Friday 30^th January

Drove south from Rotorua to Waimangu volcanic valley. Spectacular lakes of steaming water in craters formed by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera. Walked down to lake Tarawera and thankfully caught bus back up.

Tried to find visitor centre for Geothermal energy plant north of Taupo, but it had disappeared so lunched at Huka falls. Then drove over forested and increasingly dessicated land to the Pacific coast at Napier. Here there are lots of vineyards as it is part of the Hawkes Bay area.

Found Napier prison after a bit of a struggle and became inmates. The room ( former cell) has bars at the window and a padlock on the door.

Went walking into Napier. The town was flattened by an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt in the style of the time, art deco. However, possibly as they were a bit concerned about safety, none of the buildings are above 2 stories, so although much of the art deco style is intact, it completely lacks the scale and proportions, say, of Miami Beach.

The town was largely closed, no-one about, and we failed to find a decent restaurant so ended up on the beach with fish and chips and and admiring squadron of gulls.

Saturday 31^st January

Travel to Wellington. Uneventful journey mostly along a plain parallel to a range of mountains topped by clouds. Stopped at small winery to buy a bottle.

From observations made on this trip so far, we are of the opinion that New Zealanders really like sheds. They like them so much that lots of them live in them and call them houses. They are often quite pretty to look at and neatly cared for, but are basically just small wooden sheds with corrugated roofs usually crammed together in tiny plots along the roadside. We haven't as yet discovered why, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of land. It must be a cultural preference.

After accidentally leaving Wellington soon after entering it, we found the hotel easily on the second pass. Walked to the cable car and rode up to the Botanic Gardens above the city. Great gardens and lovely walk down clearly marked all the way.

Rotorua

Tuesday 27^th January

Breakfast at the Millenium Copthorne brings an exciting discovery. The Vegemite is imported for some reason from Australia, and it tastes almost identical to Marmite. Now I know my dwindling Marmite supply only has to last through New Zealand.

On the road at 8.30 and heading southwards, but decided on small detour to Kawakawa to go to the toilets. Not any old loo's these, but designed by an artistic Austrian immigrant called Hundertwasser and built to his design by the local community on the high street in 1997. They are completely conventional in function, but set in a phantasmagoria of angular and rounded ceramics, bottles and other found objects which have been assembled with great craft and in such style that they are a joy to see and use.

Despite a favourable weather forecast, we encountered a lot of rain as we drove south of Auckland but it doesn't matter as it is a travelling day.

Stopped to buy supplies at Matamata. Walk round the bustling market town looking for a supermarket and eventually stop at a cafe where I ask the guy behind the till whether there is a supermarket in the town. He gives a look as one pitying a fool and points behind him through the open back door to the supermarket backing onto the property.

Onwards through strange volcanic landscapes to Lake Rotorua and after some debate around the northern margin and along by lake Rotoiti. The road we are looking for turns out to be an unmetalled forestry track which weaves its way dustily down towards the lake and our next stop.

We are welcomed heartily by Graeme and Raewyn and shown to a detached modern studio by the lakeside. The whole frontage is high glass folding sliding doors so the entire front can be open to the lake.

Graeme explains the house numbering system in New Zealand as Christine asks why if this is number 173 and the first house on the road, what happened to the preceding 172 houses? Apparently, the numbering in rural areas goes by distance in tens of metres from the start of each road, so anyone can find an address easily just by using their odometer. This place is the first house but 1730 metres from the start of the road.

He also explains we are free to use the kayaks, life jackets and paddles to explore the lake. The drive down from Pahia was 516 kilometres, longest so far.

Wednesday 28^th January

Kayaking. We donned life jackets and set sail among black ( sorry, indigenous) swans and dragonflies. Our first experimental trip was across the bay to see the geothermal springs welling up at the edges of the lake. Then we became bolder and paddled 2 kilometres eastwards following the south shore to the Manupirua thermal baths, stopping at Hot Water beach to dig a hole in the sand with our paddles which filled with water at about 36 degrees Centigrade. The baths can only be reached by boat, there is no road or track. There are several open air baths ranging from about 36 to 39 degrees Centigrade, shaded by trees and with superb views over the lake. They also provided a shady picnic table which was handy as we had tied a bag of provisions to one kayak.

After recovering from the return journey, drove into Rotorua itself and strolled through the Government Gardens and along a walk by the lake shore. This was fascinating, sulphur was being deposited around fumaroles in both yellow and black allotropes. Some vents contained boiling mud, others hissed as steam spouted into the air. Still others gurgled as the waters churned around within them. The whole place stank of hydrogen sulphide and the lake water was turbid with suspended sulphur particles. Not a pretty place, however, as the siliceous deposition from the waters, called sinter, has many of the properties and much of the appearance of dumped concrete.

