Kiwi go again...

Hey, where you from? Good to be back in New Zealand. Trying to learn how to speak english again properly. Properly again. Many a shopkeeper has met us with blank gazes as habit takes over asking for prices in Spanish and so on. For the first couple of days we really had to remind ourselves to say 'please' and 'thankyou' instead of 'por favor' y 'gracias'. We're definitely not in South America anymore, Toto. The prices of everything have told us that straight away - what it costs here to get a bottle of coke, two days before would have got us two ice creams and two juices, and probably a nice sit down. Another thing that'll take a bit of getting used to...

Four years ago we barely dipped a toe in exploring the North Island. This time we blasted through our previous stops of Auckland, Hamilton and bubbling Rotorua and headed straight for Taupo - beautifully situated in front of the snowcapped Mount Doom (Lord of the Rings) which can be seen on clear days over the immense Lake Taupo. We headed for Huka Falls, supposedly the number one natural tourist attraction in New Zealand, but neither of us had ever heard of it. On the way there we found a nice little natural hot spring spurting out into the Waikato River and we dipped in, a suitably volcanic New Zealand experience to kick things off. At the falls, thousands of litres of crystal clear water push their way through a narrow gorge, bursting out at the end like an advert for Opal Fruits or some kind of minty fresh Extra chewing gum. It is honestly one of the most delicious sights I've ever seen - so tempting to dive into the clear refreshing water, actually salivating at the sight of it.

Managed to drag ourselves away and continue on to the Honey Hive where we'd heard there were free tasters. Obligation to buy, shmobligation to buy. We began to disracefully take advantage of the dozen or so honeys (honies?) that were available for tasting. So much so that Lois, Honey Hive employee and general honeylover that she is actually slapped my hand and took some of the honey off my wooden tasting stick and put it back in the jar. "You'll make yourself sick like that." If you've ever seen Spiderman when Aunt May slaps away Willem Defoe's hand at the Thanksgiving table and he gives her a murderous stare, it was like that. But with more honey. " Well, bloody hell Lois I'll be the judge of that, don't you think. Yum yum yum give me that honey". It was good honey. Although I did feel a bit sick afterwards...

We enjoyed the Huka Falls so much that we returned the next day for a nice last look before heading up to the prawn park for a spot of prawn fishing. We sat crosslegged like a couple of old Japanese sages, waiting patient and zen-like for a bite, as the water gently rippled and there was not a sound but the wind and the soft breathing in and out, in and out. Patience. "Oh yeah, there's some shit goin' down at the end of this line, I can feel it. I've fuckin' got one! I've got one, I can feel him, the little bastard..." Only to pull up the line to see that the crafty little devil's taken my bait (cow heart) and I'm left with nothing but an empty hook and an empty bucket. Two and a half hours this process repeated itself until the master herself, little Woody, used her delicate touch and general love of prawns to hook a big blue pincered prawn from the depths and reel him into shore like Captain Quint to my Martin Brody - "We're gonna need a bigger bucket". We then ate that little prawn, ate him good and proper after they cooked him up for us with some lemon. There were Chinese families who'd obviously been there all day, who had a pile of cooked prawns at the end. Piles and piles of them. And us with only one. He was tasty though, little Shawn the Prawn.

Currently we're in Wellington, bottom of the North Island. Tomorrow we switch islands and head to Christchurch. Again, more familiar faces at the airport... Peace.