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Right... so we arrived in New Zealand on 18th February, and straight into Christchurch. i could already see, just from my flight, that New Zealand is going to be a fascinating place. On arrival, the first thing that struck me was the lack of humidity. It was a massive relief. We had been in the wet tropics for a while now, so was good to get a break from it. However, there was not a cloud in the sky. The weather was perfect. One of the first things i noticed about New Zealand was how it reminded me a lot of back home (Only the nice areas though). Very green and pleasant. Christchurch is the second largest city but it doesnt seem that way. There isnt congestion on the roads, only a few high rise buildings and a river that runs through. The river is called the Avon and as you enter there are people going canoying. Reminded me a lot of Stratford. And the two main streets that run beside the river are called Oxford and Cambridge Terrace. The Queen is on their 20 dollar note, which is better than what the Aussies gave her, a measely 5 dollar note. Its the closest to home we have been so far.
I must describe the hostel that we stayed at because it stands out a mile. The hostel is a newly converted jail. literally, we were staying in cells. As you walk in its exactly like you imagine. Rows of cells either side on 2 floors. Even the tables are made from old cell bars. we had a tour of the old jail and were taken to the isolation area, which looked horrible. On the floor of the isolation area was a trap door, where people were sent if they kept misbehaving when in isolation. It would have been like being in a closet. This hostel scores highly on the character rating. And.... we also had duvets. Probably had the best nights since i have been away in this hostel. Highly recommended.
Two things we did in Christchurch stand out. The first was swimming with dolphins. They were called the Hector dolphins, the smallest dolphins in the world, and also an endangered species. We got a shuttle bus to Akaroa and then we set out on a boat for the one hour swim with these fantastic mammals. I have always wanted to swim with dolphins and to get to swim with a endangered species is even more special. They would come and swim next to you, maybe do a quick circle round you and the dash off. Dolphins are always on the move, even when they sleep, even when they give birth. the second thing that stood out was watching ROCKY BALBOA in Christchurch. Have been waiting ages to see it because the Aussies are so far behind. Great stuff. Dolphins and Rocky, what a combo.
A couple of days ago we started on our Kiwi experience bus trip. Its a bus specially designed for backpackers. I did the Oz experience three years ago and had a great time. The Kiwi experience is the same company so have been looking forward to it. Our first destination was Kaikoura, which is where i am now. Yes, Im almost uptodate. Jen and Vix can kiss it. Im uptodate and you know it. No longer are the days of being three weeks behind. HAHA. Sorry for the other readers. Our stalkers (jen and Vix) were moaning at us for not being uptodate on our journals.
So, we are in Kaikoura, which is a small town on the west coast of the South island. A great suprise when we arrived. Two of our old buddies from Fraser island turn up (Ella and Hannah). Obviously we go to the pub and end up doing quiz night. Anybody know what city has the most french speaking people after Paris????? And obviously we regretted it the next day as we had a 5am wake up alarm for whale watching. Saw 3 mammoth sperm whales, which was pretty cool. I didnt realise that whales have evolved from some weird rat like creatures that decided to venture into the water for food. See, even though its 5am and im hungover, I can still learn. We also saw a massive pod of Dusky dolphins. About 400 hundred or so. Jumping out the water, doing somersaults and all sorts. Super stuff.
Got back about 10am, where i had a couple of hours kip. At 12.45 i was off for some seal swimming. The other lads decided to pass on it. It seems that everyone in Kaikoura wants to go swimming with dolphins and are not as keen on the seal swimming. To anyone reading this, who are heading to Kaikoura, do the seal swim as well. Its less than half the price of dolphin swimming, no need to get on a boat either. And...... seals are more interactive than dolphins. Seals probably dont seem as romantic but i had a better experience with them. They are so playful. I had one hit me in the face with his flipper, another tried to nibble on my flippers. they dash around you doing twists and turns and little jumps out of the water. I even had two or three following me back to the shore. Its like having pet dogs in the water. The only thing thats a bit worrying is the fact that seals are on the great whites menu. But we were assured that they are few and far between in this area. another plus about the seal swimming is that snorkelling is very good. Our guide kept bringing goodies up from the bottom, like lobsters, crabs and giant star fish. But the best came at the end when he brought an octopus up from the bottom, which we all got to hold. the sucking tentacles are absolutely brilliant. Like sticking you hand in a vacuum. For 55 dollars (20 pound) its worth every penny. Yippee, im uptodate. Tommorow we are off to Nelson.
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