First stop on the South was the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park, where we got off the bus and stayed for 4 nights. Our first day there we took a tour of the park, first on a boat around the coast then back through the park on a minibus. It was a gorgeous day so the sights were amazing, and we made friends with a dolphin who followed us on the boat. We decided to stay an extra couple of days to do a kayak trip into the park, camp over for a night or two then kayak back. It should have been an awesome scenic trip but we got hit by rubbish weather - the kayak out was ok, but it rained most of the day so when we arrived at our site (by this time we had decided to stay in a 'hut' instead of camp) we were freezing cold and wet... Not very nice when you have no way of warming up and nothing to do! Had planned to do some walks etc but because of the weather we just stayed inside, ate cold pasta and played cards! The next morning we planned to kayak back but the weather was even worse, and we were advised not to kayak so ended up having to pay extra to get our kayak water taxied back! Turned out an expensive trip, and not very enjoyable, especially because I had a bad cold. Silly weather!
After Abel Tasman we headed down the west coast, stopping at the renowned Barrytown - a tiny little village where we stopped for a big booze up. Had a great night there, teaching everyone some classic drinking games and dressing up in random clothes - our theme was guys had to dress as girls, and girls dress as guys pretending to be girls; harder than it sounds! Also did some bone carving in Barrytown, where I made a gorgeous necklace in the shape of flame - I thought it would be suitable as it signifies heat and I've been constantly freezing in NZ!
We stopped at Franz Josef Glacier for 3 nights, which was amazing. I did a full day glacier hike which was great; we climbed up the glacier, and through small crevices and ice tunnels. We had clear blue skies which made the scenery amazing. I did manage to slip, depsite the crampons, going down one part of the glacier so I now have a big scar on my arm where I grated it against the ice - painful! Louis did ice climbing whilst I did the hike which he loved - definitely looked like more his kind of thing than mine - too much hard work!
After travelling down the west coast we headed inland to Wanaka, a beautiful little town on the lake, like a smaller version of Queenstown. Due to the good weather we finally managed to do our 15000ft skydive!!! It was amazing, and well worth the money! Wasn't as scary as expected, as you're so high up it doesnt seem real jumping out the plane - and we didn't have a choice as it was a tandem skydive, so we were more or less pushed out the plane. Have a great DVD and photos which I'll try put up some time - not very attractive though!
Next stop Queenstown! The adventure captial of NZ and our fav place yet! Theres so much to do here (so lots of money to spend), so we've had to limit our activities slightly. Its a beautiful lcoation, right on Lake Wakatipu and nestled between huge mountains. Spent four nights here, and between all the pubbing and clubbing (its also the party capital) we squeezed in some Luging (cheap and very fun), jetboating and..... the Nevis Bungy!!! The bungy was the best and scariest thing I've ever done! So proud I managed to do it! Theres 3 bungys in Queentown, and I figured if I'm going to do a bungy, may as well do the biggest! The Nevis is 134m and the 3rd highest in the world - we're now tempted to do the highest which is near Hong Kong. You jump out of a small jump pod hanging by cables over a huge canyon - a massive groundrush. I was actually less nervous than I thought I'd be, until they sit you in "the seat" - described to us as a cross between a dentist chair and a gyno chair, where they tie your feet together. The DVD is hilarious. As soon as I'd been I wanted to jump again - such an adrenaline rush. Needless to say, we partied it up that night!
From Queenstown, we spent a few days touring the South, first stopping at Milford Sound ( which is actually a Fiord rather than a Sound). The pictures we'd seen of Milford Sound looked amazing and everyone had hyped it up, so most of us on the bus signed up for a cruise into the Sound. Due to crappy NZ weather it was another waste of money as the weather was awful and we couldn't see anything - nothing like the pictures! Some of the waterfalls were pretty impressive but that was it. Bit annoying as would've loved to see it in nice weather, but we didn't have time to wait on the good weather.
From Milford Sound, we travelled along the 'Southern Scenic Route' along the coast, stopping at some random places in the middle of nowhere through to Invercargill. Apparently this is where all the sheep have been hiding! We've been told there is approx 10 sheep to every person in NZ, and by the look of this area its more! All you can see is sheep for miles! From Invercargill we headed towards Dunedin (named after Edinburgh); this whole area definitely resembles Scotland! No need to be homesick! Spent 4 days here to explore its delights such as the Speights Brewery and the Cadbury Factory, and have some messy nights out!
Now back in Queenstown for a few nights - possibly to engage in some more dangerous activities but will need to assess the funds first! Then we head up to Christchurch, stopping on the way to go White Water Rafting on Rangitata river, the best rafting in NZ apparently.
On the 4th we leave NZ and fly to Melbourne - hoping for some sunshine! If we like Melbourne we'll probably stick around for Christmas and find some work to top up the spending money (much needed!). Sad to leave NZ, but can't wait for the next leg!
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