Land of the long white cloud

We've not been able to update for the past week as we've been right out in the sticks .

We hired a car at Auckland and headed out to explore the North Island (thanks to QR for giving us the right ideas about where to go).

I had imagined a suitably large 4x4 or a jag, but when Avis turned up, all they had left was a bog standard ford fiesta so that had to do. Living in London has slowly eroded all the pleasure out of driving, but getting a car in NZ really give syou back all the enthusiasm for it. Miles of emply roads and amazing scenery held you grind out the miles and although the speed limit is 60 mph, there's no one else on the road to stop you going as fast as you want.

We stopped at various motels as we travelled and among other things we went caving, kyaking, bush walking, and took a sea plane ride into a volcano.

NZ is a brilliant place and we also got to do a few mauri cultural tours and saw loads of geysers, mud pools and thermal vents.

We also had a mud bath and a spa in water from a volcano. Hopefully more later as we're now at the airport.

A word about our last hotel, which was by far the best we've ever stayed in, and the NZ people who are easily the warmest and most polite of any country I've been to.