Arriving in Paihia, gateway to the Bay of Islands, late on thanks to our late pick up of the camper, we were lucky to find that the caretaker of our apartment we had booked was still around to greet us.

The luxury apartment was undoubtedly the best thing about our three nights spent in the bay too, with it being fantastic to briefly leave behind the backpacker lifestyle in order to lounge about like the rest of the posh yachtie-types around.

This is the area where the country was born and the Waitangi Treaty was signed in 1840, just down the road from Paihia, so it felt only right that we start off here at the museum and grounds, which also provided more great views of the islands. We then headed back to the apartment to take advantage of the oven, cooking a cracking roast chicken dinner.

We naturally headed out onto the water to see the Bay of Islands first hand the following day, with a two for one voucher greatly enhancing the experience. The many pictures of the beautiful islands show you just how stunning the area looks.

On the opposite side of the bay lies the small town of Russell, another apparent 'must do' when visiting the area, so we caught the ferry over one afternoon. Although it was fairly nice, there wasn't much to do there, apart from spending time in internet cafes and small museums. Maybe one for the older generation.

That just left time for one final night with the oven and a shepherd's pie, before heading back down south to Auckland and the rest of the north island.

Kev