28. 28-9th Feb. The Nevis Bungee Jump vs The Power of a Beautiful Girl!!

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28/01/08
It was another early morning bus but everyone was buzzing because we were going to Queenstown. We had a stop off at Puzzle World along the way where we spent a few hours just having fun. There was a maze which everyone attempted but after about five steps Marc and I decided it was going to be to hard work and walked back out. There were a lot of frustrated faces though as there were small puzzles lying around on tables which nobody could solve!ha Plenty of good photos opportunities though. We were back on the bus and it wasn't long till the bungee sheet came around again asking which time we all wanted to jump at. We all knew we wanted to be together so we agreed a time. Everyone was getting nervous but Jacob and I were in no doubt the most terrified! I even had sweaty palms just watching the bungee dvd they played on the bus on the way to Queenstown. Just to rub it in we stopped off at the bungee centre where we coughed up the money to jump off the cable cart with only elastic to save our souls. At this point I just couldn't believe i was paying for this torture!ha Our friend Trudy done the bungee jump there which was off a bridge. Even that looked impressive. We finally checked into our rooms in Queenstown. Holly, Christine, Marc and I shared a room with a Canadian bloke called Ruben. Ruben and I decided to walk around the town and immediately you get a good, relaxing feel for the place. We had something to eat at a place called Fergburger which is known throughout NZ to serve amazing burgers. Im not one usually to eat burgers but they were bloody good. Later on that night we ended up in the Base Bar singing karaoke. One of the good things about Queenstown is that everyone seems to stay there for about a week so you always end up bumping into people you have met throughout NZ on the Kiwi Experience bus. That night i met up with a load of others from my previous busses. Myself and some of the other lads sang Angles just like we did in the restaurant and dedicated it to our bus driver Buzz for being an awesome bloke. Was in bed by 2am dreading waking up in the morning as it was going to be bungee time!

29/01/08
I was awake by 7am even though we were not due to the bungee shop till 10am. Had far to much on my mind to sleep! On the way to the bungee shop i bought two huge cans of red bull...and downed them both! The mini bus ride was 45mins to the Nevis jump. Everyone was sat in silence and that 45mins seemed to last an eternity. I was that concerned about the bungee I confessed my feelings to a certain someone. Just as if i was going to die!ha It makes me laugh even just thinking about it! We arrived, got suited up and walked over to the cable cart. It was then when it really hit you how high this jump was. 134 meters (4ooft) sounds high anyway but dear god! The river below looked like a strand of blue string. We took it in turns (about five at at time) to make our way on the smaller cable cart towards the jumping platform suspended in mid air. The heaviest went first so since I looked like i hadn't eaten for a month it was Team Sweden and myself left till last. When we were all on the platform they started calling out our names one by one and one by one they attached the elastic to our legs while sat on a chair, that can only be compared to an electric chair used to execute people! Then you walked like a penguin up to a tiny square platform (while your legs are shaking beyond control!) and hang your toes over the edge. They then count to three and then its up to you to jump. To be fair everyone form our group jumped and the buzz you get is out of this world. The initial first few seconds after you jump is the scariest feeling ever but after that the adrenalin kicks in and its amazing. You get a huge sense of satisfaction since you jumped, you got over your fear, you and you alone! The bus back was a completely different experience. Everyone was singing, shouting and playing around! The evening was a fairly chilled one to everyones surprise. I decided to go for a run. I ran to the lake and watched the sunset over the The Remarkable Mountains in the distance. What a sight! I did go out for a drink after that but saw something that i really didn't want to see. Im not one that gets jealous, as i hate that personality trait in a person, but what me eyes witnessed did hit me quite hard. I felt the urge to phone home so i did and spoke to family back home about the jump. I hit the sack after that. This day had awesome highs and a very low point for me but yeah, thats life no matter where you are. Take it on the chin and bring on the next day!ha

