Right then, all change. Simply put, this road trip has been awesome. It's been hand n glove, Morecambe and Wise, Bonnie and Clyde (albeit without the thievery and killing and sharp suits) and it'd be wrong to split the participants at this stage in proceedings so South America will just have to wait til next year. So Australia here we come. Wandered into Qantas and changed my flights today, so the new itinerary looks (a bit) like this. Tomorrow we're flying...

And...relax. Rolled into Raglan on the 5th and stayed a couple of nights in a cool little backpackers just off the main street. All the rooms come off a central courtyard, with hammocks and comfy swingy chairs everywhere and huge cushions to loo around on and a nonchalant cat wandering about - the sort of gaff you could wake up in one day and realise that you've been there a month. Really laid back place, what you'd expect from the surf capital of New Zeala...

Eggs! Everywhere. Stayed in Taupo on the 3rd then up to Rotorua last night. As I mentioned last time in my geography lesson - there'll be a test later kids - this area is a huge volcanic zone, a part of the world where the earth's crust is at its thinnest. The result of this geothermal jiggery-pokery? - sulphur and various noxious chemicals and gases bubbling up through the ground, steam escaping in amongst the trees either side of the road, the Pohutu geyser sho...

Volcano country. Oh yeah, and the odd earthquake. After sampling the chilled and excellent delights of Wellington's nightlife on the 31st, getting roped into drinking too much Havana Club (Abi's such a bad influence, absolutely nothing to do with me honest guv'nor), and then enduring a hang which could only be eased by a bout of retail action (you are gonna love the LRG zip-up Neighbs), we blurrily drove up the North Island to a village called National Park....

Evn'n, how we all doing? Wine tour yesterday by bike. Now, I fully realise that wine tasting should traditionally involve a certain degree of decorum, one thoughtfully cogitating on the merits of each wine before politely spitting it into some sort of spitoon thingy and muttering about legs and nose and "oo oo I'm getting apricots, I'm getting cotton, I'm getting Castrol GTX." Nah, not Abi and me. Visit as many vineyards as you can, ride back to base withou...