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The Adventures of New Zealand - Kiwi Experience.
From Christchurch to Kaikora
After having such a chilled out week in Fiji, Me and Sophie were both very excited to hit New Zealand and let the excitement begin. We flew out of Auckland straight away and into Christchurch where our Kiwi Experience was to depart. Both Me and Sophie were very much looking forward to the trip as we had heard so much positive feedback from friends we had met in Fiji about the Kiwi Experience.
Christchurch where we stayed for a day before our departure was a very quaint town, small in size but full of nice pubs, shops and some basic scenery. I only say basic now as ive already completed half of my trip so incomparison to what im seeing now its a hell of a lot different. We didn't really do much in Christchurch, walked around the Botanical Gardens, which were gorgeous (but you see things like this in england!) and we browsed around a local Market.
The following morning we departed on the Kiwi Bus and this is where the fun began! We were provided with details about the trip, and the various trips you can participate in when arriving at different destinations. At the first stop - Kaikora, me and Sophie chose to swim with Dolphins which was something we have both wanted to do since we were little. Originally we were both meant to be swimming at 5.30am, but out of kindness we swapped with somebody and went the afternoon we arrived. What a good choice this was!!!
Swimming with Dolphins was absolutely amazing. We were all provided with the geer - sexy swimsuits and a snorkles, and taken out to a spot where the Dolphins were to be found. We actually ended up chasing them around as they were quick at changing location. All of us were placed on the back of the boat and when the dolphins were settled the horn was pressed and everybody had to jump off and play with the dolphins. The current was bloody mad, it was so strong - real real huge, rapidwaves!!! Im a bit of a wuss and found this quite frightening haha but it was still great fun!
The dolphins were so friendly and would swim beside you. It was dead funny as everybody had to sing to them to attract their attention. Some of the tunes coming out of everybody's mouths was hilarious! I actually managed to attract 3 Dolphins whom swam in a circle with me. This was really cool.
Back on the boat later on, we went Dolphin watching. This was incredible! They managed to attract around 150 Dolphins over to the boat, most of which loved the front of the boat - swimming alongside. This was really cool for photos as there was massive groups of them. Me and Sophie got very excited by the amount of Dolphins popping up. I have a really cool video of the Dolphins!
On the evening in Kaikora, me and Sophie were sharing a room with two girls from down south in the 'Love Shack'. We got upgraded to this for free which was pretty cool. We met a cool group of people off a different kiwi bus and had some drinks with them, as our bus load of people were very boring! One of the guys played his guitar to us for some of the night which was pretty cool and we played lots of daft drinking games which managed to catch me out alot, and everyone was pointing at me to drink far too much. This resulted in me getting put to bed!! It was a really good night though.
From Kaikora to Nelson
We left Kaikora the following morning and headed to Nelson. The scenery along the way was absolutly amazing, really is stunning! We stopped along the way to see a huge bunch of seals which was pretty cool. They are the most cutest animals - the babies playing in the rock pools, getting out of the water and jumping back in. I took a really cool video of this too. From seal watching we carried onto Nelson and passed outstanding scenery - the beaches are truly amazing and the landscapes with the intense mountains is so incredible.
Nelson, which was our next stop was really gorgeous too. A really cool town with a national park which is meant to be a really cool spot to hit. Unfortunately we never had time to go to the National Park as we were leaving the following morning. Therefore we literally had the afternoon to explore the town and the night to meet people on our bus. We ended up meeting two guys from Bristol who approached us when we were eating our beans on spud. The were indulging into a Sunday Roast from the hostel- we were very jealous!!!
We sat getting to know them for a bit and another guy as well, and ended up going out to a local bar which had a really good deal on drinks. We had such a good laugh playing pool and general chit chat. The night ended up us getting a mcdonalds! May i add for free as they bought us one. Nice treat for us tramps!
From Nelson to Westport
The following morning, we left Nelson and headed to Westport, stopping along the way for walks and picture moments. I cannot express anymore how gorgeous New Zealand is. It is a very green country like England but the dramatic landscapes are what make it beautiful and the stunning lakes and beaches. On the kiwi bus we are never travelling along a motorway or average road, we are travelling alongside huuuge mountains and beachfronts. It really is awesome!