Back home to witness superb sunset across lake, framed by silhouetted fern trees. As we returned along the dusty track we saw steam billowing from a vent that we hadn't noticed before.

Thursday 29^th January

Christine's 60^th birthday. Thanks to all who sent cards and Em who also contributed ice cream money!

Went kayaking around the bay. Tried to hard boil eggs in a geothermal spring but only managed to soft boil them. Found a hot water stream where if you trod at the side and your foot sank into the sand, it became too hot to stand.

Drove to Te Puia at Whakareware near Rotorua, or to give it its full name, Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao, meaning the gathering place of the war parties of Wahiao. We think the Maori language may be related to Welsh, One highlight was a nocturnal house containing a pair of Kiwi birds scampering around in the gloom. Because they are related to ostriches and emus, the egg of the female bird is so large it occupies 70% of her body volume. Bet she is glad when she's laid that!

The other highlight was the pair of geysers. Especially the larger one imaginatively entitled Pohutu which translates as 'Big Splash'. It plumed boiling water and steam 20m high into the sky for us.

Back for a birthday barbecue which entailed finding out how to work the gas barbecue as we had never used one before.

Hokianga and Pahia – a tale of two harbours

Sat 24^th January

Drove across country to Dargaville then northwards to Kai Iwi lakes. These are unlike any lakes we have ever seen before, being situated in giant sand dunes far from and high above the present sea. They are not fed by rivers, just rainfall. The sides are forested in pine and the water is quite warm ( although not as warm as Fiji). Swam then had a picnic lunch under the trees.

Drove northwards to the Waipoua Forest where we first walked along an impressive boardwalk to see the second largest Kauri tree, Te Matua Ngahere or 'Father of theForest' , a very impressive trunk with sizeable trees growing on top of it. Then a few kilometres on to see the largest tree. This is the only tree we have ever seen that actually figures in a nation's cosmogony. Tane Mahuta or 'Lord of the Forest' has pride of place in Maori creation beliefs.

Then on to Hokianga harbour, and an unbelievable view across the ria inlet to a sand dune which must be 300m high, and forested on its landward face.

Found the motor lodge at Rawene easily. Campsite lady gave us a map to walk around the town including a boardwalk above the mangrove swamp near the headland. Stopped at he masonic hotel for a pint then walked back to the campsite.

The views over the inlets to the hills and mountains beyond were stupendous, and the whole place very untouched by either development or tourism.

Sunday 25^th January

Along unmetalled road to Waiere boulders. Greeted by wild woman wearing a hat who turned out to be a Swiss who had gone native. She told us, among other things, that we were quite safe with the Maori thanks to British cuisine. Apparently the Maori did not eat British people because their flesh was too salty. This was because during the long sea voyage, food was preserved in brine or salted and that made our flesh unpalatable to their taste.

The boulders themselves were enigmatic, basalt that looked as though it had weathered like limestone with rills and fluted surfaces. The bush walks were very pleasant however, and the whole place tended with care.

Then onward accidentally on more dirt roads until we hit the main highway. Reached Pahia early afternoon and checked in to the Copthorne Hotel. After playing in the pool we walked into town and ate superb fish and chips at Vinnies by the Bay of Islands.

Monday 26^th January

Caught courtesy bus into town, then ferry to Russell on the other side of the bay. Walked over the headland to a beautiful bay the other side with views out to even more islands. Ferry back to Pahia then back to laze at the hotel.

The Bay of Islands, although geographically similar except being on the Pacific coast rather than the Tasman Sea, is very commercialised with every type of water activity available. The scenery is less spectacular than Hokianga, which we didn't expect. Nice to have a few nights of pampering in a higher class hotel though.  

Auckland

Tuesday 20^th Jan

Up at the crack of dawn in the Raffles Gateway Hotel opposite the airport at Nadi. Smooth flight to Auckland except the check-in girl had a different seating plan to the actual aircraft so our seats didn't turn out to be window and aisle seats after all.

Took the bus down to the centre and only a short walk to the hotel. Probably the most basic we are going to stay in but clean, serviceable and with kitchen and washing facilities in the basement.

Went for a walk around Auckland, quite attractive centre dominated by the Toronto-like sky tower which fills our view through the window at night like an alien spaceship.

Went hunting for Ponsonby pies in Ponsonby, but couldn't find any. Weather should be good tomorrow so booked boat trip to Tiritiri Matangi island.

