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Hello...
Well we got to New Zealand fine - the flight was a bit bumpy but got us there and provided us with a pie for lunch which made us all happy! We flew into Auckland which is the biggest city but not the capital which i thought it was! Its a nice city with a fair bit going on. Me and mark went out the first night and found a nice bar which is kind of like the ones in the northern quarter and we stayed there under the heaters! It felt like i was back in the UK again and i quite liked the cold weather even!
The next day Carol and Liz both got food poisoning which wasnt so fun! They were both really ill all night and me and mark were on standby with bins and bags should they have needed to be sick which they did a few times!
The next day we went to get Connie the Camper - the start of 24 days of driving round both islands. We had a few problems at the start where i was driving round in 1st gear and couldnt change but we soon got it sorted out and got going! The first night we parked up on the side of a mountain and cooked and stayed there for the night. It was so quiet and so dark! Quite spooky really! But definately a good experience!
The next morning we went to Mercury Bay - here there was Gemstone Cove and Cathedral Cove which were both stunning beaches! We stayed round there for a while then drove down to Hamilton. Mark's friends live here so we went to stay with them for the night which was nice - it was good to be in a real house for a night! During this time there was a freak weather warning and we were advised not to travel so we went to the cinema to watch Batman - which by the way is ace - Heath Ledger is the best Joker ever!
The next day we drove to Hobbiton which was very exciting - i felt like a real Hobbit. Only a bit tall! We went round the set that still remains there - the 17 hobbit holes that are left and the party tree and the lake etc.. it was ace.. but cold! After that we went to watch sheep shearing which was included in the tour strangely - it was fun though. We also got to feed a little lamb - also called Connie.
The next day we went to Waitomo caves which were ace - they were full of glow worms. We went in and got on a boat which took us deeper into the cave. We then turned all lights out so we were in pitch black and you could see hundreds of worms - i liked it! It was the caves where Blue Planet was filmed - i love Blue Planet! That night we stayed in a holiday park and met an ace lady who lent us a DVD player, Lord of the Rings and a TV! We got so so excited as we really wanted to see where we had been yesterday! We sat in the campervan under the duvet with cups of tea and watched the extended edition.. and all fell asleep!
The next day me and Carol did Zorbing - it was so funny! Basically you both get into a massive inflatable ball which has warm water in and roll down a big hill - sounds strange but its loads of fun and you get soaked! We were laughing all the way down and when you have to get out its like the Zorb is giving birth to you.. i thought anyway. It went quite fast and at 1 point when carol flung over me i thought she had hurt herself but we both escaped unhurt, freezing and soaked.
Later on we went to Rotorua and saw all the Thermal spa's. Rotorua is strange - it stinks of egg as there is so much sulphur around and it makes steam come out from under the streets. It looks like everywhere is on fire. Me and Mark went for a swim in an outdoor pool which was fun - but freezing when you got out!
After this we drove to Taupo and met Jenny and Kate who are now on the Kiwi Experience - we went out with them for a bit and did a bit of dancing and a pub quiz! We didnt win though!
In the next couple of days we went to Tongario National park which was nice and in the middle of nowhere! The driving around there was very scenic - i really wanted to keep stopping to take pictures but it wasnt really safe to just stop on the windy mountain roads!
From here we drove down to Wellington and parked up for the night - we had a proper night out which was the first in ages and met the people from the Kiwi Experience. Considering Wellington is the Capital it's quite small but it was nice and we found a good place to go out in with a funky band playing. I got rage however with people who kept knocking drinks over me and had a bit of an argument with a girl who said - well you're not from this country anyway so what do you know! I didnt like her. Apart from that the Kiwi's have been very nice!
We are now in the South island which is ace as the sun has come out - hurrah! We have the Glaciers and Fjords to do and me and Liz are going to be skiing as well so hope i dont break anything! Mark and Liz did a sky dive today - the thought of it makes me feel sick.. but maybe i could do one im thinking now.. although i dont have the money as im going over budget for NZ already - i'll have to save up and do it one day though!
I'll update with the rest of what we get up to on the south island - i feel like we are the famous five - Five go off in a Campervan. Although we need a dog with us - Buster!
Bye x
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