Last days in Dunedin

The last of the photos of my time in New Zealand. The top photo was taken early in the morning in Motueka at the vineyard I was staying at. How beautiful is it? The weather up in Nelson was beautiful and even warm, despite it being the middle of winter.

The middle picture is from Aramoana Beach, looking over to the Albatross colony, and the bottom one is of a strange rock formation on the beach. Aramoana means pathway to the sea in Maori.

I went out last night with everyone to celebrate the end of my time in Dunedin. We opted for pizza, but I should have known better. They were unlike any pizza I had ever seen, anywhere. Sample recipes include - curry sauce, yogurt and banana; turkey and stuffing; guacamole, hot sausage and blue cheese; sweet potato and broccoli...and then there were the dessert pizzas I couldn't even look at! It reminded me of a film with Timothy Spall who was trying to be a chef but kept coming up with ideas like king prawn and strawberry jam... :-)

Still, it was good fun. I had planned on taking my time going up the North Island, but Lisa and Graeme got engaged and so I have waited until their engagement party then I'm flying up to Auckland, and off to Japan for a few days. Japan looks like it'll be fun. I'm staying close to the old fishmarket, and my hotel has its own subway station. The hotel also has a fully qualified "pillow fitter" who will measure me up for a pillow to ensure a good night's sleep.

I think I might give that a miss, but I'll let you know.