Happy 2009 Guys,

I (TOM) last updated my half of the blog a week before Christmas on my last day at Kathmandu with a plane ticket for Christchurch in hand. I'm now writing this chapter while sat waiting for a bus in a small town in the middle of nowhere (a town called Ashburton 1 hr south of Christchurch). The lonely planet states the only reason you would stop in said town would be if you had some unfortunate mechanical problem!! I think that is a little harsh as the town reminds me of my own home town. I flew down to Christchurch to meet a guy I met up north, called James, for road trip around the south island. That travelling came to an abrupt halt last night when he went for a job interview in the middle of nowhere and much to his surprise was offered the job starting the next day (today) at 10am. He dropped me off at the nearest town (Ashburton) where I am now sat waiting for the one and only, yes one and only bus out of here to Christchurch while pondering, what the hell do I do now??? That I can't tell you as I don't know either but I will tell you what I've been up to for the last 3 weeks.

The Week before Christmas

Landing in the South Island, my new home was not in fact in Christchurch but on a dairy farm some 50 minutes south. James and I were staying with James's cousin, his cousin's friend and 500 cows. Aside from the farm house there was nothing for at least 20 minutes drive any direction! Within 2 days James had bought a car to which I would contribute half the petrol costs during our travelling. Our trusty steed was a Subaru Impreza called Betty. Christchurch reminds me of an English city with a sprawling mass of small side streets, cafes and a large cathedral in the middle. With our new steed we set off exploring, driving to Banks Peninsula and up a large hill. On Christmas Eve we drove up Mount Hutt which as the name implies is more than a large hill, so much so it had snow on the top. We duly built a snow man like small children. On the evening of Christmas Eve as the sun shown down we had a BBQ.

Christmas Day

I doubt I will ever have such a random Christmas Day again, I found myself having Christmas dinner at James's cousin's bosses house with 10 or so other farm workers (all travelers). After a good feed (although it featured salad on Christmas day!!!) and beers we slumped in front of the TV (nothing different there).

Boxing Day and Beyond

On Boxing Day James and I left the farm to begin our road trip, our first port of call was the stunning scenery of Lake Tekapo. We climbed a large hill next to the lake. We then headed to Mount Cook, the largest mountain in the Southern hemisphere at 3750m, yet more staggering views were enjoyed while camping at the base of the foothills of Mount Cook. Overrun by all the climbing malarkey we made our own ascent of a mountain. Albeit only a dwarf compared to Mount Cook at 2000m it was nevertheless an amazing day. After an almost sheer vertical climb of 1000m we reached the snow covered and extremely windy summit. To go any further would have required experience and technical climbing gear which we did not have so while watching the experience nutters proceed past us, we duly made another snowman. Our very early morning start was rewarded as we made it back down the mountain in time for happy hour at the pub!

New Years & Beyond

We moved on to Lake Wanaka where we celebrated James birthday and climbed yet another large hill to view some glaciers and more staggering scenery. On New Years Eve we were joined in Wanaka by James's cousin, James's cousin's friend, James's other cousin and 17 more Cornish and Scottish farming lads. I kept my profession and the fact that I was the only proper Englishman there quite. This gathering had in fact been booked for some time by James cousin and we were staying at an incredibly posh lodge affair, thus, 2009 was welcomed with the finest shower and bed I have had since leaving England. Much festivity was enjoyed as the 20 or so of us drank 2009 in, went clay pigeon shooting, golfing, archery and attended a rodeo.

James and I and some of the others pushed onto Queenstown. We went lugeing, normally a gentle little whoosh down a hill, turned into blood shed and carnage by 20 of us racing down. Queenstown is famed for being the party capital of New Zealand so it would have been rude not to go out that night; unfortunately me and James, we had booked a bungee jump for the next morning.

The Bungee

Very tired and very hung-over James and I sat on a bus at 9am heading to the bungee location. The pictures explain it better than words but suffice to say, if you image a small garden shed suspended by wires between the edge of two canyon walls 134 meters (440 feet) above a river you would be getting the picture. You then jump out of the small garden shed with nothing but an overgrown elastic band to stop you plummeting to certain death and a very nasty mess.

Standing in the small garden shed I was more concerned with how tired I was and how much my head hurt than the view through the glass floor. James was the first to jump as they do it in weight order and he ate all the pies. By the time they eventually got round to me some 20 minutes later James had returned to the canyon edge and I was very bored. All this is in fact an excuse for the fact that I, instead of being all pumped up, was pretty nonchalant about the whole affair. Until that is, I reached the edge with the wind rushing, I can safely say there is nothing like staring down 134 meters to a rocky floor to clear your head!!! The bloke next to me counted down.. 3.. 2.. 1 but I was still stood there. My upper half was well up for it, my arms were posed in a dive position and my face smiling but my legs suddenly weighed 100 kilos each, my feet grew little claws and dug into the floor. By this time the bloke was muttering something about staring at the mountain in the distance and counting down again… but I was not listening, my mind was shouting, 'the floor dam it man, the floor, its miles away and a rocky'!! Thoughts were racing threw my mind about how I could back out and just lie, after all James had gone back to the edge and would never know, but then that would make me a big girls blouse, more thoughts about impeding death fluttered threw my head when all of a sudden I was gone, It was not an elegant dive like James but just a sort of fall, slip or wobble off the edge but I was off. Gracelessly plummeting face first towards a jagged rock floor that didn't exactly scream 'bouncy'. Thanks to a freefall of over 8 seconds (try counting that out in your head) your brain has time to comprehend what is actually happening and scrabble back to legible coherence and your still failing, and failing. My heart felt like it had stopped, my stomach tightened soo much it actually hurt afterwards.

As if my embarrassment of not jumping on the first count wasn't enough, it continued. When you jump the rope is attached to your waist and feet, as you fall and bounce a bit you are dangling by your feet. Once the initial recoil subsides you are meant to pull a cord which releases your feet so you swing round to being held by your waist. Thus, you are effectively sitting upright as they raise you back up 134meters to the garden shed. This worked for everyone else except me, I pulled and pulled but my cord was having none of it. So I was raised 134 meters back into the shed full of watching jumpers dangling ungainly upside down.

Notwithstanding the fact I looked thoroughly foolish, it was without a doubt the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced. Alton Towers is a rush, it's a kick, it's a cool feeling in the stomach, The Nevis Bungee jump was simply sheer terror! Worth every penny!

After The Bungee

Over the following few days James and I embarked on a 1000km worldwind tour of the rest of the South Island. In a summary, Milford Sounds looks like Jurassic park and is very, very wet, Invercargill is very nearly at the bottom of the country and looks like it belongs there, bluff is at the very bottom of the country once the obligatory signpost photo has been taken should be left well alone. Nugget point has a lighthouse, some very loud sea lions, and penguins which were irritatingly not present. The bits in between are full of vast green hills sheep and cows but very few human beings. Our worldwind tour concluded where this blog started, at James's job interview back in Ashburton.

I have had a great 3 weeks traveling and have seen more hills and sheep than you can shake a stick at but now I need a new job…..

Hope you enjoyed the read,

Tom