Westport just like Nelson we only had one night, so when we arrived we only had enough time to sightsee the town and go out on the evening. Its a great excuse to come back to New Zealand and do the country at a slower pace to properly take it in. Our night at Westport was wicked as it was St Patricks Day. This night was the beginning to our friendship with a group of people off the Kiwi Bus who we have stayed with ever since.
Me and Sophie shared a room with two couples - we were like a proper family, and will be sadly missed. Both couples were from down south, infact our group of freinds were all from down south - Me and Sophie being the only Northerners! We all went out to a local pub where the whole kiwi bus was meeting up. A local band was playing really cool Irish Music, we both felt like we were back in Ireland. The atmosphere was so good with loads of local people (range of ages) dressed up Irish outfits dancing crazy and getting very drunk.
After several glasses of wine this was the same case for the Kiwi Bus, and this is how we became friends with a group of people off our bus. We all got dragged up to the dance floor by the locals and did some crazzy dancing. Typical Irish Dancing! This was so much fun and broke the ice with everybody.
From Westport to Lake Mahinapua
The following morning with a slight hangover we were on the way to Lake Mahinapua where the well-known 'Poo pub' exists. We had both been told about the pub by folks who had already done Kiwi Experience. Basically the eldest man in New Zealand to run a hostel owns it- i think he is in his late 80's, and bloody hell he was good for his age.
On the way to Lake Mahinapua we hit lots of rain which was a bit pants after our great run of sunshine and therefore the walks to see the rock pools and hot springs was out of the window, but we still managed to have a good time. When we arrived at the 'Poo pub' we were greeted by the old man who was absolutely hilarious and explained the plan for the evening. He would serve everybody one of his mean sirloins (which he is well- known for!) and then bring out his fancy dress box for the evening. Everybody had to dress up in traffic light colours or cross dressing. Very random theme!
His mighty sirloin was definately mighty and it was yummy!! He must of knocked off about 40 sirloins and everybody complimented how good they were! After we were all absolutly stuffed full of meat, the old geezer brought out his fancy dress box which each kiwi bus over the past 50 years had worn. We were all expecting to see proper made outfits (Superman? Cowgirl? Spiderman?) which people might of left over the years. No we were wrong! The box was full of his old clothes, and they all hummed!! We had to make an outfit out of his old crummy shirts, trousers and random other bits. This resulted in some serious cross dressing as there was some ladies dresses lying about too.
The pictures on Facebook really do tell all. Me, Soph, Lauren and Chess (girls we met on the trip) dressed up as truckers. Not a very attractive look, but so funny to do. And all the lads dressed up as women... they looked hilarious! Our effort from our group was very good incomparison to the poor effort made by the other peeps on our kiwi bus. We had such a funny night playing 'slaps', 'goggles' and variety of other drinking games. Also some of the dance moves coming out that night were very amusing. We also all acquired another friend called 'Max' who was not all there but such a good laugh, (his dance moves were corkers!) and we have took him under our wing now!
From Lake Mahinapua to Franz Josef
After a veery crazy night at the 'Poo Pub' we headed to Franz Josef, which i have got to say is amazing! (again!) It is so stunning and something i properly will never get to see again. We spent two nights at Franz Josef as it was recommended to do so. Our group as a whole all decided to do the Full Day Glacier Hike which was incredible. We were all kitted out with the equipment - spikes to get up the glacier (so you dont slip!) thick wooly clothing, gloves, hat etc etc.
The views of the glacier throughout the day were breathtaking. It was very surreal how the ice never melts, and at the side of the Glacier stands intense mountains and green scenery. The Glacier was so impressive - i could not stop saying wow all day. But it was so much hard work trying to keep up with instructor, the ice was pretty difficult to walk and climb along. We climbed up steep slopes, walked inbetween tight sheers of ice and through little caves of ice. It was so cool! And was even better to know through the sweat and tears of the hike we knew we could go back to our hostel and climb into the hot tub. Yes hot tub - and this is meant to be backpacking? hehe! The hot tub was awesome. The evening resulted in us chilling out in the hot tub with our group of mates and having a few social drinks.
