Day 1: Kia Ora from Auckland

Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th December

We survived the marathon flight, picked up our motor home and we're now on the road in New Zealand. First stop was to Northern Auckland to drop in on Catherine & Eli for a proper Nz welcome. They treated us to a great lamb bbq and a drop of whiskey before we turned in to sleep off the jet lag. It was great to see them and to meet the boys again - they've grown a lot since we last saw them in London a few years back (the boys, that is!).

View from North Head, Auckland

Sunday morning they took us off on a tiki tour of the local area. First stop was a fantastic cafe for coffee and cakes (we are in Nz, after all) followed by a cruise up to North Head for great views back over the city and along the coast (see the panorama above). It was a windy day but that didnt slow the boys down any - they had a great time sliding down the grassy slopes and exploring the tunnels of the old fortifications that thread through the hill-top.

Catherine, Eli and the boys say hi!

The boys loved our motorhome - mostly I think for the novelty of being able to watch TV in it :-)

Sunday afternoon we said our goodbyes and hit the road for the start of our travels. Next stop, the Coromandel peninsula.