After three nights in Napier we are, once again, on the move. McHardy Lodge has been a lovely vantage point to visit the area and we have very much enjoyed our stay. The very English Yvonne has been a wonderful host and the breakfasts have been fantastic! The packing didn't go quite to plan and the suitcases were looking VERY over-stuffed. Maybe all those bottles of wine had something to do with it!! After a short and easy flight we were soon back in Auckland an...

The rain came down today and it was miserable and grey and much cooler again. After breakfast we headed out in the car and drove over to Cape Kidnapper's. We understand that the world's largest mainland gannet colony is there, but we somehow didn't feel in the mood to go traipsing through the mud in the driving rain to catch a glimpse of them! We took a leisurely drive around the small towns of the area including Hastings and Havelock north. We stopped at a coup...

The weather was looking reasonably promising as we were collected at 10 am by Brigid, our driver and guide for the day, and we were soon on our way to our first tasting at Clearview, up on the coast on the way to Cape Kidnapper's Point. As we arrived it turned out that the cellar door was closed today but they were happy enough to open it just for us. We were very glad they did as the wines we tasted were all delicious. Next stop was Elephant Hill where we partic...

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 ...