So arrived in Paihia-not as touristy and horrible as I thought it would be. spent my first night settling in, then off exlporing on the second day.

My first stop was the Waitanga Treaty grounds; where the Maori's and the British signed a treaty giving us the right to rule over New Zealand, and protect the different tribes that had signed up to the treaty-over 500 or so did in the North Island alone. I had a look around the British governer's house (James Busby incase anyone is intersted) and then a look at some meeting house they built for the centenial celebration of the day.

I then got the passenger ferry (costing a whole $10) over to Russell, the place where the capital used to be before it went over to Auckland, then Wellington. They have the oldest church and oldest pub in the country here-but thats about it. It takes about ten minutes to walk around, have a coffee in the sun-which I did enjoy, then get the ferry back to Paihia.

After my tiring day I went to the local Beach Bar to sit and have a go at the quiz with a couple of people I had met in the hostel, we didn't win-not even close, but it was good fun. Am gutted that it's too windy to dive the Poor Knight Islands at the minute but that's the way things go sometimes...hope there's better diving down south!