30/1/08
Holly, Christine, Marc, a few of the other lads and I were on the early morning bus to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is where you cruise on a ferry through remarkable landscapes and waterfalls. What i didn't realise at the time was that it took four and a half hours to get there and then another four and a half hours to get back...all in one day. On the way up we did stop off at certain places to take photos. One of the photos we asked a Chinese man to take our photo while we laid on the grass looking very feminine and the next thing we knew his friends jumped out of a minibus, and starting taking photos of us as well! Classic! I did put a flower in my hair for the photo and wondered why later i was getting a few strange looks...i had forgotten to take it out! whoops!ha The boat trip itself was a bit of an anticlimax but thats only because we had all ready been spoilt with amazing scenery the whole time we had been in NZ. The lads and I were on top deck with all the other passengers when we decided to make some entertainment ourselves. There were a few long benches in the middle of the deck which we all straddled in one long line and started singing row, row, row your boat...with all the actions. Before we knew it everyones attention turned from the scenery to us and starting taking photos. That was a good laugh. We didnt get back that night till 8pm after a long bus journey back home so i had a long time to reflect on a few things that had happened over the past few days. Was seriously contemplating leaving my friends earlier than planned in Queenstown and moving on since i couldnt stop thinking about a certain someone and to keep seeing that someone would drive me crazy. I even told Marc that i would be leaving within the next two days. We all had a few drinks come night. I had an early one as i wanted to have a productive day the next day, book my Fiji trip and then book my bus for Christchurch the day after. I was still loving Queenstown and the people i was with but like i said, i just had to leave to try and get that person out of my head.

31/1/08
Christine and I spent a few hours by the lake in the morning basking in the sunshine. There were loads of tiny sail boats on the lake and they pulled up right next to us on the beach. It was obviously a school day out as the kids couldnt have been any older than 7 or 8. What an awesome place to bring up children! I managed to book my Fiji trip and changed my flights which doesn't sound like a lot but dear god, does that take time! A load of us bought some alcohol to drink before going out later. I stocked up on vodka and red bull thinking that i was going to leave tomorrow so wanted a good final night with my mates. A few of were standing outside the hostel having a drink enjoying the good weather when something happened. I heard a girls voice shout out my name and when i turned round there was my saviour, Mia. A beautiful girl from Denmark! I met Mia in Australia at a house party and she was one of them girls that i knew i would regret not making the next step with. We spent that night in OZ sat by a bonfire talking and counting shooting stars. I know that makes me sound like a right softy but that was an awesome night! So you can imagine how happy i was to see her. She went off for a run to the lake and my room mate told me the good news, she moved into our room that day while i was out!ha Im not religious but i was thanking someone up there!ha She was probably one of the only girls on the planet that could have helped sort my head out! Later on in the evening Mia and I caught up with each other in our room while getting ready to go out. I couldn't tell you how pleased i was. She did manage to get her hair caught on the bottom of the top bunk so only naturally i came to her rescue. My friends walked in at that point and because she was bent over the bed and i was behind her trying to reach her hair to untangle it...well lets just say it looked fairly rude but we all laughed about it. I met the lads in the kitchen which was where some serious drinking took place. I finished the vodka and felt like i was on top of the world. When it came to going in the night club World Bar i had to sweet talk my way in because the bouncer said i was to drunk but he saw the size of my smile on my face and knew that the only trouble i would cause would be going around and hugging everyone. I do get a wee bit loved up on vodka and red bull!ha My two Swedish mates, Adam and Joel, and I carried on drinking tea pots and danced the night away. Queenstown being Queenstown though you seem to know everyone there. I definitely blew of some steam that night. Later on in the night i bumped into Mia on the dance floor and she looked stunning. I think i sobered up almost straight away when i saw her. We decided to leave the club and walked to the lake. I was with the perfect girl in the perfect place. An amazing night i will never forget. Just what the doctor ordered.

1/2/08
I had to say goodbye to Mia in the morning as she was heading further down south for a few days but arranged to meet up with her in Christchurch. Also said goodbye to Christine but once again i would be seeing her in Christchuch as well. The sun was replaced today with grey clouds and and rain so a few of us went to see Tweeny Todd at the cinema. None of us realized it was a musical so for the first 10 minutes we were all sat there wondering what the hell was going on!ha I was leaving to Christchurch early in the morning so i said my goodbyes (knowing that most of them i would see in a few days anyway) to friends, played pool with Adam and Joel and gave my awesome friend Duncan back home a ring.

