As we had previously booked our north island to south ferry online we were getting short on time and wanted to explore Wellington before leaving. This therefore required a 160km drive to arrive in Wellington at lunch time and find somewhere to park the van which allowed us to sleep inside. Rowena’s lodge offered this and at $15 per person per night was the cheapest offering in the city.

Upon checking in there was a heated argument between the proprietor and a fellow guest which involved a slanging match ending in the guy being kicked out. First impressions are so important. The hostel is a bit rough around the edges, some eclectic staff members and has some very funky smells in the communal areas, but it was cheap enough to get past this and we always had the safety of the van to hide away in.

For most of the day it rained so we opted for a visit to the Te Papa Museum located on the waterfront. Home to the relics and tales of New Zealand’s past Te Papa is a big museum and would require half a day if you were to explore the whole place. We only had 2 hours and some of the exhibits were closed so we made our way from the top back down to the bottom taking in contemporary New Zealand art to 20th Century paintings. This led into more of a museum layout with life-size exhibits of people’s homes during the war, the effect of the Commonwealth and then going way back from Maori living and to the Dinosaurs. It is a pretty comprehensive museum and plays host to the only Gigantic Squid on show in the world.

When we left the museum it was still raining so we had a stroll around the waterfront and back into the city passing by another Occupy event and the City Gallery before meandering around the outdoor shops. We’re getting ideas for our big trekking expedition in Nepal so nearly every outdoor shop draws us in. On our way back to the hostel we stopped off for a drink at a quirky bar next door to a theatre in the artsy district. When we crossed over the road there was an artists exhibition taking place, the opening night was the week before but the artist wanted to conjure more interest by hosting a live installation. As soon as we were in the gallery the artist introduced himself Jon Drypnz and for the next hour or so we stood chatting about travel, art, politics amongst other things whilst enjoying a complimentary beer. He had a nice big space to work with as an artist in residence and used the space to play with the contrasts in liberal v’s conservative. We added our own illustration to the wall art taking place. The wall was very clear at that point so we did feel a little self-conscious but what the hell…Helen did a Fine Art degree and Dave design so we were sure we could contribute something!! ha ha!

Back at the hostel we stayed in and cooked along with the rest of the backpackers before escaping to our van.

We had a morning in Wellington to kill before going to get our ferry at 1.30pm so we went out in search of a few items that we’d been meaning to get for a while. One was to swap our first Jo Nesbo Harry Hole novel, but for some reason this was proving to be difficult! We wanted to swap the first book for the third, but nowhere had any Nesbo’s in stock. Helen was trying to educate the booksellers but to no avail. Eventually we settled on a swap with a ‘Rough Guide to Nepal’ in order to start planning a little for our trip there in Spring, we bartered and managed to get 2 extra dollars off the price! Bargaining in a Western country, it can be done!

We then bought some DVDR’s to catch up on burning our work to disc and we also picked up our Christmas cards to send home from a lovely gift and card shop on one of the main shopping streets. At the top end of Cuba Street we found a cool coffee house that was once an old clothing shop, there were lots of vintage boutiques, and good little places to explore. In terms of the city and what it has to offer we really enjoyed exploring the streets and the coffee really is good!!

So following on from our morning we drove to the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal which is very close to the centre of town and we ended up parking and waiting for over an hour before boarding the ferry. The ferry crossing to start with was choppy and neither of us really felt like moving from our seats, but a few hours into the crossing it did settle down so we explored the outside decks and enjoyed a very good hot chocolate and gingerbread kiwi to settle the sea sickness! It seemed to do the trick!

We got into Picton after a slow pace cruising through the beautiful Malborough Sounds and from there we made our way to Blenheim to meet up with friends Vic and Dave who we know from the UK. It was Vic’s birthday and so we joined in with the celebrations which involved champagne, a family meal cooked by the other Dave, speeches, wine and a birthday cake. Our first taste of a New Zealand home and it was a lovely evening indeed. Thanks to the Gillan’s for making us feel so welcome.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

After a spot of skyping home from Hastings and a drive out to some of the beaches south of Napier at midday we got in touch with Roam located in Tongariro to see if the park shuttle service was operating for the next day. They answered with a yes and so we booked ourselves onto the 8am bus with the knowledge that the weather forecast was looking good for our hike.

