Had a really early start to catch the Interislander ferry across to the South Island. The crossing was really smooth and took 3 hours which was pretty good as they can be rough. We are now in Picton and we initially were going to drive straight to Nelson but decided to stop off for the day here. It is a lovely little town and we are staying at a hostel called The Villa it has free tea and coffee, afree hot tub which we have already utilised for a couple of hours...

We both had a really good night sleep and did not wake up till gone 9am this morning so were a little late setting off. We took the car and headed out of town on Adelaide Road and headed for the scenic coastal route around Wellington. It's a 30km drive that hugs the coast and passes through several bays and small towns along the way and drops you right back in the City Centre. It is a lovely drive on narrowish roads and the views and beaches are pretty stunning w...

Today is our first full day in Wellington and we kick started the day with a visit to Te Papa, the national museum. Firstly it was free to get in which is always a bonus and the exhibits and content of the museum were really impressive. There was lots of interactive stuff to do and you could also stand in a house and be part of a simulated earthquake which was a little scary!!! The morning passed really quickly here and after some lunch we just took a walk along...

Since we last spoke we were going to head south towards Wellington but while in Lake Taupo got a call from some people we had met in Fiji, Brent and Lydia so we decided to stay an extra night and go out for a few drinks with them. Turned into a long night and got in at 1am (late for us!!!) Tuesday 24th July Set off a little later than expected this morning due to slight hangover and headed for Palmerston North (3hrs drive) when we got to the hostel we got a bad...

Friday 20th July Left Rotorua after being rained out and unable to do the Zorbing and headed for Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty on the East Coast. This is a lovely big city with lots of shops and dining, this is where we were meeting up with Kerry and Nicole (who we met in Fiji) We spent Friday night at the house with beer and pizza ( Mel thought she was in heaven!!) Saturday 21st July Saturday morning we took a drive over to Mount Maunganui this area is full...