The North Island

Since the last update we have been traveling on down through the north island, and have now crossed on to the south island. The first place we stopped was Taupo, which like Routoura, has a lot of thermal activity, so off we went to another outside spa to ease our aching limbs. There were 3 different outdoor pools each at different temps, and the whole palce was set in a lush forest which meant that the birds were chirping in the background as we lay nd relaxed...bliss.


The following day we moved on fully refreshed to Napier on the east coast. Napier was destroyed in the 1930's due to an earthquake, and as a result when it was rebuilt the whole place has an art deco look. One of the only buildings to survive the earthquake was Napier Prison, which is now used as somewhere for backpackers to stay, or you can get a guided tour and find out about the previous inmates. The tour was interesting, and injected with humour... the showers having signs warning you not to drop the soap, the hanging garden ( clothes lines ) being where the gallows once stood, and the guide was able to fill you in on how the inmates went about their daily lives.

Pamerston north was the next port of call, on the way to Wellington, and we decided that we should try to remember what life was like back home, so we headed to the cinema ( and watched defiance - which was AMAZING...). The next day we arrived in to Wellington, after a stop off on route at the biggest car museum in the southern hemisphere. The cars were stunning, from a ferrari monza, to an ariel atom, to a gangsters car with bulletproof windows, opening windscreen ( for shooting out off ) and bombproof flooring.

In wellington we wandered around the shops and stumbled upon a shop selling british food, so Arlene was in her element and $45 later we had just about everything that she had been missing from home - Walkers salt and vinegar crisps, yorkie, highland toffee, chocolate digestives, tins of Heinz tomato soup.

After checking what seemed like all of the pubs in Wellington, we eventually found out where we could watch the old firm game,( the Wellington Irish club ) and on Sat night we set out both full of hope but there was only one happy face at the end of the game, and it wasn't mine.

The next day after recovering, we went and caught the ferry over to the south island....