Still loving life in Queenstown. Met some more people at the hostel and am still in the full swing of the backpacker lifestyle. In and around the town there is still loads to do. Sean and me walked the hostel dog for some free internet time; crazy dog went nuts at the sight of cyclists. We did Jet boating right through a canyon which was great fun, especially getting so close to the canyon wall and the 360 spins. On probably the worst day I have had weather wise ...

Well on our way to Wanaka we stopped off at probably my favourite view in all of New Zealand- The Mirror Lakes! Pete, Sean and me walked right around the lake to see the view of the mountains in the distance reflected perfectly in the still water. I couldn't believe it; I felt like it wasn't real, only in a postcard have I ever seen such a perfect picture. On the photo it didn't matter which way around you looked you couldn't tell which way was up. Absolutely stu...

So from the beautiful beaches of Kaiteriteri we set off to Westport and then to Manipua (the poo pub) for St Patricks day! Westport wasn't really much to shout about but we saw some great places along the way. We crossed the ring of fire- a strip of land which is right on a tectonic fault line. Entire mountains created from shifting tectonic plates; a pretty cool sight. Then to Cape Foulwind walkway where you can see a beautiful coastal view in both directions. ...

So after a great night I was up early to get down to the beach for Sea Kayaking. The sun was already shining and the sea looked calm and steady so I was really looking forward to it. We hopped on a sea taxi which took us to the other end of Abel Tasman national park, stopping off a few times to hear info on local culture in and around the area. Dropped off last we got to a beach where there was the start of many walks plus our kayaks for the day. Pete and me part...

From Taupo we got to River Valley. Todi, our Kiwi bus driver said that it is the place to do white water rafting. I was really excited to give it a go especially on a grade 5 river! Our raft guide was a small tough looking man from California; he was very serious and didn't really laugh a lot so I guess that took the shine out of the experience. He later told me that a few people had died on the river so I didn't blame him for taking it so seriously. It was good...