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Don't worry folks, I'm still alive...just. What a stupid thing to do, chuck yourself off a perfectly good platform into a massive canyon. Good fun though! Anyway, Queenstown, if you have a massive wallet and infinite funds you might last a week? With every activity under the sun, all completely stupid and highly dangerous with loads of waiver forms saying what happens if they kill you etc... Queenstown is the place in the South Island where everything happens. We ended up staying for 5 nights, it would have been longer but we've been invited to a family wedding in the North Island so have had to rush to get here (currently typing this in Wellington - day before the wedding). One of our best days in Queenstown was when we hired a tiny car (naff Toyota Telcer - with only four gears) and absolutely hammered it up a massive mountain range called the Remarkables. This is where all the ski lifts start for the winter season. The road we eventually got up was so steep and covered with potholes and gravel. It was a hair raising 15KM drive up and even worse on the way back down with no steering or brakes, great fun! The views from the top were fantastic and you could see everything, really enjoyable. After that, we headed to a place called Glenorchy, where a lot of Lord of the Rings was filmed. This was also a really picturesque place with loads of places to stop and see. See the photos when I've uploaded them (it takes ages so will be a day or two).Also in Queenstown is the world famous Fergburger. The most amazing burgers in the world! Liam is so fat now we're going to have to stop off at a plastic surgeon to remove some of his chins, Ferburgers are so addictive! Queenstown is absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone, young, old or anyone with a bit of a death wish and a taste for dangerous activities. The town is quiet small, set on a massive lake surrounded by huge mountain ranges with loads to do. There is one side of the town with really nice shops, cafes and bars etc and another side which doesn't sleep and would appeal more to the younger traveler. From Queenstown we had to drive back up to Christchurch which takes about 8 hours on a coach, nice. Luckily though, it was about the worst day of weather we have had since we left so travelling on a coach wasn't too bad. From Christchurch the bus headed to Picton and then the ferry crossing to Wellington in the North Island. On the way to Picton the bus passed through a region called Marlborough. This is known as the best place in the world for making white wine. Seemed like a perfectly good idea to jump of the bus and stop for a night and do a wine tour. It was.We stopped in the capital of the region, a place called Blenheim. From there were jumped on an afternoon tour and managed to hit seven of the 49 wineries in the area. We tasted some really nice wines but when each winery offers you about 6 or 7 different wines it becomes more difficult towards the end of the tour to recognise what you're drinking. After our stop off in Blenheim, we jumped on the next Kiwi bus passing through on the way to Picton and headed to Wellington. The weather has been so great the last few days and luckily our crossing was really smooth when it is notorious for being terrible. In Wellington (yesterday) we met for the first time my 2nd (maybe 3rd - I'm not sure?) cousin which was really cool. We are going to head up to a place called Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty just south east of Auckland, as we have been invited to a family wedding which should be nice. I have been told that it's on the beach so boardies and flip flops?? I couldn't quite fit my suit in my back pack. (boardies = swim shorts!) Will add photos soon and let you know how the wedding goes. Will
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