Middle Earth

We are now staying by the crater of the most recent significant volanco expolsion in the last 5000 yrs. Lake Taupo is huge and surrounded by a variety of geothermal activity. Garry is in his element! We are camping at a thermal spa resort on the edge of Taupo. We have seen mud pools, steaming craters, geysers and natural spa pools by the side of the road.

In Rotorua we cooked a hangi for 2 nights - food cooked in natural steam and soaked in the campsites natrual spa pools until we were satisfactorily pruned. In Waitomo we went blackwater rafting - travelling through a cave on a rubber ring. Glow worms were amazing!

The first photo is of Cathedral Cove, Coromadel. (The waves were so strong here that garry cut his lip open after being thrown to the bottom of the ocean and I grazed my knee.) The secondis of a natural spa pool in Rotaroa.

Knackerpuna'rd in Takapuna

Well here we are back in Aukland after a week in Northland. We camped on an amazing beach and tramped through amazing coastal scenery. (You can just see our tent in the background of the first picture). This is near Cape Reinga - the far north of the island where the Maoris believe their soals depart for to the afterlife.

We have sandboarded down a 50 ft sand dune and got drenched to the bone in a freak storm (tent held up tho').

We are currently staying with friends in the city and leave for Coromandal tomorrow. Having a great time and loving every minute in New Zealand.