the Abel Tasman National Park, in the north of the South Island. It was a beautiful day, the sea was calm and it was easy to stay dry as we paddled about. We kayaked for about 2 hours around Tonga island to see the seals and then paddled slowly to Bark bay where a picnic lunch 
was provided. This was disturbed by a very territorial gull who viciously chased off all other gulls to protect his patch and threatened me if I didn't hand over my sandwich which I, of course, refused to do.After lunch I walked on the coastal track for two hours to a small settlement called Torrent Bay and waited for a pre-arranged sea-taxi to pick me up and drop me back to the camper van on the edge of the park.
That evening I drove to Nelson, where I'd stayed two nights previously and went out for a pizza and tried yet another Irish bar which frequently have live music. After a couple of pints of Guiness and chatting to one or two locals I completed a very satisfactory day .
On Saturday morning after killing a bit of time in Marlborough for a second breakfast and Picton town centre where there was a fascinating second hand shop with all sorts of bric a brac and rubbish where, I'm sure Id' have spent a lot of money if I'd been at home. I then drove to Picton, to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait, to Wellington, on the North Island, .
The ferry to Wellington took 3 hours 40 minutes and after spending a short time on deck looking at Queen Charlotte Sound as we sailed away, I settled down to watch "Happy Feet" and catch up with a few sleep intervals.
to the town centre. After a shower I set off by bus into Wellington city centre to find the Wesley hall,It was dark when the ferry arrived in Wellington after stopping at a petrol station for disrections I got to my intended camp site, the nearest where, I had discovered via the internet, there was a Ceroc (jive) night happening. In my perpetual quest to meet the locals this was a very good night. Although since travelling I'm somewhat out of practice my basic moves saw me through and it was a very enjoyable night out. The dance style of these Kiwis was very similar to my London experience except that they are much keener to do drops , which I usually avoid as I'm never very confident I can haul them back up again.
Next day, Sunday, the sun was shining again and I set off to see Wellington by daylight. First stop, was the parliament building where I took a very interesting guided tour. A few of the remarkable things about the NZ parliament that it has burned down twice in its relatively short history and the daring engineering feat of installing of new rubber foundations to the existing building in the 1990's to protect it from earth quakes. The NZ equivalent of London's Portcullis House is the building known as the Beehive which stands right next to the Parliament in a stark contrast.
After this I took the cable car up the hill for lunch with a brilliant view over Wellington harbour
and a short walk around the botanical gardens. Ten back down the cable car to a jewel in Wellingtons' crown, Te papa. This is a very modern museum which feels more like a theme park than traditional museum The museum is split into sections which provide really interesting and original audio visual presentations.I only had time for a short visit to Wellington, which may be a permanent regret, because my schedule required me to drive on that evening a couple of hours to Palmerston North, to reduce the journey the next day to my next destination
On Monday morning I completed the drive Tongariro National Park, or more specifically Whakapapa Village. This small tourist village lies under the Mt Ruapehu, a volcano active as
recently as 1996. I took a short two hour walk to see some waterfalls that afternoon but the main purpose of travelling here was to undertake the Tongariro Crossing which according to Lonely planet is "reputedly the best one day walk in NZ".
This I did the next day, Tuesday, taking a shuttle bus to the start of the track with dozens of other 'trampers' and setting off on the 18km trek climbing 800 metres before decending 100metres to the return shuttle meeting point. On route you pass under the summits of Mt. Tongariro and and Mt Ngauruhoe. The latter was Mordor's Mt Doom in the film of Lord of the Rings.
Also the route passes smouldering rocks emitting sulphurous gases and "emerald lakes'.
Needless to say I was exhausted after this long walk, with a developing troublesome big toe, and was glad to get back to the camper van and an early night. As the village is 1150 metres above sea level the nights are cold, so I'm really pleased my camper van has a heater.Today I have driven on northwards. First stop was to see a doctor in Turangi, about my big toe, and now have a prescription for antibiotics. Next was drive onto Taupo on the shores of Lake Taupo NZ's largest lake. And arriving in Rotorua in time to make plans for tomorrow's geyser watching and white water rafting
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