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Auckland
18.04.07 - Well my last few hours were spent in AUstralia this morning as I got ready to depart from Brisbane to Auckland, 10am came round and off I left the sunshine state Queensland. 3 hours later I start to decsend into the silver clouds of New Zealand and its then I get my first sights of this country at first I thought I was back in England rolling countryside, grey clouds and as green as far as the eyes can see. Once I got off the plain checked through I was picked up by a Romanian fella who has been living here for 6 years telling me all about the place. You can def feel the change in temp as well got a feeling my tan may fade or what I have as one anyway, Got to make my way into the main city tomorrow and make sure I jump aboard my Kiwi experience bus otherwise I might be screwed!
Paihi - Kiwi Experience Driver - Eljaye
19.04.07 - s***! I woke up this morning when at 6am when my bus was at 6:07 to get in to town, I had set my alarm for 5:30 but forgot to change the clock on my phone nightmare luckily though I got my bags then ran and just got their on time! My first Kiwi coach is heading north today and as we left Auckland their is nothing but rolling hills, mountains plus the land just looks like it has been placed with a green velvet through out. I would say its a cross between the whole of England, Scotland and Wales with a few added extras. On the coach I got speakin with a few people but I was only on a day trip were these guys were staying for the night. Once I arrived I just took it all in the weather was not great but hey worse things could happen, We then headed back for to Auckland for the night were I just had a quick look round the city and then early night.
Whitianga -
20.04.07 - I was up on time this morning thank god so I did not have to mess around. The first stop was up at Mount Eden which is a dormant volcano in the city which is apparently one of around 50 scattered round Auckland, Anyway it was blue skies and we was given great 360 panaramic views of the city it just looked amazing. We then headed to Mercury Bay were it has natural hot springs coming out of the sands so we could build a bit of hot pool! All the lads pitched in as the place which usually lends the spaded to Kiwi for some reason refused and we refused to pay. A bit of cheekyiness we was able to borrow some from the people down on the beach then we just let the hole fill up were we just chilled. After about an hour we headed out to Cathedral cove basically an arch way which has been eroded from the rocks but we had a nice walk then watched the sunset on my first full day on the Kiwi coach
Rotorua
21.04.07 - As we jumped back on the bus very early again because we have to make the most of the daylight hours with them gettin shorter each day as this part of the world is heading for winter. Today it is one of the lads birthday Sam so we are going to be heading out into the town tonight, Today though we had the option of some decent activities of either Zorbing or lugeing I decided on the luge and Im glad it was awesome. I paid $20 for three attempts down the slopes were I used all three scenic, intermediate and Advanced. After that me Sam and Nick went for a Burger by far the best one I have ever had then we got the beer headed back to the hostel were we met with the rest of the group and headed out and had a top night. As I got back to the hostel a bit of the footy was on so I caught some of this before hitting the hay!
Waitomo
22.04.07 - Chill out day which is very much in need as I am feeling a tad hungover this morning from last nights antics. Before we left Rotorua a few people went to see the natural geizers and mud pools I decided to give this a miss for the time being as it cost a bit of money and I needed food which I got plus give me a good boot to the system. Once we had picked everyone up it was a 3 hour drive to our next destination whilst on this drive we was being informed of the activities that lay mainly the sky dive! We was told that when we freefall from 15,000 feet we will be reaching speeds of 300 km per hour for a minute before the shute will open now that is bloody fast. We arrived at our next hostel which was quite nice I have been suprised by how much better they in comparison to Oz, I was booked into a room with an Irish bloke called Connor who is also going to be doing the jump with me at the same height. In the night we all just relaxed and had a few games of killer before hitting the hay.
