I really would have loved to spend much longer in the Bay of Islands - especially after we spent the morning cruising around some of the very pretty islands. My favourite place was Otehie Bay on the Island of Uropukapuka - so incredibly pretty and with the most amazing views. However, the very strong winds meant the swell was pretty high and certainly made for an interesting boat trip - and a few not-very-happy tummies (thankfully not mine!). Back to Auckland an...

We arrived in Auckland very early Monday morning - 4.45am local time - and, after a quick shower, quickly embarked on exploring the city's harbour. I had (foolishly!) thought that I might just get the opportunity to grab a couple of hours sleep on our arrival but, as our hotel room wasn't ready, we thought we may as well just dig our summer clothes out of our suitcases and head out and explore. As a result, by 9am, we were already enjoying what I think was probab...

The first 3 days of our trip have been spent exploring the delights of Vancouver. Initally I'd been thinking of this part of the trip as a bit of a 'warm-up' to our main holiday in NZ but I've started to realise that, after months of burning the candle at both ends, really, this is really a much needed opportunity to 'wind-down' ... and Vancouver is proving to be the perfect place for that! My initial impression of the city was that was a little 'Sex In the City...

My first ever blog entry. Think I may be writing this more for me than for anyone who might happen to read it but, I have to admit, to feeling pretty excited about using the more creative part of my brain. A much needed - and well ovedue - workout! Just finished my packing and hoping I've done the task efficiently and effectively. I have never had the pleasure of being away on holiday for 5 weeks before or visiting such a variety of climates in one trip so packi...