New Zealand's South Island

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1st December-Oh my god I can't believe it's December.....24 days 'til crimbo! 😊 Well last night the dude brought a girl back and I'm thinking if you pair start making noises I'm gonna have to be rude, but fair dos they were quiet. It was an early start this morning...had to meet the bus at 7am to take us to the ferry. Our bus driver was a bit late because he overslept but I didn't mind one bit because it was Dylan! Our crazy driver from when I did the North Island 😊 😊 So I met a few people on the bus/ferry who seem nice but they're all in their little group and I kind of feel like it's going to be hard to fit in 😞 It's like the bay of islands all over again! We passed through Marlborough sound which is one of the major wine places in New Zealand and stopped at a vineyard for a bit of a wine tasting. We only paid $2 and got four tastes! We got to Kaiteriteri about 5ish and we were all pooped as it was a long day of travelling. I just chilled after dinner and watched some TV. There wasn't really anything to do anyway. I wanted to do the kayaking tomorrow but no one else did and there needed to be a minimum of four 😞 Oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'm still really sore and my side is still numb...so weird!

2nd December-After a little lie in this morning I checked out and went for a stroll along the beach before we got on the bus. The scenery here on the South Island is just gorgeous! I just chucked my bag on any seat on the bus and when I got on I was sat next to a lovely English nurse who was really chatty and we got on straight away 😊 The bunch of girls she'd made friends with were lovely too and sooo funny! Today is a much better day 😊 We made a stop at Nelson Lakes National Park where everyone does the iconic jumping off the pier into the glacier lake. Oh my god it was absolutely freezing! Plus my photo didn't come out too well so I had to do it again :/ There were shit loads of eels in there and on my second time of getting out one was coming for me but I couldn't get away because the concrete had grown green slippery stuff so it was like a treadmill. I was just running on the spot and screaming lol! We had another little stop at a tea room for a cuppa and then arrived in Westport around 5ish again. The hostel here is so cool! I was in an eleven bed dorm with a kitchen, toilet, TV, sofas and a bloody log burner! All for £13...was amazing. I got discount with my YHA card....first time I've managed to use it so I was pleased.

Dylan took us on the bus to do this lovely coastal walk and we ended up on the beach with a bonfire watching the sunset....was beautiful! Some of the girls bought everyone marshmallows and we toasted them on sticks 😊 This girl spilt red wine on her jeans and was asking if anyone had water so I told her to just use white wine. She gave me the most stinking look ever and walked off. So naturally this flicked my pissed off switch and I gave her a mouthful. By that I mean I called her a cheeky fucking bitch. Then she apologised like four times to me throughout the night once she's realised I was right haha! On the way home Dylan turned the lights off, starting playing Thriller and then flashed all the lights on the bus....he's hilarious! When we got back to our dorm the friends I'd made on the bus came over, we lit he log burner and chilled with tea and toast 'til like 2am oopsie! That wasn't even the best bit...one of the girls brought a tub of marmite from home with her and she let me have some 😊 I almost cried I was so happy! I bought myself an advent calendar today too which pleased me greatly! It'll probably get a bit squished but I don't care....it was upsetting me that I didn't have one. Quote of the day was one of the girls who jumped in the lake with me had a massive wedgie when we looked at the photos and she was like 'oh my god look how hungry my bum got'....pissed myself laughing! I've had a great day and am feeling like I'm starting to fit in 😊

3rd December-This morning we left around nine and made our way to Franz Josef. We stopped at the Paparoa National Park to take a walk down the Truman track where we saw the coastline. I perched myself on a bench with a good view whilst others went down to the beach. Our next stop was at the Pancake Rocks which are basically just a bunch of rocks all in piles....pretty neat. We got to Franz around 5ish and were greeted by this overly enthusiastic girl who just made me cringe with how bubbly she was. We're at a rainforest retreat and it's pretty cool....got a hot tub too! We've booked our ice explorer for tomorrow morning where we'll get to go up to the glacier in a helicopter and to a trek....so excited! It's not something I thought I wanted to do but it seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity. A few of us made a curry together tonight and it was only like five bucks each...happy days!

4th December-So the weather was real shitty today so our glacier trip was cancelled wah! I decided to a have a lazy day but the internet here is real shit so we went to the hot pools instead. It's like the only thing you can do in the rain. We're kind of in a jungle type setting so it's quite pretty. I did my nails too 😊 I can't get the shellac off my toes and it looked shit because it's growing out, so I just painted over it hehe! The sand flies bit my feet to shit today and they are soooo itchy! God I've said shit a lot in this paragraph. We met up with the girls we left behind in Westport which was nice and you'll never guess who I saw?! Only Ed from my first ever trip back in Asia! I was like ahh! I gave him the biggest hug ever. Definitely a highlight of the trip 😊 😊 We joined in on the hostel's pizza and beer night for $17. I mean I got full but I don't think that's very cheap for backpackers but there we go. Tonight was supposed to be our big night out but as our glacier hike is rebooked for tomorrow we had to go easy....we danced like freaks and I got to bed about 1am oopsie!

