Hey guys, only 2 days left in New Zealand unfortunately although i guess moving on to Australia isn't the worst thing I could be doing. Since i last updated the blog I've travelled the whole length of New Zealand from Queenstown - Auckland and despite this, there hasnt been a huge amount to write but I'll flesh it out!

Monday 5th May - bought clothes in the Salvation Army, went food shopping, got very drunk!

Tuesday 6th May - Absolutely stunning day although a combination of being on a bus, no breakfast and a hangover made it a little less enjoyable. We did stop off at Lake Pukaki (see facebook profile picture) and Lake Tekapo before arriving in Christchurch so we had plenty of Kodak moments with other people's cameras (mine broke in Queenstown or rather I dropped it). Went to the airport to say goodbye to some of our friends and get my camera fixed (I wouldn't find out for a week that it costs $200).

Wednesday 7th May - Had a rreeeeaaalllly long lie-in which was awesome as I hadn't really had one in weeks what with the drinking and getting up for Kiwi Experience pick-ups. Spent the afternoon walking around Christchurch which incidentally is the most English place outside of England. Went into the Museum and Art Gallery and had a walk in the botanical gardens which, with the Autumn leaves was quite picturesque.

Thursday 8th May - Woke up at 7am so I could ring the Lord Of The Rings tour office and be put on the tour for the day. Picked up at 9am and headed 2 and a half hours north of Christchurch to the valley where Edoras, Helm's Deep and The Misty Mountains were filmed. The views were absolutely spectacular (see the pictures for evidence) and I got to hold Aragorn's sword which was soooooooo cool:D (Anduril - Flame of the West, not the other one, although that won't mean much to many) In any case, it was an amazing experience and I'm really glad i did it. That evening we went out in Christchurch as it was our friends' Neil and Lianne's last night in New Zealand so we got very drunk, got a KFC and looked forward to our 7:20am pick-up!

Saturday 10th May - Absolutely exhausted! 4 hours sleep and then a prolonged bus journey to Kaikoura! However, in the afternoon, we got ourselves organised and went out whale-watching in Kaikoura. We saw 4 whales and hundreds of dolphins and it was absolutely incredible. The dolphins were swimming literally a few feet away from me as i was stood on the prow of the boat. Louise was a bit seasick so she watched from the cabin (note: 'a bit seasick' is an understatement - 'a bit green' would be about right). Our group had BBQ in the evening at our hostel and we spent most of the evening meeting new people and i spent the remainder eating other people's leftovers. Classy am i right?

Saturday 10th May - Pretty much did nothing except travel by bus and ferry to Wellington today. We did see some seal pups at a waterfall though which was pretty cool.

Sunday 11th May - Washed all my clothes as I'd been wearing my boxers for a considerable amount of time (i won't tell you how long but i will say i had to turn them inside out) and then going commando so i figured a wash was needed. Apart from that, we just relaxed all day and i stayed up till 4am to watch the Man Utd game:D

Monday 12th May - Louise and I went to Te Papa Museum in the centre of the city and looked around the exhibits and Art Gallery (which i've acquired a taste for-despite the fact i've only been to 2). I had a walk around the city after Louise sent me to a post office in the distance which ended up being the post office headquarters and not an actual post office. There was however a post office 2 minutes from our hostel, although i only found this out when i returned. In any case, I saw the Beehive Government Buildings, went into a guitar shop and relieved my withdrawal symptoms, posted some items home, organised some camera stuff and enjoyed the sculptures and architecture on the Wellington waterfront - sounds kind of poncy and pretentious - well, it is. Louise's cousin took us both our for a meal in the evening with GREEN vegetables - i kid you not, they were GREEN! I haven't eaten green food for weeks, its all been yellow and white and brown (pasta, rice and potato). Anyway, it was sooo good! Afterwards, we returned and had a few drinks with some of our friends who'd caught up to us from Queenstown. We wouldn't see a few of them again so we all said our goodbyes etc and then headed up to bed.

Tuesday 13th May - Travelled from Wellington - Taupo. At one point I had a steak pie. I ate it. It was good.

Wednesday 14th May - Travelled from Taupo - Auckland until the late afternoon although we stopped in Matamata (Hobbiton) and i took a picture of the Gollum statue (as you do). Louise and I went up the Sky Tower in Auckland and took in the views of the city - it doesn't actually look like the picture accompanying this blog - it was a bit cloudy you see. We're staying in a huge, modern hostel and that really is one of most interesting things to tell you about the last couple of days! We have a big night out to look forward to tomorrow night though so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

This effectively brings to an end my journey through Middle-Earth, Aoteroa, Kiwi-land, New Zealand. It's probably been (collectively speaking) the best few weeks i've ever had. Onward to Australia where i've decided to spent 6 weeks so i can spend longer in Thailand, Laos and Malaysia etc (the money is tight and I want to see the sun). I trust you're all well as you read this and good luck to any of you guys who are revising for your exams! Until next time, you stay classy England and thanks for stopping by. But mainly stay classy xx