Having left Nelson after a brief stop it was time for another one nighter in Westport. It was a bit of a mission on the bus (although not compared to Oz standards) and our first stop was a lake. Hearing that there might be a swimming opportunity the lads had packed their speedos and we were off. A brisk 45 minute walk around our first (of what would be many) picturesque lakes we arrived to the end and a jetty. Having assessed the water temperature and all agreei...

April 30th and it was off to Nelson. Feeling a little delicate we jumped on the bus to hear that the first place would be wine tasting. A few delights with no one getting out their wallets and it was onwards. Again another scenic day of driving and once we got to Nelson the place looked really nice. Great place to chill for a few days and stuff to do. However we decided we needed to get the West Coast show on the road so went for just one evening. A relaxed day o...

Tuesday and it was time to get on that big green Kiwi bus. We'd heard such good things we couldn't wait to get started! Our first port of call was Kaikoura. The journey itself was amazing. We got our first glimpses at just how beautiful the NZ landscape was going to be! Rolling hills, green grass and plenty of wildlife - if not a lot of sheep! We arrived in Kaikoura and once again it was roasting. Whale watching was to be our first group outing. After a thrilling...

Sunday 27th April 2008 and we all finally arrived in NZ. James after a monster, marathon of a flight and the other lads after a pants scary, turbulent, lightning filled flight. Safely down and a few customs checks there was a big meet and greet at the hostel. Readily acquainted it was off to break our no fast food NZ pact by strolling straight into the Arches. Lasted about 8 seconds! After a couple of hours catch up it was off to bed for steady nights sleep!...