We seemed to be the first up in the morning - so had the place to ourselves whilst we ate b/fast. Weren't in a great hurry to leave such a nice BPs, but were ready to go, with all the morning jobs done, by 10am. Had a final chat with Ben & Katie, said our farewells, and left (sans L's soap dish!). Drove a short distance along the peninsula to the seal colony, to get up close & personal with a group of NZ fur seals. Afterwards, stopped at the roadside fo...

Tried to have a lie in, but M decided that she was bored, at 10 to 7, and started to jiggle about in the top bunk, and talk to herself! After a brief discussion with Daddy, we managed to stay quiet until ~8.30! Leisurely b/fast, then walked along the beach & into town, and eventually to the Whaleway Station! Good information film, pre-boarding, then a 20-30 min sail to where a whale had been spotted, earlier in the day. A bit of a swell, out to sea,, &a...

Alarm went off horribly early (at 6am) , but we were leaving the Holiday Park 15 mins later. Drove straight to the boarding area, bought a ticket, and were boarding an hour later. Chocolate chip & macadamia cookies and muffins for breakfast, once on board, as we left cloudy & windy Wellington, for the sunny South Island! Saw a dusky dolphin & 3 fairy penguins as we entered Queen Charlotte Sound - and snow capped mountains! Quick drive around Pic...

Relaxed start to the day - kids played in the park after b/fast while L did some washing & hung it out to dry. Nice sunny start to the day! Drove into Wellington & parked by the Botanical Gardens. Walked through the gardens, via another kids play area, to the cable car, with great views of the city and surrounding hills. Rode the cable car into the centre of the city & discovered a park with a great slide for the kids! Spent the day at Te Papa...

Usual morning routine, then headed south on SH1. Turned off the main road to find another LotR filming location at Waitare Forest. Drove through the small town, and onto the beach ("this beach is a road" - sign). One rapid U turn later, and we were parked on dry land & playing on the driftwood covered beach. On the way back to the car, saw a sign about the shipwreck of the Hyderbad, 1.8km south, along the beach. Lovely walk - found several nicely rounded pi...