5th December-So we woke up early....again, and the weather looked better and I was all excited like a kid at Christmas. But we soon found out that it was cancelled and my glacier dream was shattered 😞 It was like waking up on Christmas Day and not having any presents. I was so devo I nearly cried. So we all boarded the bus early as originally planned. My two friends decided to stay back a night to try and do it but I just don't have the time and to be honest I'm on a tight budget now so I guess it's just a sign I'm not meant to do it. Still totally gutted though! So I waved goodbye to my buddies and once again was alone 😞 Dylan had us doing a hilarious quiz on the bus that he'd created....it even had a section on sex lol! He made us draw Michael Jackson on the back for our final task. The left side had to be him in 1978 and the right side had to be him in 2008 lol! My quiz partner was a Dutch fittie.....don't mind if I do!

Our first stop was for a little walk to Lake Matherson, near Fox Glacier where the scenery was beautiful but unfortunately the weather wasn't that great. Next we stopped for a photo op of the snow capped mountains over the lake and finally the gorgeous Lake Hawea. The scenery just changes between our two destinations today and it really is phenomenal. The water is so blue too because all the snow melts into it. We arrived in Wanaka around 4ish and I thought oh here we go again with the no friends to share a room with gig but these two lovely Irish girls that got on our bus today invited me to room with them which is so nice. You can always rely on the Irish to be welcoming. I was going to go to the famous quirky cinema as apparently they have sofas and serve you hot drinks in the intermission but the film they were showing was a really shit one and I was pooped! So I made my dinner and chilled out with some TV. I don't normally like to waste my time somewhere new but I've seen about four lakes today.

6th December-This morning we left just before nine to go to puzzleworld which was so much fun! First of all we went into the maze where you had to find your way to a tower in each corner. It was more hassle to try and find your way back out! We didn't have much time left so we just whipped around the illusion rooms. There was a room where you looked really small in one corner and really tall in another. The toilets were the best where it looked like the floor was falling away. A good start to the day. We then made our way to Queenstown and on the way stopped at the first AJ Hackett bungy jump site at the bridge. It was here where we had to pay for our nevis bugny so I coughed up and have my little ticket :/ It's 134m high and I'm probably going to shit my pants but it's on my bucket list so gotta do it! Dylan gave us all a mince pie as a little present....he's so sweet!

We watched the crazy Aussie girls do the bridge bungy and a couple of others before jumping back on the bus and getting to Queenstown. I nipped to the supermarket and had a nap whilst the nevis people went to do it. I'm waiting for Becca to do it with on the 11th. Some girls didn't jump and you don't get a refund so I'm definitely jumping! The trick apparently is to just not look down, don't hesitate and just jump. When we checked into the hostel the Irish girls didn't wait for me so I wasn't in their room 😞 I really miss my buddies I made earlier on in the trip. We all went on a pub crawl that Dylan organised and got a really good meal for ten bucks and five dollar ciders woop woop! Me and a Scottish girl from my room called Bex mingled with the crazy Aussie girls and Lorina said I've got a lovely figure and gorgeous hair...has done wonders for my confidence which has taken a bashing since I got chubby. It was such a good night 😊 We danced the night away in the last bar and were drinking teapots, one of which Dylan bought for us. I've got some super funny photos of us all.

7th December-So after a nice lie in and no hangover me and Bex caught the gondola up the mountain to where the luging is. Now you know what I'm like on gondolas and ski lifts peeps....they scare the shit out of me! But it was worth it for the fun we had....we both wore the go pro so have loads of videos of each other. Luging is basically a little go kart and you pull back on the handlebars to slow down and let go to go fast. By the end we were sailing over the bumps....such kids! We were dicking about on the chair lift past the cameras and just had to buy the one photo because it was hilarious! The views are amazing! We decided to make our lunch and take it down to the lake before renting a double kayak and going out onto Lake Wakapitu.....it's been a brilliant day! 😊 The hostel do a free dinner so we had our tomato soup and then headed out for a cider on a rooftop bar as the sun went down. I just chilled and caught up on a bit of Casualty....can't believe I've found it woop! Work had their xmas party last night and I'm so sad I missed it 😞 Looks like they had a great time. I tried to FaceTime some peeps but the signal was bad wah!

