We got up early because I wanted to do the Hobbiton tour, and it would take 3 hours which was a substantial chunk of the day. We arrived at Matamata 5 minutes before the i­­-Site (tourist information office) opened. I was first to the counter and bought my ticket for the 9:30 tour. Brett was not interested in this tour, so I tasked him with resolving our internet issue. The Hobbiton tour was really good, and included a beer at the Green Dragon, so I was feeli...

It was raining again this morning. The last forecast I had read said that the rain would persist until Wednesday. We packed up our camp and left in the miserable weather. I had hoped to do some birdwatching in the area, but didn't really want to get soaked. As we drove south along the Firth of Thames, we noticed that the clouds ended in a clear line to the south. As we drove further we noticed that the line was moving north. We rounded the bottom of the firth ...

We checked out of the hotel at 8:30, and walked down Shortland St (Brett couldn't find a hospital there despite looking very hard) to Queen St, where an Airport Bus was waiting. We jumped on and started the rather tedious drive in the pouring rain to the airport. Once we got to the airport, we walked over to the complimentary bus to the motorhome depot, only to find it had thrown a belt and was not going anywhere. After a short wait, a mechanic turned up with a...

Relaxing start to the day today, because the Museum of Transport and Technology doesn't open until 10am, and it should not take too long to get there. We walked through the campus of Auckland University, which contains many beautiful buildings and gardens. After a short wait at the bus stop, the yellow "Outer loop" bus turned up. The fare was $9.00 for the two of us, and I apologised to the driver for only being able to offer him a twenty dollar note. My change...

Our starting point today was the Auckland docks. While eating breakfast at a cafe, we watched a RORO ship pack up after unloading its cargo. Trucks were leaving carrying a variety of cars. We crossed the road after leaving the cafe and had a close look. Some quite unfamiliar badges. This unfamiliarity with the cars was a new experience for me, I am taking lots of photos of cars and their badges. We continued along a beautiful old steel fence painted a bright an...