Tongariro Alpine Crossing ...

... 19,75 Km up and down the mountains ... between emerald lakes and lush forests ...

Geysers & hot springs ...

Wai-o-Tapu and Waikato river ... look at those colours!!

Hobbiton ...

... such a magical little place!!

I could have gone to the casting for one of the hobbits ... or for Gollum!!

Coromandel

What a beautiful costal walk ... I will let the pictures speak for themselves ...

and this is the bus we are travelling on ...

Off to the islands - Waiheke and Rangitoto

First stop - Waiheke island on a wine tour ... oh dear, there we go, we are at it again ...

the island is stunning and the wines are second to none, just take a look at Ernst's face after a couple of glasses ...

Second stop - Rangitoto natural reserve, a gruelling track to the summit of a volcano to take some pictures of Mr. Cool ...

... the seagull disagreed, somehow ...

 

we came back to Auckland drunk and disorderly (the first day) and knackered and baked (the second day), but it was worth it on both occasions ..

Let's start the kiwi chapter of the wacky adventure - welcome to Auckland!

After a horrible 28-hour trip, and having almost been left stranded in Hong Kong, we made it to Auckland!

First thing first - we checked in at Shakespeare hotel and brewery (nothing left to chance there) ...

 

by the way, their veggie burgers were not too shabby either ...

 

although Ernst is still faithful to the old fashion focaccia with olives, courtesy of Britomart farmers' market ...

and after lunch, what's better than a walk in the park making silly poses ...

 Auckland from a boat - isn't that pretty??

and after all that salty air - a visit to beer brothers for some craft brew ...

we needed some Dutch courage to face the 220m height of the sky tower ... the panoramic lift was terrifying, although Ernst found it fun ...

not bad for the first couple of days - jetlag and all!!