After an incredible first two and a half months in South America and Australia we wondered whether NZ would live up to expectations, it was probably one of my lower priorities before we came away but I am so glad that Jules pushed for us to go. While in our last week in Australia we booked onto the 'Stray' travel bus; these buses basically do huge loops of the country, leaving each major destination every morning. This allows backpackers to jump on and off at will, and spend as much time as we want in each place. We were really pleased with our decision to choose stray, we met some great people on our journey around the country who we will definitely stay in touch with, and the company has put together some really good routes and free excursions that are not available with other bus companies. It is a great way to travel around the country as everytime you jump on a new bus you have a brand new group of friends to spend time with.

As a country to travel, NZ is brilliant, it was made to backpacked. Every time you get off the bus in a new town there are all kinds of different activities to get involved in. Most of them involve jumping off or out of things but if you aren't into that there are some amazing hikes, watersports, wine tasting events and all sorts to busy yourself with. We did a number of great hikes and treks on our way round, the scenery in NZ is absolutely jaw dropping, and the mountainous landscape makes for some challenging day hikes. After flying into Christchurch on the South Island, we travelled across to the west of the island to start with a 1 day glacier trek in Franz Josef, this was an unbelievable 6 hour guided trip. We were so lucky with the conditions on the day and the guides managed to get us higher than they had got any other group for months, they seemed more excited than we were! It was unlike anything I have done before, and I would recommend it to anyone. We did two other day hikes while in NZ; the Routebarn in Queenstown, and the Tongariro Crossing in Taupo. We also did a four hour peninsular walk in Kaikoura. Trekking in NZ is an amazing experience, the views are unlike in any other country that I have been to; by the end of the trip we starting to take it for granted, but I will never forget it. The Tongariro crossing stands out as the highlight in that respect, the views bordered on otherworldly (hence why Lord of the Rings was filmed there). This was an exremely tough trek, battling against easily the strongest winds I have ever encountered. On completion of this trek we headed back into Taupo and noticed that there was a tasting evening on in town that evening, it was a great night with over sixty wines to try; although we definitely stood out as the only backpackers there amongst a lot of very knowledgeable old men!

As well as trekking, Jules completed the famous 'Nevis Bungee', unfortunately my knee injury stopped me getting involved, although secretly I was quite pleased! We also managed to get to a couple of Super 14 games while we were there; the Crusaders V Waratahs in Christchurch, and the Blues V Western Force game in Auckland. We had been constantly warned that we would not enjoy Auckland at all, most backpackers prefer the quieter cities of Christchurch and Queenstown. I would agree that the more southern cities were far more beautiful than the capital, but we loved getting back into a few days of city lifestyle, and we were sorry when we had to leave.

For our final few days in NZ we hired a car with a very tall dutch guy called Remko Winkel, and drove up to the Bay of Islands at the most northern point of the country. I didnt think NZ could get any more beautiful, but the Bay of Islands were spectacular, and well worth the drive. We started at Cape Reinga, where you can see the ocean and the sea colide, and then drove back to stay in Paihia that night. The next morning we went on a day cruise around the islands, and we were blessed with some gorgeous weather, which allowed us to really take in the beauty of the islands, we were even followed by a school of dolphins!

The next morning we drove back to Auckland airport for our flight to the Cook Islands for a week of sun at the halfway point of the trip. The Cook Islands is regarded as one of the sunniest places on the earth and is a favourites for many honeymooners and weddings, this raised a few eyebrows on the plane but we made it very clear that we were there for a very heterosexual week! Unfortunately, we only got one day of sun in the whole week! It was still a great week, in a great hostel (Vara's Backackers), and we met a brilliant bunch of people; after playing 7 days worth of cards with them, we were sorry to leave at the end of the week. The highlight of the week was definitely the trip we made to the church on the sunday morning (coincidentally the one day of sun!), we had heard that they were well worth a visit and we were not dissappointed. The gospel choir were incredible (bar one very out of tune lady!) and they put on an incredible spread of food afterwards. All the church members were so friendly and welcoming, it was a really fun morning. After this we made the most of the sun with an afternoon kayaking around the coral reef areas of the island; finding some amazing sea life along the way.

After we left the Cook Islands, Jules has now flown home for his brothers wedding and I have spent a few days in Melbourne, I am now staying at a friends house In Adelaide and will be meeting back up with Jules and Ollie to head out to Fiji in a few days. After that we fly to Kathmandu to meet Sam and start our two and a half week Everest base camp trek. Then I will be travelling into India for 3 weeks before finishing with two weeks in Thailand and Cambodia, while Jules is meeting up with Jess in Bangkok and will travel around Thailand, Vietnam and Laos for 6-7 weeks before flying home. We will be sure to keep you updated! Photos will be up soon.