Giant squid at the Te Papa museum in Wellington

On to Bilbo Baggins country and a glimpse of Jonah Lomu's house

After bidding our hosts farewell, we left Palmerston North and embarked on a two hour journey to New Zealand's capital, Wellington, from whence we will fly to Auckland and on to Raratonga in the Cook Islands tomorrow.

 En route to the hotel, we stopped at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, which is an interactive museum charting the history of New Zealand, particularly from a geological standpoint. We took in all sorts of exhibits, including a colossal squid, and simulations of earthquakes, submarine journeys and an exciting simulated tour around the various activities of New Zealand.

After the museum, we took the coach up Mount Victoria and around woodland used for the filming of Lord of the Rings, which gave us astounding panoramic views of the city, the harbour and, as a side point, one of All Black legend Jonah Lomu's houses.

We have an early start for our flight tomorrow, so a quiet night will probably be the order of the rest of the day.