Bob's 26th birthday dawned spectacularly and with my sunburn glowing we set off to run around the treaty grounds at Waitangi, up onto the golf course where the view of the bay allowed Bob to choose which cruise liner she would soon be joining as she was now over half way to her Saga membership. Eager to boost my man points I assembled the rather confusing wheel changing apparatus and spent a lovely 20 minutes swearing at the spare wheel until it eventually came ...

I was determined to watch the sun rise in the paradise which we had found and at 645 I headed out onto the pristine white sand, only to be greeted by the wall of cloud. This squashed all hope of a postcard sunrise but did make for a much less sweaty run along the shore. On my return a local fisherman pointed out the sacred burial caves of his forefathers high above him on the volcanic peak, a clear reminder of just how sacred this region is to the Maoris. The o...

Our first day without our surrogate parents, started well, waking to the sun rising across the raw beauty of Maturi Bay from under the norfolk pines. A pre-breakfast run took us steeply up the cliffs to the memorial to the Rainbow Warrior. Under the pretence of taking in the amazing cliff top vista we caught our breath before returning to the beach for an envigorating dip in the waves. Breakfast was a strange affair without Olivia and Isabelle so Bob took it upon...

After a restless night in very close proximity to the roof of the Enema I counted down to the alarm going off at 615 and the relief of being able to stand outside and be cooled by the morning breeze. A quick breakfast with the Georgettis and then to the pier where we boarded our cruise with Fi and the kids, Mark was pretending to be an MRI geek. The bay was beautiful and when we caught up with the Dolphins they did not disappoint! Watching the baby of the group...

The first night in the camper was an experience enough in itself, without having to battle with bloody mosquitos, however it was suitably atmospheric watching the sun come up between the headrests whilst trying to unstick myself from the partially deflated air bed. Bob and I enjoyed an envigorating early morning jog along the seafront returning to find Mark brandishing a huge grin and a paper detailing England's cricketing woes. He also announced his intentions...