Julie's flight arrived on time and Mum and Simon were there to meet her. In no time at all they were in the car and on their way back to Happy Valley. The weather was overcast but clear and Julie was impressed by the amazing bridges and the huge container port she saw along the way. On arrival in Happy Valley Julie had to climb more than a hundred stairs before reaching the apartment but agree that it was well worth it once she got there and she was very pleased...

All good things must come to an end as we surely know and we woke up today knowing that our wonderful trip across the length and breadth of both islands of New Zealand was almost at an end. We will take a wealth of memories away with us of the stunning places we have seen, the marvellous places we have stayed and the wonderful people we have met along the way. Not forgetting all the excellent food and wines we have tasted, and there have been many thrilling exper...

We had an amazing breakfast at the lodge cooked by Barb, the chef. We very much enjoyed a medley of poached fruits, muesli and yogurt followed by delicious corncakes which are apparently a New Zealand specialty but we had never tasted before! As our trip was nearing the end, we drove into nearby Warkworth looking for souvenir or gift shops. If they are there then we obviously looked in the wrong place! We scoured Warkworth from end to end and can only say that i...

After breakfast we packed up and said goodbye once again to the Sky City Grand. We drove across the harbour bridge but instead of turning right to Devonport we turned left and found the Beach Road which took us right along the coast through many beautiful little bays and beaches including Milford beach, Mairangi Bay and Brown's Bay. We came to a bit of a dead end at Long Bay regional park. It is a huge nature reserve and we drove in thinking that we might find a ...

Finals day dawned, and as we left the hotel in the morning we noticed the French team outside the hotel opposite, just setting out for a last training session. They looked very relaxed as they paused for photos and to chat to supporters and finally boarded their coach to a rousing chorus of the French national anthem. Stirring stuff! We went down to the water front and caught a ferry over to Waiheke island. The island was much bigger than we imagined! We had ass...