Wednesday 21^st January

Up at the crack of dawn again to walk down to pier 4 at the waterfront. Lovely day. 2Hr ride to Tiritiri Mahangi island on catamaran. Followed guided walk with botanist who could recognise most New Zealand flora. Just as well as it mostly looks the same. He says the flowers in new Zealand native species are delicate and understated and not as the rest of the world terms them, nondescript.

It seems that the flora which evolved without the need to protect itself from browsing mammals did not need to develop protective measures, so there are no prickles, stings or spines. The term 'mostly harmless' applies here.

The birds were difficult as all had unfamiliar names which were easy to forget. The most spectacular, however, was a semi-tame Takahe called Greg. This was a flightless bird about the size of a turkey who strutted imperiously around the visitor centre looking for unguarded sandwiches. Christine attracted him by languidly holding a sandwich at bird level, but then smartly raising it as the bird got close.

Smooth ride back to Auckland and a Guinness. The beer on Fiji was good, but haven't yet discovered a decent kiwi one yet.

Thursday 22^nd January

Lazy day. Walked to Auckland museum. Fine display of geology. Most impressive reconstruction of the now extinct moa, a flightless bird up to 10 feet tall. Walked back via parks and Art gallery. Must pack now as we pick up car early tomorrow to head northwards to Whangarei.

Impressions of Auckland

Auckland is a very easy city to live in. I expected not to like it because it sprawls over such an area, but in fact it is very likeable, laid back and seems confident of its own future.

We've found that the New Zealanders pronounce the 'e' sound as an 'i' sound. This has meant that we ask for half a dozen items rather than asking for six, for fear of misinterpretation.

After some initial failures, have discovered Lion Red beer is an excellent drink.

Fiji

Saturday 10^th January

Caught the complimentary shuttle to the local mall, which turned out to be a large modern department store in the style of a DIY shed, to buy a few clothes and shoes. Then to LA airport which has been cunningly re-designed to resemble something you might find in a third world country in both form and function.

After boarding the pride of the Fijian national airline, the pilot announced he couldn't get the cargo door to shut, and he was about to power down the 747's electrics. Obviously the Microsoft solution was to reboot the plane. Surprisingly, this technique didn't work any of the three times he tried it, and he resorted to getting an engineer to threaten the recalcitrant door with a spanner. The door promptly shut although we did fear it might then sulk and not re-open the other end.

Sunday 11^th January

This was the shortest day of our lives. We crossed the equator at about midnight local time, and six hours later the International Date Line. The time immediately changed to 05:00 on Monday, so our Sunday was only six hours long.

Monday 12^th Januray

Landing safely in Nandi, we soon found Dan the tranport man who drove us to an idyllic harbourage about 10 miles away to wait for our boat to Waya Island. It was lucky, he explained, that we hadn't chosen to stay at the first place we had contemplated on the mainland as the only road round the south of Fiji had been washed away the previous day.

We boarded a small launch together with another couple and a ton of provisions. We were expecting a gentle ferry ride but as soon as we hit open water we realised this was going to be no ordinary trip. Waya Island is 27 miles NW of Nandi, across the Pacific Ocean which was mis-named for today. The boat sailed over the crests of the waves and dropped like a stone into the following troughs.It was like riding a continuous series of log flumes. We all hung onto the sturdy seat handrails with teeth and fingers clenched. A Fijian lady behind us just lay on a bench seat and went to sleep.

After 2 hours of bone jolting and a tentative rescue mission to a native boat that looked in trouble but wasn't, we arrived at Waya Island. We had expected to see a jetty, but instead a small skiff came out to meet us. We thought we were definitely in for a soaking here, but were expertly guided onto the skiff by the Fijian crew. To get to shore meant racing through a narrow breach in the coral reef, turning the boat between waves so it didn't get swamped, and beaching it stern first onto the sand. They had obviously done this before even if we hadn't.

After lunch in the communal open sided dining hall, we set off for the local native village. The land the resort is on is owned by the village, who also provide almost all of the personnel. There are no roads on the island and only a few footpaths as all transport is by sea. The steep track was very muddy due to the recent rains, augmented by pig poo from the animals retained by wooden fencing at the sides. The only way to proceed was by taking off footwear and squelching and sliding barefoot through the smelly morass. Luckily a nice Fijian lady who lived in the village and had better footing than us helped Christine and saved her from seating herself in the mud.

