So....I left off just after the skydive!

So that evening everyone was on a bit of an adrenaline high and well up for going out! Oh and I met up with other kate in Taupo...so we were celebrating our reunion! Have a massive and very eventful night out in Taupo which ended up at a natural hot rockpool at 2 am in the middle of a random park that our kiwi bus driver took us to!

We left Taupo a day later and headed for River valley...where there was literally a river and a valley! truly in the middle of nowhere! Shared very odd beds that all joined together! And to amuse ourselves the guys played a game to win a jug of beer that consisted of climbing all the way around a table without falling off! Noone succeded and they all had very bad bruises the next day for their efforst!

After River Valley we headed to Wellington...back to civilisation! Not too much exciting to report from here...except for mike rupturing his ACL ligament!! I kid you not!! he did it throwing some illegal moves around the dancefloor...woke up with a huge right knee and some serious dilema's about whether he should continue on with the bus! But luckily all the guys we were with pulled tgether to create the EMT...(emergency Mike team)...and between us we managed to carry all of Mike's luggage and mike on and off of buses and ferries for the next few days! Wouldn't be a trip to NZ if we hadn't visited A and E anyway! Poor Mike!! he is still struggling around with a knee splint! But he is hardcore (and stupid) and still did the Nevis bungy!!

After leaving the horros of Wellington and the knee injury behind we spent a very rainy evening in Nelson and then onto Westport where kate and I jumped off the bus and went for a nice soggy horse trek through the Busch and on to a bit of beach! They have fearless horses here who have to do a lot of river crossing! there was a mixture of 5 girls who could all ride and 4 guys who had never ridden before! And they let us all gallop!! needless to say helath and safety is pretty slack over here! Pretty hilarious sight all these guys hanging on for dear life!

From Westport we carried on to Lake Mahinapua! Lots of lakes and waterfalls to see in NZ...and lots of walking that Mike has missed out on! At Lake Mahinapua we stay in the legendary Poo Pub...no lie! It's run by this mad hatter of a guy named Les...he has had a kiwi bus stay there every night for 15 years!! the Poo Pub is legendary on the kiwi circuit! Basically its' the worst pub you have ever seen! So to make it more interesting the guide picks a fancy dress theme! Ours was binbags....so we stopped at a big warehouse on the way for supplies to create our costumes! Everyone really makes an effort....Kate made a fairy costume...i made a toga...Mike again had me questioning his sexuality by going as Posh Spice! There was everything from a clown...to Borat, to ladybugs and bumble bees!! Without a doubt one of the best nights so far!

We left the Poo Pub...all with horrific hangovers...and headed to Franz Josef where we were all due to do a Glacier Climb! This was awesome....Check out the photos I have put up! Absolutely nackering and a bit surreal as it's pretty warm and yet you are climbing on Ice! get all geared up and put on you boots and Krampons (which are those spikey things that attach to your boots to prevent you plummeting off the side of the glacier!) Spent a good 2 hours on the ice and another 3 hours gettin to and from the glacier!! Needless to say early nights all round that evening!

After Franz Josef just one more stop at lake Wanaka before heading into Queenstown! Wanaka is a lovely holiday kind of town where we got to stay in an actual Hotel....!!! Ahh the luxury!! Had my first bath in 4 months (obviously I have been showering!) But baths are a backpacker rareity! And we had TV's!!

Soooooo....we have made it all the way to Queens town...time has flown by! had a great frist night out in Queenstown and tried the infamous Fergburger (a burger bar that Mike and I had been told about in Australia!...,.does the best burger you will ever have!) Just chillaxing at the mo and refuelling for our next leg to get back to Auckland! Only 10 more days of travel in NZ!! Has been fantastic so far!! Bit of a sad day today as the guys we have been travelling with all lfet this morning....which means Mike and I will have to talk to each other again...na only kidding! We get on surprisinglly well for people who have spent 16 straight weeks together! And now Kate has been added to our travelling mix which is pretty cool!

So next time I write will prob be when I am back in the north at Auckland!! Speak to you then peeps! xxxx