The Travelling Bee

Slowly making my way inland toward Taupo where I'll be staying with Lee. I left New Plymouth still dehydrated I think. I was drinking and carrying a lot of water but it takes at least a day for your body to absorb it so I've been told. I think the satnav on my phone took … Continue reading New Zealand – A Good Meeting

Its huge it dominates the skyline and then it can completely disappear in a puff of cloud! Mount Taranaki, a sleeping volcano surrounded by deep fertile loam. Its last a eruption was in the 1700s. It has its own climate which affects the surround area. The weather cleared and today I walked in the volcano … Continue reading New Zealand – Found Missing Volcano

I have not had a huge amount to write about so your going to get a couple of days lumped onto one. I travelled on the ferry to the North Island leaving the Snail on the rail deck, something I never considered before train carriages on a ferry but clearly it happens! The views where … Continue reading New Zealand – Missing One Volcano

The Snail was packed, I had a breakfast of half a tin of sweetcorn and an apple. Well I didn't want to waste it, it was all I had left! I had a plan for a proper breakfast in Oxford on my way North. I am cooking for myself where I can and making sandwiches … Continue reading New Zealand – North to the Sun

Yesterday I picked up a couple of Hitchhikers.............! Ok I can hear you shouting from here! So when you all stop telling me how dangerous that is, I'll explain what happened. I decided to visit the Moeraki Boulders and its a three hour drive from Mount Hutt. I got up fairly early, it felt like … Continue reading New Zealand – Hitchhikers Guide to Boulders

A really quick post for the benefit of Maria, Sue and Julie. The singing has been really lacking on this trip unlike Lanzarote. All that changed today! Almost on a par with the singing chefs at Playa Blanca! I had a meal with other timeshare owners tonight in the Restaurant at Mount Hutt. It was … Continue reading New Zealand – Singing at last

Stop press! My dad has identified the gulls in the North to South blog as Black Billed Gulls and the fantail as a grey fantail in Australia (and it's called pied Fantail in New Zealand!) The weather has been a little mixed and yesterday I had a day where where I visited the small tourist … Continue reading New Zealand – Rakaia Gorge Walk

Lee if you are reading this, stop! My secret mission involves you. I wanted to see if I could get near to Mount Sunday via a road. Why? Because that's where Edoras was filmed in Lord of the Rings. Well I was not prepared, I should have filled up the car and set off earlier. … Continue reading New Zealand – Not So Secret Mission

I took a look at my map and decided I would do a two hour walk but found myself sidetracked by an arboretum just north of the power station. Lake Coleridge is deep lake high in the Mountains, it had no natural outflow so of course it makes a great source for hydro power. As … Continue reading New Zealand – Lake Coleridge or not!

Look at the Rakia River on my last post and look a today. Its doubled in size very much faster and milky in appearance. It rained on the mountains yesterday and today. After having a day of rest, yesterday I went out to explore and I'm pleased to say my fitness has returned. I went … Continue reading New Zealand – Washpen Falls