After a long drive I hit the east coast for some beautiful sun kissed sandy beaches.

 First stop was Gisburn an important centre where Captain Cook first set eyes on New Zealand some 250 years ago. Cook’s arrival wasn’t altogether successful, his crew were scared by the natives war dance and killed six of them, resulting in Cook fleeing for his life. In a fit of pique he gave the bay the name poverty bay, as it didn’t provide anything that he required.

 Just a few hundred miles down the coast is the lovely city of Napier. It is the art deco capital of New Zealand mainly because most of the buildings were destroyed in the great earthquake of 1931 and so were rebuilt in the style of the time. It’s a lovely relaxing city running alongside the beach.

 Not all resorts are on the coast. The shores of Lake Taupo are a great place for relaxation. The lake is formed in the basin of an old volcano. A volcano that last erupted nearly 2000 years ago. It was one of the largest eruptions in the history of the planet. The ash covered the entire country of New Zealand. Roman scholars talked about that the sky is being darkened with ash on the other side of the planet. so great was the eruption. Today it’s peaceful with people swimming in the lake. The whole scene is dominated by the still active volcano on the other side of the lake.