Hi All

Sorry for the group email but there are so many to keep in touch with you all individually :(

We are currently in Windy Wellington where for once the weather is great. The Cube Street Festival is on starting tonight and we are staying in Cube St! We woke up this morning to a Police crime scene outside our window - a taxi driver was mugged (he's OK) and there they were taking prints and photos. We slept right though it!

Tomorrow we go to the South Island to see some mountains. NZ is not what we expected so far. Basically the North Island is one giant farm - cows, sheep, corn mainly. It's *very* hilly on the bike and the wind can be strong and fickle. We've seen some great forests of Kauri, been to the top on NZ (Cape Reinga) and driven along the 90 Mile Beach, Surfed down the sand dunes, been throught the Hole in The Rock in the Bay of Islands and seen 50+ dolphins in 3 pods on the best days weather they'd had in weeks.

Auckland has left us very underwhelmed except for the great WWII planes in the MOTAT Museum and the Penguins at Underwater World. They also did a great and inexpensive repair on the head set of my bike which collapsed under the load of me and the gear :)

The Central Plateau - Rotorua/Taupo - is nice and flat (for NZ) with hot springs, falls and best of all - a 17km, 1200m up, 1600m down walk called the Best Day Walk in NZ - and it was great - over Volcanoes still smoking and coloured lakes, mountains, views for 50km+ etc. Wellington is a great city too.

We have hired a car in the South Island. Believe it or not it was 16 days wait to get *any* kind of car in Auckland even from the biggest car companys in the world eg. Avis/Hertz/Budget etc. Naturally we have been mainly riding and busing it but we have also had some train trips too.

NZ is full of tourists mainly UK, German, Dutch, American and Isralis(?) with only a few from Oz.

Anyhow, we are thinking of all of you back there while we enjoy the endless fresh and locally made food in the tea houses, the universal availbility of Earl Grey and the presence of soy milk in most coffee houses.

To end, here's a poem from Michelle - her first - be warned - it may reflect some of the tolls cycle touring can make on an individuals mind and body.

Andrew and Michelle

NZ By Bike.

Up the hill
down the hill
along the sea
up the hill
down the hill
We came to see

A hostel with linen
or one without
it did not matter much
we was tired out

They said it was lovely
They claimed it was fab
but when we arrived
it was pretty drab

Mynas and possums
magpies and gums
not one belongs there
locals think they is scum

To the mountains we climbed
our legs ne'er gave way
It became wet and cold
but the view saved the day

A night walk in the forest
didn't reward with Kiwi
but the very next day
we raised the sea

The dunes were amazing
Their height and their hue
and the rip ran between them
would cut you in two

Here two we sit
as the sun melts away
waiting for night
to start a new day

by
Michelle Sinclair