Friday 1 April, Wellington to Auckland Check-in for the Northern Explorer train was 7.30am. Our apartment was a few minutes from the station, but with all our bags we had to order two cabs. On board, the carriage was identical to the Kiwi Rail train we took in the South Island, which should have come as no surprise. We leave just before 8.00am and are due to arrive in Auckland by 7.00pm, an eleven hour 646km journey. An informative commentary over the earphones,...

Wednesday 30 March, Wellington Te Papa Museum We have two full days in Wellington to get to know the city, so like good tourists we make our way to the city's Visitor Information Centre. They are horrified at the "ancient and out of date" city map we were given by Quest Apartments, bin them and replace them with nice new ones. They also indicate where the main night life and restaurant district is, around the Cuba Street pedestrian precinct. First up though, we...

Tuesday 29 March, Wairau Valley to Picturesque Picton to Windy Wellington Up at 6.00am in the chilly dark for an early breakfast. Not sure we needed to be up quite so early as the trip to the ferry should take less than an hour, but... By the time we leave Wai Natur it is light and we drive through the lines of grape vines as people leave home for work, school etc. Gromit takes us around Blenheim and we drive north to the little coastal town of Picton which inc...

Easter Monday 28 March, Suz's Birthday Tour with Captain Colin Today is a special day for Suz, her birthday, and so Captain Colin has volunteered to drive today on a tour of the Marlborough wine region, including a nice lunch. The first stop is at a chocolate factory, Makana Confections, which actually does not take long to inspect. Perhaps the ladies were not too impressed. Just across the road is the St Clair Family Estate, Vineyard Kitchen where coffee was a...

Easter Sunday 27 March, Day Off in Wairau Valley. Kathy & Tony are taking it easy today and sit around the heated pool enjoying the sunshine and 25°C. A good opportunity to catch up with postcards etc. The afternoon is equally relaxed but we take a stroll up the road, past the tavern, to the old church which has some interesting headstones. Some are sad, documenting drownings or early childhood deaths, but many others had a good innings. The lavender a...