We've had a great day today. After Coleen's (aka Hyacinth) delicious and huge breakfast of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup (she made Steve's specially with soya milk) we needed to walk it off so headed for some lakes just outside Rotorua. Depending on their depth and the type of rock the water is either blue or green in colour. Also nearby was a Redwood Forest where we did a half hour walk. Steve took some photos of me but you could hardly see me because I was wearing brown rusty colours and was perfectly camouflaged!

In the afternoon we went to Te Puia to see the Pohutu Geyser and mud pools. The earth's crust is only 5km thick at this point and this is what causes all the crazy volcanic activity, wow! Te Puia also has a couple of kiwis so we were able to see them as well. Kiwis are nocturnal and shy so almost impossible to see in the wild and even in captivity they are difficult to spot so their enclosure is kept dark during the day so that they are active.

Two old Geysers together!

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The weather forecast for today was overcast with showers, but fortunately for us the forecasters got it wrong again and it proved to be clear blue skies and very hot. So by the time we had finished at Te Puia we were exhausted. After a brief rest at our B&B (and a piece of Coleen's banana cake) we headed for the Polynesian Spa for some R&R in the thermal pools.

A short aside; Kiwis (the people not the bird) seem to pronounce 'e' as if it was an 'i' this has led us to think twice when certain words are spoken, examples include “wheelie bin” and “thats a nice deck”,work it out for yourselves!

Friday 11 February

You will be pleased to know that we went for our walk along the beach last night and enjoyed it very much although we had left it a bit late and it was dark by the time we got back!

Not such an exciting day as we have been on the road again driving from Kuoatunu to Rotorua. It took an age to drive the tortured switchback roads off the Coromandel peninsula (beautiful scenery though) but then we were able to pick up some speed. On the way we stopped in Waihi to look at an open cast gold mine. The hole in the ground is enormous and there was little sign of activity considering it produces a million dollars of gold every week. The weather had become quite wet and showery and spoilt our next stop, a walk to the top of Mount Maunganui. Mind you, you only have to see the lush countryside here to realise that there must be a fair amount of rain.

We are now at our latest B&B “The Springs” which is run by Murray and Coleen, they remind us of Richard and Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances! It is beautifully kept and very tastefully furnished. Steve was chuffed because Coleen had baked him a special banana bread to have with a cup of tea when we arrived.

Rotorua is a famous tourist attraction because of its geysers and so it has earned it's name of Sulphur City! Tomorrow we will find out more about it.

Wednesday 9 February

It had rained in the night and was much cooler, also still a bit drizzly and damp so breakfast was indoors for the first time. However as we had a long drive the change in the weather wasn't a problem. We headed south again back to Auckland before heading over to the Coromandel Peninsular. Fortunately we were able to not only break the journey but to meet up with Gwyneth and John again and have lunch together at a good restaurant in a lovely spot at Takapuna Beach. It was really special meeting friends from Tattingstone such a long way from home!

The drive along the coast road to Coromandel and our next destination at Kuaotonu Beach took much longer than we thought it would. The scenery was simply breathtaking but the winding roads soon lost their appeal after a long drive. For those of you who have driven up the mountain road from Marbella to Ronda in Spain, it makes that seem like a walk in the park!

The main feature of our accommodation in Kuaotunu are the panoramic views of the beach and bay from our room and we have a little deck with table and chairs which is where we are sitting checking our emails and writing this blog. Even at night with the doors closed we can hear the waves.

Thursday, 10 February

Today we set off to do something different again – a ride on the quirky Driving Creek Railway. This is a narrow gauge railway that climbs 2.6 km up the side of a hill to reach the interestingly named “Eyefull Tower” which has commanding views over Coromandel Town and the surrounding islands. On its way to the summit the railway negotiates 3 tunnels, 2 spirals and 5 reversing points. Our friends who are train enthusiasts (you know who you are!) would love it!

After visiting the railway we looked round Coromandel Town, a small former gold mining town with lots of character and named after HMS Coromandel, before taking the 309 road to Whitianga. This proved to be a switchback unmade gravel road where speeds in excess of about 20mph could only be dreamed of. About two weeks ago the North of NZ suffered a tropical storm when 30cm of rain fell in a very short time. The winding roads on the Coramandel peninsular are cut into the side of hills and we have seen many places where the bank gave way during the storm blocking the road. Most of these blockages have been cleared but we came across one place on the 309 where we had to wait for a digger to move out of the way before we could continue on our way.

Our B&B is really quite isolated, so we bought some goodies from Coromandel and Whitianga to take back and eat on our deck, including some smoked fish a local speciality and a bottle of Cooks Beach wine. Writing this is making our stomachs rumble so today's blog will have to be put to bed so we can eat.

After dinner we are going for a walk along the beach, provided we don't drink too much wine with dinner!

Monday cont'

This afternoon we went for our first swim in the Pacific Ocean. The beach was recommended by our hosts and only a short drive and it was beautifully sandy and the water was clear and warm. Steve went snorkeling and saw some angel fish and a shoal of other fish he didn't recognise.

