So, I arrived off the plane after a 26 hour flight at around 7.15am and although pretty tired, decided to get stuck in immediately. Had to nip home and freshen up first though as trousers and a woolly coat do not suit 22 degree heat! Lesley and David (the lovely people that I am staying with at the moment) took me to the Sky Tower for brunch. I had a delicious seafood risotto, better than the Playwright (sorry Andrew and Helen), all washed down with a glass of wine. The floor revolves, so you have to be careful where you leave your bag, and also every few minutes make a conscious note of where the toilets are! You get stunning 360 degree views over Auckland and it takes around an hour for one complete circle. MUM DO NOT READ THE NEXT SENTENCE Apparently you can bungee jump off the tower for around £50.... maybe something for the future....

I was then whisked away to Piha Beach, with its excellent surfing waves. I heard that a lot of people get into trouble here due to the tides and currents, not an area I particularly want to swim in then! By this point the sun had gone in, but there were still hundreds of people packing the beach, and I needed a large scoop of banana ice cream to cool me down.

Then it was off home to feed the two cats and two chickens (yes there were still two of each on our return). I had a quick power nap and was woken by Lesley with a large gin an tonic (the room service here is excellent!) David cooked a lovely spicy Malaysian dish called a Laksa and then it was off to bed in an attempt to overcome the jet lag.