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Hello there! How are things? Well I hope.
I've been journeying through New Zealand these past couple of weeks since I last wrote to you all, so I thought it was about time to tell you all about it.
To be honest, as far as starts go in a new country it wasn't a great one as I got my wallet stolen on my very first night in Auckland. Not ideal by any means. Unfortunately this set the tone for the rest of my first week there as I went through my longest spell of bad luck on the whole trip so far.
The next few days were spent in Auckland with a lot of faffing around, calling home, cancelling cards and all the other annoying things which accompany a lost wallet. Luckily Mum and Dad were able to get some cash out to me via Western Union, which was the most pressing issue. But I was in such a bad mood that I decided the only thing I could do was jump out of a plane from 15,000 feet...
With a parachute, relax!
The second annoying thing was that I'd rented a car as my mode of transport for the North Island, but ridiculously whilst I was booking it they had completely neglected to tell me about the $1,500 deposit that I was expected to pay. So that plan, which I had been stupidly excited about had to go. I like driving at the best of times, but to drive around some of the roads New Zealand has to offer would just have been amazing.
One of the stops that I made on my whistle stop tour of the North Island was the tiny village of Waitomo, famous for it's caves and the glow worms which inhabit them. After descending through the cave you get put in a boat and you have to be silent as you float through the darkness until you enter the area where the thousands of glow worms provide the only light from the roof of the cave above you. A very special experience and one I'd definitely recommend.
The next stop was Taupo, which was where I was booked in to do my skydive. Unfortunately it was raining. I was reliably informed that skydiving in the rain would "tear your face up". So there was a cancelled skydive to add to my list of poor fortune.
I didn't dwell on it for too long though, instead heading over to the 'Taupo Bungee' to seek my thrills from a different sort of jump. At 47 metres Taupo provides New Zealand's highest water touch jump, but much of the talk before the jump was of how it couldn't be guaranteed that you would touch the water, and the likelihood of it was actually that you would stay dry.
I got soaked.
Bungee jumping is almost a religion in New Zealand, the proud inventors of the activity. It's not hard to see why it is loved. You get such a buzz as a split second after the words "3, 2, 1, BUNGEE!" have been uttered you leave your stomach behind and the water comes rushing up to meet you. Screaming very loudly is inevitable.
Wellington was the final port of call on the North Island and was where I took the ferry over to the South Island. As far as first impressions go it does make quite an impressive one as you sail through the dramatic Marlborough Sounds to Picton.
Picton was the scene of my final bit of bad luck. The weather. Rather than try to tell you just how bad it was I'll just say this; I'm told that while I was there it was hit by a mini-hurricane. You get the idea.
However, there is no doubt that this is where my fortunes changed for the better. Thanks to an awesome little hostel that I found, along with its sister hostel in Nelson I got to enjoy 5 consecutive nights of free chocolate pudding. Amazing! It was such a shame to leave it behind!
The weather by the time I had got to Nelson couldn't have been any more different to what I'd left behind in Picton, not a cloud in the sky for 3 days. I took advantage of this by booking myself in for another skydive, this one from 16,500 feet (15,000 just wasn't big enough).
It was just amazing. One of the best things I've ever done by a long way. It's a difficult feeling to describe. You don't lose your stomach in the same way you do with a roller coaster or a bungee and once you level out into your freefall it honestly just feels as though you're flying. As you're above the ground you don't really have any reference points to guage just how fast you're going (200 km per hour), but when the chute is deployed and the videographer who has been filming you doesn't open his and continues to rocket towards the earth it hits home just how fast you've just been travelling.
Because I did it on such a nice day the views were stupendiculous as well. You could see all the way to the North Island, as well as the mountain ranges which frame the South Island on both the east and west coasts. This, combined with the likes of the Abel Tasman national park and Nelson bay directly below made it a ridiculously good experience. I gave my budget a battering by splashing out on the DVD/ photo package so you all have that to look forward to.
The rest of my time when not overdosing on adrenaline has mostly been spent tramping (walking) mainly due to the fact it's free and almost always spectacular. It's also nice to justify carrying around my walking boots for the past 3 months.
The rest of my two weeks here will be taken up by continuing my journey south down the west coast, eventually landing in Queenstown for a few days and then I'll head over to Christchurch to catch my flight to Fiji and an emotional reunion with Chris.
If he doesn't miss his flight...
Hope everything is good with you, speak soon.
Si
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mum
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Sky Dive, Bungee ....
....all in the space of a week! Actually your descriptions sound fantastic - almost make me want to have a go! Sounds like you had the perfect day to jump from a plane and I can't wait to see the dvd and photos you nutter! All is good here, the weather has been amazing during April warm and sunny - no nasty hurricanes in the UK! Your Dad has some fairly momentous news which I will let him tell you about - tis good news but you will be floored to be sure!!!!! Enjoy the next couple of weeks and take care - perhaps try keeping your feet on the ground for a bit. Love you lots! Mum xxxxxxxxxxx