New Zealand - Land Of The Long White Cloud

The date 19th November 2005... we have arrived!

Yes the bongo crew finally landed yesterday in New Zealand with our luggage intact, if rather fish smelly! So much for the Kiwi's not allowing anything vaguely food orientated in... Netties bag must have been sat in a puddle of raw herring juice... clearly some one thought that a cool box full of fish was a good idea to stick on a plane and get bounced arround in the sky. Had a nervouse moment passing through the customs point when an x ray showed up Nettie had packed her trainer boots in her luggage and not declared them.... apparently this could be a $200 fine... we pleaded ignorance and made a quick dash for the airport bus pick up point. That said the West Collonial Bank caught up with me for exchanging $70 (UK) into $350 Fijian dollars... thats a very good rate of exchange.. far above the real rate... the poor girl had added up the travellers cheques incorrectly and given us GBP 110, not GBP 70. Anyway they caught up with us just as we were leaving yesterday morning. Shame...

Today we pick the Campervan up. Something we are both looking forward to. We have been Bongo spotting since we left CArdiff bus station and are happy to report that our Bongo's cousins are alive and well and are living in all parts of the world.. Budget Rentacar even have Bongos for hire... though without our autofreetop luxury! We have even spotted them in New Zealand... not bad for just over 18 hours in the country!

Had a real food experience last night. We went to a Korean buffett... not quite the Hot Wok / Wokmania things we have in the uk... its a self serve self cook sort of set up with a little gas stove on each table... we were the only English speakers in there... and had fun trying to suss out what each dish was! Nice squid... and so far today we haven't suffered any side effects... only time will tell.

The cost of things here in Aukland seems pretty reasonable. We ate out last night for $42 dollars.... thats some wehere in the region of GBP 18. And that included beers. $25 is GBP 10. So you have some idea of the exchange rate. Internet access is a dollar for 30 mins.

Time is up...

Andrew.