Had a good trip across The Cook Strait, though it was a shame I was woken just after 2.30 by an announcement that we were underway. I was soon back asleep. Woke early enough to see us sailing through the amazing Totaranui, aka Queen Charlotte Sound, in moonlight. Today has probably been the hottest day since I arrived. Disembarked at 6.45, by which time the sun was just about making an appearance above the mountains. I headed west from Picton to Waikawa in ti...

Today was a gloriously sunny day from the start for my last day in the North Island. Having had no breakfast, I stopped off for a brunch in a bakery. Once I had got to Wellington and found somewhere to park, I wandered through the city to the cable car, which was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century to enable the city to expand to the new suburb of Kelburn. It climbs 120 metres in just 4 minutes and was hugely successful as it meant people could li...

In what is fast becoming a familiar story, today started somewhat dull weather wise, but at least it was dry and cleared up later. After breaking fast at Poppy's Cafe, I ventured south of Napier to Te Mata Peak. The road goes all the way to the summit and offers stunning 360° views, even when cloudy! I then continued my journey south until around lunchtime I stopped in Woodville for a delicious sausage roll from one of the many bakeries. Leaving Woodville, I ...

Another wet start to the day! I commenced with a short drive to Rere, to see another waterfall that I couldn't fit in yesterday. By the time I'd got there, the rain had stopped. However, despite the recent rain the falls were more dripping than flowing, but impressive non the less, and you could get right close to their bottom. Then a drive down the Pacific Coast towards Napier, and it started raining again. About halfway down it was lunch time so I stopped a...

Today dawned wet and dull, but that was ok as there was a lot of driving to do in the morning and it soon brightened up. I headed for Te Urwera National Park on the eastern side of the island. State Highway 38 crosses the park but is unsealed for about 100km, so makes for an interesting drive. In the centre of the park sits Lake Waikaremoana, which translates as sea of rippling water, and is an impressive sight. The are a number of short walks, some of which l...