The drive to Tongariro from Napier is via highway 60 which led us through some fantastic views across to the volcanic park and snow-peaked mountains. It took us 4+ hours or so to reach the campground in Mangahuia with a road-side picnic stop along the way. The DOC campground was already looking full and we found the last van spot. It’s only $4 per person at this campground but it does fill up quickly and by 7pm more and more people were driving in for the hike the next day. We ended up sharing our space with another van as they couldn’t get a spot. In anticipation of a very early start we were in bed by 9pm and wrapped up warm as we could tell it was going to be a chilly one.

It was freezing in the van over night and we did have frost on the windows in the morning for the first time too. We quickly changed from thermals to thermal layering and decided to get to Whakapapa village so we could get a parking spot early and have breakfast there. The campsite was packed so we figured it made sense to get out before the rest of the campground did the same. So we enjoyed breakfast as the sun was warming us up and we overheard locals talking about how good the weather would be today. Yes! We had picked a good day to do the walk which was confirmed when we got on the 8am shuttle bus and they kept going on about how it was the best day yet. After 30 minutes or so in the bus we arrived at the start of the track at Mangatepopo car-park and had a few safety briefings which took another 10 minutes or so. By which time more and more shuttles were turning up full of hikers so we could tell it was going to be a busy walk.

The crossing starts a little like the Miners path at Snowdon; very steady gravel paths and it’s pretty much like this until we reached the Soda Springs. We had both peaks surrounding us; the Mount Ngauruhoe Volcano aka Mordor in Lord of the Rings and the Mount Tongariro. We took the path out to the springs to get a few photos and then re-joined the main path along with what seemed to be around several hundred other hikers. It was busy! We zipped up the steps which has the name Devil’s staircase and at times does feel very devilish, passing by hikers along the way. It does get annoying as the paths aren’t that wide so we ended up backing up behind hikers who didn’t really let us by which annoyed Dave immensely. It took us around 2 hours to reach the first summit area which then gives you the opportunity to take the path up to the volcano. We decided to do the Mt Tongiriro Summit instead and so continued onwards along the plains below the two peaks. Its a flat muddy plain which leads you unto another steep path. This is where it starts getting volcanic. At the next rest stop we took the path toward the Mt Tongiriro Summit which is around an hour and twenty detour, not everyone does this so we got to avoid the busy paths and enjoyed less tourists making this crossing. We hiked along rocky to very unstable ash like terrain before eventually walking up the path on snow. The snow then led us back onto a rocky ridge and we enjoyed a little cereal bar break whilst taking in the views. We could see the car-park where we started from and across the valley to the mountain ranges.

On making our way back to the main path we skidded down the snow as others went down on their bums and rejoined the main path. At this point we came to the red craters which were different from the surrounding landscape and then along a very scree-rocky path which with the amount of hikers going down was really dusty. This path led us down to the Emerald lakes; a group of small aqua pools with sulphur smoking out from the rocks behind. We enjoyed another tuna lunch and then set off past the Blue Lake. This is the most volcanic and active part of the hike bringing in spectacular views all around. When we left the lake area we were on our way down.

It was a long path back to the car-park at Ketetahi and the terrain went from volcanic to grassy meadows and had a very Scottish highland feel to it all. We could see out to Lake Taupo and were really blown away by the contrast in landscapes from the start of the walk. We got down to the car-park at 3.45pm ready for the 4pm bus, the last bus was leaving at 5pm so we had given ourselves plenty of time. On the bus back to the main village we felt very satisfied with our hike, it goes on the list of epic hikes we’ve down so far. The shuttle service with Roam cost $35 each for a 2-way service. We didn’t really want to use the shuttle both ways but it’s difficult getting back to the car-park where the hike starts and its supposedly not as secure as leaving your car at the main car-park in Whakapapa so we decided to go for the easier option.

