Nadia and me with some Geyser.

Ha ha. So, as you can guess from the pictures we are currently in New Zealands 'geothermal wonderland'. The last few days have been spent in Taupo and Rotorua where steaming lakes, boiling mud pools and spouting geysers (like Lady Knox to your right) are commonplace. Once you get past the smell of eggs the place is magic and a million miles away from back home. For fact fans pondering how these geographical wonders are created - it is apparently all to do with these towns sitting on the fault line between the Pacific and Indi-China (or something) plates and the earth getting heated by lots of (in my best Dr Evil voice) 'Liquid Hot Mag-ma'.

In our few days here we've visited Wai-O-Tapu, a geothermal reserve 30K south of Rotorua where sulphurous lakes and acid caves are commonplace; the Polynesian Spa - luxury mineral baths where you get to soak in the radium waters while watching the sunset over the lake and Paradise Springs; a nature park where you can get up close and personal with some lion cubs (not very kiwi admittedly but cool nonetheless). We also went along to a Hangi (pronounce 'hungi') last night - a traditional Maori feast cooked on hot rocks that are buried in the earth. It was Kar-Pi ('good' in Maori, although the spelling probably leaves a lot to be desired). We also got to see some traditional Maori tribal dancing including the haka (didn't scare me...)

Anyway, we have been on the North Island around a week now. The Sun hasn't stopped shining which has made us both happy and made nights spent in Taniwha (the van, for those not keeping up) all the more comfortable. So, to save me droning on, other North Island highlights so far have included:
- Kayaking a stretch of the Waikato river in a double kayak (which was nearly capsized on more than one occasion) and stopping for a dip in the natural thermal pools - VERY cool (or hot if you know what I mean)
- Taking a ride on Errol Flynn's old yacht, The Barnaby, to go out and see some Maori carvings on lake Taupo (I'm aware we've done a lot of Maori things since we last posted)
- Visiting the Te Papa national museum of New Zealand in Wellington and the botanical gardens on a VERY hot day in what some people told me was a wet and miserable city.

Anyway, we're off to see some sheep shearing - wouldn't be right not to in a country where they outnumber humans 10-1 then we're on to Waitomo this evening to spend the night with some glow worms. More to follow shortly...