Settling in

At long last we are getting some decent nights' sleep, and are settling into the Auckland rhythm. We've been out exploring the local rainforest (see pic), which is very different from anything we've seen in Europe. We are off up north (i.e. to the warmer bit) this weekend. It is another holiday weekend as Friday is Waitangi day, which commemorates the signing of the Waitangi treaty between the British crown and the Maori - still the subject of some dispute.

One of the things that is slightly disorientating about living here is the angle of the sun, which makes figuring out directions very difficult. The bright part of the sky is to the north, opposite to the northern hemisphere, which means I am constantly muddled about north, south, east and west - I'm sure it will be equally confusing when we come back.

The weather continues to be settled and warm, much in contrast to the UK at the moment. We've booked a flight to Christchurch on the South Island in a couple of weeks time, and hope that we can make the most of what remains of the austral summer to enjoy exploring it.

In the meantime I am having a luxurious time at work, ignoring all the emails from Sheffield and concentrating on my research. Its great, and I'm feeling more relaxed than I have for ages.

Thanks for all the comments, its nice to know that you are keeping in touch.

Richard