COMPUTER FAILURE

Unfortunately our lovely new Asus tablet has stopped working and we cannot download any of our photos from our cameras!!!!!!!!!!
As we are sure it is the photos you really want to see this is a problem and unless we get it fixed here I will not be updating the blog .  However we are really enjoying our trip and everything else is going well.  This is an amazing place!
I'll email everyone if I am able to start putting up photos again.

WELCOME TO NEW ZEALAND

We arrived in Auckland at about 11.00 am tired but not suffering much from jet lag. We picked up the hire car and as we drove south the weather improved until at Taupo it was warm and sunny.  The drive down the side of Lake Taupo was beautiful...

...with views of the snow capped mountains including an active volcano with a plume of steam and smoke. 

We  had booked a week in a time share at the southern end of Lake Taupo from which we have gone on walks in ancient woodlands and alongside the river.  We also drove round Tongariro National Park and visited the ski areas with buildings perched on top of lava from the volcano.  

We had super views of the mountains including Mt Ngauruhoe - Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings.

We always seem to find at least one oddity - this time it was a giant carrot at the town of Ohakune which as well as being a ski resort is at the centre of the carrot growing area that produces 66% of the carrots in North Island!