Dolphins & Trees!

Hello All!

We left the big(ish) city of Auckland and the excellent hospitality of Amy and John (who could ask for more than a Sunday roast and an OK magazine on your bedside table!) first thing on Monday morning and headed North to the beautiful Bay of Islands. We had a night booked aboard The Rock - a fabulous overnight trip aboard a converted car ferry. Laura came second in the rubber duck air rifle shooting contest and caught a mackeral (Niall caught a sizeable snapper!) and we ate a delicious barbeque before heading out on a night kayak on the beautiful moon lit Pacific! The next day we awoke to beautiful views of the Island, a breakfast of Porridge and a Kayak to a remote Island where we were able to snorkel in a lagoon teeming with fish of all shapes and sizes. On returning to the Rock we spotted a little blue penguin fishing for its lunch.

The highlight, however was a pod of thirty dolphins that swam around the boat as the sun set. Babies included! They came so close Laura got a good squirt in the face from the blow hole of one! We also caught one playing with a fish (I dont think the fish was having much fun and the game ended badly for it!)

After disembarkation we drove to the nearby Harura falls and spent the night in a lodge. We then drove across the Northland to the opposit coast and magestic Kauri forest. We spent a couple of hours walking around and taking in the magestic trees and beautiful birds. We saw the 1st, 2nd and 7th largest trees! We then stayed in a small, remote and spartan lodge and Laura was reminded of her days in Ghana - spiders, powercuts and dirt!

We have today driven 300miles down the country, back through Auckland an on to the famous Waitomo caves which we will vist tomorrow. On our way we were able to take in a Kiwi House where we saw some Kiwis! They are indeed strange but wonderful birds - hald evolved into mammals and sadly severely endangered due to the European pests we have introduced - Laura has helped their cause by buiying some possum glove!!

Glow worms, lakes and moutains await and an update weill follow!

Laura, Niall & Ruff.