Hello everyone My last day in New Zealand and I’m sat at the computer in my PJs. I’d be feeling utterly depressed if it wasn’t for the fact I’m going on to Sydney next! My time in New Zealand has been absolutely wonderful. I had another couple of days in Queenstown after I last wrote. On Friday I went on the Queenstown Gondola and found it really very frightening! It wouldn’t cross the minds of any of the adrenaline junkies around that the gondola might be quite scary for someone scared of heights! I was on my own in a little glass box that was being pulled hundreds of feet above the town. I didn’t like it much! But the view from the top was amazing so it was worth it in the end. On Saturday morning I had booked up a little tour that took me to view points around Queenstown, the Bungy Centre, a winery and Arrowtown – a quaint old mining village that’s become a tourist attraction. I’d phoned the tour company the night before to book it and they told me they’d have to call me back to confirm my place, which they did. I therefore assumed it would be a very busy tour but as the driver pulled up outside the hostel he informed me I was the only one! So I had my own little private tour, which was actually really nice. The driver was a really lovely man (probably old enough to be my grandad Tone) and we even stopped at a café for a drink together. That afternoon I travelled back to Christchurch again, driving past beautiful lakes like Lake Tekapo, which is a beautiful bright milky blue colour. I was expecting to have quite a quite week this week but my dear auntie Cath kept me well entertained. On Monday I ventured off to the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, armed with a picnic and armed with ‘Angels and Demons’ by Dan Brown – completely unputdownable! I had a lovely wonder around and laze in the sun, followed by a look around the Museum, which was actually very good (I’m normally bored senseless by museums)! On Tuesday I went to the ‘Antarctic Centre’ which is fairly obviously all about life in the Antarctic. I went into a room with subzero temperatures to experience a ‘snow storm’, which was good, and had a good mooch around, reading up on life down there in the water and on the ice. In the evening I went with Jen and Rich to ‘Willowbank Wildlife Reserve’ for a look into the lives of traditional Maori and to see the Kiwis. Kiwi birds are utterly adorable. I’ve never seen any creature quite like it, but I wanted to pick one up and steal it away! I had a really enjoyable evening there – it’s well worth a visit to anyone who visits Christchurch. Wednesday was a day of total luxury. I went with Cath and Jen to ‘Hanmer Springs’, which is a complex of thermal pools. We wallowed all afternoon in pools of 38 degrees and it was just bliss! Thursday I attempted a walk all the way up the ‘Port Hills’. I managed it without stopping and was really quite proud of my achievement – the hill is bloody steep and long! Later I went for a drive with Cath to the sea and walked along the pier. It’s funny but the most comforting sight since I’ve been away is the horizon of the sea. Strange, but I guess it’s the one thing identical to home in Cornwall, and the sight of it really brings comfort and familiarity for some reason. On Friday, Cath took me wine tasting. Another fantastic day. We went to the major wineries of the area, trying out all the different wines and had a lovely big platter of cheeses and salami and fruit for lunch. It was wonderful and I did feel quite tipsy towards the end! I tried desert wine for the first time and it was delicious. I can’t say I’ve ever noticed bottles of it at home but I’m hoping they are readily available because they are yummy! I’m hoping I may have gained some knowledge through the tour in readiness for Australia, but I’m afraid I’m still pretty hopeless – I can’t do the whole swilling and sniffing and sucking thing! That evening I watched ‘Whale Rider’, a New Zealand film centred around a Maori family. It was utterly beautiful. I really enjoyed it. Yesterday I journeyed from the East to the West coast to ‘Hokatika Wild Foods Festival’ with Jen, Rich and Hadleigh. You wouldn’t believe the things I ate! I had a snail – a proper little garden snail – and also eel, paua and mutton bird to name a few! Oh, and I also tried ‘Mountain Oysters’ which are sheeps testicles! I have to say of these I only managed a little bite – they were all pretty rancid, and I realised that there are certain foods I just can’t stomach! Everyone else faired much better and Rich even ate a live, wriggling grub! It was a lovely day though, and we had lots of laughs on the way home, travelling through beautiful ‘Arthurs Pass’. So today I’m heading off to Sydney, and I’d better be hurrying actually because I only have an hour before I need to leave. Luckily I’m meeting a friend there tonight that I’d made when he travelled to Cornwall from Sydney a few years ago. Hopefully I can get some good advice from him about what to do whilst I’m there. My dear auntie and uncle, Anne and Rick have given me a gift certificate for the Sydney Bridge Climb so I’ll be doing that whilst I’m there. I can’t wait! I’ll write again when I can, hopefully from Sydney. Half way through my travelling already and enjoying every moment. Still most excited about coming home to those I love though…