We got up and headed to the YHA to do our laundry and have a shower, before booking our ferry to the South Island. We had a 10% discount voucher so it cost us $524.70 instead of $583 (I'm sure Dover-Calais isn't that pricey!).

At 11.30am we went to meet some of Hannah's extended family who are over here for a family wedding and they very kindly took us for lunch. We ate in a pub opposite the parliament building called the Backbencher, and it had lots of caricature models of NZ politicians on the walls, a bit like Spitting Image.

After a few photos outside parliament, we were dropped off at Te Papa museum. It has free entry and is absolutely huge, we spent hours there and still didn't see everything. The weirdest thing there was a 4.5 metre colossal squid, preserved in formaldehyde. Its eyes are the size of footballs!

Afterwards we popped to the supermarket to buy some alcohol and a few bits we needed, before heading back to Colin to get ready. We were supposed to be meeting a girl I know from Canterbury called Megan, but she was busy in the end so we went out on our own (after getting through three bottles of cheap bubbly - £3.50 a bottle!). It was nice to go out and meet people as we don't really get the chance in our little campervan! I had a good night!

xxx