Hamilton

We drove all the way up to Cape Reinga, right at the northern tip of the north island. It was a fairly long drive, especially the last 20km which was an unsealed gravel road, but it was worth it. Cape Reinga feels like it could be the end of the world, with nothing but vast ocean as far as the eye can see. It was also good to visit the 90 mile beach on the way back down. We spent a night in a small town called Ahipara before heading south through the Waipoua forest to see the giant Kauri trees. We're currently on our way to Cambridge and have stopped in the biggish town of Hamilton for lunch and shopping.

Everything's going smoothly with the campervan - the heating is more than sufficient to cope with the cold weather (getting colder as we move south). The toe is now less sore although the nail is still hanging on - not sure if it's gonna fall off or not to be honest. It's looking decidedly manky, but Emma won't let me post a photo of it (if anyone wants one, please email me).