So we've been in New Zealand for nearly 2 weeks and have settled in well. We're working, for our room and food, in a B&B in a small town called Warkworth about 40 mins drive north of Auckland. It's an extremely scenic area with lush green rolling hills and numerous parks to explore and long sandy beaches to chill out on (once the frigging weather decides to play ball and just BE SUNNY!) Our hosts, Liz and Geoff, are extremely nice and generous. They've let us use their Fiat Punto to get around, at least until we get our own wheels (watch this space). This did lead to a memorable outing where said car broke down on us and thus requiring Geoff to rescue us from the side of the road. Not the scenic picnic at Pakiri beach we had planned but tasty never the less. It does mean though that Dom's had the chance to drive Geoff's Beaut of a Ute (utility van)... Very manly he felt too!

Staying with a family has been a really good way of settling in to life in New Zealand. We've had plenty of advice from Liz and Geoff about where to go and what to do and also from Sonja, a very knowledgable German lady who is also working at the lodge and knows the place like the back of her hand. We were taken on a whistle stop tour of the area almost immediately on our arrival at the lodge, this made us feel welcome, settled and excited. At the lodge we're working four days and have three days off. We are mainly cleaning rooms, changing beds, ironing etc but we have begun re-painting the white picket fence and most of the surrounding floor.

So far we've visited Wenderholm Regional Park where we were being followed by a bird who must have been related to R2D2. Had an early evening stroll along Omaha Beach where i'm dying to spend a day sunbathing on the white sand. On Wednesday evening we attended a local wine tasting. Now, i would like to say this was a sophisticated evening but after testing (necking) numerous wines we ended up in the lodge's hot tub till the early hours of the morning with a Canadian girl, Vanessa and Aaron a local kiwi. I've been sampling the NZ Feijoa (also known as pineapple guava) wine, would be rude not too, right? Apparently just drinking one bottle can erase your memory of the previous evening and after Wednesday night I would probably agree. We've both tried oysters for the first time! I would say delicious but that would be lying. Edible, yes. Last night we went to the local, boutique, 3 screen cinema to see Submarine. The cinema is awesome and has won 'NZ best indie cinema' award. Each of the screens are unique; one has a massive chandelier dangling from the celing, another covered in yellow roses and the one we sat in was drapped in luxurious fabrics. Swit swoo! We got up a 4.30am one morning to go with Sonja to see the sunrise but unfortunately it was a tad too cloudy.

I don't think there has been a day yet where we have walked down the street and not spoken to a stranger. The people who say Kiwi's are the friendliest people are very true. We're hoping this time next week we shall own our very own campervan, or should i say love wagon, to bomb our way around. All we need now is a good old Kiwi barbie!