Well today is the day, I cant believe I am going to be jumping from 15,000 feet. Me and Connor awoke quite early through the sheer fact we could not help thinking about it. We got out of bed and it looked a gorgeous day for jumping out of a plane blue skies for miles, Our first stop of the day was at a rabbit ranch were they our kept and bread for their fare bit random but they are the cutest of rabbits. As we headed onto Taupo the weather was changing clouds were covering the ski and the coach feared the worst thankfully as we arrived in Taupo their was a patch of blue which meant Game on! We got into the sky dive centre and there was a plane due to depart in 20 mins not wanting to hang around thinking about it I and another lad Carl from the coach jumped on. Two people jumped out before me at 12,000 feet then I was the first to lead my crew, My diver sat on the edge of the plane with me hanging over just looking at the clouds and feeling the wind beneath my feet 5 seconds later I drop were we are hurdling down towards the ground adrenalin pumping, heart racing then the shute opens after 60 seconds and I take in the stunning views of the North Island its amazing. We then head towards landing legs up were we come in then slide on our backsides were everyone is still on the ground from the coach I was totally buzzing and still am 4 hours on never experienced anything like it even considering doing a second 1 over the Glaciers on the south. Once stripped down to normal clothes I am given the DVD plus photos were you will all be able to see its unreal! It will be an early one tonight going to the pub for a beer then a very early start tomorrow as we have a 8 hour hike in front of us were I will pass Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings.
Taupo -
24.04.07 - What a day I have never been so physically exhausted a I was today, I reached my physical peak and realised just how fit I was. This morning I was up at 5am ready for the Tongariro crossing which has the volcano of Mount doom which appeared in the Lord of the Rings. As I stepped off the coach still a bit bog eyed I was soon awake with the crisp called air about. We started the walk at 7am were the first physical test was the Devil staircase for the reason the steps are high plus they are all rocks and not great ones to be walking on. As I reached the top ofthese I thought I would of been the first from our coach but one of the Dutch lads was so I said to him come lets climb the beast which stands at around 2200 meters! This was by no means easy as we reached halfway as the ground turned to dust and for each three steps you took forward you slid back two! It took us about 1hr and 30 mintues to reach the top or so we thought because as we came to the peak we realised it was a false one then had another 80 or so meters to climb, I was thinking is this really worth it? Well when I reached the top that question was answered the views were amazing we was above the clouds and you could see as far as the could see plus I was stood on the top of Mount Doom from Mordor but I did not see no Orks. It was a swift exit as the temp was soon getting cold so down the mountain we went which took only 10 mins showing how easy it is to get down. The whole trip took about 6 hours and we managed to get back for the first coach in total we must of walked about 15 mile today my legs are now ready for dropping off. Tonight most of us wanted to head out to a hot spring which is a river pumping out hot water awesome, So as the sun went down torch light was in place then the muscles soon relaxed I will sleep so well tonight never have I endured such a physical test.
Nelson
27.04.07 - Uh oh not a great feeling this morning after the very large night out that we had last night, Had to back on the coach with Eljae by 8am! Me, Sam, Hannah & Jack all got out of the pits threw our clothes on and headed out to our very reduced coach from the 30 people that were on their it is now only 8 people so we aint feeling that great as their was some very good banter between us all and we all got on great. The first stop was the ferry which was a 3 hour sail from the North to the South Island which I slept all the way and made this feel like the quickest ferry I have ever taken, Once we were back on the coach we headed out to a winery were we tried a couple of wines for free which I have to say were quite nice. Me and Sam clubbed together to get a bottle between us which will be saved for a later date, We then headed to Nelson for what we was hoping a nice quiet night in watching TV and to recharge the batteries. How wrong could I be? Once we hit the hay the fire alarm went off about 00:10 in the whole complex so everyone was we tried ringing the emergency number several times but no answer what so ever, My bad luck has returned it then went off an hour later were we thought it would be wise to ring the Fire brigade as were unsure if it was CO2 fumes that could be causing this! The Brigade turned up who were less than impressed by the lack of response by the hotel they also ok if for us to return back to bed and just go to sleep, Chance would be a fine thing as it went off 3 more times through out the night last one being at 6am.
