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i'll try again, after regretting not updating it for a while (mostly because i havent had time) i finally got round to doing aload the other day and teh computer shut down and i lost it all.
we got to queenstown after dark sometime and even though we'd said we were going to rough it, ended up in a campsite on our second night. to be fair, we didnt havea clue where we were, got lost in teh tiny town that is queenstown, got stuck on wet grass (the girls pushed as my driving skills were needed) and generally wanted a shower and somewhere warm. so we found a proper camp site and got our moneys worth from teh hot showers.
the next morning was horrific, i cant even describe how cold it was trying to get up and book my bungee jumps for that day but i mangaed it and it was well worth it.
i did the thrillogy which is the three A.J Hackett ones in teh area. this is the company that did the worlds first jump so the first one of teh three is the bridge, the first one in teh world funnily enough. you can get dunked in teh water with this one but i jumped out too far and so didint fall straight down and missed the water, probably a good thing since it was so cold.
the second is the biggest in NZ and about 3rd in the world i think. 134m. you get a bus up the mountain track and then there is a cable across the canyon with a station in teh middle. a gondola takes you across and then you get straopped in for the jump. there is a glass bottom so you can watch everyone else do theirs. this one was fantastic, you fall right down into the valley bottom.
the third one i did at night. its called the ledge and is at the top of the gondola overlooking the town so it was stunning to see the view from up there. also, your harnessed in at the wasit ont his one so you can run and jump and do what you like, i managed a summersault, woo!
we'd ventured out of the campsite by this time and were parked up comfortably in a carpark where we stayed for the evening and got drunk in the now named 'Pam'. Pam's is the budget food brand here and sicne we are almost completely survuving off her it seemed like a good name for everything else including the van.
we were woken up pretty qwuickly by the threat of a $400 dollar fine for camping in public areas so had to move on. this has become our alarm and we're getting pretty good at avoiding camping fees and fines for not paying camping fees as well as still getting showers etc.
as long as we dont stay int eh same carpark for two nights we are fine. we erven found one that had public toilets next to them so we had our own facilities. perfect. nothing a cold water tap shower cant sort out.
althouhg, i did fall out with them a little bit. the doors were those aotomic type ones like on trains where you press a button to close and lock it and the same to open. well, after my making full use of the ameneties, a loud speaker came on saying 'your excellular use of this facility has expired, please exit immediately!' well, i was completely naked and thought the door was going to open on its own any second revealing me to the groups of chinese tourists waiting for buses outside, knowing too well how camera ready chinese are, 've never got dressed as quickly in my life. managed to make it out before this happened! phew!
went white water rafting which was pretty fun, not as strong as they made it out o be but we got a chopper ride to the top of the river and the leaflet said hot shower and sauna afterwards so we took a big bag of washing things and clean clothers so it was worth it.
there is so much to do in queenstown its unbelievable. the next day we did the fly by wire. its the only one in the world as is basically a swing that you can steer. its like a plane that you lay down in, attached to a a cable and then using the throttle and steering whee, you build up hight about the circumference of the cable. its so mich fun. hard to describe but ive got pics so ill get them up eventually.
Met some guys there so we all went out together in queenstwon and checked out the ice bar. not sure if its the same franchise as the one in london but over here they are all called minus 5. there was one in sydney, one in auklland, surfers paradise... but at about a tenner entrance with one cocktail inculded this one seemed pretty cheap so was defo worth a go. the ice sculptures are cool and it was quiet so were talking to the bar man but its certainly just a noveltry thing, not the sort of place your going to go every week.
the nigth before we had driven down to glenorchy, a tiny village and gateway to where alot of teh lord of the rings scenes were also narnia and a host of other films. but anyway, we went down at night, hoping to get up early and book on the horse rides. one was a fast one and the other was slow paced but a kind of LOTR tour.
so...got up, booked it and then she asked me to pay. where's the cash machine? Queenstown, oh well thats just perfect. so had to book for the next day adn go back to queenstown.
tried to make eggy bread on the crap excuse of a stove we've been given. it took me 45 mins sat in the carpark on our little table and charis, worth it in the end though!
we finally made it horse riding and it was incredible! i dont think ill be taking it up again anytime soon, sack the mucking out lark but galloping along the river with mountains either side was pretty breath taking.
the afternoon ride was really slow paced but stunning scenery and more of a tour. told you lots about the area and alot about its use in various films, including the horses we were riding. the hill they used where boromir dies in the first film made a korean lady cry once we were told and they get heaps of japs coming for the ride dressed as orcs and other such creatures! ha!
after the riding we made a move out of queesnstown to make some distance on teh drive to milford sound, one of the fiords. stopped about half way in te anau for the night and then the next morning had to hire some chains for the whells becasue of teh road conditions. we didnt need them in teh end but it was an exciting drive, more cos of the roads than the scenery.
when we got to milford sound we did a crusie down the fiord and into the tasman sea. some spectacular waterfalls and such like and there is a floating viewing station so you can see the waterlife. apparantly the fresh water that floats on teh top of the salt water acts as a uv Barrier which means the bottom of the firods as shallow 50m represent life over 600m in the sea.
trekked off back towards queenstown. the road chuts at 5pm and with only 70 peoplemliving in milford it wasnt where we wanted to stay. made it back to queesnstown and parked in our now adopted space behind the toilets.
seriously getting short for time now and the two girls are rubbish at getting up so i got up and drive all teh way to wanaka before thy had even woken up.
anopther gorgeous big lake and mountains. here i did a jet boat ride across the lake and up the clutha river. it goes 85km/h and can travel in 4inches of water. its pretty mad, does all the spins etc, not that i could hardly see anything id pulled my hood that tight, it was cold!
went to the puzzling world that afternoon which we soon discovered was not a good idea to get wrecked before hand. full of optical illusions, and teh most messed up room ever we all came out feeling a little ill. nothing a two level maze cant sort out...
slept it off and made for franz josef and fox glacier the next day.
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