Sorry to everyone for the delay in updating our travels! We did in fact write an extremely amusing and entertaining blog only a week or two ago - but the computer crashed and we lost everything!!! So we have almost about 6 weeks of info to catch up on!! So in the words of Shortround 'Hang on lady - we go for a ride'!!! or If you've never seen Indiana Jones, get yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!

So where were we - oh yes - finished the kayaking and headed south along the stunning west coastline. Stopped at a place called Punakake - or the Pancake rocks where (funnily enough) the rocks look like a pile of Pancakes! Paul was in a slightly depressed mood, probably because Lyn and Jen wouldn't let him share a room with Rich, which was regularly requested! After a long drive we arrived in Franz Josef Glacier (no prizes for guessing who that was named after!). Paul cooked us a superb BBQ and when the sun went down we headed on a night walk to search for Glow Worms. In the pitch black with not a sole around the immature Paul and Lyn decided to (on several occasions) run ahead and then jump out on us to scare us. But no matter how dark it is that chin of Paul's can be seen from space!

The next day once we were suitably dressed (Jen wearing shorts for the Glacier walk - could be chilly?) we were split into groups based on fitness and ability. Cheesey - not allowing Rich's competitiveness to get the better of him made sure we were in the bottom group and therefore with Troy - quite simply an action man on ice!!! He led us through the glacier with his axe hacking pathways and holes for us to move through - a cool day (in more than one way!)

Following the walk we headed further south to the beautiful Queenstown. What a place - stunning scenery. The lakes, the mountains and of course the crazy activities! First day we booked all our stuff and then headed to the river for the shotover jet. Basically a jet boat that flies across the river inces from the canyon walls and spins around absolutely soaking everyone! Great fun! The afternoon was spent up the Gondola and looking over the fantastic view of Queenstown. Then the Anglo - African war recommenced as we surged our way down the Luge ride! Yes you guessed it Jen won!

Friday 16th January. After a light breakfast and some Eminem music (you know the one from the movie) Rich and Paul went Skydiving! Luckily we were the first ones from our group to be called up (pheww - I mean Rich didn't want Jen to be sat around worrying!!). Getting suited up was a good laugh and quite relaxing - especially as the German guy who was jumping with us was absolutely terrified!! Then once Rich met Scott (tandem skydiving partner and man with whom life was trusted to!) and Cheesey met his fella we were up, up and away!! Quite surreal experience standing at the door looking down at 12500ft. Then 1…2…3 wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! What an amazing experience - freefalling is so much fun! Especially weird when someone keeps wacking you to look at his camera! To Jen and Lyn's obvious relief (think Jen was eating an ice cream and a having a hot chocolate) the boys landed safely if not gracefully (Rich still has the burns on his bum!)

In the afternoon Lyn did a Bungi swing - crazy girl! - well she is Australian and unfortunately Jen's Paragliding was cancelled due to bad weather!

To celebrate the gang headed out for cocktails and enjoyed a thoroughly good night!

After a few days enjoying Queenstown and Lyn, eventually, being able to Skydive the crew headed to Te Anau for our last evening together. Paul BBQ'd and we had our last game of cards. The final day was spent at Milford Sound. The weather was misty with rain in the air, which gave the place a real aura and mystic. We went on a boat ride through the Fiord (yes it is a Fiord and not a Sound which is a common misconception) with the highlight going underneath a waterfall. So the driver asks people to stay on the outside of the boat and basically get drenched. At this point the majority of the passengers ran Jen leading the way to preserve her perfect hair! Now Rich was planning on doing the same until Paul says 'First person to take a step back loses!' The Anglo-African war was about to be decided! The result……. We got absolutely soaked and I mean soaked, neither of us moved an inch!

It was a great way to finish our time with Paul and Lyn. Had an awesome time with them and were gutted to see them drive away. Especially as this marked the next stage of our journey - Life in a Tent!!!

With the tears wiped away (you all know how bloody emotional Rich can be!!!) we had no time to wallow as we headed on our three day Kepler track! So we set off, Rich carrying the tent, the sleeping bags, the clothes, the food, the sleeping mats, the cameras and any other item required for survival. Jen had her hairdryer and straighteners - at this stage she didn't quite understand what 'there is no electricity point in a tent' meant! Good fun walk though, if not absolutely exhausting. Saw some great views as we battled against the wind and rain. The final day proved to be a day to remember. We were meant to be picked up at 3pm at the end of the track and, well, we slept in, until 9.30!!! So after a quick pack up we tramped the 22 remaining kilometers at break neck speed and eventually reached our destination at 2.55pm. Absolutely knackered, especially as Rich carried the big bag the whole way we gave ourselves a few days rest. We headed back up north via Queenstown (where we picked up a car), Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo to Christchurch - our first bed for 9 nights.

After a few more days travel, stopping at Nelson Lakes and Nelson (where the weather was superb) we took the ferry back to the North island and stayed in Wellington. On the 2nd Feb a rather weird thing happened. As we were cooking our wonderful pasta and vegetables meal some guy says 'hello' to Jen. Ten thousand miles from home and Jen bumps into Elliot; a guy she worked with at Frithwood. So, of course this deserved a celebration and we headed out for drinks with Elliot and his friends. Had a really nice night and actually ended up dancing to some cheesey music!

On the way up north we went to Tongiraro to complete the Tongiraro crossing.. A day walk through a volcanic area. The volcano actually starred as Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings. Had a great day, walking along some tricky terrain and seeing some top views. The next day we arrived in Waitomo and booked ourselves up to do some caving. The day involved abseiling, crawing, sliding and eventually climbing our way down, through and up the extensive cave network of Waitomo. We abseiled down waterfalls into complete darkness and crawled on our hands and knees under rocks and had an absolutely amazing time. Think Rich has lost some weight as a year ago he definitely wouldn't have fitted through some of those gaps (not a tour destination for Headstone Rangers - might lose half the team down there!).

Our last few days in NZ were spent in the Corromandel region sat on beautiful beaches chilling out and enjoying the weather and the views.

New Zealand was definitely one of the best places we have visited so far. We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves. It was also good that we got to share the experience with our good friends Paul and Lyn. If anyone reading this is thinking of their next holiday destination - if you've got the money and can go in their summer you should definitely go to New Zealand!

Having left New Zealand we headed to Sydney where all we can say is - the weather was awful!!!!!!

So we will try to up date the blog soon where you will hear about our exploits in China! Be prepared it is one hell of an experience and a very different place to New Zealand!