North Island

So North Island is pretty much like South Island, except:

* More people
* More cars
* More geysers (hot spring sort)
* More big cities (1 vs 0)
* More junked up roadside strip-sprawl
* Fewer one lane bridges (I kind of miss them)
* Fewer snow capped peaks (i.e. none)

* But about the same number of sheep (i.e. lots)

Overall, memorable in NZ has been:

* The big B of course - see next post
* Flat white and sauvignon blanc
* Only having to make two (approx.) road junction decisions a day
* Southern Alps - fab mountain backdrop on South Island, esp. in this weather
* Queenstown, Glenorchy, Napier (art deco that lived up to the hype), Wellington, Auckland (another great harbour city - see pic taken from the Bridge)
* Being on my own with my thoughts and everything being easy

Faintly disappointing:

* Geothermal stuff - bit overly touristified - Iceland better I thought
* Rotorua (avoid!) and Christchurch (nothing wrong with it, just thought it would be nicer)

* Interislander ferry. If you've been on a cross channel ferry you've got the picture - only it takes twice as long
* Being on my own with my thoughts and everything being easy (it sort of cuts both ways)