In the evening we went for a meal at a restaurant that is run by a chef who is on NZ's equivalent of Hells Kitchen, the food was great and so were the views across the bay as the sun went down.

Tuesday 8 February

We took the passenger ferry this morning to Pahia and walked to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Waitiangi is famous as it is the place were in 1840 a treaty was signed between the British and Maori peoples and it is considered to be the birthplace of the current New Zealand nation.

Later we went on a sunset cruise on a local yacht called Kingfisher. Because of a mistake with the booking the owner put out a second boat and so we had the yacht to ourselves + the skipper (also called Steve). About 30 minutes into the sail there was a “dinghy drama” and we spent about half an hour desperately trying to retrieve the dinghy which had become detached. Recapturing it very scary because the sea was quite rough and both Steve's were hanging over the side with the boathook! . Steve took the helm which he enjoyed and Jane just watched and enjoyed that too! All in all it was a great experience.

We will be very sorry to leave Russell (Kororareka).

Latest update from NZ 7 Feb 11

6 February

Picked up our car expecting a medium size Toyota and drove out with a double upgrade to a 4x4 Toyota RAV so no worries fitting our luggage in! The drive from Auckland to Russell and The Bay of Islands took 3 hours through scenic countryside. It included going through the only toll in NZ. We had been told to pay electronically at a motorway service centre which we did with quite a lot of other people. Then the toll itself was simply a set of cameras on a gantry over the road. So quite different to the UK but not popular at all in NZ! The final part of our journey was by car ferry

Russell is very quaint, quite small and with lots of history. We are staying in a delightful 4 bedroom guest lodge “boutique style”. Every evening the owners and guests share a glass or two of local wine and canapes so it is very civilised and friendly. It is only a few hundred yards from the centre and the waterfront, where the views across the water are beautiful. Because of this sitting, drinking and chatting we were a bit late going out to eat and couldn't get a table overlooking the waterfront so we settled on getting fish and chips and eating them at the end of the pier!

Note – there was a problem with the internet connection yesterday hence the blog getting a bit behind. We were amused that Bert noticed as we didn't think anyone would be following it. Cheers Bert!!

Monday, 7 February

Breakfast outside and then a walk to the top of Flagstaff Hill to see the famous flagpole where a couple of hundred years ago the Maoris cut the British flagpole down 4 times before the Brits gave up and then a few years later the Maoris put it back themselves! The views across the water and out to some islands were well worth the exertion in the heat and humidity. Steve wanted to take the long way back so we are now updating the blog while we recover. Did we mention that it is very hot here, probably top 20sC but really sticky because The Bay of Islands is sub tropical?

3 February

Checked out of The Georgian and took a walk around town before heading off along the prom to Venice Beach (quite a long walk). Mixed feelings about Venice Beach, some good parts but also quite a few down and outs and scruffy stalls along the boardwalk. Had lunch at a nice restaurant called the 'Fig Tree'.

Now back at the hotel and sitting on the veranda watching yet another splendid sun set. Off to the airport later for a late flight to Auckland.

A short aside: In California the penalty for dog fouling is 1 year in prison. Not surprisingly we have seen no dog mess since we arrived at the airport!

Monday 31 January 2011

Stayed overnight at a Premier Inn near Heathrow. This is the second time we have stayed in a Premier Inn recently and we are very impressed, for value for money they are hard to beat!

Tuesday 1 February

Took the BA flight to LA from Terminal 5. Its a long flight (11 hrs) but not too bad, certainly a much more enjoyable experience than our flight to Florida last year with Virgin Atlantic. The route took us over Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Bay before we dropped down to pass close to Calgary (although we didn't see it) and over the Blue Mountains. There was no cloud so we had a clear view of the ground and all we saw for several hours was snow and ice, even the sea was frozen! After we left Iceland we didn't see any significant signs of habitation until we were over Reno in Idaho.

We have been told that entry to LA can be an unpleasant experience, but we had no problems and we were able to get through Passport control and customs very quickly.

After we checked into our hotel, an Art Deco gem, we went out for a walk, watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean and had something to eat at a restaurant called the Blue Plate Oysterette. The restaurant was excellent, quirky but great fun!

Wednesday 2 February

We seem to be coping quite well with the jet lag.

After breakfast at the Hotel we decided to take a tour bus to get a better feel for the area. We went round Santa Monica, Brentwood (rather more up market than the one in Essex!), Beverley Hills and Hollywood. We love Santa Monica, it has a really nice atmosphere and we also enjoyed Beverley Hills (amazing shops on Rodeo Drive), but we were less impressed by some of what we saw in Hollywood. We wanted to walk along Hollywood Bv. to see the Walk of Fame but it turned out to be rather a tacky street and we were approached by people trying to sell us tour tickets every couple of yards which was very annoying. Can't image why stars are so keen to have their name there!

Note for Anna and Steve – the tour bus didn't take in Sherman Oaks so the commentary didn't point out where the Stevens family used to live!