Its Saturday 15th December and Phileas and Fogg have been exploring. We have been to two of the islands off the east coast of North Island, Rangitoto and TiriTiri. Both amazing . Rangitoto is an extinct Volcano and it only stopped erupting 400 years ago. (It started 600 years ago and took 200 hundred to form itself into the island.) so there is a lot of cascades of larva interspersed with trees and foliage and lichens which very much excited Phileas from the scientific point of view. Visually I have never seen anything like it. We took a tractor to near the top and climbed to the summit and hence we walked round the rim of the crater. The views were magnificent over the isthmus and towards Auckland. The second island was TiriTiri an ecological masterpiece with the most amazing range of birds. We saw all manner which I will not list here. Suffice it to say it was very exciting. The views were again spectacular. The trees were fantastic. The colours textures and shapes were inspiring. I have got to get drawing. We are doing so much I have not really had time. It was a hot day yesterday on TiriTiri and we got back late (6pm) and went straight into the pool followed by a really good glass of Chardonnay. What bliss. Our 'hosts' go to England today so from now on we are on our own, really for the first time since we have been away. We have done more than an 8th of our journey already! Having walked round our adopted home of Devonport for a month this morning I have seen people in Father Christmas costumes, girls with antlers, Christmas lights and trees in peoples front rooms, all in bright sunshine. All very surreal. We are going to the Bay of Islands at the end of next week and will be staying away for a couple of nights. We have joined a backpacker's group and will be spending a couple of nights in a 'hostel' although they have let us 'old folks' have the studio so we do not have to share a dormitory! More about that later on. So this is Fogg signing out and sending you all my love and best wishes.