You might all be pleased to know that in Wellington right now it is raining. Heavily. Thus the decision to sit inside and update the blog.

Since the last edition we both enjoyed a simply brilliant last four days in Auckland, a city we weren't too sure about to begin with, but ended up loving by the end. Once we had decided to leave for Rotorua on the Sunday and purchased the required coach tickets we ended up relaxing a lot more, got in some beers and started to do something neither of us thought we would ever do. Befriend a bunch of Germans. By last Thursday one Lutz Heukelbach had even managed to persuade us both to purchase tickets to a concert. So on Friday night along with three German mates, we found ourselves stood in the Hikuwai Plaza at AUT University watching our first live New Zealand band, Katchafire! It was most Excellent, as were the lovely little bars we were shown following the concert. Though we may need to work on our Salsa dancing before we show our faces in 'The Mexican Café' again.

The following day, with the help of one very friendly Kiwi we had met at the concert, we got a last taste of Auckland through a wonderful French market and a lovely tour of Devonport which despite being a bit chilly also included our first beach of the 'holiday'. That night we sat around, had a few drinks and said a few goodbyes.

The following morning we set sail (in a bus) for Rotorua. Our first taste of rural New Zealand was of abject disappointment. The place, though admittedly on a Sunday, was deserted. Closed shop fronts, empty car parks, the faint sound a passing truck on some distant motorway. Had tumbleweed blown across our paths I doubt either of us would have batted an eyelid. Rotorua is also apparently a city; something we still believe is completely made up. To make matters worse the place stunk. Rotorua is an area of great thermal activity and all the sulphur hanging in the air gives the place a less than charming odour l'rotten egg.

So the next day we did the only thing we could think to do and leave the town. We spent a brilliant day hiking for eight hours in the artificial Whakarewarewa forest (the 'wh' is pronounced as 'f'). This forest happened to be over a five hundred odd metre tall 'mountain' and it also turned out to be by far to be the hottest day of the 'holiday' to this point.

With all the best attractions in the area requiring actual money and with our plans to go fruit picking shelved for the time being, café work beckoned. Thus our arrival in Wellington two days ago. Though the weather hasn't treated us well since we arrived here (they do wet and windy very very well), we are now going to endeavor to attain us some bar/café/shop work before we head anywhere else.

Now, back out into the wind and the rain we go.

Matt