Gary & Sharon Wallis World Tour 2000 - 2002
		On the evening of the 1st we went out to the Tamaki Moari Cultural Experience for an excellent concert and traditional Moari Hangi meal. This was great fun and we learnt a lot about the Moari way of life and even got a full on demonstration of the Haka, this was followed by a scrummy meal cooked in an earth oven. After a fun ride back to the hostel which include some community singing, we left Rotoroa the next day and over nighted in our hire car on the way to Wellington. Visited Sharon's old school friends Suella and Mark and baby Holly and had an enjoyable evening and a pretty spectacular Thai Green curry. On the fifth we were away again driving back up north to National Park Village to prepare for the Tongariro Northern Cicuit walk. The next day we went to the DOC office to sign out an intentions card and they were advising all walkers not to enter the park due to the weather. What a little bit of wind and rain I said, and off we set. On the first day we had to walk a bit of a distance, and we had a little bit of wind and rain (ok it was pouring it down with a howling wind), but we also had the whole park to ourselves. Arrived at the first overnight hut, with only the warden for company, and enjoyed a candlelit evening playing cards and eating cheesecake. The next day we set off again to beautiful skies and once more we had the entire park to ourselves, we had awesome views of the volcano's in the sunshine, and after a strenuous climb which including cooking lunch by the emerald lakes, we made it to the second hut which we had all to ourselves. The peace we had on the mountain side was absolutely amazing. Next day we set off and within an hour we were passed by the first day walkers who were doing the Tongariro Crossing, all they wanted to know was how much longer till the hut we had left! We walked back over to the emerald lakes and climbed to the rim of Red Crater, the volcanic landscape was amazing but once we hit the top the wind and cloud rolled in. We climbed down and began to realise why the day walkers were so knackered and we were glad we were so much better prepared for this walk as it was pretty gruesome going downhill let alone up hill. We made it to the third hut, where we were supposed to overnight but seeing as it was only 1pm we decided to complete the last 8km and walk out a day early. We made it back to the hostel in National Park Village and enjoyed a rather nice session in the spa pool. On the 8th we rose to a nice cooked breakfast and jumped in the car and drove all the way back up north, through Auckland and onto Whangerei. Got onto a dive trip the next day, had to feed our addiction,  and had another two awesome dives at the Poor Knights Islands. Next day the weather closed in and grounded all the boats but we had paperwork to fll out as we found out we had been excepted on to the Coral Cay project in Fiji. After sorting all the paperwork out and picking up a parking ticket in the process we were heading down to Auckland on the 11th to visit Karim and Erica. Arrived at Karim and Erica's and met up with there two children Lucy and Thomas, immediately they whisked us off to the local stadium to watch a Super 12 Rugby game, the Auckland Blues versus the Wellington Hurricanes. Unfortunately for Erica her team lost, which was OK by Karim as his team won. The next day the ladies went off shopping and Karim and Gary went to the office to see the fruits of the Hussona's business success in New Zealand. After playing a game of rugby in the afternoon and picking up a few knocks we went out for an awesome Thai in the evening. On the Monday we met up with Lisa and Lottie who just arrived in Auckland and spent an evening with them and some mad friend of theres, and on the Tuesday we cooked up for our hosts at home, a scrummy meal we hope they liked it. So it was with a lot of sadness that on the 16th when Erica, Lucy and Thomas dropped us off at Auckland airport, we had grown very fond of New Zealand, it far eclipses Australia in terms of nice place, nice people, lots to do stuff. Arrived in Nadi, um bit of a dump and spent a couple of days making a plan of what to do, we then headed out to Pacific Harbour which is near Beqa Lagoon and spent 5 days diving. The most spectacular dives we did hear were the shark feeds. Most of the dive sights in Beqa Lagoon had been stripped of their corals by the recent cyclone that went through this area. The shark feed though were mental, heaps of fish and three 3.5 - 4 metre Bull Sharks as well. On the shark feeds we were also joined by White Tips, Black Tips, Grey Reef and Nurse Sharks so it was pretty busy. As we were flying to Kadavu we went to Suva on the last day and did not dive, what a shit hole wished we had not bothered. 26th May, decided we need a holiday, too much stress this travelling, took a flight to Kadavu and booked into the Matava resort, this worked out well as we booked a dorm bed bu the dorm was unhabitable so they gave us our own Bure! Did some diving, relaxed in the sun, had meals cooked for us, um kinda liked that. Did these two awesome dives on the most prestine hard coral reef we have ever seen, make the Great Barrier look like it's shit (which it is), on the second of the dives a huge Manta ray came cruising along and circled us and then swam off.