Westport
28.04.07 - Woke up today not in the best of moods but it got better as I managed to some free breakfast for our little foursome before heading out back to the Kiwi coach. Their was not much to be done today we had to pick the remainging people to fill the coach up today which mean we had a big group again, It is more of a mixed bag this time their is plenty of canadians on board plus the odd american. Eljae then informed us that tomorrow night will be a fancy dress night were if you win you get a decent prize but that aint going to happen with my luck, Anyway the theme is Rockstars and my Idea is Gene Simmons from Kiss so I bought the face paint and bin bags today Now this is either going to look really good or really s***. Nothing much was done tonight we just chilled had a few beers then bed we went after the s***e nights sleep we had yesterday.
Lake Mahinapua
29.04.07 - We departed early for the Poo pub as it is known on the Kwi bus and we had one stop off along the way in a place called Greymouth for any people who wished to get a few more pieces for their out fit for tonight. Once we arrived me, Sam, Jack and Hannah bunked up again in our 4 dorm room, Once everyone had dinner we got to work on our costumes for tonight I managed to turn my bin bags into a very good cheap looking leather gear for a budget of 4quid it looks good. Hannah started work on my face paint for tonight whom did a very good job on it I might be in with a chance of winning but who knows we will find out tomorrow night. We headed for the pub were we met Les the 82yr old who runs the joint and what a leg end he is I then bought myself a Greenstone necklace which has been blessed by the Maoris and can only be bought in NZ so it is a nice reminder form my time spent here. Once the beer started flowing people were loving my outfit they were all wanting photos with me yes Tony you are the man after that their was not much to remember at all.
Franz Josef
30.04.07 - Bit of a sore head this morning but on the plus side of things we had a llie in until about 8:30 which is good seems as their has not been one for a couple of weeks. I was bloody freezing last night as I got to bed I did not want to unpack my sleeping bag so I just curled in a bowl and slept under my jacket not a very wise move but hey! Before getting off the coach they announced the results of the competition from last night can you believe I actually got some good luck I finshed 1st and won a Canyonswing which is about $180.00 bring it on! We then arrived at the beautiful Franz Josef Glaciers were for the 2nd & final time I jumped out of a plane from 12,000 feet free falling over the Glaciers being able to see how far it went back, Everyone know my love for snow so this was by far the best scenery I had seen while away.We all headed to the lounge were Jack hooked up his Ipodand proceded to watch a great film by the title of Snatch. I then headed down to the pub with Eljaye plus a few others of the coach were we just had a quiet and chilled night also
01.05.07 - I awoke this morning to what was a very cold wet and windy day in Franz Josef, I was suppose to be doing a heli hike which was a flight in a helicopter to the top of the Glaciers then a 2 hour walk around the them instead I ended up watchin Lock Stock, Peter Kay live at ablert hall what an awesome day it was nice just to chill and dont feel like I missed out as I still saw all the Glaciers from the Sky dive. Tonight a few of us headed down to the hostel pub were we got to meet with some of the old crew Mark, Vicki and Katie and had a few beers but did not stay long due to lack of funds then Me and Emma who is a lass of the Kiwi coach went over to the TV room were I feel asleep and woke up with a cat on me also covered in cat hairs.
Wanaka
02.05.07 - As we departed the weather was not much better from the previous day. Me and the lads were going to get up to watch the Liverpool V Chelsea game but it was that cold we just did not bother. As we headed down to Wanaka we had a short stop off at this beautiful river and waterfall were we all had a nice group photo and the lads were skimming stones across the river, It took me back to the days as a young lad with my Pa down Edisford Bridge. Wanaka is a very sleep town at the moment because it is in between seasons of winter and summer nothing much is happening. Later that night we headed to the pub with coach driver Eljaye the lass he has been knocking up called Katie plus Sam, Hannah, Jack and Emma. Jack managed to get my photos downloaded on to a CD so he has saved me quite a few dollars which is always nice he is a top bloke. As the night proceded I told Eljaye how much he had effected my trip and that he had made it great he was well chuffed and advised I HAD to be out tomorrow night and he would be less than impressed at me being a Bamby, Wimp, p**** Fag as he describes it.