2/2/08
I was still in great company on the bus. Including my Swedish ladies who were always great company and now thanks to Mia, I could think more clearly. The bus stopped off at a awesome lake which had Mt Look in the background. We then ended up braking down and ended up sitting on a grass verge by the side of the road for hours waiting for an engineer. It was good fun. We just made the most of it and played adult games like...i spy!ha We thought the engineer fixed the problem but then realized he put the belt on the wrong way!ha We were in no rush though as the sun was out and we were all enjoying each others company. We also found it hilarious that all the cars passing by were beeping their horns and shouting out but to be fair, it must have been an amusing sight. We finally arrived at 8pm and my friend Tom and I decided to go out and explore the Christchurch nightlife. It wasnt that great and we both agreed that it really had a moody atmosphere about it. A Kiwi girl even gave me the finger! But i think anywhere after Queenstown would be disappointing!ha

3/2/08
I had arranged to meet a friend of mine that i met in the North Island called Martyn to go and watch England play cricket. Im not a cricket fan but it was a good day out. I did have a bit of a nap though during the match if im going to be honest!ha On the way back we did meet a very strange bloke at the bus stop who told me he was not aloud to mix with girls...ok then! I didn't feel to awkward sitting next to him at all!ha I spent the rest of the day sat on some grass talking to a Dutch girl next to a chapel. Lovely girl and i knew her for quite a long time but i cant remember her name. I spent the night in the tv room with a few friends and said a few more goodbyes to friends leaving in the morning.

4/2/08
I spent the morning in bed nursing my injured foot that i hurt in Queenstown and then made my way to the internet cafe where i stayed for hours. I was excited as i knew i would be seeing Mia later on in the day and for me to feel like that it showed I liked this girl a lot! I was walking down the stairs to reception around 8pm when I saw her. It did give me a huge lift seeing her again. By pure coincidence she was checked into my room again! As it happens she was also nursing a few injuries from Queeand i only found out then that she had been suffering from blood poisoning over the past few days. So we had a quiet night watching films and nursing each other back to health!ha

5/2/08
We were all woken up at 8am by people packing and moving out but time was something i didnt have to waste as Mia and her friend were leaving today at 6pm. The most annoying thing about living in dorm rooms is the lack of privacy and boy did the lack of privacy kill me this morning!ha We spent a few awesome hours though just lying next to each other enjoying each others company. Mia and her friend went into town to get a tatoo each after we all had breakfast. I decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens as i had not really seen much of Christchurch. I have to admit that walking wasn't exactly pain free as my foot seemed to get worse with each new day but it was an awesome day so to waste it would be a crime. When i got back to the hostel i met up with Marc and Holly who had just arrived which was great but i knew that saying goodbye to Mia was just around the corner. Come 5.30pm I walked Mia and her friend to the bus stop. Saying goodbye was tough. With my foot killing me and saying goodbye to Mia i thought the day was surely going to end on a happier note but i forgot one thing...i had to say goodbye to my lovely four Swedish friends Sara (my baby), Stina (my mistress), Maja (my wild one) and Josefin (my wife). After saying goodbye to Mia I layed on the grass outside the Chapel till the sun lowered below the surrounding buildings. As i was leaving in the morning I had a few final farewells to make. I said my goodbyes to Marc and Holly. I found Sara, Stina and Maja in the kitchen which was where i said goodbye to them and they told me that Josefin was in their room as she was feeling tired. So after a lot of hugs i made my way to their room. It was also really hard saying goodbye to Josefin as like the others, she was such an amazing person. I did have a huge soft spot for her though!ha So we spoke for a while in her room, said our goodbyes and then i made my way to bed. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I have to admit that i wasn't looking forward to getting on the bus in the morning without knowing a single person on the bus. It was also the first bus that i was getting on without my four Swedish ladies by my side for about three weeks. There would be no more "titta bernie!" every two seconds coming from their mouths on the bus. "Titta" means "look" in Swedish and they all called me Bernie from day one!ha Was going to miss that!

