New Zealand was a welcome change from the backpackers’ Hell that is Australia's east coast and I decided to do it differently here; see fewer places but stay longer, plus I wanted to work on my fly-fishing. I rented a car in Auckland and set off.

Downtown Auckland is busy, but not overcrowded, with enough of a backpacker infrastructure to make me uncomfortable. I found a busy Belgian themed restaurant for dinner: Café Occidental. I had a Huia Gewürztraminer, a restrained Gewürztraminer that blossomed into chilled candy. – Now added to my “buy” list. The Mussels, in a garlic and blue cheese sauce, were delicious and at 6 inches long; the biggest I have ever seen. The Waitress said they sell ¾ tons per week.

I rented a car from Scotty’s car rental and headed south. My first stop was at the information center in Rotorua. Famous for its thermal activity, it is very tourist-centric. After Australia I was a bit skittish on the tourist scene, so I took some brochures and a piss, and got right back in the car and headed to Lake Taupo.

It was cold and drizzly when I arrived. In spite of the weather I arranged for a fishing guide for the next day. After all, Lake Taupo is a fly-fishing Mecca, and the reason for my stopping there. Then I checked into the Bella Vista Motel, and headed out looking for a Pub and a place to eat. I was surprised that in a fishing town, it can be difficult to find a real bar. In the end I settled on what reminded me of the trendy, nouvelle-cuisine restaurant cum wine-bars we have in the northern hemisphere, with one notable exception: everyone was friendly.