After a very bumpy 11 hour ride (due to typhoon), finally touched down in Auckland.  The sky was clear and the air clean and fresh.  Hopped on the bus which dropped me outside the hostel I have booked for 2 weeks in Auckland City Centre.

The first thing that hit me was how friendly everyone was here, especially after being in Hong Kong.  However, Auckland itself is OK, but I have cut short my stay here to move on.

I was given a free ticket for the Auckland V Bay of Plenty Rugby match for the quarter finals of the NZ Cup and thoroughly enjoyed it, and the beer, and the hot dog and chips!  Tomorrow I will be visitng Volcanoes, and Devonport - having 'fush and chups' on the beach. Wednesday I will be helping crew a yacht that was in the America's Cup for half a day.  Have had a look at Bungee but, still think it is completely unnatural to want to throw yourself off a high platform.

A week today I move onto Bay of Islands, and hopefully fulfill one of my life-time ambitions: to swim with dolphins in their natural environment - fingers crossed.