about their culture and traditions. On to Taupo, home of the biggest lake in New Zealand and the cheapest skydiving in the world. The lake was all good but much to our disappointment it was too windy to skydive. Never mind, we are sure there will be other opportunities. That pretty much concludes our North Island trip because after a long walk through the beautiful Tongariro National Park overlooking Mount Doom we drove to Wellington to catch our ferry across to Picton on the South Island. We are writing about that right now so you don't even have to wait for the next instalment you lucky people!