Wellington

Crossing the Cooke Strait to the South Island.

Took a cable car ride to view the bay.

Found the Rowing club but still can't find sculling boats. There were hundreds of teenagers learning to dragon boat race.

Houses nestling in the hills around Wellington.

Travelling towards Wellington.

Hawkes Bay and wine growing region

Researching New Zealands wine, we visited some of the areas vineries and of course sampled a little. We can definately recommend New Zealand wines and although we normally drink red we enjoyed the Pinot Gris from Hawkes Bay.

The nets at the bottom of the vines are to protect the grapes from birds.

Headquarters of Montana wine production.

All the grapes for red wine is stored in these 'cuve', made in France from one hundred year old oak. It gives the wine the distinctive taste.

Fermenting the white wine in stainless towers.

Library, but not as we know it. Some of these bottles have been here since before we were born.

Roll out the barrels. Barrels of merlot ready for dispatch to Tesco Dereham.

Napier

Napier was virtually distroyed by an earthquake in 1931. When it was rebuilt it was done in the style of Art Deco and remains preserved like that today. Each year they have a week long festival which people come from all over the world to take part in.

There were bands and groups playing, mainly Jazz, all over Napier. By 11pm you could hardly walk down the street for people dancing.

Napier is full of Art Deco touches.

A selection of the ladies dressed up for the occassion.

Nearly all the local people dressed up in authentic clothes from the 1930's as did many holiday makers. (Except us, we are still in shorts, t shirts and sandals.)

More vintage cars than we have ever seen in one place

Gisborne- first to see the light.

View of Gisborne town, the first place captain Cooke landed when he discovered New Zealand. The towns other claim to fame is that it is the first place to see the New Year in.

Off to the pub.

It's a long way home.

Hicks bay, we found it at last. The most easterly point in the world.

Sports day in New Zealand, surfing races.

Travelling on from Rotorua, north to the coast, then followed the coast east.

Still more cows than sheep.

Rotorua and Wai-O-tapu

Had an interesting few days in Rotorua and the surrounding area. It's a volcanic area full of thermal activity.

This is called Champagne lake, it looks green because of the sulphur content.

This is called Artist palette, a large pool of different colours due to mineral elements absorbed from the rocks.

Steaming fumeroles of mud.

Lady Knox geyser erupts every morning.

Devil's ink pot

Everywhere you walk in Rotorua town there are boiling mud pools and steam rising out of the ground.

Rotorua has a large Maori influence. This is a well preserved meeting house and church.

Rotorua lake, full of black swans and scaups.

We even spotted some pukekos breeding in the park. (May need to blow photo up to see the baby)