8th December-Today I left Queenstown on the bottom bus to see the Deep South with a new bunch of people. I recognised one guy who I thought was Dutch but he's actually German....oopsie! We made our way to Dunedin through more stunning scenery and stopped in a small village for lunch on the way and at the Clyde Dam which is new Zealand's third largest hydroelectric dam. I've bought mini tins of chicken mayo that fill two rolls so am doing super well on saving pennies on meals....I should've done this for all of my travels! We got to Dunedin around 3ish and stopped first to climb up the worlds steepest street called Baldwin Street. I thought the steepest was in San Fransisco but there you go. There was a beautiful mural at the top with a bench....got me some good snaps!

We arrived too late to do the Cadbury factory tour wah! I can just go at home anyways....it's probably better. There are loads of things back in the UK I'm going to do next year. Travelling makes you realise how little you've seen in your own country. After we checked into our hostel I went for a wander with the girls from my room and there are some really cool buildings in the centre. It's a university city but all the students are on summer break which is a bit pants so we're going to have a quiet one. I skyped Barbs and George for a bit and saw they were having chops for dinner when I'd had Irish stew out of a tin...damn I miss their food! Then the Internet cut out when I skyped my sis because my free internet ran out wah! Mason was super chatty too which is unusual....he sounds so Welsh haha!

9th December-Happy Birthday to my friend Louise! So this morning we had a free breakfast yay! Then we boarded the bus about half eight to start our journey through the Catlins. Today was a loooong bloody day. There were so many stops for walks and photos I can't even remember. Apparently it always rains this far down south but today wasn't too bad. It rained a tiny bit now and again but not for long. We stopped first at a cafe for snacks then drove up the road to Nugget Point where we walked up to the lighthouse. On the way back we saw a pod of dolphins swimming across in front of us.....really cute! Apparently in this area they have Hectors dolphin which are a rare type but they were too far away to see. We then stopped at Florence Hill lookout to see across the bay before going for a walk up to McLean falls. When we got there our driver was like 'it's even better if you go closer' as I was perched on a rock puffing away after the climb. I was thinking well I've hiked in Yosemite my dear. Call me a snob, but that's how it is 😊 He's not that chatty and some of the girls kept bitching about him just as he would come back onto the bus....awks!

We then went for a walk along a beach and through some sand dunes to get to a sea-lion colony. I didn't actually know seals and sea-lions were different....oopsie! There was one who was being a right poser for the camera...these ones were more friendly and didn't try to chase us thank god! We had our lunch stop at a little cafe where I made my tiger rolls on the picnic table. You can buy little mini tins of salmon mayo and other stuff....so handy and they're like a quid! Our final stop of the day was Curio Bay where we saw another sea-lion and a bird with her babies who kept squawking at us if we got within about three metres. We waited for a little while to see if any of the rare yellow eyed penguins would come out of the sea and make their way to their nests but they didn't. Apparently we'd just missed two 😞 They also had fossilised trees which were pretty cool to see. We finally got to Invercargill around 6ish and settled into our hostel. I went to get food supplies and caved by buying my own cool bag. I bought vegimite and cheese to go on my budget crackers 😊 I finished the night off with a bit of casualty and the rest of my Whittakers chocolate nom nom!

10th December-We had to leave super early this morning as we were doing the Milford Sound trip. We met the bus from Queenstown after about an hour and a half and then travelled to Te Anau where we had a coffee and toilet break. I soaked up the free wifi before jumping back on board for the final stretch to Milford. Apparently it rains for this cruise 300 days of the year but we had the perfect day 😊 On the way to the boat we went through the Homer tunnel which has been carved out of the cliffs. It's one way so you have to wait like five to ten minutes either side. We got free lunch on board so I had a steak pita. We then cruised through the fiords and admired the scenery and waterfalls for about two hours. It was Bex's Birthday so I got the driver to do a shout out and we all sang to her. We then had like a four hour drive back to Queenstown....yawn! Such a long day! I had to stay at a different hostel to my friends as theirs was fully booked and this one was an absolute shithole and the Internet was crappy so I felt really pants! I was so tired too.

11th December-So today was bungy day ahh! I woke up early after having not a great sleep as I kept dreaming 3...2...1... bungy! I went over to the other hostel for lunch and to find Becca who was doing it with me. One of the guys Alex was too. Time went so slowly until we had to go to the bungy centre and check in at half one. I got weighed and am still the same damn it! We then boarded a kind of like half truck half bus and made the forty minute journey to the nevis site. It just got steeper and steeper. We got there, chucked our stuff in lockers, got our harnesses on and made our way down to where we caught the little cable car box over to the pod on the high wire over the river and valley. We caught up with our friend Mathijs who was in the group in front so he came with us to watch. We got our briefing and were told how to jump and how to release our legs bla bla bla before getting in the wobbly cable car. Everyone kept trying to make me look down but I knew if I did that would be it and I'd never jump!

