Some piccies for you! The exterior of the flat we are renting, steve with cat, sunset in Auckland and a view from the Desert Road, oh and steve at the Golden shears of Masterton! Note there are none of me! Steve doesn't offer to take my pic so I have hundreds of him exhibtioning!

Masterton was good - I have been there before but it was Steves first time! Visited my friend Kate and her children and pets! ( kitten, dog, chickens and goldfish) Took trip to local museum and to Martinborough which is the wine region - no tasting sessions tho - just a stop off at the Martinborough Hotel for a beer! For those of you interested - the town centre is laid out like the union jack - a bit like Khartoum ( pub quiz question - if u remember)
Its a strange situation to be in - we dont exactly feel like tourists but then we are not really residents either - its hard to know how to approach travelling and more importantly spending money! I think this summer will just be a taster of places we might like to go back to and places we dont - problem is everywhere is so bloody gorgeous!

We were on the desert road for about 50 mins - in the rain and wind going down and brilliant sunshine coming back - see piccie of volcano view from the desert road... pylons and a wind turbine farm were other highlights of the desert road...oh and im sure steve wont mind me telling you - I slept for five mins the whole sixteen hr round trip and it obviously went to Stephen's head and he got done for speeding!!! He got clocked at 119 kmphr 19 over limit and an automatic $120 fine (bout £40) I woke up to a nice kiwi policeman explaining the rules of the road to a contrite driver quite red in the face.

Oh - I have just thought of somewhere not so nice - Hamilton - ugly town!

Off to Bay of Islands at the weekend, fingers crossed for good weather! I am trying to find cheap places to stay without having to camp - we left our tent behind and camping stuff can be expensive, so we are leaving camping till we have more money and to be honest in my case - better weather and more enthusiasm...

Steve's last day at work today - the school have a prizegiving morning, which they have been rehearsing for all week and then the staff are getting whisked off on a bus to a vineyard for the afternoon as the staff end of term do..very nice work if u can get it!

I am still looking for work for the New Year, applied for one (I havent heard back yet) meanwhile networking with careers services in Auckland. Oh and the other thing I have done lately was possibly lose our passports! ( well steve blames me anyway) We cant locate them - so it doesnt loook good - there goes another ton of money down the drain!

Miss you all - not long to xmas! Will update blog after Bay of Islands trip.
L & S x