Back at the van we freshened up and decided to make our way to Wanganui which is around 100km south of the park. It took us a couple of hours to reach Wanganui and we stayed at Avro Motel and holiday park which cost us a measly $20, not bad with free showers and kitchen use. This was our second night of eating out since we made it to New Zealand and we opted for Thai Villa in the centre of town, the food was reasonable and it was nice to have someone else cook for us.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

For the first time in New Zealand we decided to spend two nights in the same location/campsite. Not far from Napier is Eskdale Park a forest with lots of mountain biking paths to explore, all we needed was some bikes and we were ready to go. Avanti Bikes in Taradale was the best bet and at $30 per bike for half a day, good value. As it were quiet they said there was no rush to return the bikes so we loaded the van, which in itself took what felt like half a day, and drove for around 45 minutes to Eskdale.

There is not a lot of car parking space at the two entrances but it was pretty quiet so we  unloaded, donned our safety helmets and set off with map in hand. It costs $7 per person for a park permit which last for 3 weeks which is great value if you are sticking around the area. Starting with a beginner path it soon proved to be fairly challenging as the paths are very narrow with lots of pine cones, roots and tree trunks to avoid. Once more confident we tackled some intermediate class routes with the Klingon and Luge routes our combined favourites.

Felling pretty knackered and ready for lunch we returned to the van at 1pm for tuna sandwiches before returning the bikes. More food shopping followed by a return to the campsite for showers and some evening entertainment provided by Peep Show on the laptop. The sunset that ensued was pretty awe-inspiring, doomsday style.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

After our usual breakfast, with the addition of some toast, we headed from rainy Taupo to Napier on the east coast to try and get some dryer weather. The sun was shining in Napier when we arrived but the odd shower did blow through whilst we wandered around the art deco town. We decided to have some mini golf fun whilst the sun was shining and up until hole 12 it was very close scoring with Helen in the lead. Then disaster stuck with two holes taking at least 10 shots meaning Dave eventually snuck victory.

We found the Napier Photographic Gallery which exhibited some nice work from local, national and international photographers. Neither of us were quite sure about the stage at the one end of the room partitioned off for a portrait photographer with some lack-lustre images and dodgy branding. If it’s to be a gallery with a cafe, keep it simple and keep it about the art on the walls!

Looking for somewhere cheap and cheerful can be difficult sometimes so bearing that in mind we did not want to pay the Napier prices for accommodation in a holiday park. Jason’s camping and caravan guide led us to Clive and the Clive Holiday Park at $14 each per night. They had some nice facilities and the sun was indeed shining. A 15 minute drive away is The Filter Room beer and cider tasting which offers the sampling of 6 decent sized glasses for $12! Great value and the beer garden made us feel very much at home. The 14% scrumpy was our favourite so we purchased a litre bottle to make the night fly that little bit more quickly.

After cooking our evening meal we explored the camp site and walked along the river path until sunset.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

To date in NZ this was turning out to be the most activity fuelled week we were experiencing. Paid for activities that is! We got up early so we wouldn’t be in with the tourist crowds too soon in the day. The Wai-O-Tapu park is south of Rotorua on the road to Taupo, we camped not too far away at one of the DOC campgrounds at Rerewhakaaitu Recreation Reserve which meant we were on the right side of town and only a 20 minute drive away from the park. Gates open at 8.30 and we were there not long after for some thermal action! We got a map on the way in and walked around the largest loop in the park (red) which took us just under an hour. The first loop is really enticing to start with; hot pools, sulphur smoking from the depths below, craters and mud pools and then we arrived at The Champagne Pool. This is amazing; a huge bubbling pool with a surface temperature of around 74 degrees Celsius. On top the water appeared to be pink and the edges orange with wind blowing the steam around the pool so much so it looked like a whirlwind. We were impressed!!

We would come back to the orange and yellow loops later on but we had a prior appointment with a Geyser located a few minutes drive from the main entrance to the park. We drove along with the now gathering tourists so we could experience the blowing Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am. We sat in an auditorium style set up whilst more and more people starting taking their seats. We weren’t really sure how it would work but it did say that for the front rows we’d expect some spray…we were at the front! But we wanted to get some good photos! After a while and waiting to see if the Geyser would blow a ranger came along and started chatting to us about the history of the Geyser with some funny stories about prisoners working in the area finding it and building stones around the flute in order to make the Geyser blow higher.

