Auckland

Staying in New Zealand for a couple of days without the next stop being Wellington was a strange feeling; we were so close to home without it being our next destination. Adrian's close friend Brad collected us from the airport (another very welcome friendly face) and took us to his house in Glenfield where we spent the weekend and enjoyed more wonderful hospitality.

It has been five or six years since we last saw Brad and Juliana and in the meantime, Eleanor, Leo and Brad and Juliana's son Jackson have arrived. They were very thoughtful hosts; on top of everything else they arranged for us, we were treated to chippies and onion soup dip, pineapple lumps and red liquorice (my favourite!).

I sneaked away for a couple of hours to see my friend Tara in nearby Takapuna. We had a good catch up sitting in the sunshine in the garden of their new house. While I was out Brad and Adrian took the children to a nearby playground to burn off some energy. Brad, Jewels and Jackson We also took us to lovely Takapuna Beach and for a walk along the waterfront at towards the Viaduct, which looks fantastic after a facelift for the 2011 rugby world cup.

The children enjoyed each other's company and had lots of fun together. We will look forward to seeing them all again soon.

From Auckland we flew to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, our last stop before Wellington. The Rarotongan beaches are meant to be amazing and the reason for this part of the trip is to join our friend Julian to celebrate his 40th, so it will be a relaxing time with friends.