I was second to jump after Becca. So whilst they were bringing her back up I was put in the chair to get hooked up to the cord. I was absolutely bricking it! I can hands down say it's the most scared I've ever been in my life. I did my little penguin shuffle out to the edge of the platform with the guy guiding me as I wouldn't look down. In the video it just looks like he's pushing me towards the edge lol. They said I did well not to look down at all. I remember thinking as he was counting me down oh god I don't think I can do this when I heard my friends shout 'go on Laura!' and off I went. I really wanted to look but was too scared so just closed my eyes lol. I also wanted to do a nice jump but ended up just stepping off the end oops! We had to pull this little green tab to release our feet after the second bounce and I can remember thinking oh god I really don't wanna be pulled back up upside down! But I managed it okay....first only my right leg came out so I had to pull it again. My go pro video is hilarious! My facial expression just looks painful. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out.

After we'd all jumped Mathijs went again and then we got out of our harnesses and went to watch Alex do the swing. The guys let us push the button so we dicked about for a bit and then just dropped him haha! We then chose our videos etc to buy, put our t shirts on and caught the bus back into town. I'm so glad I did it, but don't think I'll ever do it again. A skydive is a piece of cake! When we got back we headed to Fergburger which is supposed to be the best burger place in the world and I don't even like burgers but it was immense! I went for a lamb and mint one with avocado and cheese nom nom! After chilling at Nomads with everyone I left to go and get ready and when I came back the doors were locked so the girls had to sneak me in to get a bit of pre drinking in. We partied in the tea pot place and a place called buffalo where it was ginger Thursday so I got cheap drinks and a free orange t shirt with ginger pride written on it psml! After that the curry, cheese and chips were calling for me and then bed. The Internet isn't working properly so I can't show the world my bungy video yet 😞

12th December-Happy Birthday to my friend Cesc! So this morning we left bright and early for Lake Tekapo. I fell over when I got out of the shower as I think I was still a bit drunk. I even slept in my dress and ginger top! The journey to our first stop was a bit icky and then I bought a salmon and cream cheese bagel which sorted me right out. We got to Lake Tekapo after a couple of scenic stops at around half two. We settled in to our pretty lodge and then chilled in the sun by the lake. We all made a family dinner at the hostel before watching Bridget Jones's Diary and star gazing. We wrapped up warm and went down to the lake to look at the sky as apparently this is one of the clearest skies. I wrapped the quilt around me so looked like a ghost haha! I saw my first shooting star too....it was an amazing day. Last kiwi bus drive tomorrow 😞 😞

13th December-So we set off this morning on our final kiwi bus journey to Christchurch. We got there about 1ish so settled in and then nipped to the supermarket to get dinner. I also picked up some crimbo cards, wrote them and posted them home. I hope they get there in time! :/ I made jacket potatoes (in the oven) with spaghetti and cheese.....oh my days! Now that is a treat for a backpacker! I haven't had a decent jacket since I left home. Me and Lynn had one in San Diego but it was rank! We didn't really do a lot this evening....I finally got my bungy video online with the help of Al and his laptop bless him! We met up with Olivia and Alex who are staying in a hotel, as they're love bugs, so we could say our goodbyes. Then it was a spot of reading and bed for me.

14th December-Today we all had a lie in until like half eleven which was very much needed after all our early starts, then we explored the city. A lot of people say Christchurch is boring but I think it's interesting, especially when you walk around and see how they're trying to cope after the disaster of the earthquake. I think it will be a beautiful city again one day....hopefully soon. First we went to see Cathedral Square where their cathedral is cornered off and there is a lovely flower archway in front of it now. We then stopped by the oversized armchairs, art work and dance mat. They had a little floor, a disco ball and an old top fill washing machine that is now used as a music docking station. Apparently it's a tribute to all the arts and music academies destroyed in the earthquake.

We then went for a stroll down regent street where the tram passes through and there are lots of little coffee shops. There were giant baubles that you could climb into for photos too....I'm finding myself looking for anything Christmassy as its so strange being in the sunshine at this time of year. We then went to look at the transitional cathedral that they've made look like cardboard....very clever but slightly strange looking. Opposite there are 185 white chairs on a patch of grass in memory of the lives lost in the earthquake....very moving. Our last stop was the botanic gardens ofcourse....we played a bit of frisbee and then just chilled in the sun. I couldn't play for long as my rib still hurts....I've come to the conclusion that it must be broken 😞 I just packed and did a bit of skyping before bed as I have a very early start for my flight! New Zealand it has been amazing.....you will be in my heart forever xx

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