We really loved the hills behind Napier near the Craggy Range.

They produce more than just lamb in New Zealand! This big guy was giving us the evil eye from his pasture near the Craggy Range.

The Craggy Range Winery below is named after the ridge in the foreground on the left. Napier and the South Pacific are in the background

Napier is surrounded by vineyards and wineries. This is at the Mission winery where we enjoyed some very nice wines.

Napier was destroyed by a 7.9 magnitude quake in 1931. It was rebuilt from 1932-33 in the Art-Deco motif that was the rage at that time.

In Napier we were staying near a park with a beautiful rose garden.

The 2 300 metre Mt Ngauruhoe was used as Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies because it closely resembled the perfect cone of Mt Fuji.

We arrived at the foot of Mt Ruapehu on New Year's Day to find a kite festival under progress. Ruapehu is a 2 800 metre volcano where Vicki spent her weekends skiing as she was growing up.

Mt Tongariro lies just south of Turangi on Lake Taupo.

This steaming landscape is another area of thermal activity in a spot called the Craters of the Moon near Taupo on the North Island.

A thermal mud bath south of Rotorua continues to bubble and gurgle away.

A new frond of a silver tree fern begins to unfold.

The ever-present agapanthus provides a nice contrast to a rather attractive rhododendron

A cruise ship is sailing out of the harbour of Auckland.

The volcanic island, Rangitoto, dominates the harbour of Auckland

Yikes...it is a good thing this bird was flightless! This moa was about 3.5 metres tall. Hunted for food by the Maoris, the moas became extinct just 500 years ago.

We celebrate Christmas in Auckland

Marin's catching on to riding Blake's scooter. I am not so sure about Andy!

Blake and Marin are having a lot of fun with Blake's 'hi-tech' bubble machine. Someone 'turn off the bubble machine'!

Oh, ya...kids in bathing suits collecting goodies from a pinata...must be Christmas in Auckland.

It wasn't long before Blake was tearing through the house on his new 'two-wheeler'

Santa brought Marin a cot for her doll, Nell

A tour of the north end of the North Island

Di is dwarfed by another giant Kauri in this beautiful forest. The ferns, vines, and trees made us feel rather insignificant in the giant scheme of things!

Called Tane Mahuta by the Maoris, this giant Kauri tree is about 2000 yrs old with some amazing dimensions: Trunk ht-17.5 metres, total ht-51.5 metres, Trunk girth-16 metres and trunk volume 244 cubic metres. There were a number of these awe inspiring trees in this forest on the northwest coast of the North Island.

Blobs of amber or 'Kauri Gum' fill a display in the gallery of The Ancient Kauri Kingdom near Kaitaia. This has been mined from a swamp filled with 40-50 000 yr old Kauri trees... an interesting story!

A gorgeous coastline near Cape Reinga

The turbulence is a result of the mixing of the waters of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean at Cape Reinga

This is the Cape Reinga lighthouse on the north end of the North Island

A time out for some sledding on the dunes was a lot of fun.

At the north end of the beach, we drove a little inland through an area of huge golden dunes.

This Mercedes Benz became bogged down on the beach a week ago! Gurgle, gurgle...ouch!

Thrashed from a recent wind storm, this albatross was resting on 90 Mile Beach...not at all perturbed by our presence!

Our bus sits at the south end of 90 Mile Beach on the 'road' to Cape Reinga. The rented camper on the left is up to its axle in sand. The driver is praying that the tide doesn't catch him as his insurance will be void!

This spiral staircase was carved from the trunk of a 50 000 yr-old kauri tree. It had been excavated from a peat bog and was in 'mint' condition!

Looking down of the Bay of Islands and Sandy Beach from Matauri Bay.

In Russel in the Bay of Island this 150 yr-old Moreton Bay Fig tree sits in front of the Marlborough Hotel with the oldest pub in New Zealand.

The pristine waters of the Bay of Islands.

A beautiful spot to anchor and spend a little down time in the Bay of Islands. The pohutakawa tree adds a little colour to the beach.

Made from 2 giant kauri logs, this 35m war canoe carried up to 75 warriors.

Carved figures and woven flax wall covering adorned the interior of the marae.

This Maori 'marae' is at Waitangi where the British signed the truce with the Maori in 1840

The beautiful Pohutakawa tree was a gorgeous sight everywhere through New Zealand

This a view of the Bay of Islands, a couple of hours north of Auckland.