Since then the stones are now a part of the Geyser as it is now moulded by the gases and liquids produced. He did artificially induce the Geyser with some crystal antiseptic blocks and poured it down the shoot and left the Geyser to do it’s thing. We waited for a few minutes and then it started to bubble before finally shooting water high in the air around 10m or so. It kept going and going and after about 10 minutes we left but it is reported that the Geyser can blow for up to an hour.

Following on from the excitement of the Geyser we went back to the main park and toured around the other two loops. Not as impressive as the first but there is a lot to take in and different formations along the way. There are also lot’s of eggy smells but that’s all part and parcel of being in a volcanic park. After a good few hours we left and were satisfied with our experience. It cost $32.50 each and we felt it was well worth it. A mini Yellowstone of sorts and a geeky learning experience too!

Moving on from Rotorua we continued our drive southwards to Taupo with the intention of heading to Tongoriro so that we could stay in preparation for the Tongoriro Alpine Crossing. It was quite a long drive and we didn’t stop in Taupo mainly because we were planning to come back after the hike. The drive in total was around 3 hours to Whakapapa Village where the DOC information centre is located. When we got there the very helpful staff informed us there was no way we would be hiking the Alpine Crossing the next day or the day after. In fact Sunday looked to be the best day and she suggested we head to Napier to find some sunshine as it wasn’t going to happen here! Oh no!! We re-thought our plans and decided to drive back to Taupo for the night and then head to Napier the next day before driving back to Tongoriro on Sunday along a different route. Sounds like we had a plan! So back to Taupo it was and we stayed at the YHA as they take in vans for $16 per night. It’s a nice hostel and it always suits us to have a kitchen and showers so we parked up, cooked and walked around a quiet Thursday night in Taupo.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

Our chariot of fire / hotel on wheels was due her 10,000km service (that’s 10,000km of 280,000km!) so we decided to get her checked into the car doctors for a thorough examination. Advantage Autos in Hamilton provided the service and at $135 wasn’t all that expensive. Whilst the work was underway we headed into town to get some free public zone Wi-Fi, a very rare occurrence in NZ so well done to Hamilton for this service. After a replacement and top-up of vital fluids “Po” the van was ready for action and we headed to Rotorua.

This is quite a drive and took around three hours arriving first at the I-Site for local information and deciding to do some tourist attractions. Firstly we booked two tickets for the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland which is out of town for the next morning and decided to hit the Polynesian Spa that evening. Another spa treat to sooth our muscles, well thats what we keep telling ourselves!

Before the spa evening we explored the local park which has some impressive (as far as a free attraction goes) mud/hot water pools and smelly sulphur air. Afterwards we headed to the Government Gardens and museum which we didn’t actually go in we just explored the gift shop. Dinner was cooked by the van at the side of the lake before heading to the spa pools. The Polynesian Spa has several pools at the lakes edge fed with hot mineral spring water from two different springs. Out of 9 pools 3 are marble-lined with alkaline water reaching 38-39 degrees C and 3 Priest Spa Pools (39-42 degrees C) offering special thermal bathing in acidic water, rich in minerals known for its therapeutic properties. Just lovely!.

After our steamy evening we headed onward to the DOC campsite at Rerewhakaaitu Recreation Reserve. We got there quite late so it was straight to bed as the next day we wanted to be up early for the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3 & Sony DSC-TX5)

Helen has surfed once before but Dave never has, so today was the day to find out if we would be able to actually stand up whilst surfing a wave. The weather looked half decent with no rain so we booked ourselves onto the morning lesson which would start at 8.30am at the Raglan Surfing School located at the Karioi Lodge where we spent the night in the van.

Upon meeting with Al, our Newquay UK instructor, we started with the basics on dry land. The four step technique to get us riding those waves. A short van drive to the ocean and we donned our slightly damp wetsuits in the blustery gales on the beach front. With boards in hand and a final practice on the safety of land we headed in. Dave’s first attempt with Al aiming the board in the right direction, was actually pretty good with almost a full stand! But then it was a downward spiral of massive mouth-falls of salt water and plenty of wipeouts! The waves continued to crash in and their frequency was pretty intense. Helen found the cold a bit of a battle with numb feet and shivering knees but with Al’s guidance got up a few times onto her feet and surfed. We were all wiped out on the so-called team waves, but it was again a good laugh all round. Helen was a little disappointed not to have had more confidence but alas this was the first lesson and the sun didn’t even come out to help us along.

