New Zealand

Why should i change now...my lame attempts at keeping this up to date has failed miserably so here is just a quick list of where i went to after lake Tekapo. If you want to know more, e mail me or wait till i get home and ask me then!

Christchurch

Much like Canterbury...it has a church and everything!

Akaroa

Went on a day trip from Christchurch to this french colonial town. The weather was chilly so i took refuge in a cafe for a sausage roll...oh so french!

Kaikora

Went whale watching and was lucky enough to see 5 and 2 pods/school of dolphins. It was totally breathtaking seeing the tail flick up out of the water and dissapear.

Blenheim

Part of malborough sounds, hired bikes and went to the local winerys...partook in some tasting!

Picton

Liked it so much the first time i revisited the hostel with the ace hot tub and home made apple crumble!

Wellington

A friend i made on the magic bus managed to get us tickets to the Wellington vs Otago rugby match. Great to see and lots more fun was had in the pub crawl we

Napier

Art Deco tastic. Loved the place...of course being by the coast and the sun shining didn't sway my opinion at all. On the way to the Mt we stopped in Rotarua where Lindsay, Karl the magic bus driver and I did swoop....being raised to 100 meters in the air in what is in essence a sleeping bag on a harness all strapped togetehr and one of you has to release us so we swoop like a bird towards the ground and pendulum swing back and forth.

Mt Manguanui

Even nicer! The sun stayed out for me as i explored the coastline and the township. Great coastal walks with awesome views over the bay.

Auckland

Back where i started. Met up with Anna who i met when i first arrived. Also met a guy called James who i met in Cairns. Strangely, both times it was at the end of my time in that country and then saw him again on the yasaw flyer in Fiji...small world!

New Zealand is beautiful.

This has to be one of the top spots of the sounth island and one of the most beautiful drives to it.

Mountains, sunny days and a beautiful lake. Magic has their own accommodation here which was toasty warm and cosy! Took a walk around to see the bronze dog statue and the church...one of NZ most photographed landmarks! The pictures I took of this place speak for themselves...stunning!!

Between Dunedin and Oamaru we stopped at a beach where all of these boulders have been formed by erosion...pretty cool huh. They are fun to play on and make a good photo.

Oamaru was a quirky little town and had loads more to offer than first meets the eye. In parts you felt like you had fallen back into the 1920s. There was some wicked Galleries to visit (one a bit creepy!) and if you wanted you could get dressed up in period costume and get your photo taken! The buildings were impressive in the main street. One dissapointment was the blue eyed penguin colony i hoped to visit...the penguins weren't coming home so i couldn't see them!

Just as well i liked the place since the driver left me stranded for another night!

Student town with an industrial feel and lots of steep streets..mmmmm what does that remind me of...you guessed it, Leeds. Honestly this place could be either Bristol or Leeds, even Glasgow. Dunedin is the celtic name for Edignburgh. You learn something new everyday. Oh and the dreary overcast weather didn't at all make me feel like I was in the north of England.

On the positive side, all of the magic bus drivers say the best thing about this place is leaving it, I beg to differ. It is not a bad city, lots of independent shops and lots of cool bars and pubs, not to mention loads of quirky cafes to warm yourself in. Ate my first chocolate fish with a hot chocolate in Dunedin. Cadburys make so many different types of chocolate here that we don't get...ever heard of a moro bar....thought not!

Talking of Chocolate, I visited the Cadburys chocolate factory. Got loads of free samples including a couple of moro bars, a Banana Chocolate bar (forgotten the name- we don't get it inthe UK) and the famous chocolate fish (another NZ favourite we don't get, its marshmellow covered in chocolate!) and some crunchies and dairy milk! If that wasn't enough i bought a bag of treat size desert range...banoffe pie, lemon cheesecake and fudge brownie!

Apart from chocolate production, Dunedin wasn't much to write home about...just another city. Next!!!

Ok so i suck at snowboarding but it was still a lot of fun. Managed to actually be able to stop (no no by falling on my arse!) and do a turn. Queenstown is a lot of fun, you can do any crazy action activity under the sun here. Call me strange but i don't fancy doing a bungy attached to a chair, the nevis bungy - falling 139metres! into a lake or a canyon swing! Stopped at the first commercial bungy site - AJ Hackett on the way to Queenstown.

Queenstown in the party capital of the south island and my hangover after a night out here proved it!

The weather has been fantastic and the views breathtaking. Have loved seeing the 2 metres long icicles!!

As part of my magic bus pass I could go on a day trip to Milford sound. What an amazing day. Driven from Queenstown we stopped in Te Anua...a small town with the 2nd largest lake in NZ. We made several other photo stops on the way to Milford including mirror lakes. Spectacular views all the way, snow capped mountains for as far as the eye could see. Spotted my first kea, looks like a fat large parrot! When we arrived in Milford we went on a river cruise along the sound. Waterfalls, mountains and clear waters....beautiful.