On our first trip to New Zealand we only saw tui once, deep in a dark rain forest near Rotorua. This time it was different, as the native flax was in flower, and the beautiful blue-green birds with the white neck tufts were taking advantage of the season to eat pollen and drink nectar. Their strange call twittered and boomed around the forests and flashes of bright colour leapt across the roads.

Here's one we saw at Marahau, on the edge of the Abel Tasman National national park.



( More tui, getting its head into a flower... )

Beautiful birds.

Today we're in LA, after a night at a very chi-chi hotel on Sunset Boulevard (its Sushi bar served a "Japanese Elvis Roll" - tempura banana and grilled eel with a satay sauce - that was surprisingly nice). We're just off to spend the day at the Getty Centre, up in the hills, looking at wonderful art and architecture.

Tonight we'll be in the air, skipping a day to arrive in New Zealand on Sunday morning.

So it's goodbye to all this, and hello to all that.

Steak and cheese pies, L&P, Tui Beer adverts, Speight's Southern Man and remembering to run over possums. It'll be good to be back in Godzone...