Hi all.feels as if I havent been on the blog at all, hope all enjoyed their New Year celebrations and brought in 2009 with a good party!! As Doug said there wasnt much of a fuss leading up to the bells and me and madge almost looked silly dressed up to the nines with most people in jeans and t-shirts!!! But all in all we managed to have a great night in the end, most hilarious was watching Doug and Mark try to wish randoms Happy New Year, one particular lady was not liking Marks chat and practically sniffed at him in disdain!!

We left Wellington to head up to Mount Muanganai for a 30th party of Richard, one of Marks friends at home..that and Tuaranga (the place we stayed the night before) were fabulous places, there was a wondrous beach just behind Richard's house with perfect waves and white sand but we never got a chance to get a dip in, next time me thinks!!!! In the meantime Ill just keep looking for another beach as good in the 3 weeks we've left here (does make anyone jealous anymore or have we over played that card??)

So we've had 3 nights in rotorua now and its good to stop moving again, think from now on we're going to try and stop for at least two nights in places, the 10am check out time doesnt suit my morning grumpiness!! We're heading off to the Right next going around Whakatane (or something like that), Gisborn, Napier, and ending up in Taupo for the 23rd I think....think we'll be in Gisborn for Doug's birthday so will have to do some serious celebrating for that!!!

We did the Maori banquet last night and that was another amazing night, we got to see them singing and dancing and war crying in their boat and then had an amazing banquet afterwards..Im sure Doug will be on at some stage to rave about the Lamb as he didnt stop going on about it all night. He finally got to see some Kiwi birds aswell with a night time tour of a wildlife park, they look a bit silly really I think but suppose if they want to call it they're national bird who am I to stop them!!

And we have to say goodbye to Mark and Madge tomorrow which is going to proper awful..we'll miss them like nothing else, its been fabulous having them travel with us and we have had some hugely memorable nights with them, dont know what we'll do with ourselves when they're gone!!

must away, on the agenda today is a sky dive for Mark (the mad man) and then some chilling out in the locally famous hot natural springs, though not sure we need more heat, the sun has finally come out and its glorious here most days, the tan is soming along well although so is the size of the belly, the food over here is amazing and I cant stop myself eating, willpower never was my strong point!!

see ye all later...x