From OZ to NZ

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Well, it's been a while. My only excuse is that I really haven't had a chance to update the blog because I've been enjoying myself a bit too much. Seems fair enough to me.

Anyway, think the last time I checked in was in Brisbane so I shall tell you my story from there. After I left mike's I went down to Surfer's Paradise for a day where I took a surfing lesson for a couple of hours and spent the rest of the day working on my tan!

The next day I moved on down to Byron Bay and I really loved it there. It was quite a small little place but was really relaxed. No one was in a hurry and I just chilled out for most of the time i was there. I sunbathed on the beach, went swimming, went for a walk along the beach and went out on a walk to the lighthouse which is at the most Easterly point of Australia. I sat there with a cup of tea and watched the sunset. It was really very beautiful and quite nice to just sit there and take in the view.

My last day in Byron Bay was last Friday and i ended up doing something that i quite frankly thought i would never do. I jumped out of an aeroplane. Well more to the point, i sat on the edge of an aeroplane and the instructor dropped us out. I had 60 seconds of free falling through the air from 14,000 feet at 200km ph before the parachute opened. It is so difficult to describe what it felt like but it was just like floating through the air. The day was beautifully clear as well so i had a fantastic view over the bay. It was such an exhilerating experience and I am so glad that i did it.

the next 24 hrs were rather more mndane though as i did some shopping and then got a 13 hour overnight bus back down to Sydney. When i got there, i took a train out to Eastwood and took advantage of the Frieds' hospitality again. It was great to be there and nice to be somewhere that I recognised after discovering loads of new places. In the afternoon, sue and I went into central Sydney and went up the sky tower which gave us a fantastic view over all of Sydney's landmarks and we saw the sunset as well, which was just glorious.

After a coffee and macaroon, we met up with Nick and Bec to have some dinner. We ate outside with a beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge and I had some kangaroo which was yummy! We finished the evening by going into the Opera House and listening to a little of the Rodgers and Hammestein concert that was on.

The next day, Bec drove me to the airport and I left Sydney for Christchurch. Again, it was a beautiful day and I got a fantastic view over the New Zealand shoreline and mountains. I landed in Christchurch about 2 pm and had my shoes cleaned by the immigration officials before finding my hostel and going for a walk around what is known as the red zone. Since the earthquake, the red zone has been shut off. This was where most of the main buildings were and was the central district so Christchurch now has a strange empty feel about it. Over 30,000 people have moved out of the city and it's still suffering aftershocks. It was a strange place to be.

the next day, I got on the bus I had booked which took me to Kaikoura. The bus driver is our guide and gives us information about where we're going on the way. We also stop at good places for photos and supermarkets for groceries! Most of the people on the bus are moving on at the same pace as well, so you get a good group of friends and spend lots of time together.

Anyway, on with what we've been up to. When we got to Kaikoura we had some fish and chips and then went for a walk up to the lookout point to see if we could see any dolphins or whales. Which we couldn't but we got a beautiful view anyway!

the following morning we left Kaikoura and headed towards Picton, at the North of the South island. On the way, we stopped to see a seal colony (very cute) and at a supermarket to get some dinner. Once in Picton, I went on a wine trail! I went to 4 different vineyards and tried 22 different wines from the Marlborough region. They're most famous for their Sauvignon Blanc which was definitely yummy! It was a great afternoon and we finished by going to a chocolate factory and tasting their chocolate and brittle. So yum! The hostel we were staying in had a hot spa pool and free apple crumble after dinner so we had a pretty good time.

I woke up early the next morning and went for a walk in the wind and rain along the coast. After that we got back in the bus and headed towards the Abel Tasman national park. It was a pretty full day of travelling but it meant we could get to know the people who had joined the bus from the North island that morning which was rather nice. We arrived at the farm we were staying on about 4 in the afternoon and settled in. I spent the evening chatting in the kitchen and was extremely grateful for the heating when I got back to my shed as it was -1 outside. it was COLD.

The next day was a full day of activity. In the morning we took a Catamaran (yeah that might be the wrong spelling) into the National Park. On the way we saw the famous split apple rock and some more baby seals. It was really relaxing on the boat and we sailed right into a beautiful beach. We ate a picnic lunch on the beach. Or at least most of us did, one of the boys decided to go swimming and a seagull took his lunch while his back was turned. Quite amusing. In the afternoon we did the four hour walk back to where we had started through some beautiful bushland and stopping at another couple of secluded beaches. It was really beautiful and fortunately (for once) dry and sunny.

When we left the farm, we headed towards Punakaiki stopping at a couple of nice towns on the way for lunch and a food stop. We also did a walk along the coast line (another rainy and wet one) and saw the pancake rocks and blowholes. The pancake rocks didn't actually look much like pancakes though, they are named because they look like stacks of pancakes. It was beautiful round there and the sea was pretty rough so there were some amazing waves.

This morning we left Punakaiki at midday which meant I had a rather nice lie in and then I wandered down to a nearby beach. The sun was back out so it looked amazing down there and because the sea was still pretty choppy there was some great 'spray-over-rock ' moments. Unfortunately my camera wasn't quite quick enough to get them. After we left we drove to Franz Josef, which is where I am right now. We stopped for another grocery shop and to take in some beautiful mountain views on the way and our driver told us all about some famous New Zealand inventions and people.

Tomorrow, I'm heading up in a helicopter to do a hike on the Fox Glacier and after that I'll be heading down towards Queenstown.

Stay safe all and sorry if there are loads of spelling mistakes or I've written anything in a confusing manner, I really can't face checking all 1323 words all over again! xxx

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