So the next day having had 2 full days of skiing we are both feeling a little bit stiff and sore and decide a more gentle day taking in some of the walks within the national park is in order. Rather than stay in Whakapapa for another night we decide to spend the morning taking in a couple of 40 minute hikes in the town and then drive round to the other side of Mount Ruapehu to the town of Ohakune and the ski resort Turoa. The weather is lovely so we make the most...

So before I can say "yes I will give skiing a try" we are up at 7am and on our way to Tongariro National Park and more specifically Mount Ruapehu and the ski town of Whakapapa. We had read in the information leaflets that there was a ski school at the resort where for $85 you could hire your equipment, take a beginners lesson and then use the learners slopes for the remainder of the day. We arrived at around 10am and headed straight to the booking offic...

Our first full day in Taupo and the first stop is the Taupo Bungy for our tandum jump. Michael had already done the Taupo Bungy jump when he was here 9 years ago and has been desperate to get me to try one ever since! I was a little more reluctant and even more so when we arrived at the jump centre and I could see the full scale of the task ahead of me! We paid our money, ordered our photo/DVD pack (I want proof if I do this) and had our weight taken for them to ...

After spending a lovely morning and early afternoon at Mount Maunganui it was on to Rotorua and to the sulphurous stench of rotting eggs. We had really been looking forward to this part of our trip having read all the blurb about active volcanic areas, mineral spas, mud baths and not forgetting the sheep show! You really didn't need the sign to tell you that you were in Rotorua because your nose soon lets you know where you are! It is unbelievable but the whole t...

This destination had not been on our original agenda however having been disappointed to miss the rugby match at Hamilton we decided to give it another shot and this time it was an Air New Zealand cup match, Bay of Plently vs. Otago. We left Waitomo around lunch time and arrived at the mount in plenty of time to grab a quick ice cream at the waterfront before heading to the campsite. We had our dinner and then put on about 5 layers of clothes before setting off i...