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I went on the Bottom Bus to go further down south. It was great! The bus was much smaller than the main one that takes us around so we got to experience more and spend a little more time at all the spots we stopped at. Our first main stop was Dunedin where I saw and walked half way up the Steepest Street in the world. The highlight of Dunedin was the Cadbury Chocolate Factory! I didn't do the tour cause I was told it wasn't really worth it but I did visit the store! I don't even want to say how much I bought and how quickly I ate it but boy was it good! We went to a Bay and saw a few dolphins. They were pretty far off the shore so we could only see their fins. Although they got pretty playful and started jumping out of the water. It was so cool! You could swim with them but the water was really cold and the weather wasn't good so I didn't do that.
We visited a seal colony and saw lots of babies. They were so cute! Then we went to a beach and saw some up real close. They were laying on the beach and we walked past them but had to watch out cause they are pretty territorial and could attack. After, we went to another bay and picked mussels off the rocks. I don't like seafood at all but thought I would try them fresh. What I didn't realise was that fresh meant raw right from the shell! It was pretty nasty tasting. I put it in my mouth and chewed a few bites but everyone told me not to and just swallow! It was hard to get it down especially since there was so much! Maria and I cooked some and I learnt that I still don't like them!
We went to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins come in from a day out in the ocean feeding. They usually come up to the shore between 5:00-6:00. We got to the spot at 5:30 and decided that if they didn't come in by 6:00 we would leave. It was about 6:05 and we were all pretty bummed cause we didn't see any. We were about to leave but then someone spotted just ONE! Just like the dolphins, it was kinda far away but my awesome camera got some alright pics! I wish I would have seen it closer but that's alright. At least I got to see one!
One of the highlights was the farm we stopped at. I got to hand feed a BIG black sheep and feed some 3 month old sheeps with a bottle. So cute! I could have done that all day! The farmer did a demonstration with the sheep herding dogs. One kind of herding dog is the silent one that herds a big group of them by commands and the other one does it by barking. It was really neat. So amazing how smart those dogs are. It made me miss Molly alot though. I gave the dog lots of pats and love hoping to send the vibes to Molly. After the dogs did their job rounding up some sheep, we went into the shed to SHEAR THEM! Wow, I never thought I would ever shear a sheep! I didn't get to do the entire sheep but it was still so much fun and hard work. I couldn't imagine doing that all day long. I can't remember how many they said the shearers do a day but it's ALOT. I think part of the reason it was hard is because I am kinda lazy! hahaha!
That was pretty much all that we did in the south. Went to Milford Sound which was supposed to be so amazing but it actually wasn't that great. We took a 2 hour bus ride to the Sound, boarded a bus, had a buffet lunch, saw some waterfalls, stayed inside the boat cause the weather wasn't good at all, stopped at an underwater observatory which was INFESTED with sandflies. Sandflies are about as bad as mosquitoes except they are itchy for what seems like WEEKS. They usually just attack your feet and ankles and wrists. So annoying. Then we boarded up the bus and took a 4 hour drive back. Don't get me wrong, the scenery was great but the weather sucked so we couldn't see the top of the mountains and really, it wasn't worth the 6 hours on the bus.
The Bottom Bus was definitely better than Eastcape which I don't think I wrote about. I am so glad that I got the big bus package that included this extra bit. Another highlight!
I arrived back in Queenstown after Milford Sound and stayed just one night. Left the next day for Christchurch which was pretty boring. Next day Kaikoura where I was supposed to go swimming with a pod of up to 300 dolphins. Again, the weather sucked so the trip was cancelled. I was really really looking forward to it and now I have to try to find a place in Australia or maybe Fiji to do it. I was super bummed out about it. Who could say that they swam with 300 dolphins in the wild? It was on my list of to do's. Oh well, another reason to come back!
After spending a night in Kaikoura, we took the ferry over to Wellington. The scene of the wallet incident. Unfortunately I couldn't get into the good hostel cause they were all booked up so I had to stay at the bad one. I lucked out and got a room in Sanctuary which is an all girl locked floor. I felt alot better about it especially since a few of the girls that I had been travelling with for the past few days were in the room with me. I am so glad I was in Sanctuary cause that night a girl had her bag stolen from the shower and another girl almost did as well except she saw someone grabbing it and quickly ripped it out of there hands! Holy Crap hey? What a brutal hostel.
I am currently in Taupo which I have previously been too. I had the BBQ dinner which was steak, sausage, potatoes and salad. SO GOOD! The reason I share this is cause most of dinners consist of ramen noodles with corn or macaroni and cheese! When you spend the day on a bus, doing walks and site seeing, the last thing you want to do is cook a big extravagant dinner. I am really craving fresh salad and veggies and have promised myself to eat better in Australia!
Today was kind of a weird day. It was good cause the sun was FINALLY out and it was really warm. I grabbed my book and went down to the lake and read. EXCELLENT! I really am going to miss doing that when I get back home. Maybe I will have to relocate to somewhere that I can do that ;o) Having some quiet time to myself got me thinking of Fiji. I am super pumped about it but i also feel aprehensive about it because I am leaving my comfort zone again. I am in a country which I know, on a bus tour that is scheduled and now I am going to another country and not overly sure what I am going to be doing. It's just a weird feeling inside. When I get to Fiji, I spend 2 nights at a hostel then I am off on the Fiji Experience which is a 4 day bus trip around the main Island. I didn't really want to stay on the main island but this trip sounds great and I have so much time in Fiji. On the trip we go to some markets to barder (sounds like Mexico - if anyone asks me for braids, I will burst out laughing!), go on a hike that ends with floating down a river, visit a local school to play with the kids and go to a Kuva Kuva ceremony. I will really be experiencing the culture which is going to be great. I learnt alot at the Maori Hangi I went to (a show and dinner that was cooked underground) so I know this is going to be great. I have heard that the Fiji Experience is the better of the 3 (Kiwi, Oz and Fiji) I know I am just being silly about it all and that I will have a great time. I really love travelling and I think this kinda feeling comes with the territory. It's these moments though that make me a tad homesick. I am going to be going a plane and arriving at an airport with no one there. And starting another part journey that I wish all my friends and family could experience with me. I guess I just have to be really descriptive in my blogs and take lots of pictures so you can kinda follow along with me!
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