New Zealand - Kiwi Experience

Ok, so i left off at the Frans Josef glacier hike being cancelled...

Whole bus very disheartened at this so lets just say we were thankful there was a bar at our resort to drown our sorrows. It also happened to be a big rugby game - the NZ All Blacks versus Australia. A lot of rivalry between the two sides and quite a big game i was told! Bets were placed and our Australian friend Jess won the bet saying Australia would win (went down like a lead balloon, but we found this even more hilarious) so more drinks were bought.

Ou bus driver GP managed to re-arrange our hike for the following day. The best way to cure a hangover i can tell you is to head up a blimin' glacier. A beautiful day, hiking to the glacier, through a river, on go our grampons and up the thing we climbed. Even got warm enough to remove one of the million jumpers we were wearing! Through tiny crevices, caves, we even had our lunch sat on the glacier looking down at the spectacular view. It was truly amazing but hard work and exhausting. After a while day of glacier exploration the many hours sat on a bus really didn't bother us. Short stop in Wanaka then off to Queenstown.

Just outside Queenstown we stop at the Kawarau bridge over the Kawarau river made famous as it is the site of the first ever bungy jump, by A J Hackett. Well a few nutters on the kiwi bus had signed up to do it so we watched from the viweing point saying we had no idea why anyone would ever want to do a bungy jump, jumping off a platform being suspended by your feet. Well that lasted all of about 2 mintues. After watching a few jumps i got a bit enthused and said that actually i wouldnt mind having a go. Mulling it all over in my head i thought right, i will never get this opportunity again so went to the desk to book it. I would just like to mention that there is a 100% success rate of bungy jumps in New Zealand!

Having discussed this with the girls, Louise decided that she would like to do it too. We both signed up for the Ledge in Queenstown, set offside a mountain, 400 metres overlooking Queenstown for that afternoon. Arriving in Queenstown nerves kicked in. A stiff drink and up the mountain we went in a cable car with our friend Jack who is petrified of heights and also signed up for the bungy.

It is very strange thing willing yourself off a platform with nothing to hold onto with your brain telling you all kinds of things that you would rather not think about. Head up and off you jump. The bonus, if there is a bonus, of doing the Ledge is that your are not strapped by your ankles but you are wearing a body harness so bouncing around after the jump you are sat up right. You also can ran and jump not just jump or fall forwards which as it happens is what i ended up doing.

Still shaking from adrenaline we went and celebrated our first taster of extreme sports.

We were then skiing for the next 3 days at Coronet Peak and the Remarkables. Having done it before, Louise and Sarah had a little warm up on the baby slope and went straight for the mountains. I have never even stepped into skis so went for some lessons. After lunch was persuaded not to go back for the afternoon session so decided to go up the mountain with the girls...oh what a mistake. Being prepped on the chair-lift of how to get off without falling over by Sarah... well it went to pot straight from then really. Jumped off, slid and fell on my head. A little dazed took a gentle slid down a bit then proceeded to go down the mountain either on my head, bum or back, sometimes with both skis on but more often then not went for the one ski look. I did improve, eventually, after some more lessons. Louise and Sarah had a brilliant time though. They even managed to do a black run (the hardest route down) all be it by mistake but managed it and manged it well.

After having a blast in Queenstown it was back to Christchurch to stay with Ali. Spent a lovely weekend catching up with all that we had done and seen, watching films and a night on the tiles with her friends including a rugby player who had swarms of people worshipping him everywhere we went. Her parents were so kind to have us and even cooked us roast lamb before we left!

After doing a full circle of the South Island it was time to go to the North Island. First stop, Wellington where our friend Luke from university now lives so we have a place to stay for the night. Pulling up to his house was another taxi. It was Dom and Charlotte also from Uni doing a similar round the world trip but in the opposite direction. We were hoping to meet them somewhere along the way but to have 4 days with them at Lukes was brilliant and totally unexpected. It was Charlottes birthday whilst we were together so off course we had to go out and celebrate. Also learned some more of the kiwi culture at the Te Papa museum.

Leaving Wellington we head to Taupo to book a skydive. Something always wanted to do but never thought i would actually do it. After 4 days of pure rain, hot springs and a lot of movies we were still waiting for clear weather to be able to do our skydive. It was put back hour by hour, day by day until we finally got told we had20 minutes before the bus arrives to take us to the airfield! Asonished and panicked we couldnt believe the time had actually come.

All geared up we get into the plane a tiny thing so all squished in so theres Lou, Sarah and me, our tandem jumper who we will be strapped to and we each have a camaraman to film us each step of the way and take photos. 13,000 feet and Sarah's up, one blink and she's gone, Lou's next and she's off too. The plane climbs a bit more, oxygen is given as the air is so dense 15,000 feet (illegal in Australia) and it hits me i am about to throw myself out of a plane....shuffle to the edge, with my jumper firmly strapped onto my back, hang outside the plane and im out falling....into the 'banana' shape ie hands out in front and legs out back and arched body. WOW! The resistance against my hands was so much and im taking in the view of Lake Taupo, snow encrusted mountaintops falling thorugh the clouds. Was freefalling for about a minute then the parachute comes out and you float down to the ground for a further 4-5 minutes. The most incredible feeling and experience for all us and so proud of each other for doing it. The phone calls afterwards to home brought not quite the reaction we thought but i think everyone was a bit shocked at what we were telling them. "erm yeah hi mum, guess what ive just done...just thrown myself out of a plane....yes im still in piece dont worry!"

Onwards North of the North Island we visited Rotorua, Tamaki a Maori Cultural Centre where we each given a fishhook necklace and onto Matamata where Hobbiton from Lord of the Ribgs was filmed. Had pictures with a stone statue of Gollam then onto Auckland before we flew to Cairns.


Although we are actually back in the UK now there is another half written blog our Australia tour which i will write and post up, perhaps a brief one of asia too if people are still interested? Love to readers for bearing with us!x

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