Kia Ora people! (I bet everyone starts their New Zealand blog that way - it means hello/welcome) We've already been in North Island for nearly a week, and have packed in a lot.

Our first night here was in Auckland and a bit strange. Going from city to city can be a little disorientating and we felt as though we could still be in Melbourne; weather was the same, high rise buildings, lots of restaurants, etc. We decided to go to the Minus 5 bar - so named for its temperature inside, where everything you see is made of ice - sculptures, the bar and the glasses you drink from. So dressed in their finest thermal jackets we entered what was essentially a portacabin, to find only 4 other people inside, not talking. We collected our inclusive cocktails and were done exploring within about a minute. Then they started playing the Basshunter soundtrack. Then my uber-warm hands must have melted my glass as it cracked, spilling the contents down my leg. Then the other 4 left, leaving us alone. An enthusiastic Eastern European barlady bounced in with a massive camera and started getting us to pose all around the bar (you pay extra for photos and aren't allowed to take any yourself). And we did exactly as we were told! Not sure if it was fear or the events leading up to the photo shoot affecting our mental state, but she even got us to kiss to order and Rob obediently got behind the ice sculpture of a wolf and made a face out of its mouth. We didn't buy any of the pictures and seriously hope they don't appear on the website. A weird evening.

We journeyed south to Matamata and the set of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings. It's on a sheep farm and several of the original hobbit holes remain. They weren't allowed to leave them in their original state due to an agreement with New Line cinemas, so the place does look pretty different, but still a beautiful place to visit and take stupid photos. The next couple of days were spent at the beautiful Bay of Plenty, just east of Opotiki, at Fantail Cottage. Our ensuite room had an amazing view and our hosts (Meg and Mike) were lovely - gave us lots of ideas for things to do, and we all had a tasty meal together in the evenings. We kayaked, walked (or tramped as they call it here) and visited some local glowworms at night in the woods.

On the way to Rotorua we stopped at a hot spring to have a bathe at Mike's suggestion. We weren't quite sure if we had the right place as we arrived at a brown, steaming stream but a few children in bathing suits suddenly appeared splashing around. Well if it hadn't done them any harm... it was really hot in places and has stained my bikini irrevocably, but I guess it was worth it (harrummphh). Rotorua was much better than I remembered it; smelt less and looks much better in the sunshine! We did loads of things for free and managed to see lots of lakes, mud pools, steaming ponds and geysers in Kuirau Park and the Redwood forest - so save your money if coming here and do the same. Admission fees to go to some of the surrounding thermal parks are extortionate and we saw pretty much the same. Plus in Taupo you can walk right amongst the steaming countryside for a mere $6NZ at 'Craters of the Moon'! In the evening we went to a Maori evening at the Mitai village. We were entertained, learnt about the culture and ate well hangi-style (Maori method of cooking in the ground over hot stones) - mmmm!

The next day we went to Mangakino, North of Taupo, to stay with Rob's previous boss and friend Annabelle and her husband Stuart. Not many people go here when travelling as it's a bit out the way, but there's a beautiful lake (where Rob had a go at wakeboarding) and it's very peaceful, with good views. Annabelle's doing some locums as a GP out here while Stuart works on his Europe travel website (www.drivealive.co.uk) and in between that they travel around seeing New Zealand. Hmmm, I can see a parallel life emerging for the two of us here now! We had a lovely evening and were reluctant to leave the next day. But we did, and after Rob had had his splash around in the lake, we set off for Taupo; hopeful of big walks and skydives.