We certainly didnt have a late one as both me and Sophie had to be up at 6am ready to do our Skydive over the Fox Glacier. The skydive was absolutly amazing, such an experience i will never forget and properly never get to do again. I was never particularly nervous about the skydive, more excited to try it. The only bit of the skydive i was worrying about was the effect it would have on my ears. Due to me suffering really bad in planes. We were kitted out with the full outfit ready to rock and roll! Both me and Sophie asked to purchase the video so the beginning began with teaching us how to skydive and a little interview about going up. This is when i became a little nervous!
The plane which we chucked ourselves out of was bloody tiny, 5 of us had to fit in the back - it was such a squish! The views were so beautiful on the way up to the 12000ft drop. The sun was rising (great timing!) which looked amazing behind the mountains, and the mountain tops around us were gorgeous. We saw the highest mountain in New Zealand - Mount Cook. On the way up to the drop i have got to admit i was a little bit nervous (Sophie being a lot more!) and as soon as they said put your gloves, hat and glasses on i knew we were about to Skydive. What made things a little bit more nerve racking for me was Sophie jumped first and she was panicing. As soon as Sophie and another girl fell from the plane i knew i would be next.
My instructor had me sat on the edge of the plane within seconds. I created the banana shape, smiled at the camera, hands across my chest then wush i was gone! The freefall was crazy especially with the pressure of the wind in your face, i have got to admit it did feel like i was getting sufficated by air but was still cool. Once the parachute was up we messed around in the air, and i took in the fantastic views around us. The feeling i got hanging from a parachute was very surreal. It definately felt wierd just hanging. As soon as we hit the ground from the magnificent skydive it felt like it was over far too quick. My ears were absolutly throbbing, but so worth the pain for the incredible experience i had just accomplished. Second Best Skydive in the World! Certainly felt the best.
From Franz Josef to Wanaka
After having an eventful two days at Franz Josef we were both very much looking forward to chilling out and taking it easy for our stopover at Wanaka. Most of the day before arriving at Wanaka consited of picture moments - viewing mountains and then saying goodbye to the coastline. The scenery changed dramatically. When we entered this region the scenery was filled with stunning lakes, forests and imposing mountain ranges. Really was gorgeous! As we only had the afternoon at Wanaka, we had a quick look around and indulged in the Backpackers Bargain Barbeque deal and several 2 for one drinks.
As we had planned not to do much the night went unexpectedly and all of the crew got rather drunk and we were blasting some serious moves out to those hundreds of people in the hostel bar (sarcasm!) It was one of the guys birthdays off the bus so the Birthday cake came out, lots of free shots and the remark 'Im not drinking tonight' went out the window. We got taught the London Boys Skanking dance which was so much fun and the bristol boys party dance. I had such an awesome night and really got to know everybody inside out. The best part of the night was being able to go back to a clean room, with hot water and fluffy quilt as me and Sophie had to upgrade to the 'Girls Sanctuary.' What a treat!!
From Wanaka to Queenstown
Well having just come from Queenstown this is pretty fresh in my mind and i fell in love with this place! It was such a cool town to hang out for a couple of days - the scenery was absolutly stunning, the activities were unlimited, the nightlife was wicked and the beefy ferg burgers were well worth the visit!! Queenstown was awesome. I had such a fantastic 3 nights there. It could because by this point me and Sophie had got really close to a group of people who are so lovely and so down to earth. (We are infact staying with them throughout New Zealand now!)
On our first night there we all went out for a taster of Queenstown, starting in the hostel room for a few drinks, to the hostel bar then on to World Bar. It was such a good night with 3 of the crew getting up for a competition 'who could do the best DJ set'. I do not understand why one of the lads did not win with macerena and salt and pepper track being in his mix!! We all performed some pretty cool shapes on the dance floor which was such a laugh. Nobody was shy anymore, there was some serious moves coming out. We stayed out till past midnight but not to late as we had signed our lives away to do the Nevis Bunjee - 134m the following afternoon. Why oh why i was thinking to myself when i laid in bed after being out.
