Day 85 : Bay of Islands

Woke up early to on a cruise around the bay. The weather was still pretty stormy which didn't bode well for our dolphin swim. The cruise took us on a 3 hour tour and although we saw a few bottlenose dolphins, swimming with them wasn’t an option (fortunately we should get another chance when we get to Kaikoura in the south). We battled the weather and made it out to the most famous island – the hole in the rock – and rough seas resulted in a few seasick passengers. Coming from Fiji, we found the islands were a little underwhelming.

In the afternoon we continued North to Ahipara at the southern tip of 90 mile beach where we’re camped up in a nice holiday park (so we can charge the battery in the van).

Day 84 : Auckland to the Bay of Islands

We left a wet and windy Auckland behind and drove north-west up towards the Bay of Islands. Getting used to driving the van now, but the gusty strong winds made the drive pretty hairy. We stopped off to look at some fantastic surf at Mangawhai heads and stopped briefly in Whangarei to pick our Rugby World Cup tickets for Wales’ next rugby world cup game against Samoa. On the way we passed the Canadian rugby team sat outside a cafe by the main road (their next game is in Whangarei).

Although you are supposedly allowed to “free camp” in New Zealand generally, it is apparently illegal in Auckland and the Northland where we are, so we’re parked for the night in a caravan car park in Paihia – the tourist hub for the Bay of Islands. Not the prettiest town, but it’s just a stopover before we go on a boat cruise around the bay tomorrow which will hopefully involve some swimming with dolphins!

Day 83 : Auckland

Spent the day seeing the sights of Auckland with Ed and Rebecca. Highlights were Auckland Museum, The Cloud (rugby world cup central) and The Viaduct marina. Weather was foul so decided against the sky tower as wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway!

Day 82 : New Zealand

Said goodbye to Fiji and took the relatively short hop over the Pacific to Auckland where we picked up the campervan which will be our home for the next 40 days. We headed into Auckland centre (Parnell) and met up with Ed and Rebecca, a couple of friends from Bristol who are working here for 6 months. We’re staying with them the weekend (and taking advantage of their shower / washing facilities!) so will probably look around Auckland tomorrow.

At the start of the day we had absolutely no plan for the next few weeks, but after skimming through a few travel guides at the airport and Ed and Rebecca’s Lonely Planet, we’re starting to form an itinerary. Books are expensive here, so we’re holding out and not buying our own – hopefully we can get by with the free tourist booklets around, and there is a lot of extra info around for the world cup visitors.

Day 79–81 : Last days in Fiji

• Still enjoying Octopus. Met a lovely couple from the U.S. and NZL / Oz. Everyone sits down together to eat the evening meal which is cool.
• Activities: More snorkelling. A local school visit. Party games and quiz. Poker with our new friends. More eating. Watching geckos eat moths in the bathroom.
• Said goodbye to Octopus (and got serenaded with a farewell song as we transferred to the rib). Had a bouncy rib boat ride back to the mainland had our last night in Bluewater lodge.

Day 74–78 : Octopus paradise

• Arrived at Octopus resort on Waya island in the Yasawas chain for our week of luxury. Got a rib boat transfer which took 2 hours. Welcomed by guitars and singing as we took a small boat across the reef to the beach.
• Took part in a welcome ceremony which involves drinking “kava”.
• There is a compulsory meal package so we will be eating a lot: All you can eat continental breakfast with omelette station, a la carte lunch and 3 course dinner!
• Met an Ozzy couple who are friends with the people who own the chalet where Will stayed when he went snowboarding in Japan – random!
• The snorkelling is amazing!!! I’m getting the hang of snorkelling which is cool. Everywhere you look there are different types of crazy, psychedelic fish and amazing coral - I’ve never seen anything like it! Will saw a reef shark but I missed it.
• Other activities (other than snorkelling!): Bonfire on the beach, went to church in the local village – amazing singing but the sermon was a bit shouty and all in Fijian. Shell - jewellery making. Hermit crab racing. More snorkelling. Went on a manta ray snorkel boat safari (the boat ride was very rough in a boat that looked like it would fall apart!) but sadly we didn't spot any :-(

Day 72 + 73 : DVDs & weird breakfast

• 31/8/11:  Had random breakfast at Kennedy Hotel. Chapati, fried egg, papaya, cold coffee and no cutlery. Another hot, sunny day. Bought fake dvds. Swam in the pool.
• Took the local bus then walked 2km to the “garden of the sleeping giant! which is an ornamental garden with lots of orchids at the foot of the sleeping giant mountain.

• 1/9/11: Had cutlery with breakfast this morning. Checked into Bluewater lodge – a really cheap, beautiful and clean hostel in Nadi with a lovely pool and garden. Had a swim. Read our books (we’ve had a random selection of books from all the book swaps at hostels. One trilogy we liked so much called the Hunger Games we’ve ordered the rest of the trilogy to be sent to NZL).