Early morning in River Valley means getting out onto, unsurprisingly, the river (the Rangitikei). Lots of good rapids on this trip (better than Mission Beach, for anyone who's interested) many of them grade 5. And you can really see the river in action along here - the former 'arch rapid' has been renamed 'new rapid' and is currently impassible after heavy rains, erosion et al caused a rockslide to dump a large number of even larger rocks in the way.

Got off the bus in Wellington for a bit of city life, and spent the next morning walking around exploring the windy city in the sunshine. The beehive is monstrous! Why anyone would want to be in government and have to work there is beyond me.

Te Papa museum took up most of the afternoon. Besides being free, it houses a range of cultural exhibitions, mainly Maori-based. The coffee could be better though.

This is my last night on the North Island!