I suppose there’s no chance these are bed bug bites? You say you went on a train journey near the death railway. Did it have slatted wooden seats? Every train journey I went on in Sri Lanka left me riddled with itchy swellings on the backs of my thighs from creepy bugs that lived under the wood …

Travellers should avoid eating shellfish from the Bay of Islands area (North Island) after dangerous levels of toxins were detected (June 03). Paralytic shellfish poisoning can cause difficulties in swallowing/breathing and is potentially fatal.

Mama ate a heap of green lipped NZ mussels and hasn’t been the same since …

Tan, I just sent you an email about some advice I got, so check your account if you haven’t already.

Keep a close watch on the bumps, Tan. Don’t let them get out of control again. It’s probably worth seeing a doctor and asking if it could be Doxy and if it is whether Maleron would do the same job for the 14 days remaining. How have things been since you stopped taking Doxy?

Don’t change your ticket just yet, Jul. I’m going to try and find out what rerouting costs if you do it all at once. Going to Bangkok via Singapore in order to get to Singapore makes as much sense as going to Auckland via Kerikeri!

It would be worth a 3km trek to sink weary limbs into hot sulphur. We paid $80 for a plush cabin for a week, which was such a good deal we overstayed ridiculously. I think it’s worth checking their prices and getting out of town centres a bit. It’s off season, so maybe cheaper.

There are also public spa pools at Mount Manganui, as I recall.

Mama says take Nat Mur (homeopathic) for the twiching eye. Possibly a salt deficiency.
I say stop drinking coffee (if you’ve started) and get more sleep.