There was the most amazing thunderstorm during the night with violent streaks of lightning and ear splitting claps of thunder continuing for hours. In the morning, after a couple of false starts, the weather decided to behave and by the time we left Acacia Cliffs Lodge the sun was shining and it was the warmest it has been since we arrived in New Zealand. We drove into Taupo itself for a close up look at the lake. The water was sparkling in the sunshine and we we...

After a super breakfast at the Lodge we set of back towards Rotorua for our Riverjet Thermal Safari. The weather was deteriorating by the minute and by the time we were geared up in wet weather coats and life jackets the rain was absolutely tipping down. Our jet boat was named 'The Boss' and the driver was Adam. He had plenty of knowledge to share as we made our way along the magnificent river and was clearly passionate about his job. The rain was coming down ...

After breakfast we collected the hire car and were on our way travelling south towards Taupo. It was a long ride through agricultural land with a threatening sky above but luckily the rain held off. We stopped for a coffee in the small town of Cambridge, a lovely little place with a very English feel to it. We sat outside at the Deli on the main street and the young girl who served the coffee was proud to point out to me the dog on the top of my coffee (yes, real...

After a super buffet breakfast we were met by Merv, our driver for the day. The weather was not that promising but he did us proud. If it was worth seeing in Auckland then we definitely saw it! From the museums, parks and beaches to the native rain forests, to Pahia and the west coast surf beaches, we saw it all, and Merv managed to keep us just ahead of the bad weather all the way! Highlights for us were a huge gannet colony and wine tasting at Nobilu and Cooper...

In spite of the dreadful typhoon weather in Hong Kong all day yesterday we took off on time and even managed to arrive a little early in Auckland which was quite an achievement. We were met by our friend, Mike who took us back to his place for lunch. Mike and Gay have a fantastic place about 45 minutes drive north of Auckland. They have built a beautiful house on a 5 acre plot in Coatesville. They grow all their own vegetables and a wide variety of fruit and kee...