As soon as i woke up the following day, i will be totally honest i have never been so nervous and scared for anything as i did for the bunjee. I will happily admit i had 3 nervous poo's before the jump. haha. As we didnt have to meet till late afternoon i spent the morning in bed, and on the internet scoffing chocolate trying to calm my nerves. I was never going to be able do the jump i thought, i would never be able to push myself over the edge. Obviously i judged myself very wrong. The feeling leading up to the jump was so good. The panicing that something was going to go wrong, the bunjee couldnt seriously be safe! We had to wait in the Bunjee Shop room for about 20minutes and then take a 45 minute bus journey to the spot, followed by a briefing about the jump. (all this time i was seriously considering bottling it!!)
As you can properly guess all this waiting wasnt doing me any good - sweats of panic and wobbly stomach!! As soon as the harness was fastened on to me, i knew there was no going back. I am so glad we did it as a big group. There was about 7 of us doing it together which took the pressure off a little, as soon as we were actually up at the jumping point everybody was papping their pants! The worse thing for me and Sophie was everybody went over to box before us and we had to watch from the viewpoint. Waiting to see whether are friends were actually going to jump........
We saw two of our friends jump off, properly the braviest. They were jumping in their boxers which made the atmosphere less tense and more enjoyable. As soon as they had jumped me and Sophie were taken over to the box by cable cart. This i found was scary enough!! Taken along the 134m drop over a river, with intense mountains surrounding us which definately did emphasise the scale of the bunjee. I really was crapping my pants! The views were pretty awesome around us but the view down wasnt as awesome. I had very wobbly legs. The only good thing about the box which we were all waiting in was the loud dance tunes blasting out of the CD Player - this really helped ease my nerves. I literally danced around the block saying 'i cant do this', 'oh my god' etc.
As soon as one of the Bunjee men said Holly Dixon and started to put the equipment on my feet i knew i was soon to be jumping. There was many of times i just wanted to cry! It helped watching one of my friends jump before me as he made it look so easy. But easy was not the word when i was sat in the chair getting tied up. I had to stand up from the chair with one of the bunjee guys holding me, and i literally danced to the edge of the plank singing 'Do a little Dance', 'Make a little Love' 'Get down tonight'. This really helped calm my nerves. haha! I remember looking at everybody at the side saying ' Come on Hol, you can do this!', and before i knew it the man went right Holly, 1, 2, ..... and 3 i bloody went for it. I cant believe i did. The freefall down was absolutly crazy, a very very wierd feeling i cannot describe but loved. Bouncing around was fun too!
The bunjee jump was such an amazing experience everybody must do whether extremely scared or as calm as a carrot. Best thing i have ever done, if i can do that i can do anything. I convinced myself i would be fine! After everybody had done their jumps through tears and some serious convincing, we were all on a serious high and people had to scrape us off the ceiling. The feeling you had achieved it was fantastic. This resulted in us treating ourselves to the well-known Ferg burger!! Alongside several beverages on the evening back at the hostel room. We had such a wicked day as we were all hyped up and all got fairly merry in the hostel room having such a giggle. The night resulted in me falling asleep backwards in my bed. All good times!!!
Our second day in Queenstown me and Sophie went up to the 'viewpoint'. We got a cable car up the mountain which was breathtaking as you could look over all of Queenstown and the beautiful lake and mountains in the distrance. It was beautiful. I have taken many photographs of the scenery. They also had a sport which you can participate in at the view point called 'Luging' which basically consists of Go-Kart like cars which do not require an engine. You just use the breaks and steering wheel to change direction. The track is all downhill with a beginners track, and experts. You can really get some speed! It was so much fun, the sun was shining and as you were driving along you could take in the beautiful surroundings. For a second go you had to get another cable cart back up to the top to do some more luging! Great fun.