Queenstown
03.05.07 - We departed for the adventure capital of New Zealand this morning were most people get their adrenalin rushes but all I shall be doing is the Canyon swing no Bungy's for me or so I thought. Our first stop was at puzzle world which was a cool little stop over had a big maze and some very weird rooms we then jumped back on the coach were the next stop off would be were the first ever Bungy site was set up. As we headed into Queenstown we had one stop off for a group photo which was really good and only cost $12 would of been nice to have all my friends that I have met in their but not to be. Our foursome has now split and I will be sharing a room with Ben, Kev and Damo from the coach which will make a nice change. We then headed out bought 2 boxes of Goon otherwise knows as dirty wine and a few cheap shots, I had way to much and enough were I was that pissed I did not have to buy another drink all night. Now tonight their was a challenege on for a horizontal bungy basically a team of 2 people one is attached to the bungy they have to run get a beer bring it back and scull it. Me being me did the running necked some on the way back so Heather had less to drink we set a record apparently of 16 seconds and both won a bungy for the Nevis High Wire a 134m drop cant believe all the good Karma I am having at the moment compared to the bad Karma in Australia. Anyway Awesome night.
04.05.07 - Wow what a night by far the cheapest I have ever done! All I spent was $10 which works out at just under 4 quid. This morning we all just sort of sat round all day I also booked on to do the Bungy which I won last night, I am suprisingly very calm about it I mean I have done 2 sky dives so think that. Anyway 2pm came and now it was time to do the mother of all Bungys 134 meters now as I got strapped on then taken over to the cage the guy counted to 3 then on 3 I jumped like Pierce Brosnan in Golden Eye I loved it what a rush, again I was on a natural buzz for a good few hours after this just the fact your hurdling towards the ground and you can feel the wind rushing past you its unreal, New Zealand is def not for the faint hearted. Me and Ben decided on having another very cheap night so including my dinner plus beer I got wasted off $14 awesome night. Once we were out something hit me what Kurt once said '"Minesweeping has to be done" Because I left my money at home for safety that I wont spend it I mentioned to Ben about it and he was game so their we had it. Now I saw this perfect full pint sat on the edge of the bar but no one around it so as I was about to swoop Ben bloody got in their first but it was not to end there in not wanting to be defeated I got the perfect steal of a Teapot which is full with a coctail made for shooters, I just so happened to have picked a full one up and even shared a couple of them out apparently Vicki and Katie told me the guy went ape but you snooze you lose in this world I then finished with one more pint before realising everyone had gone.
05.05.07 - Awoken this morning by the girls who were in our room as they were leaving today, Probably the poshest of b****es to have shared a room with but they seemed nice one of the girls names was hilarious though she is called Calypso??? Anyway once they had gone Ben noticed they had left a few items behind one being a used thong, So Ben decided to have a good sniff the dirty goat! We all then stayed in bed looked at the photos and reminised about lthe last 2 nights events. We all headed out about 12 were the guys then went to do some lugeing and I saw a few of the girls so I hung around them for the afternoon, We are taking a night off from the Booze as I am going Milford Sound tomorrow at 6am but we did decided to cacth the UTD V City game.
Milford Sound
06.05.07 - 6am wake up but this was more than well worth it, It was a day trip to remember this is probably the most scenic beautiful place I will ever see in my life and it confirmed why I love New Zealand. Their was a me, Hannah and Jack on the coach for the day so we all had a few hours sleep before waking up to see the sun rise once arriving in Milford Sound the first stop was at the Mirror Lakes they looked even better through the photo you actually cant tell which way up it should be. As we drove through the Snow capped mountains we started to see many of the 150 waterfalls this place has to offer but they were not that powerful becasue of the blue sky and lack of rain but we had no need to worry it did not take long as the afternoon rolled in so did the clouds then the heavens opened we got the best of both for the camera shots. On the way back I was a very happy chappy, sandwiches on the boat had been reduced from $4.50 to $1.00 so I got three and made a saving of 10 bucks. Once we returned back to Queenstown I was up for a heavy night out the goon had already been bought as previous nights happened I necked it had 2 shots but the tiredness kicked in and I crashed at 11pm although It was nice to see Ally of my North Island bus the others will be here tomorrow so big night for one last time before I hit Fiji.
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