New Zealand. Why not?

I am now in the real capital of NZ, Auckland (shh... don't let the wellingtonians hear you say that). It's been a busy couple of weeks hence the lack of blogging...so prepare yourselves for a mammmoth entry.

After leaving Wellington I drove north up to Tongariro, a stunning national park which is home to three volcanoes, including the iconic Mount Ngarahoe which was Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings...

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I stayed in the little town of Ohakune (carrot capital of NZ don't you know?!) and drove to Whakapapa where I did a tough walk to see the crystal clear Tama lakes. The walk was hard work but worth it for the beautiful views. I met quite a few people along the way who seemed concerned that I was walking alone! From there I continued north to Lake Taupo. It's a pretty lake (and the largest in NZ) but I wasn't a big fan of the town. Can't explain why but I didn't feel completely at ease there - not helped by a sign in a CAR PARK that read 'we advise that you do not leave your car here unattended'! I did, however, and went sailing in a wonderful old yacht called Barbary which is rumoured to have once been owned by Errol Flynn (not sure how true that is - the captain didn't seem too convinced but who am I to let lack of evidence stand in the way of a good story)? On the trip I met a lovely Italian girl, Francesca, who I invited to come with me to Rotorua that afternoon. We explored the famous bubbling and steaming volcanic landscape, really atmospheric - I felt as though I were an extra in Macbeth - or maybe one of the witches!? Hubble bubble, toil and trouble... I also visited some more thermal baths and had my first ice-cream of my entire trip. I'm just trying to think if that's true... I think it is!

I spent last weekend with Tom and Moira, a couple I met in Arusha, Tanzania at the beginning of my trip. They live in Hamilton, a town famous for nothing much apart from being the home of the guy who created the Rocky Horror Show. It was lovely to meet up with Tom and Moira, and I got to meet lots of their friends too and sample more NZ wine :) Near Hamilton is Matamata, the village where they filmed a lot of the Hobbiton scenes for Lordo. I decided against doing a tour, but did drive by to see if I could prise any information about the new Hobbit movie which starts filming soon. They were very tight-lipped, and if you do the tour they make you sign a disclaimer saying what you see is a secret!

After my weekend with Tom and Moira, I met up again with Francesca and we spent the last week exploring the Coromandel and northland (the bit above Auckland on your map). I love travelling alone, but it's always nice to meet people and it was a pleasure to travel with Francesca for a few days. We went to the beautiful Bay of Islands and did another boat trip, this time to see the Hole in the Rock - a natural arch caused by millions of years of erosion. Pretty cool - especially when they boat drove through it! We also saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins who decided to hitch a lift under the boat - got some great pics (I'm pretty indifferent about most animals but Linzi and Rachel can vouch for the fact that dolphins hold a special place in my heart). Although I did meet some sphinx cats the other day who I really fell in love with :)

We stopped at the little town of Russell - once known as the hell hole of the south pacific as sailors used to stop there, get drunk and patronise the many brothels - but which is now very quaint. Then we caught the 'Happy Ferry' with a decidedly unhappy captain, back to Paihia. From the Bay of Islands Francesca and I drove all the way to Cape Reinga at the tip of the north island, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman sea.

We arrived as the sun was setting, and the clouds were doing some weird and wonderful things. We sat on a hill with this amazing vista in front of us, and had a bit of a spiritual moment. This site is sacred to the Maori who believe that when the soul leaves the body it travels here to fly away. There was definitely something in the air...

I am now in Auckland, staying with Daren and Abbie - a lovely couple who I met at a wedding in Essex a couple of years ago. They have very kindly let me stay at their beautiful house, and even shown me around and taken me sailing in the harbour. That was a real treat - we had some beers and watched the sun set. A pretty special experience.

So... that's my NZ adventure nearly done and dusted! I am off to have some drinks with Daren, Abbie and various friends this afternoon, and then flying to LA tomorrow. I knew I would love NZ - it has everything I need in a country, and would move here tomorrow if I didn't miss my family, friends, and dare I say it - England, quite so much. It's over 10 months since I left home and although I've had the most incredible time, am looking forward to coming home.