After mine and Sophies day out Luging, our hostel was having a Toga themed night which consisted of everybody whipping their bed sheet off their beds and using it as a robe. With a little persuasion we managed to get all our group to dress up in Togas. This was so much fun, and it was our final night as a group so we made sure we had one good Hohar! We played drinking games in the Base bar with our kiwi bus driver which resulted in me getting bullied into downing lots of beer and wine. Not a good mix! The drinking games were hilirious that we were playing - goggles and beach ball. Extremely entertaining! Due to this game catching me out far too much, i ended up getting very messy by the sounds of it as i cant remember much of the night. We all had teapots in the world bar which was very amusing and then this is where the night went downhill for me. Apparently i was dancing like a crazy animal and ended up getting kicked out the club due to being too drunk. The night ended in up with my friends feeding me and putting me to bed!
Queenstown was such an awesome town which i would love to go back to, though it probably was so good because of the friends i experienced it with. The 'Yes' people!
From Queenstown to Christchurch
After leaving Chess and Lee (two of our group) in Queenstown the seven of us had to get the kiwi bus back to Christchurch where we originally started. With an absolute killer of a hangover this was not great. However we managed to gain a pretty cool bus driver, Matt who entertained the bus and got Rock, Paper, Scissors going and some seriouly cheesy tunes. When we arrived at Christchurch we didnt do a great lot as we were all absolutly b*****ed after our uncountable nights of late ones and early starts. We just all chilled out and had an earlyish night.
Our second day at Christchurch we chilled out in the lounge till the boys moved into their penthouse at the Base Hostel. This was pretty swish with their own lounge, kitchen, balcony, telly and playstation and bbq. Not bad for an extra couple of dollars! We all did a paknsave run and got some beverages and meat for our barby the lads were cooking us. The girls made the salads and the boys did a pretty mean job at cooking some meat. As i was making a salad Sophie got a very big suprise off Chess and Lee two of mates we left in Queenstown. They decided to get the earlier bus to Christchurch so we all reunited as a group again and got a lil merry in the Penthouse. I absolutly love all these guys! Nicest group of people i have met.
From Christchurch to Kaikora
After our final, final farewell as a group in Christchurch the seven of us left again and headed on to Kaikora where the boys experienced the Dolphin swimming which me and Sophie did at the beginning. We spent our day touring the town and taking in the breathtaking views of Kaikora, such a gorgeous place. On the evening our Kiwi bus driver made us one hell of a slap up bbq for only $5 each. It was awesome, by far the best meal i have had so far travelling - unbelievably cheap and yummy for what you got. He did loads of different salad dishes, sausages, burgers, steak, fried onions etc and.. him and some guys off our bus had been fishing that day so we also had fish which was amazing, and we all got to try fresh crayfish. This was all for $5!!
Not only was the food awesome that night, the atmosphere was dead good. All of guys had such a laugh with the bus driver telling him amusing stories and terminology us English use, his language was just as funny. It was a really nice, sociable night and we watched 'About a Boy' later on that evening. Me, Sophie and Ben (one of guys) agreed to get up early in the morning to see the sunrise.. this was absolutly stunning, really was gorgeous and i managed to get some pretty wicked photos of it rising and coming through the clouds.
From Kaikora to Wellington
After a nice sociable night in Kaikora the next stop was Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. This was a pretty cool city and infact the only place i would class as a city, many of the others looked like towns with outstanding scenery. Very different to England! Wellington we arrived late afternoon and the sun was shining, fantastic day. The seven us chilled out in a beer garden for the afternoon - started the drinking early as Me and Sophie were to be departing from the group the following day.
On the evening we all got dressed up and had a few drinks in the dorm then hit the Bar downstairs at Base. This was a very emotional night for us as did not want to leave our new buddies. However we did have an awesome night, 'skanking' in the bars, which is the London Boys dance, and having general amusement together.
Even though we had to say our farewells that night we agreed we would definately meet up in England as a group, as we all got on so well. It was a bloody good 12 days we spent together and 12 days i will never forget!!