After nearly an hour and a half we headed in-shore for cold showers and waited for our mini-bus back to our digs. We are both looking forward to hiring some boards in the future to try and replicate what we have learned. After hot showers and some mighty baked beans and spaghetti in tomato sauce (a whole can of each shared between us) on toast we set off for a return to Hamilton via Raglan town centre to get the van its 10,000km annual service and ready for further southbound travels. Our camp site for the night in Hamilton was the Glenview Club, a donation only camp site located in the car-park of the club. It’s basically a social working mans club with onsite betting, machine based gambling, bar, grass bowls and we even got some free cups of tea. For cheap camping in a van its well worth checking out.

Not many photos as it was a miserable day and as we were surfing we were pre-occupied with standing on the surf board rather than taking photos!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

Our next destination was Hamilton which is only 50km or so from Te Aroha so no big drive today! We wanted to get to the Farmer’s market held every Sunday on River Road. We got there just after 10am and found a nice little bustling market where we bought some veggies at a very low price!

We didn’t really have any expectations of Hamilton so we decided to nip into the I-site to get some info on what we could do while there for the day. We were given the top things to do in Hamilton with the first on the list being to check out the Richard O’Brien sculpture in the guise of Riff Raff the time travelling alien from the planet Transsexual (The Rocky Horror Show). He lived in this town and this was where he wrote The Rocky Horror Show and where it was first performed! History! The original theatre is no longer there just his statue standing in its place. From there we wandered over to The Art House, a free art space playing host to local artists. They had some really cool gift ideas in their shop and we particularly liked the porcelain paper cups.

We then went to The Hamilton Museum which is also has free admission. They house historic and contemporary art both in the Maori and Western sense with the top floor showcasing a huge Waikato Rugby exhibition that was really well curated. So we were impressed with the art that we saw and then drove over to the Hamilton gardens where the New Zealand Rose Festival was taking place.

We enjoyed a picnic and then wandered into the the Rose gardens where awards were to be presented for New Zealand’s BEST rose! Apart from the fact that there could have been more support from the public and more interest for them to be involved in i.e. stalls and cake! There was a fairly good turn out, more so from the Rose supporting community! We learned why Lemon & Lyme won so many awards including the top dong; because it is very difficult to achieve that colour, each rose is always really well presented and the leaves are always in a good condition no matter what the age of the rose plant! So we watched and applauded whilst enjoying some local ale before finally leaving after some live jazz to explore the actual Hamilton Gardens.

We only visited the sculpted and landscaped gardens being the Indian Cha garden, Italian walled garden, the 60′s American garden, and the Chinese, Japanese and English Rose gardens. All of which are beautiful with the Italian garden standing out.

After an enjoyable afternoon at the gardens we decided to get over to the coast to Raglan with the hope of booking a surf lesson for the next day. It’s about an hours journey to Raglan from Hamilton and we drove straight through to Manu Bay home to one of the world’s best left hand surf breaks. We are complete novices to the surf-lingo but this is supposed to be one of the best spots in NZ for surfing which was good enough for us. We decided to stay at Karioi Lodge where the Raglan Surfing School is located, more for ease than anything. They are based at Whale Bay and have lodges, cabins and spots for vans and tents. They also charge $15 per night per person in a van on a loop away from the main lodge. There are around 6 spots up on the loop with a kitchen and shower block.

