monkey_boy

It was time to get back to seeing more of the great outdoors as this is really where New Zealand shines, so we headed to Te Anau; the gateway to Fiordlands National Park. The journey was a little nasty due to having to nurse a hangover the whole time but after a day of relaxing I was ready and raring to go. First stop was a day trip to the illustrious Milford Sound. A two hour drive saw us arriving there in a small haze of rain. This was to be expected as we had been warned that it is not unusual for Milford Sound to get 7 or 8 metres of rainfall per year. As we were unable to walk the Milford Track due to its massive popularity we settled on a cruise through the ... read more

After a rather moist experience on the Travers-Sabine track we took our time to dry out in Westport which, as the name suggests, is a small town located on the west coast. On entering the town a big billboard was on show boldly exclaiming that ‘If you want England go to Christchurch but if you want the real New Zealand come to Westport.’ I cannot imagine the New Zealand tourism board are aware of this because Westport was, to use an American term, a complete dive. It was a shabby run down town, where the main high street looks like it hasn’t had any attention in 100 years. Unfortunately the result is not an interesting look into New Zealand’s quirky past, but in fact simply an embarassment. If we had not been in such desperate need ... read more

This hike is one of 6 named as ‘great walks’ throughout New Zealand, so we held high hopes as we approached Marahau (the start of the Abel Tasman Track).Following the last hikes disaster, we tentatively checked the weather forecast and found it to be very positive for all of the 3 days we planned to spend hiking the 52km track. Whilst in Nelson we had arranged for a water taxi to take us out to Toturonui which was maybe two thirds of the way north along the trail, unfortunately the water taxis did not take people all the way to the end, however, this did end up working in our favour. The day before the hike we fell asleep in high spirits after an afternoon of clear blue skies and bright sunshine but on awaking on ... read more

So my first blog of New Zealand has arrived, unfortunately it will not have been worth the wait and is more of a prelude to the proper blogging that will begin shortly. The reason for this is that since landing in Christchurch on 19th October i have simply been looking for work and then working, so nothing particularly exciting for you all to read about. However, i thought that as i come to the end of my first stint of work (ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!) i would do a quick blog to fill you in with a brief overview of my last 5 weeks. I managed to get a lift with a friend from my previous travels in australia who lived in Christchurch and happened to be heading to Blenheim a couple of days after ... read more

A place has never been more worthy of its name. Known as ‘Disneyland for adults’ this money pit is ready to swallow you whole. Bright, flashing lights send you into a daze as you wade through numerous hands thrusting business cards advertising an array of illustrious women into your path . If you avoid the temptation of a yard of margarita for $5 then you will inevitably fall foul to one of the casinos. It’s Vegas baby! Having never been to a casino in my life I feel like Vegas is one hell of an introduction. You can’t help but be filled with eager anticipation of what the night will bring as the lights hypnotise and entice anyone and everyone walking the strip, each place fighting for your attention, determined to take you in. The extravagant ... read more