On Friday we were up early and the skies had cleared, so we took a bus to the Sky Tower in the city centre. The city centre was eerily empty of traffic due to a large blockade of lorries in protest to the rising fuel prices... something we had come to expect in South America, not New Zealand! 
However, it caused us little problem with the bus dropping us off on the edge of the centre and only a short walk from the Sky Tower, where we bought our tickets and took an elevator 60 stories to the observation deck. At 328m high, the Sky Tower is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere and afforded fantastic views across the city and the Huaraki Gulf. Our timing couldn't have been better because no sooner had we left the Sky Tower, the clouds swept in and it poured with rain! We walked to the harbour and took a 10 minute ferry across Auckland harbour to Devonport, a pretty and very quaint small suburb with a distinctly English feel. 
By the time we arrived at Devonport harbour the rain had stopped and had been replaced with blue skies... marvellous luck! We walked to the North Head for some fantastic views across the city and after a wander around the pretty streets and a huge lunch we headed back across the ferry and returned home. That evening, we had a dinner party...cooked by us! Judith had invited 4 of her friends for dinner so we made a huge roast and had a fun sociable evening.
However, it caused us little problem with the bus dropping us off on the edge of the centre and only a short walk from the Sky Tower, where we bought our tickets and took an elevator 60 stories to the observation deck. At 328m high, the Sky Tower is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere and afforded fantastic views across the city and the Huaraki Gulf. Our timing couldn't have been better because no sooner had we left the Sky Tower, the clouds swept in and it poured with rain! We walked to the harbour and took a 10 minute ferry across Auckland harbour to Devonport, a pretty and very quaint small suburb with a distinctly English feel. 
By the time we arrived at Devonport harbour the rain had stopped and had been replaced with blue skies... marvellous luck! We walked to the North Head for some fantastic views across the city and after a wander around the pretty streets and a huge lunch we headed back across the ferry and returned home. That evening, we had a dinner party...cooked by us! Judith had invited 4 of her friends for dinner so we made a huge roast and had a fun sociable evening.
On Saturday, Judith took us out for a proper 'Kiwi' day. She really was very good to us and looked after us so well! We visited one of Judith's friends who had been with us on the Galapagos trip before heading across the harbour bridge to a small old theatre to see a local film called 'Second Hand Wedding'. In the afternoon we drove out to Muriwai, a tiny village situated on the west coast, some 40 minutes drive from Auckland. The weather was unbelievable... as we drove down towards the rugged coastline, we pulled over to admire the view. The wind was so strong it rocked the car and it hailed heavily. 
The Tasman Sea was white and swelling hugely... we all said we had never seen seas so rough! After a necessarily short walk on the black sand beach we headed back towards Auckland, stopping in a 'Bees Online', a working honey farm and coffee shop, where we (funnily enough) bought some honey and drank (surprisingly) hot honey and lemon! That night we went next door for dinner with Judith's sister and family, where we sat eating dinner watching the All Blacks play South Africa... it was a proper Kiwi night in!
The Tasman Sea was white and swelling hugely... we all said we had never seen seas so rough! After a necessarily short walk on the black sand beach we headed back towards Auckland, stopping in a 'Bees Online', a working honey farm and coffee shop, where we (funnily enough) bought some honey and drank (surprisingly) hot honey and lemon! That night we went next door for dinner with Judith's sister and family, where we sat eating dinner watching the All Blacks play South Africa... it was a proper Kiwi night in!
On Sunday morning we visited the Auckland museum and watched a Maori cultural performance. We left Judith's house after lunch armed with an old cool box that she had filled with food for us. We drove north for 3 hours through some scenic countryside (very green and reminiscent of England) to the small town of Paihia, situated on the north-east coast and the main gateway to the Bay of Islands. Along the way we stopped in at one of New Zealand's more bizarre sights, the toilets in Kawakawa, with a grass roof, cermaic tiles and bottle glass windows. They were designed by famous Austrian artist Frederick Hundertwasser, and well, they were erm... interesting! Everything here is reasonably quiet as it is winter and out of season so it was no problem to find accommodation in a 5 star hostel!
The following morning we took a cruise out around the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is a beautiful 16km natural harbour, and is peppered with over 150 islands. It is volcanic, very green and the water is crystal clear. We tou
red through the islands and headed out to Cape Brett and to the 'Hole-In-The-Rock', a large hole through one of the islands that has been etched by wind and waves, which was big enough to sail our boat through! On our return we stopped to watch 2 dolphins swimming near the boat and we were dropped off at the tiny remote village of Russell on th
e other side of the bay from Paihia where we sat eating our packed lunch overlooking the bay. 
Ash got attacked by seagulls after his sarnie! Russell was the first permanent settlement by Europeans and after 20 minutes we had walked the whole village so we took a small passenger ferry back across the bay. We picked up our car and drove a couple of kilometres to Waitangi where we saw the place where the Waitangi treaty was signed in 1840 (a historic moment that ensured peaceful living b
etween the resident English and the Maori people). We finished the day with a drive to Mt Bledisloe for views across the bay and visited the rather disappointing Haruru Falls (they were tiny!). All in all it was a busy day!On 
Tuesday, we cooked a massive bowl of porridge for breakfast to fend against the cold and then drove north to the small town of Kerikeri to visit an old grain Stonehouse, built in 1834 and the oldest building in New Zealand. The town is also famous for it's citrus fruit as it has a very good climate. The road into the town was dotted with many different farms all selling their fruit and so we stopped and bought some for our travels. We headed west across the island, stopping for our picnic lunc
h at a spot overlooking the large natural Hokianga Harbour and then joined the Kauri Coast 'Scenic Drive' which took us deep into Waipoua Forest, where some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in the country are preserved. We visited two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere,
which were simply enormous, and the Four Sisters, four Kauri trees that have grown close to each other with a wooden walkway around. The forest was very impressive. We had our flask of tea in the car park to warm up before heading out of the forest on a beautiful but very windy road, stopping at the Kauhi Kauri shop to pick up some souvenirs, a cheeseboard made of Kauri wood. We then drove 3 hours and had lovely views of the city
at dusk as we drove over the harbour bridge. Auckland is a beautifully positioned city. We are staying with Judith for the night to break up our journey before heading southeast tomorrow to Rotorua.
Tuesday, we cooked a massive bowl of porridge for breakfast to fend against the cold and then drove north to the small town of Kerikeri to visit an old grain Stonehouse, built in 1834 and the oldest building in New Zealand. The town is also famous for it's citrus fruit as it has a very good climate. The road into the town was dotted with many different farms all selling their fruit and so we stopped and bought some for our travels. We headed west across the island, stopping for our picnic lunc
h at a spot overlooking the large natural Hokianga Harbour and then joined the Kauri Coast 'Scenic Drive' which took us deep into Waipoua Forest, where some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in the country are preserved. We visited two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere,
which were simply enormous, and the Four Sisters, four Kauri trees that have grown close to each other with a wooden walkway around. The forest was very impressive. We had our flask of tea in the car park to warm up before heading out of the forest on a beautiful but very windy road, stopping at the Kauhi Kauri shop to pick up some souvenirs, a cheeseboard made of Kauri wood. We then drove 3 hours and had lovely views of the city
at dusk as we drove over the harbour bridge. Auckland is a beautifully positioned city. We are staying with Judith for the night to break up our journey before heading southeast tomorrow to Rotorua.
