We started the day with a visit to the top of Mt Eden for 360-degree views over Auckland. It's a dormant volcano, and the site of a pretty funny April-fool's prank involving students (obviously), burning tyres and the population of Auckland fearing an impending eruption.

We headed to the Coromandel Peninsula, stopping to trek down to Cathedral Cove for some time in the sun. Please note: New Zealand in early November is much like Cornwall in early May - the sun is shining but the water is absolutely freezing. So naturally we had a swim in it (being almost all Brits) and sicovered a little cave with its own, sun-free beach. Unfortunately the tides were wrong for Hot Water Beach, so DIY hotpools were out.