The 'River Valley Lodge' was a breath of fresh air. It was placed at the bottom of a v-shaped valley and after a quick chat to the owner we were parked up alongside the lodge next to their magnificent river. The lodge included a spa along with the chance to do grade 5 white water rapids and/or horse treks. The best bit about the place was that it had that homely feel about it which was very welcome when you've been living out of vans.

None of us lads took the opportunity to do the activities (saving that for Queenstown) so after having a chilled out evening meeting more people from the kiwi-experience bus, we set off on the road again towards Wellington.

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, would be where we would catch our ferry down to the south island. After an overnight stay in a layby we reached our destination and decided to start with the 'Te Papa national museum'. It was one of the attractions we'd been recommended by alot of fellow travellers and you could see why. 1. It was free and 2. It was absolutely huge! Still, that didn't stop us bumping into the guys and girls from the kiwi-experience bus. The museum itself was really interactive and had a number of really interesting exhibits about the Maori culture, the geological makeup of New Zealand and even a tank containing a giant squid! Did you know, it took them over 3 years to transport the squid (and keep it intact) from Antartica to the museum and to this day it's the only museum in the southern hemisphere to hold such an animal - David Attenborough eat your heart out! After spending countless hours in the museum we walked around the shops for a while before retiring to a small reserve on the coast for a nights kip - since picking up these vans it's been a hilarious experience when it's come to sleeping. From layby's to campsites in the middle of the forest it's certainly been different to the hostel lifestyle.

The following day we checked in to a campsite (which was actually just a car park on a rediculous slope) before deciding what to do on our final day on the north island. Beans decided to go and do a Lord of the Rings tour whilst me, woody and Jewels (George's new nickname) went into town to do a little shopping and run a few errands. Jewels had bumped into a girl he'd met in Rotorua who suggested we hit the nightlife because Wednesday nights had a good vibe. So, we did. After a few belated birthday drinks in a pretty cool bar called 'The Establishment' we went to the 'Cue Room' to shoot some pool. The night went on and we met some pretty interesting characters.

But that was all I had to report from Wellington. It's strange that being in a city again felt like something unordinary because of the scenic landscape we'd travelled across. The North island is suposidly the less picturesque of the two, but it has certainly been mesmeric and a breath of fresh air in comparison to the concrete jungles we'd explored in the US. The plans for the next couple of days were to not miss our ferry before stopping in Blenheim with a friends parents for a nights rest at their house. Yet again, an example of the unbelievable kindness of the people in New Zealand. After that, who knows, but I can certainly say I'm really looking forward to the land we're about to delve into!