Oops I know it's been over a month since I last updated my blog and I'm still a bit behind but here goes the next installment for the last month...

I have lived through the adrellalin sports to tell the tale, so far! Left the comfort of Ali and Dan's farm Thursday 15th April to board the Kiwi Experience bus - I later heard nicknamed 'the big green f*** bus!' Pleased to discover it hasn't really lived up to that reputation in these quieter Autumnal months and I have met lots of lovely liked minded people, phew!

First stop was Taupo, a beautiful, vast volvanic lake - apparently the size of Singapore, where I had my first taster of hostel living (for this trip anyway). Set off the next day to tackle the Tongariro corssing, one of the top one day walkes in the world and I can really see why when I finally got to go, (check out the pics, volcano, emerald coloured lakes, forest you name it!). First attempt to go was cancelled due to hight winds, actually a blessing in disguise as I got to meet Katherine and Sonya, two teachers working in London, Katherine being a Kiwi and over here sorting her visa renewal and Sonya out visiting in her Easter hols. I got chatting to them on the bus and to cut a long story short, along with an Irish couple I'd met on the Kiwi bus we spent the day togeher, hiking up another mountain that wasn't closed and headed to the Huka falls - an awesome 12m waterfall filling lots of Olympic sized pools ever second (something like that!) Anyway we said our goodbyes that night after dancing the night away to every cover song you can imagine by the local 'wedding'band, not thinking I would hear from Sonya again so soon!

After heading up to Rotaroa and experiencing white water rafting down a 7m waterfall, with the boat I was in flipping of course and relaxing in the heat of the volcanic spa pools it was time to head north to Auckland. Where I had an unexpected call from Sonya who had attempeted to fly back to the UK but of course with the volcano in Iceland causing havoc had not left and was not going anywhere unitl the following weekend. So it all worked out in that way it does when your travelling sometimes and we hired a car from Auckland and cruised round Northland, bay of islands and the Coromandel area.

Collected the car and along with Tom a (hungover) friend from the bus who had missed his bus that morning! We headed over to St Hellier a very 'nice/posh part of Auckland to pick up Sonya and started our 7 hour journey up north towards 90 mile beach. Tom slept most of the way but woke up when we stumbled on the largest Kauri tree in NZ by the name of Tane Mahuta in the middle of the jungle but only 5 mins from the road. Really spectacular. Also had to get a car ferry across the water on our drive up the west coast of the top bit of the north island. Decided it was getting late too late so made a decision to get to a hostel instead of going to 90 mile. We stayed in Manganui where apparently the best fish and chips...or rather fush and chups as the locals call it could be found. Discoverd a really quaint place to stay which caused us no end of amusement called the Manganui Motel. Sonya and I were in a room just big enough to enter before stumbling on our bunk beds! Got woken up at 2am by the siren for the volunteer fire fighters to go fire fight, not a nice way to wake up!

Wednesday had the back packers usual breakfast of toast and peanut butter and got on the road up to 90 mile beach. Decided not to drive up to the end of the peninsular as 90 miles seemed like a long way to tick a box but mucked about on this really incredible stretch of beach. Coaches take people up the stretch at the water's edge..takes all sorts! Next stop was The Bay of Islands taking in a few gorge beaches along the top bit including a great name of Whatuwhiwhi - should have taken a piccie! Paihia is the centre from where you go to the Bay of Islands and once there we'd kinda done it in 30 mins! Not much to it. At 3pm Sonya and I had booked onto a great boat called 'The Rock' so said good bye to Tom and aboard we went. It was such an incredible idea - a converted ferry into accomodation upstairs (sleeps 36 passengers plus crew) and downstairs the bar/restaurant, loos and general being area. Got on and given cabins and they had us queueing up for a shooting competition! A plastic duck was attached to the back of the boat and we paint ball gunned it! Then we were given fishing rods and set to work. I caught hmm one red snapper which was too small to keep but fun all the same! Barbeque supper and then we were all in sea kayaks at 10pm in the pitch black. Sonya wasn't convinced at getting wet at this time of the eve but I persuaded her and think she was glad to have done it. Sea of course was pitch black but had to padel into some shade from the moon as it was too big and not allowing us to see the stars. All laid down on our kayaks and just bobbed about looking at the sky - so lovely. Spotted the southern cross and a couple of other things and then got back onto the big boat. Sat around for a while before fatigue took over and we retired.

Thursday had a fabulous breakfast and then kayaked over to one of the islands. Went on a wee walk and got some history on the place. Then went snorkling - 19 degree water...not my idea of fun esp when there wasn't that much to see, but I joined in. Nice to get in the water (did have a wet suit) Went for a beach comb before getting back on board the boat and wending our way back to Paihia. When back on dry land Sonya and I got back in the car and headed down south to meet up with Shane and Alistair (parents of Sonya's mate who she stayed with in Auckland) at their beach house in Omaha (and managed to spot quite a few pukeko birds on the way - funny blue birds with red feet and beak!) . Gorgeous, gorgeous beach and lovely house. Had a dusky walk along the beach and then came back to stew kindly prepared by Shane. Had a lovely evening chatting to them and Alistair's sister Wendy. Great to get some history of New Zealand and stories from them...so interesting. Also got to have some more fijoas - incredible fruit which looks like a lime but you cut them in half and scoop out the centre which is a cross between an orange a passion fruit and an apple... Sonya loved them I wasn't so sure! Was great to have a nice bed to sleep in, what great people!

