The ferry crossing from south to north was fairly smooth and lasted about 3hrs and we fuond our Wellington accommodation easily enough. The hostels in Wellington aren't nearly as highly rated as anywhere else in New Zealand but we booked the highest on the list. The location is pretty good - not in the centre of town but within easy walking distance - but thats where the positives end. The staff were so rude and didn't take to us from the start. The hostel itself is ok in terms of size and facilities but its just so horrible to have staff that make you feel unwelcome. It lowers the atmosphere completely.

Wellington as a city was ok too but still nothing special. We got the brakes fixed on the car while we were there and went to the excellent museum. We also took a cable car up to the botanic gardens and walked back down to the city through the gardens. There really wasn't much else to do! So we left!!

We couldn't find any other accommodation for the day we left Wellington because of various sporting events happening around the regions so we ended up staying just 20 mins north of the capital (thats right, Wellington is the capital!!) in a town called Paekakariki. The hostel was tremendous and we fonud out that you could get to Wellington very easily and cheaply on the train from here - if only we knew that before, we wouldn't have bothered with staying in the city.

When we arrived, the owner told us he was expecting us the day before! There had been a mix up with the booking and he was fully booked but, fortunately for us, someone checked out early and left a triple room that all four of us could squeeze into. It was a lovely little place with a great record collection, if a little scratched! We had one night here before driving up to Turangi - just south of Lake Taupo in the dead centre of the north island.

Near Turangi are three active volcanoes including Mt Ruapehu which featured very strongly in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of New Zealand's finest day walks is called the Tongariro Crossing and it takes you from the foot of Mt Tongariro (one of the three volcanoes) right up to the volcanic crater then down the other side. We took on this walk but had to leave Jason behind because he was up all night with a bad stomach - must be our dodgy cooking!! So the three of us set out very early as the walk is expected to last up to 8 hrs!

The first section was easy and it took us to the last toilet for about 4 hrs. We then had to climb up a very steep section that couldn't have been more than about 300m long but ascended the same amount! It was tough and took us over an hour! The next section was easy and flat before another steep climb to the red volcanic crater. There wasn't any bubbling lava but the steam coming out created an eerie mist that sometimes blocked the amazing views around.

We then descended towards the emerald lakes which were a stunning sight as we climbed down. Theere was one more ascent then the rest was all downhill and that became as hard on the legs as climbing up. We finished 7.5hrs after starting and we were shattered! It took a day or two before our legs were free of the aches and pains! It really was a tremendous walk though. Definitely worth it.

The day that followed our walk was spent driving to Napier on the east coast. The weather in Napier was strangely sunnier and warmer than anywhere else and, apparently, they only get 2 months of bad weather on the east coast. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 1900's and was rebuilt in attractive art deco style which, inevitably, makes Napier easy on the eye. We actually thought that Napier was akin to an English seaside town but much less tacky! We stayed there for 2 nights before driving back the way we came and a bit further north to Rotorua.

This town is very touristy but for good reason. Its the epicentre of thermal activity with steam coming from the ground all around the town and by the lake and its also a very cultural region with a large population of the Maori people.

We spent three days exploring the bubbling mud and steam as well as going all cultural for a Maori night where we were treated to traditional songs and dances, introduced to the languages and way of life of the Maori's and, finally, a huge buffet cooked in the traditional way. The cooking method is called a Hangi and involves burrying the food under ground with hot rocks. The food was delicious and aplenty but the room in my stomach afterwards was non existant! A great night and finally some culture!

Jason and I also managed to come up with ideas for Sams birthday as well as buying the presents without her suspecting a thing! More on Sams birthday coming up in the next blog!!