Hi everyone! So its been about 2 weeks since my last blog and in that time I have been in Panama, Los Angeles and now New Zealand!

So in Panama... After my last blog, I did go quadbiking in the mountains. I drove first, all the way up to the hot springs. It was a lot of fun! On the way back it chucked it down and we all got soaked. One of the bikes even broke down, so one of the guides had to go on the back of our bike as well! In the evening we all stayed in for a BBQ and had some really nice steak. The next day we headed off to Santa Catalina on the pacific coast. We were staying in beach cabanas basically on our own private beaches. I had some garlic prawns for lunch which were absolutely delicious! We stayed in Santa Catalina for two nights and on the second day I decided to take a surf lesson. I actually managed to get up quite a few times, but the guy teaching me helped me catch the waves which made it a lot easier! (When I tried again on my own later, I was sadly not as successful!) The waves were so strong and powerful though! After Santa Catalina, we left for Panama City, our last stop. We got up early in order to make the most of our time! When we arrived we took a private city tour which took us to the Causeway, the Canal and the old town. We had to rush to the Canal before it closed and just made it in time! We saw the massive ships squeezing down the canal and waved to all the people on board. It was really impressive! We managed to find out by shouting to the people on board that the particular ship we were looking at was heading for Hawaii and had come from Liberia! On the next day, most people headed off home and so there were just a few of us left. I spent the day shopping before going for dinner and drinks. I quite liked Panama City but there is such a contrast between rich & poor, old & new, modern & old fashioned, American & European! We also saw the famous "Red Devil" buses whilst we were there, which are all decorated in bright colours and lights and all drive insanely fast, hence their nickname! The next day I was officially the only person left from the tour in Panama City, I spent some time on skype at the internet cafe before heading to the airport.

Los Angeles...After arriving very early at 2am and a reasonable few hours sleep, I got up to explore L.A! I decided to join the walking tour from the hostel to the Hollywood sign. This was really good and I met lots of new people! The climb was really steep but well worth it at the top. Unfortunately you can't get too close to the sign but it was still a great view. In the afternoon, I took at city tour and Hollywood homes tour with the two english girls I had met. It was cool seeing the huge, luxury mansions but to be honest they could have been anyone's houses! In the evening I went out for dinner with the girls before going to the open-mic night at the hostel. Afterwards we all went for drinks with some other people we met in the hostel. It was a really good night! The next morning, I made my way to Universal Studios on the metro. I met Patty from the Panama trip and as she works at the studios she managed to get me a discounted ticket! As soon as I entered the park, I felt like a big kid again - it was great! I went straight to the Studios Tour where I met Karl from Sydney (not from Neighbours)! We got talking and ended up spending the day together. It was great fun. We got soaked on the Jurassic Park water ride before we went to the Waterworld show. The actors threw a ball out to the crowd, which Karl caught and handed to me. The villain of the show then made me stand up in front of the whole crowd - which was pretty embarassing! Anyway after a fantastic day, I said goobye to Karl and met Patty again for dinner. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe which Patty treated me to which was really nice! Afterwards I bid farewell to Patty again as she dropped me back at the hostel. The next day I decided to go to Santa Monica on the bus. It was a long journey, about an hour each way! I had a nice time chilling by the beach, listening to music and watching the world go by. In the evening I headed to LAX for my long flight to Auckland.

New Zealand so far...

After a lovely long haul flight with good food and my first glass of Malborough Sauvignon Blanc, I arrived in Auckland bright and early! Unfortunately I was too early to be let in to the hostel, let alone be checked in! But I grabbed a hot chocolate to warm me up before getting the city tour. I decided to watch the Maori concert as well, which was really cool and I got to see the famous Haka! Once the tour was over, I wandered around the shops of Queen's Street and decided to buy some cheap fake UGGs and a scarf to keep me warm! The following day I went to the Sky Tower which is apparently the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere! The view was fantastic from the top, you can see for 52 miles on a good day! In the afternoon I decided to take a harbour cruise which went to Rangitoto Island - the largest volcano in Auckland. Afterwards I took the free ferry to Devonport, which is an old Victorian seaside town with great views of the city! The next day I decided to start the Kiwi Experience. I met lots of people. In particular I got chatting to Kate and Rose from England and Chelsea from Canada. Our first stop on the bus was Cathedral Cove. After a steep walk down the cliff, we reached the shore and the cove. It was so beautiful, the water was a lovely turquoise colour. It was spectacular! The next day we went for an early morning walk through some old mining caves before heading to the Waitomo Caves. There we went black water rafting. We descended into the caves, walking through them and tubing some of the way. It was a lot of fun. We even jumped backwards off some waterfalls! By the end of it we were all freezing though and I could barely feel my hands or my feet! When we got back, they showed us the photos - including one of a massive spider near the cave entrance! I was so glad that I never saw it! In the evening we joined the rest of the group for a BBQ at the pub, it was really tasty! Yesterday we drove to Rotorua, which overlooks a beautiful lake and is also a geothermal hot spot. I decided to take the gondola skyride to the top of the mountain and then we took the luge down! It was great fun, especially racing down the tracks! After several rides down the luge we headed back to our hostel. In the evening we took a tour to a Maori village. This involved a ceremony to welcome us to the village and a concert before a massive feast! It was really interesting and the meal was really good too!

So here we are...today! And what a day! If any of you have checked facebook, I'm sure you're already well aware of what I got up to today! First off though, we went to Te Puia which had various exhibitions on Maori culture and history, several geysers because of the geothermal activity and an enclosure which had Kiwi birds in it! It was really lovely to get the chance to see the birds, as they are very rare and also nocturnal! Afterwards we headed to Taupo, the skydiving capital of the world!...And I didn't break the trend of all the other visitors to Taupo. We were picked up from some beautiful waterfalls just outside Taupo and taken to the airport. We had to wait a little while for the right conditions but eventually the skies cleared! I was on the first plane up with Kate. We got the jumpsuits on and my guide Rodney, sorted out the harness etc. At this point I was very excited and very scared, but it was all good! I was the last on the plane, which meant I was the first to jump out. I was also sitting right by the door, which they left slightly open until just before takeoff! It was a 25 minute flight up to 15,000ft and I have to say I was fairly calm! Rodney made sure my harness was securely attached and I felt confident! Then the plane slowed down, the cameraman stepped out and I had to swing my legs out of the plane. Thinking back to this, I still have butterflies! Then before I had chance to even think, Rodney had pushed us out the plane and we were hurtling towards the ground. The first 5 seconds were the worst and the best because I was so aware of what I had just done and I could feel myself falling. After that the next 55 seconds were amazing and it just felt like I was flying. It is an experience that words truly can't describe, it was just the most incredible thing I have ever done in my life! And then after the freefall, there was the breathtaking 4 minute parachute ride back down to earth. This was overlooking Taupo Lake and the mountains and the view was so beautiful! As soon as we landed, I felt immense achievement and I really just want to do it again!