Friday - Shane, Alistair and Wendy went off to their farm and Sonya and I had another stroll on the beautiful beach before heading south. The road out of Omaha is lined with vineyards and some of these places set up fresh produce stalls. Stopped and bought some feijoas and figs from one...delish. Popped into an amazing potters called James and Morris, recommended to us where we also had great coffee. Stopped off at nearby town/village Matakana and got drawn into a couple of gorge shops. Drove through Aukland down to the Coromandel Peninsula. Stopped at the bottom bit in Thames for lunch - found a disused train station named Grahamstown (took a piccie for my godfather!). Then we suffered the beautiful drive up the coast to Coromandel...life's hard! Just about made the i-site to get recommendations for the area and a bed for the night before they shut. Went along to the Lion's Den and checked into the giraffe room! Another quirky hostel with a very unique owner but a good enough room with large kitchen for us to make our dins and sarnies for tomorrow!

Saturday we were up early to go for a walk up a hill to get great views of Coromandel before heading to Barry Brickell's model railway tour! This came highly recommended so had to be done! What an experience. This guy, Barry, bought a huge piece of land and then one day decided to build a model railway up into the bush to the pinnacle - The Eyefull Tower! He ran into difficulty and the bank recommended that he open it up to the public to help pay for it. He laid every piece of train track himself - took him 30 years to complete it! So we boarded our train and off we went climbing up to the pinnacle, incredible set up and fabulous way to spend an hour. Once that was finished we were back in the car to drive around to the other side of the peninsula taking a wee detour to Opito Bay. This was the best beach so far....absolutely deserted and an amazing picnic spot to have our delicious sarnies and a nap in the sun. Amazing. Next stop was hot water beach where if you get the tide right you can dig yourself a hole, hot water springs up into it and you've got yourself a bath! We didn't time it right but was another lovely beach to oggle at. Made our way to our overnight stop not far from there - Hahei. Drove around a few places but everywhere was full except for the Hahei Beach Resort where we took our very own 70s caravan....so exciting! Sonya was very sceptical at first but ended up suitably impressed. We had lots of space and were really near the amenities to cook and shower etc. Tried to make it to the shop to get a bottle of wine (was Sat after all!) but all was shut down. There were no bars or anything.....real shame. Great last night!!

Sunday up early again and walked down to the beach - another beauty - then walked up and over the coastal path over to Cathedral Cove which literally took my breath away. Mucked about there for a good hour enjoying the sun and when it began to cloud over dragged ourselves away onto the highway back to Auckland. I dropped Sonya back at the Drydens and we said our farewells :-( We had so much fun together and odd seeing as it was only just over a week that we had known each other! The sunset that night was breathtaking as I drove back along the coast through mission bay to return the car, sad to be returning to the hostel in Auckland on me tod but onto the next leg again.... such a fab week.

So up at the crack the next day and it was time to board the big green Kiwi bus again from Auckland and begin the next leg. Headed back up to the Coromandel area stopping off at Whitianga or Fitianga said of course with a Kiwi twang before heading south again through Rotaroa a 2nd time where I joined in with the luging a kind of tobaggon run thing, where you basically throw yourself down a steep track on a tray with breaks that only work when they feel like it! also went to a Maori cultural evening. Next stop was Waitomo where I signed up for the black abyss - beast of all caving experiences apparently - a 5hr extravaganza and it was a truely incredible and unique experience, abseiling 40 m through a hole in the ground into a cave, ziplining into an even darker cave, atomospherically lit by a ceiling covered in glow worms actually maggots with glowing poo - nice! Next we were treated to a cuppa 80m underground before jumping off a 8m ledge with a black rubber ring into freezing pitch black water - all in a days work! You then float along like being in a lazy river through cave after cave lit by these little lights - you can even see patterns on the walls a bit like seeing shapes in the clouds.... climbing out of the cave up a waterfall and through some tight squeeses my fear of caves and confined spaces had completely disapeared replaced with a feeling I can describe as WOW...

That feeling was only to be topped by my 2nd ever skydive over lake Taupo as we headed south again. Jumped from 15,000ft this time with over a minute of freefall - incredible! Think I have only just come down from the adrenallin rush! But not wanting to rest up too much, next up was horse trekking in the river valley, a beautiful serene and secluded spot with a a lodge complete with stag heads, deer all around and a cosy log fire- bliss! The horse trekking was all through the surrounding hill and pastures complete with the standard sprinkling of sheep but also hundreds of part-wild deer, luckily the horse were well used to them or it could have been an interesting ride!

Next stop Levin on the way south to Wellington, where I stopped off with Ali and Dan again before doing an interview with radio 4. All very random and as part of a series they are running on career breaks - I was contacted by the charity I worked for out in Madagascar not realising it would be possible from NZ but with the wonders of modern technology it certainly is!

So next stop South Island!