Kiwi Land - North & South

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We arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand after a short 3 hour flights and the 5am start around 3pm to pick up our campervan/home for the next 3 weeks. With baited breath we were shown our graffitted people carrier - thankfully it wasn't as bad as we were expecting considering we went for the cheapest thing around! After stopping off at Westfield for a snack and pillows etc we set our sights on Queenstown, only the underestimate the size of New Zealand and at 10pm, starving and after being up for 18 hours we were still looking for a place to stay for the night around a third of the way to Queenstown. This was proving very hard and after an hour of searching in the pitch black, deserted roads with no phone signal we came across "Grumpy's" which was a name both of us could relate to at this time of night. After a cereal dinner, we set up our bed in the back of our car in the pitch black.

The next day we ploughed on down towards Queenstown only to come across Lake Tekapo, crystal clear waters and its thermal spa - so we decided to set up camp again and sat under the stars talking the night away!

Day 3 of what we planned to be a 1 day trip we finally arrived in Queenstown - St Paddy's Day! Being as far away from Ireland as humanly possible, we weren't expecting much - how wrong were we! EVERYONE in the town was painted in Green and Gold, Irish songs blaring out and Guiness flowing by the truck load so we decided to join in the festivities and took advantage of the good weather and enjoy the party that was going on by the lake. As it was fricking freezing in Queenstown that night (and laughing at a fellow camper who had a flat battery and having the AA out) we decided to get the heaters on, only to discover we too had a flat battery. After trying but failing to jump start the car it was our turn for the AA to come out and the charge of $180! It was even more bitter sweet that it was a 2 minute job for him to fix! - we are both in the wrong profession.

After resisting the temptation to Skydive in Queenstown, we headed to the Fox Glacier where i had originally planned on skydiving and where i had planned to trick Sam into getting involved. We arrived to pissing rain and low cloud - great for a skydive...NOT...so i booked it in for the next day which was meant to be perfectly clear! D-Day arrived, and after a last ditch attempt to get Sam to join in (she said it was "too expensive") i was up in the air posing for a picture outside the plane - lets just say Sam could hear me from the ground as i was falling from 12 000ft.

Our next stop was Kaikoura (after an 8 hour drive) were we planned to go Seal swimming - however the weather was crap causing it to be cancelled so we went to see the Seal Colony just a bit further down the coast instead - they were huge and noisy so Sam was plotting her escape route the whole time we were there should one choose to attack her - and we consoled ourselves with some top notch fish and chips - although the chips were not up to English standard!

Our time on the South Island was nearly over but not before ANOTHER flat battery (finally replaced by the AA for FREE!!) and a 4am start to get to Picton Ferry Port for our early morning ferry to Wellington. Going through the Cook Strait was pretty cool and earry with the clouds sitting on the water - Sam wouldn't know as she was fast asleep as soon as we got to Picton. We got off in Wellington and did a spot of shopping - I could not survive any longer in shorts.

After some retail therapy we headed for our camp site for the night. After locking myself in the TV room and Sam on the outside (I think Sam did it on purpose) and calling out, out of hour camp security to free me we continued North to Taupo, stopping at the Tongariro Crossing (an 8 hour treck across a mountain). Dressed in shorts and trainers, we got plenty of disgusted looks from the professional ramblers completely with hiking sticks, we headed into the jungle - we last approximately 1 hour before the rain kicked in and forced us back to the safety of our car/home.

Soaking wet and covered in mud we arrived in Lake Taupo - there was so much to do in Taupo from hitting golf balls into the lake (if you got a hole in 1 you won $10 000 - i didn't get close! Sam didn't get close to trying) to seeing the damn being opened and the rapids crashing through!

After Taupo we headed to Rotorua which stank of Sulphur thanks to the random steaming pools of sulphar around the town, where we met up with our friends from home and Australia, Will & Kirsty. Once we had caught up we headed for the Luge track...imagine a bobsleigh track and concrete and you are sitting on a skateboard with handle bars....Brilliant!! Barging each other off the track/mountain side, going over jumps etc...even Sam became a screaming Michael Schumacher...one of the best day in NZ for us both. The next day we went on a mammoth 5/6 hour walk - so long because we got lost - which pretty much knocked us out for the rest of the day until our family dinner that evening complete with rice pud and jam...i had a mango obviously.

We then headed West to the famous Waitomo Caves for the famous Black Water Rafting (As recommended by Mereana so we had high expectations). We all got kitted up in the freezing wet suits and helmets and headed into the caves, descending 65 metres, riding the rapids, jumping down waterfalls backwards (Sam seemed to fall down most, even getting her leg stuck on one and losing her bottle on the biggest waterfall and asking the instructor to push her!) <--- she has discover some new found bavery on this trip! Next it was onwards to the Bay of Islands.

We trundled North and stopped at the small town of Keri-Keri and we prepared for the long drive up to Cape Regina (The North of NZ). After the early start we started heading North, after stopping at the Stone Store and the Waterfall in Keri-Keri. After thinking it would take an hour...3 hours later we arrived in Cape Regina - the point where the Tasman and Pacific Seas meet. The views were pretty amazing - see pictures. On our way back to Auckland we stopped at the town of Haruru Falls, but not before stopping at the 90 Mile Beach (which is only 67 miles!?! and also a public highway).

We are now heading back to Auckland as our time in NZ draws to a close but not before I jump off the Auckland bridge... As soon as we arrived in Auckland we headed into the city to book my jump from the bridge for the following day. We turned up for the jump an hour early to allow me to prepare myself for what I was about to do but upon checking in they said that I could go with the group before which completely threw me and I could feel the knees going! After us both getting kitted up (Sam was coming up to watch) we headed up the bridge and at first the drop didn't look too bad...but the further we walked out on the bridge, the higher it became and my nerves got higher as well! Eventually we were in the pod in the middle of the bridge and I was having y feet strapped together and the nerves really started to kicked in...for both of us...Sam was acting like she was jumping instead - then i began to edge towards to jumping platform, posed for some photos and the countdown began...then i took the leap of faith and it was brilliant...see the pictures...i was white as a sheet of paper when I got pull back in and Sam was ready to pass out! The rest of the day was pretty boring compared to that! On our penultimate day we headed back down South to Hamilton to see the Chiefs vs Waratahs for our dose of New Zealand rugby with me hoping to get Sam interested in rugby after her new found interest in cricket! The Chiefs won 30-17 and it was a good game but i'm sure when the All Blacks come over the England next we'll show them how to play properly!! We know head to give our home back and head for the airport and our 13 hour flight to LA! Bon Voyage! xx

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