Lodge Eleven Paihia

... Gateway to the Bay of Islands. We checked into the YHA here and were quite impressed on the standard of the hostel so ended up buying a YHA card so we get discounts at more of them as we might stay at them for the majority of the trip. After finding our beds (as we're stopping in a dorm for a few nights) we headed down to the beach and walked around the town for a while. After treating ourselves to a really cool Xmas decoration that will look great on our tree for ...

... we did find a large pod of dolphins in some shallow water. Unfortunately because they had soem babies with them we weren't allowed to swim with them. But just seeing them was really great, they are really friendly and playful and came right up to the boat. We were told to lie down on the front of the boat and lean over where they would swim right below us, a couple of them spraying us with their blow-holes, they were maybe only 15cm from our faces. So it was a really ...

... to Australia... I get to go to Devonport on the Ferry - you can get a good view of Auckland city from there - and on the tower by night... and soon it is time to get back on a plane to Sydney this time... I am a bit sad to leave NZ I have to say. It's been really great there!! But I am also excited about visiting Australia too where I am hoping to meet up with a few people I met travelling and also John who I haven't seen for 8 years ...

... which is just across the bay - about a 10min ride - and the oldest settled town in NZ. It is just the prettiest and quaintest little town! They call the beach front road 'The Strand' and the houses all date back to the turn of the last century and even the police station looks like a bijou Victorian cottage. The atmosphere matches the gentle scenery and everything seems to be at a very gentle pace. - except us that is ...

... started photographing us - it was a bit like being on display at the zoo. The toilet was something to be avoided, by the sound of things -behind a bush was much better, although they were few and far between on the ship! The technology was all to do with vacuum pressure and involved ten full pulls of a lever once the loo lid was properly down to create a vacuum. And then you had to wait five or six seconds before doing yet ...

... be heading back to. Other things to happen of note in this month was Carly running the Auckland Half marathon and despite a bad knee and a bad back finishing 34th or something equally ridiculous!! Then she ran another half marathon down in Mission Bay in which she finished 11th despite having to stop for a Paula on the way - crazy talk!! I have decided that she can quit her job if she starts winning these things as the prize money is actually pretty good!! Watch this space.....

... 210 - Today was mostly about getting organised for flying out to Fiji tomorrow. Myself and a german called Daniel walked into town to burn photos / replace sunglasses and each got a smoothie and went and drank them by the beach. He left to hitch hike his way to Rotorua and I came back to the hostel to cook lunch and watch the 3rd Lord of the Rings with some other guests. Got the Stray bus down to Auckland at 4:30pm, arriving not much before 9 o'clock and checked into Fushion again.

... as they were busy feeding. The islands we passed were mostly eroded limestone with caves, holes and pinnacles, the highlight being the 'hole in the rock', an enormous arch in an island just off 'Cape Brett'. It is so big that we drove through it in the boat. At the other side there was an enormous fish ball, where thousands of fish were breaking the surface, providing a great feast for hundreds of seabirds. An amazing sight. Monday 2nd June After a very rainy ...

The last 3 days of our north island tour were spent in the bay of Islands area (the name gives it away). This is a very pretty area, with many of the homes belonging to millionaires who never use them. Not bad since it was the first a lawless whaling outpost in the 1830s call the "hell hole of the Pacific". Also the Treaty that made NZ part of the British Empire was signed here by ...

... The cloudy weather was not a problem at all although the spa is open air - the water in the pools is a very warm 38 degrees, coming from hot spring 1.5km below ground. We took some slides (scary ones!) and watched Simpsons in the movie pool. One of the pools is 40 degrees and the 2 Celcius difference between 38 and 40 feels a lot more than just 2! We didn't dare to try getting in the 48 degree volcano pool, that would have scalded us... Waiwera Spa is just 40 km North of ...