Long Bay & Granny Bay

Well it was time to see the ocean, not much of a surf spot but the surroundings were pretty amazing, we walked along Long Bay.. then up to the coastal walks on to Granny's Bay (yup Granny's Bay) which had stunning views, then we decided to walk back to Long Bay as we couldnt resist a swim in the sea!!

Auckland & Sky Tower ---> www.skycityauckland.co.nz

Auckland - the epic city of NZ!

First thing i noticed..was the Christmas lights - 8th January the shops and streets are still the Christmas Vibe, weird when its 28 degrees C outside, you cant really imagine Santa on his sleigh, with his reindeer's, i think they really love Christmas over here.
Next was the Pedestrian Crossing...Unusual, funny but practical! OK, so you press the button, your waiting for traffic to stop, then...Boom goes the sound, and the green man does the moon walk! (yes the moon walk) for 5-10 seconds, then... there's a 20 second countdown timer for everyone to cross the road..asap!
OK, not the most exciting thing, but the SKY TOWER was! You get in the lift, which is all glass, so you can see below you, and you can see the view of Auckland and as far as the eye can see...its amazing,..so, we got to the first view point...and what a view it was! 360 degree! then we wanted higher, got in the lift...and went to the top view point, you can feel your ears pop, but it doesn't bother you. We stood 220 metres high! the view was unreal, you could see everything! There's even a glass floor! which is a little scary at first but its just absolutely unreal!
Then after all this excitement and the 28-30 degree heat we went to the bar..had a few jugs of lovely kiwi beer and went home for a good earned rest.

Albany, North Shore

Albany...What a beautiful place! Surrounded by forest and countryside, but also has shopping malls and bars, we have been staying at a friends home in Point Ridge, we couldnt beleive our eyes... its perfect. 
So, we made the most of it... 6am walks taking in the views, then straight to the outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, if your feeling a little more energetic there is a gym too! Or you could just relax on the sun loungers or have a BBQ with the neighbours!

Back in Newquay

 Arrived back in Newquay in the early hours, which took some! But Mikko was there waiting for me, which was amazing! :-)
Everything is now sorted ready for the adventure and its nearly time to enjoy the NEW YEAR as well as a last celebration! I hope all of you, have had a good year and the hope next one is even better, So...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

One week to go

Hello everyone,

Ive had a fantastic Chrsitmas with all my family, and its been brilliant to catch up with old friends, but now is the time to say farewell, head back to Newquay to see my fiance Mikko, celebrate the new year with our friends, and to say some more goodbyes before we head on our big adventure to New Zealand.

I will try to keep you all updated as much as possible, as i'm not sure when i'll be back in England, It's been abit of a crazy year, but thank-you to eveyone has been there for me! i love you all!! 

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year :-)