From Wellington to Taupo
After a pretty heavy night on the alcohol me and Sophie had a very early fresh start - catching a 7.30am bus to Taupo. Oh dear! We were both liturally dead to the world and slept most of the way so didnt take in much of the scenery. However when we arrived in Taupo we both livened up slightly and tried to enjoy our day as much as possible there. Taupo was another very nice place with an stunning lake which is gigantic. The colour of it is stunning and the surroundings make the views worth seeing. Taupo itself was full of shops/bars/restaurants, reminding me slightly of Byron Bay in Australia.
Me and Sophie however through the day decided to avoid this part of Taupo and explore the great outdoors. We visited the Huka Falls (what a pleasant name, but the stories behind it matched!) which was gorgeous. It was a crazy waterfall and crashed down the river - great for photographs. The weather as well this day was hot! The first 'hot' day we saw in New Zealand. So this made our trip outdoors even better. After taking in the views from the waterfall we ventured to Taupo Bunjees, just to see other crazy people chucking themselves off a plank. This was quite entertaining but was nothing compared to our 134m fall, haha!
Past the Bunjee Area we followed the forest along to the Hot Springs as this was something me and Sophie really wanted to experience. The walk to the lake was really pretty with gorgeous green scenery surrounding you. The springs were really cool - little waterfalls and pools full of steaming, hot water! Far too hot for us as the weather was scorching already. (typical!) We did however paddle our feet in to feel the temperature, it felt like a hot bath but slightly too hot that it would burn your bum!! This would be a great place to hang out in winter when the weather is freezing cold. Even though we didnt stay long in Taupo I thought highly of it due to its landscapes.
From Taupo to Rotorua to Frances's House... then quick stop in Auckland
Another early bus the following day from Taupo which lead us Rotorua a place me and Sophie really really wanted to stop off, but couldnt fit in our timescale. Rotorua is known as the Culture Capital of New Zealand (Shame!) and you can participate in many Maori ceremonys and visit the only Maori village to still exist. This would of been right up mine and Sophies street so we are definately going to have to come back to New Zealand to experience this. The town was pretty cool too, with Lord of the Rings sculptures dotted around and trips to see the film settings.
We had a quick browse around before Frances came and picked us up. This we found absolutly maddd - seeing one of our friends in a country at the other side of the world. We really enjoyed our stay with Frances as it felt a bit like home, and we got spoiled with a sunday roast for lunch, lasagne for tea, pudding and a hot, bubbly bath... i have never felt soo clean!!! Plus we had a proper, good girly night in with Fran and caught up with the latest gossip. It was sad to leave her in the morning!
The following day Frances took me and Sophie to Auckland Airport as she was picking up her boyfrined who was arriving. We caught a shuttle bus to centre of town as we were staying for a night in Auckland to sightsee. Auckland was definately a city, the first proper city i can say i have seen in New Zealand, with the city atmosphere going on - skyscrapers everywhere, shops, bars, takeaways and lots of people rushing in many directions. Our hostel was in great location too, bang in the centre surrounded by everything we could possibly need. Me and Sophie had a really good day in Auckland - did a spot of shopping here and there and walked about taking in the views. We didnt participate in any activites however due to the limited funds!
Overview of New Zealand
Me and Sophie (i can say on her behalf) have had such an amazing time in New Zealand which could be down to the kiwi experience. There were times where we were getting sick of sitting on a bus when looking back on it, but the trip was dead good how everything was set out for you and you never had to worry about anything - everythig was organised for you. We got to sightsee soo much stuff in the South Island in so little time too which could be down to doing the Kiwi Experience, and we have made such awesome friends in New Zealand who i hope we will stay in contact with. We havent really had chance to properly sightsee the North Island (great excuse to come back) but the South Island was absolutly stunning and i would recommend anyone to visit New Zealand who wants to try something new and loves being active! New Zealand is jampacked with sports (many of which i want to come back and try) and the beauty of the country is amazing. It really is a stunning country!!
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