So here we are in Wellington. We're staying in an upmarket backpackers hostel right in the centre of town, surrounded by amazing art deco buildings. There's a real vibe about the area - very noticible in comparison to sleepy Christchurch. There's a wee man who has cast off all his worldly belongings and seems to live in on the street wearing nothing but a g-string and a blanket and lots of people are bare-footed, hip and trendy. Good shopping too but of course we don't have time for such frivolous distractions!!!!

Yesterday we went on a whirlwind tour of forensic services in Porirua. The units were clustered together in the grounds of an old institution,quite far out of town.We were shown around a medium secure unit , Maori culturally specific facilities and wider services.We liked the self contained cottages that provided an in between stage for people ready to move on. Most of the staff seemed to be busy preparing for a Whanu (family) open day, where about 300 friends and family of service users come along for a barbecue and social event. Still not an art therapist in sight!!

The evening was spent catching up with an old friend of Adrienne's (Teva!) and amazingly enough, bumping in to an old Orchard Clinic colleague (Mhari!!!!!!!).

Today, we spent most of the day with Garyand Virginia from Wellink as recommended by Ron Coleman. Welllink are an Non Governmental Organisation that provide a number of services including supported accommodation at different levels. They place an emphasis on employing people whohave experience of using services and have the recovery approach at the centre of their organisation. Gary was kind enough to take us out to one of their recovery houses, small houses run by peers, for people in a period of crisis. As you will see in the photos, the house was homely and in a beautiful setting. We found our time with them inspiring and are beginning to really value this opportunity to stand back and gain a new perspective on the work that we do day to day.

We're planning to get a good night's sleep in order to be on top form for our meeting with the Mental Health Commission's David Chaplow.We'll report back in due course.

As we spent most of the day with an Australian chap, no kiwi phrases today!

We haven't forgotten about you all at home in the freezing cold - hope all is fine and dandy XX