S'later Palmy!!

So...this is it! 18 months in this wonderful country... and tomorrow morning I'm heading back to good old Europe. Phil will stay here for a bit longer and will take up the blog again. Thanks heaps guys for the most amazing farewell present ever, I hope we meet again somewhere, some time in the future. NZ rocks!

The Lost Gipsy Gallery

Ok, this is one of the funniest things we've seen in New Zealand (and thanks again to the Lonely Planet guide...): The Lost Gypsy Gallery. This guy (who is a surfer, by the way) works in a bus that is filled with gadgets he's made himself out of junk and recycling items. Everything is wind or solar powered and made out of...well, anything he's been finding around!! We spent hours playing with the toys and having a look around the garden where all his best creations are on display.

Tunnel Beach

Tunnel Beach, a new place we discovered in our recent visit to the South Island, is just two kilometres south of Dunedin. The place got its name because of a passage that was carved years ago through a rock to give access to a sheltered beach at the base of the cliffs. The walk to the beach is an easy one hour return- although there's quite a bit of a climb involved on the way back to the carpark.

The views on the way are spectacular, and once at the beach we had a lot of fun trying to climb up the huge rocks there.

Climbing up Mt. Ngauruhoe

The team (from left to right): Rayon, Phil, Mishi, Jose & Sylvia

Con Rito y Milita en la Isla Norte

First day in the Coromandel

After a maori performance in Whakarewarewa

Relaxing in some hot pools near Taupo

Looking for Paua...

Getting ready for a day looking for Paua at Flat Point. (Both of us together with Jackson, Mishi and Beata)

Riversdale, awesome spot to chill out after a morning in the water

Biggest ice cream ever in Masterton, on our way home

The Paua with some garlic, ginger and a little bit of pepper...soo good!