Kia Ora everyone. I'm in Auckland, just got here today so no real impressions as yet but I have walked down the Ponsonby Road as that's where my hostel is and must say it's a very nice part of town - think Kings Road and you're there. Oh before I tell you all what I've been up to over the past week, I need to mention this as you'll understand why all the time I've been in NZ I keep thinking I'm in the UK. Last night I actually caught a little bit of TV for the first time in ages and I watched the national news and let's be honest, they never have any news in NZ to speak of (unless you count the sheep stories or fishing stories or horror stories about backpackers getting lost on tramps) so what they have to do is steal our news. Last night the main headlines involved the Queens birthday (ok guess it's their queen too so they can have that one), Cherie Blair's haircut and most amazingly of all, considering that the only sports they understand here are rugby and cricket, they dedicated about 8 minutes to tell the whole of NZ about England's World Cup Football Song and had an interview with Danny McNamara then played the whole bloody song from start to finish and now I can't get the World at your Feet tune out of my head. Madness!! So anyway I was watching TV as I've been a bit quiet the past few days mainly due to getting a stinking rotten cold, but guess it's the first one since travelling so can't moan too much and kind of guessed that NZ would present me with one. Actually, I think it came about when I left Rotovegas and had to walk 15 mins in torrential rain to catch my bus - me, my backpack, my books, my food... all soaking wet. Next stop for me was Mount Maunganui or The Mount as the locals like to call it. Here there's a real surfey vibe going on, and I got drunk in an Irish bar (but not half as drunk as Paris, our Magic Bus Driver who was quite ill trying to keep up with two English girls), went and sat in the hot salt water pools until I was pink and wrinkled again but thankfully not smelly this time, climbed The Mount (a big hill at the foot of the town) and then my cold came. But despite the cold I did like this place and it actually felt that I was on holiday for a couple of day - reminded me a bit of Spain. Then back on the Magic Bus for an added extra to my ticket - I headed to the Coromandel Peninsula - imagine rugged but sublime empty beaches, a wonderful forest leading down to the beaches, some of the friendliest locals I've met whilst travelling, very few tourists, more Irish bars and lots of boats and you're in the Coromandel. I actually stayed in a little town (well village) called Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga) and my hostel was right on the beach and the weather was stunning so apart from my cold which was in full flow by then I had everything I wanted. I spent 3 days here, I did some kayaking, I did some bone carving, I did some walking, I did visit beaches - namely the famous Cathedral Coast and Hot Water Beach although for the latter I did not mange to dig a hole in the sand and sit in the hot water in the hole as the tide was high, and I did drink and I did think it was probably the nicest part of the North Island so far and I wished I could have stayed longer - but I travel therefore I must move on. So where next for me? Well let's just say I've come to Auckland much earlier than planned but that's for a very good reason - I'm here for Groundhog Day.