After choosing our spot and cooking dinner we went to explore the bay area. It didn’t look good for the next day weather wise but we were hopeful that we would be able to do a surf lesson first thing. Back at the lodge we sat in the main common areas, and logged onto their pay-for Wi-Fi. Why is it that free Wi-Fi hasn’t hit off over here? You have to pay for it nearly everywhere and not many places actually have it! Enough moaning, this hostel has a good atmosphere with the Stray travellers being bussed in every day. There is also a nice group who live and work there too. The fist Sunday Sessions took place in Raglan that night but we didn’t know about it until the next day, it sounded like a good event and the lodge were arranging drop offs and pick ups. We had a quiet one!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

Another early start and with laundry on the agenda we used the gym to fill some waiting time. Once we were ready to go we set off back towards Hot Water Beach and went further to Hahei Bay. We parked “Po” in the bay car-park and decided to walk to Cathedral Cove from there. In all fairness it’s not the most exciting of walks and would be better appreciated from further up the road as we mostly walked through domains and up steps around the back of houses. Once we got to Cathedral Cove car-park the walk from there to the cove is more enjoyable and it was HOT! Helen was going to get a morning on the beach! Woop! The walk took around 45 minutes through forest and back pathways before taking steps down to Cathedral Cove. It’s a bit of an anticlimax; there are far too many tourists that head there so perhaps a very early or later on in the day trip would be more worthwhile. The natural bridge that has formed is cordoned off so you’re not supposed to go through it, and there are prettier bays to visit! However we went under the bridge and through to the next bay which was quieter and so we set up and sunbathed for an hour or so.

When we were ready we made our way back to the car via loads more tourists! It is a nice beach but it’s not that big and so the fact that nearly everyone passing through the area does visit it spoils the experience. Lesson learned!

Back to Hahei where we decided to move onto Te Aroha. The journey took around 3 hours and it was a hot afternoon to be in the van. Te Aroha, meaning ‘the love’ was a little sleepy for a saturday, we had expected more from its write up in the Lonely Planet. We stayed at another holiday park this time costing $15 each and with free wifi and free showers, free wifi at last!! We then went back to Te Aroha and explored the hot spring options. There are 2 to choose from, one is more of a private indulgence with one hot bath for 30 minutes costing $18 each and the other is a public bath costing $8 per person. We opted for the cheaper of the two, it wasn’t as hot as we’d experienced in Jasper but it was okay for what we needed.

When we were done with the self-indulgence we walked around the domain which houses old baths, buildings and bowling greens. The light was beautiful at this point. On the main street we found a South-Indian eatery called Clove offering fairly priced curries so we had our first meal out since we’d got to New Zealand.

Due to technical error and digital misunderstanding we don’t have the photos for this post…DOH! We hope that our entry was captivating enough for you to imagine our experience!

Up early once again we packed, ate breakfast and beeped our horn goodbye to the other happy campers and set off for the east-side of the peninsula. We had to back track on the route and went through picturesque Coromandel Town once again with another stop at The Chai Tea house, they remembered us and so we felt even more at home. We enjoyed more chai and one of their super-foods style savoury muffins as well as more free wifi before making our way off again. Our destination today was to reach Hot Water beach and join the masses by enjoying a turn in the beaches natural hot springs.

Another long morning in the van but by lunch time we were at Opito Bay one of the most secluded beaches in the area. At this particular bay there are quite a few Bach houses, much nicer than the norm and apparently only 16% of which have permanent residents so it’s definitely a summer area. The beach is lovely, although the sun kept hiding behind cloud and we enjoyed a very windy lunch with a few greedy seagulls. Helen wanted just half a day on the beach but it wasn’t happening! We walked up to a lookout that took in most of the bay and beyond. We waited for the sun to come back out again to get some more shots looking back over the bay and then journeyed back to the van.

We continued around the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula and ended up at the Seabreeze Holiday Park, they’re located on the H25 heading south from Hot Water Beach. They offer camping at $16 per person with a shower coupon, kitchen and laundry..the usual stuff for a motor park. It was a really good place to stay and had a nice backpackers vibe going on too. We even used the gym the next morning and they’re better priced than the resorts down at Hahei Bay.

We loaned a spade for the evening and drove to Hot Water Beach so we could dig ourselves a hot spring. It was already busy when we got there and we couldn’t find a warm spot in the sand. After a while a group of locals offered for us to share their pool as they were right next to the hot spring. It was boiling coming out of the spring and so we dug spaces for ourselves and let the hot water flow in. It wasn’t exactly a relaxing hot spring experience but it was unique with the tide coming in to cool the pools down. There must have been over 100 people there with more on the way. Once we’d had enough of our hot water beach experience we went back to camp, cooked and enjoyed the luxury of having a sofa to sit on and a film to watch.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)