Mayfair Lodge Paihia

... front or not.<br><br>We were on the road for 9.30am and successfully navigated out of a sign-free city centre onto the harbour bridge road - Highway 1 North. It starts out as a 8-lane motorway, but gradually as the Auckland suburbs fall behind the lanes peel off one by one and were down to two-lane blacktop. Sadly the beautiful weather falls behind too and we go into a band of grey clouds and the odd spot of rain. This road is absolutely crying out for a Porsche - it twists and turns ...

... with Alistair and turn on the engine, playing with the sirens which she loved while Hannah and I sat in the back laughing. We went back to Paihia and caught the ferry across the bay to Russell which is the first British settlement I think with some cool old colonial houses. We had an ice cream and a quick swim as it was really hot but we didn't stay long as I was desperate to go fishing. The girls grabbed some beers and ...

... a while. We discovered we are all going on the same boat trip tomorrow, so that should be good fun. Course, I haven't booked my ticket yet, so maybe they're going on a boat trip and I'm going to be back at the hostel watching TV. Either or. And now I desperately need a shower, because I am full of burny goodness and need to get some cool water on me. And I bet you any money I've left it too late and there's no hot water left. Wish me luck.

... belonged to 30 year-old me and not a six year-old. In any event, we arrived in cold and rainy Auckland, and were depressed to find out that the forecast was endless days of rain and overcast days. However, we were thrilled when we set out the next day and it was sunny on our drive to Paihia in the northern part of the North Island. We were even more thrilled at our luck when we stopped for breakfast and met a woman from South Africa who said it was the first ...

... and had a wonderful time being trailed and challenged by these amazingly brash little birds called fantails. It was as if they themselves were little faeries playing tag and hide and seek with us as we wandered through their domain. The Magnificent Kauri Trees Kauri are among the world's mightiest trees, growing to more than 50 metres tall, with trunk girths of up to 16 metres. They covered much of the top half of the North Island when the first ...

... here for 3 nights though I don't want to leave. The oldies have gone off to see the Treaty House this morning but I wasn't at all well last night so just chilling out this morning. I think I'm getting my just deserts for gloating so much over having no jet-lag. This afternoon we are hoping to head out onto the water to spot some Dolphins for dinner (only joking!). Mmmm Dolphin n Chips :o)

... ik me heel erg alleen. Lopen deed pijn, helemaal omdat ik nu met blote voeten over de kiezelsteentjes lopen moest en niemand die naar me omkeek. Wat wou ik nou, waarom wilde ik ook alweer backpackend naar het andere eind van de wereld? Ik kon opeens wel janken.<br>De wolken bleven een beetje hangen, ik wilde mijn muziek, maar dat kon niet. Gelukkig was ik zo slim geweest om een reep chocolade mee te nemen. En, met de hulp van de gids (die toevallig donderdag bij mij op de Catamaran tocht ...