We’re now in Wellington before getting the ferry to South Island. Since leaving the central mountains, we have been travelling around the west side of the country, going down to Wanganui and then along the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, getting glimpses of Mt Egmont in the cloud and rain. The weather didn’t improve in New Plymouth so we left there to travel south to Himatangi near Palmerstone North which was a nice location near a long beach and our first “Fish & Chips” at a Takeaway. Looking at the weather forecast, we decided to chase the summer on the east coast, so the next day we drove to Hastings and found a quiet campsite near Cape Kidnappers (Clifton Motor Park) where the beach and cliffs go around to the largest mainland Gannet colony in the world. Back in summer with temperatures up in the high twenties we stayed there for 6 nights enjoying the sun, walking to the Gannet colony, trips to Hastings and Napier and of course visiting vineyards and sampling the wine of the area. The climate here seemed like the south of France in August with our camper right next to the surf. So yesterday we had to leave and make our way south again passing alongside the Ranges, stopping at the Pukaha Mount Bruce, at DOC Wildlife Centre for Threatened Species. This was a great experience to see the Kaka parrots, Tuatara reptiles and a Takahe (flightless marsh type hen at one time thought extinct!). We found a small campsite nearby at Eketahuna besides a river and managed a walk around the woods before the rain set in for the night and so in the morning all the rivers were in spate, a chocolate colour. After that, a “blowy” drive got us alongside the Hut river over a 700 m pass to sunny Wellington where we are staying until Tuesday with a couple of days in the city (a short bus ride away). Photos are Mount Egmont (about the only glimpse!) and one of the colonies at Cape Kiddnappers.

Now in New Plymouth in the Taranaki Peninsula but rain and mist all day so hoping for better tomorrow. This is a photo down to the Emerald Lakes descnding from the top of Mt Tongariro. Great walk and I was lucky with the weather; it was clear all day without the winds they predicted. We've come around Highway 45 from Wanganui stopping last night in sight of Mt Egmont and next to the black sand dunes at a small recreational campsite near Manaia on the south coast. The cliffs and dunes there were quite different from what we've seen previously with layers of volcanic debris. Also we know where all the House Sparrows from England are, they're here! Everywhere they're busy nesting, chirping away and with the Yellowhammers, Skylarks and numerous Goldfinches, it is like the countryside when we were younger. We're not sure what we'll do next as we plan to canoe a stetch of the Whanganui river soon but this depends on the weather as we'll be camping at DOC sites and with rain, the river will be up. Otherwise we'll go to the east coast and south.