One of the main reasons for our journey overseas to New Zealand was to get to see as much of the country as possible. One of the problems we have encountered is that Wellington is a bit of a dead end - you can only travel in one main direction without getting a boat! Thus, you generally have to travel North to get anywhere. You can travel North up the West Coast, past the sleepy coastal towns of Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Otaki and Levin before you get to the next decent sized settlement, Palmerston North. Generally, Palmy isn't worth stopping in - though we have stopped there a few times. You can also travel up the Eastern side of the North Island by crossing the Rimutaka Hills at Upper Hutt and venturing through the sparsely settled Wairarapa with the pretty towns of Martinborough and Greytown, and the dumps that are Featherston and Masterton. Generally, most destinations that we'd like to go to are beyond Palmerston North, and therefore at least 3 - 4 hours from Wellington.

However, this hasn't stopped us from seeing the country, as the following pages are testament to: