To Auckland and back again and again,

Firstly Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

So we are now in New Zealand and have spent most of the first week in and around Auckland. Having only one full day in the city we visited the museum, walked up Mount Eden (great view of the city) and went down to the dockside. As a city Auckland is average, small and unimpressive. Getting caught out on our first day here in the sun, resembling lobsters, we have certainly arrived in the southern hemisphere.

The next day we took the ferry out to Waiheke Island off the coast of Auckland, for Pete and Martha's wedding. The island is stunning, with an amazing coast line and great beaches, we feel we have now arrived in NZ! Pete and Martha's ceremony was on the beach both the bride and groom looked lovely (Paul and I managed to scrub up quite well). Paul did a reading at the ceremony which was very fitting, we both enjoyed the wedding and naturally the celebrations afterwards. We would like to thank Pete, Martha and their family for being so hospitable.

As the island is notorious for vineyards we felt it would be rude not to visit one whilst we are here. So we spent Christmas Eve wine tasting sat over looking the bay in the sunshine, perfect!

Christmas was obviously rather different this year and I know we both missed home but we made up for it. We spent the day on the beach, listening to Christmas songs and had a BBQ which was great if not a bit surreal.

Sad to leave this wonderful island we went back to Auckland and up to the Bay of Islands. The bay is a sea side resort located in the north of the north island and as it is summer here we were expecting good weather. How wrong we were, similar to a Great British summer it poured down. Undeterred by the rain we went out on the water, a 'must do' in the bay. Opting for an overnight trip on 'The Rock', which is a boat and not an actual rock. The trip was great fun, we snorkeled- with the intention of getting Kina (a local delicacy) I think Paul found some mussels instead, fished (again with few results), night kayaked and did some shooting- which apparently Paul is quite good at, winning the competition! The company on board was great!

As we were so far up north we wanted to go to the very tip, Cape Regina. So we got a coach up the 90 mile beach (not actually 90 miles) and boarded down the sand dunes. Sand boarding was so much fun. Paul seizing an opportunity to impress managed to perfect boarding down on his knees, needless to say the whole coach applauded him. Back on the coach and covered in sand we were both eager to explore the rest of this beautiful country but not before another quick stop in Auckland- again.

Back in Auckland and off to the Highlife Festival to celebrate New Years Eve. Welcoming in 2012 before the rest of the world to the sounds of A Skillz was incredible!

Feeling we needed to escape Auckland we rented a car and hit the road, south bound.