When we reached the village, somewhat muddy and bedraggled by rain, we were given a tour and invited to a Kava ceremony. Unfortunately, the village was Wesleyan and instead of a welcome drink of alcohol, the dried roots of a Pepper Tree were pounded to dust which was then spooned into a bag resembling a dirty sock. This was steeped in cold water in a pot placed on the ground as we and the natives sat cross-legged on a woven grass mat on the floor of the village meeting house. For some reason I was designated 'chief' of the visitors. The contents of the bowl were then ceremoniously decanted into half coconuts which everyone had to down in one swallow amidst a chorus of clapping. Kava is described as a mild antiseptic drink with the consistency of mud and a not dissimilar taste. Luckily there were only a couple of rounds, as we had been warned that as the locals keep Fiji time which is notoriously subjective, rituals here can attain great length.

Then we were treated to a great display of dancing and singing. The ladies and children, probably about two dozen, sang as half a dozen grass skirted warriors danced threateningly close to us. They were obviously enjoying themselves hugely, and only reluctantly desisted to bring their goods in to lay out on the floor as a local craft market.

Purchasing done, we re-traced our slithers over the hill to our bure, a traditionally thatched but un-traditionally waterproof cottage.

Tuesday 13^th January

Walked along beach admiring corals, multitudes of scuttling hermit crabs and sea shells. Weather is worsening and all boats are cancelled tomorrow due to imminent tropical storm. Our resort has freezers with food supplies, but other islands are expected to be evacuated.

Wednesday 14^th

Indoors most of day, when lulls in the rain occur try to walk the beach, but retreat. Heavy seas battering surf and possibly two feet of rain today. Not cold though.

Thursday 15^th

Boats still not running, but helicopter took a few people off. Weather slightly better. Walked across island to leeward side to try snorkelling, but too rough for us. I tried but had to retreat with cramp. Christine didn't because of the conditions, but met a nice Fijian lady who took her mango and paw-paw picking in the next bay.

Friday 16^th

Beautiful weather but sea still a little rough. Snorkelled briefly to reef. Like swimming in an aquarium. Boats take lots of people off, but no-one arrives.

Evening brings beautiful sunset and meke, a Fijian song and dance show by the resort staff.

Saturday 17^th

Awoke to heavy rain again, but clearing. Some rain during day but clears to a magnificent sunset.

Sunday 18^th

Tramped across island to attend Sunday church service. Magnificent choir of about 30, approximately a tenth of the population. Several hours of rhetorical haranguing in Fijian by preachers wearing jackets and ties, apparently on the virtues of attending church and the perils of not doing so.

Monday 19^th

Dawned fine. Going to catch the Yasawa Flier at 3pm but don't need to vacate the bure because no-one coming in. Beautiful calm trip to Denerau island terminal. Bus ride through Nadi where some areas had been flooded to about 8 feet.

Dinner was an unusual dish of fish and cabbage ( probably pak choi) with an unappetizing looking grey root vegetable called lalo which tasted similar to potato, although Christine thought it tasted similar to lilo. Despite coils of mosquito repellent burning throughout the restaurant, it was debatable as to who was the diner and who the dined upon.

The Raffles Gateway hotel was the only one to supply a can of cockroach killer in the bedroom, and we needed it.

Impressions of Octopus resort

The Octopus resort is run with the co-operation of the local village who own the land. All the staff are local villagers, and are kind, attentive and happy. Proceeds from many activities are channelled back to the village to fund development and education of the children. It is a symbiotic relationship which works extremely well.

The atmosphere of the place is unhurried and relaxing, but with plenty of activities for those who want them. We saw the management at a time of stress, and throughout they coped with friendliness and humour. It takes a lot of experience to maintain an atmosphere of calm organization without the management being apparent.

The food was excellent and beautifully presented, accompanied in the evening by hauntingly melodic Fijian singing. As rain had got into the lighting electrics in the dining area, evening meals were lit by hurricane lamp light, and people remained at the tables chatting for hours after the meals had finished.

Santa Monica

In order to get used to our new senior citizen status, we went by bus to Santa Monica yesterday. The busses were very efficient and quite fun. We spent the day walking around the town, on the Pacific beach and watching fishermen and pelicans compete for fish around the pier. The result was pelicans 3, fishermen 0.

LA

Uneventful flight to LA, except cloud broke over Hudson Bay revealing a fantastic icescape and later we also flew over the Grand Canyon. Settled wearily but happily into hotel.

The itinerary

To celebrate our 60th birthdays, we are travelling on 8th January 2009 from Heathrow via Los Angeles to Fiji, then North and South Islands New Zealand, then South East Australia, then Queensland Australia, then Bali, then Hong Kong.

Return to London is booked for April 1st, when we should complete our circumnavigation of the world.