Didn't it rain...again

The title is apt for two reasons. 1 because it's been raining non stop for days. 2 because we're off to see Hugh Laurie perform (his album 'didn't it rain' is one of our favourite driving sing-alongs). Did I mention that already?! I'll elaborate:
1. Turns out camper van living is a little trickier in torrential rain. Everything gets a little damp and never dries out. The other day we decided to use the awning ( for the first time) so we could create a corridor between the door and the back (where the cooking facilities are). Putting up an awning for the first time in the rain was a little soggy, but once up was useful, if you avoided the drips coming through the holes.
Things to do in the rain :

• Hide in coffee shops
• Hide in Gerty doing the crossword
• Go for a run up Colonial Knob where it is so windy Alistair had to grab Sam after a big gust to get her back on the path
• Visit Te Papa, New Zealand's top Museum (free), where we got a guided tour from a lovely Maori lady who was fascinating. This museum is very interactive and seems to have lots of expensive looking video/ holographic exhibits. Apparently it costs $56mNZD per year to run, you can tell.
• Watch lord of the Rings in the film archives (free)
• Go to the observatory and see a super planitarium show (sounds ridiculous, but never really thought that they see different stars and constellations down here - who in the northern hemisphere has ever heard of the Magellanic Cloud before, go on, put your hands up?!
• The museum of city and sea - again free and again very good. A hologram lady walks over fixed objects and interacts with them whilst telling stories. We're starting to suspect that NZ spends more on its museums than the UK does, or perhaps with such a young country you don't have lots of old stuff to put in museums so you have to be more creative.....

2. Between starting this blog and now we have seen Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band in Auckland's civic centre. They were fabulous. Not much else to say so I'll try and attach the requisite grainy photos and tinny videos.....