6/2/08
Imagine my delight to see my good friend Pete on the bus in the morning which was taking us too Kai Koura. Pete was my German friend that played the piano while all the other lads sung Angels in that cafe. As it happens there a few other people i knew on the bus as well and we arrived at our detination by midday. It looked as if it was a nice warm day so being by the beach, Antony, Mark and I walked down to the beach to give sun bathing a go. It didnt take us long to realise that it wasnt as warm as we first thought but since we made the effort to come down to the beach we stripped off and tried to ignore the cold wind coming in from the sea. Peope were walking past us wearing big coats and one couple walked past saying "you guys are crazy!" We just replied... "we are English!" Enough said and they just laughed! On the way back (with our goose bumps!ha) we nipped into the internet cafe and i had received an awesome e mail from Mia. Later on that night Pete and I organised a poker night..it wasnt the best idea as two of the lads played poker for a living!ha Safe to say I didnt win but it was a good laugh!

7/2/08
Pete and I were on the 9am bus to Picton which is where you get the ferry back up to the north island. The drive is along the coast whish is awesome but you also pass a few seal colonies along the way where you can stop off and have a closer look. By the time Pete and I got on the ferry it was only the two of us, we knew noone else. We decided to make the ferry trip an interesting one so we played a drinking game while watching a football game on the tv. We soon swapped the alcohol for a really manly cup of tea and carrot cake!ha We then enjoyed the views as we approached the north island singing love songs. The people next to us didnt know whether to laugh or run away!ha We arrived at Wellington by 4pm and was checked into Base an hour after that. It wasnt long till Pete and I were meeting new people and spent the night playing table football before ending up in the club Establishment. It was a fun night but i did get refused tap water but not feeling in the mood for an arguement and being that it was 3am we just headed back to our beds!ha

8/2/08
For some reason i woke in the morning to my hand in absolute agony. To this day I have no idea why!ha Pete and I dragged ourselves out of bed nursing hangovers and got on the 8am bus to Taupo. It was a long drive and the bus was just about empty. We didnt arrive till 3pm. Once there though I bumped into Ruben (Canadian friend from Queenstown) in the kitchen and then met Philip and Jacob (Danish lads from Queenstown) sat ouside. So with the day still young we decided to walk to the lake. In the end there was seven of us as two dutch blokes joined us as well. The water was cool but refreshing! We sunbathed there till 6pm and then headed to the supermarket to by some beer between us all. I got asked for id and when i produced my driving liscence they wouldnt accept it so my friend had to but it for me using his passport!ha We played drinking games in our room and then went out to a club. My foot was causing me so much pain still that I had to call an end to the night and limped home early. At this point I was thinking that seeing a doctor about my foot would not be the worst idea in the world!ha

9/2/08
All of us were on the morning bus to Rotorua but Pete and I were the only two not to get off as we had been there before and were in a rush to get to Auckland. So once agin goodbyes were exchanged. Due to the recent late nights and early rises Pete and I slept just about the whole way to Auckland arriving at 4pm. This is where I said goodbye to Pete as he got picked up by his girlfriend from the bus stop. I was finally alone. I didn't mind though as i was flying to Fiji the next day and my body was begging me for a break. So the plan was to go on the internet for a while then to hit the sack by 9pm. Everything was going as planned. I was getting things done on the internet. Bed time was approaching when all of a sudden i heard two male voices, "Barrie!" I turned round to see my two good friends Adam and Joel (Swedish lads) running up to me. They tried talking me into going out with them for one last night for old times sake. I satyed strong, i stuck to my plan...within 20 mins i was changed and playing drinking games in the kitchen! Breaking strain of a KitKat!ha Before i knew it the three of us were dancing on some stage in a club (the alcohol took away the pain from my foot!) having a great time. Some Indian bloke even came up to me and said "that girl over there is my sister and if you go over and dance with her you will get her!" Them exact words! What a lovely caring brother!ha I did end up having some fun that night but it was only for the reason that I couldnt stop thinking about Mia and i thought that would help...it didn't!ha So my nice early night ended up in me coming home at four in the morning trying not to wake up everyone else in the dorm!ha

I was looking forward to Fiji, but who wouldn't of been?! I was sad to be leaving New Zealand though as my time there had been the best five weeks of my life and I really do mean that. New Zealand is definitley a country I can see myself settling down in. The Kiwi Experience was fantastic and would recomend it to anyone. Once again though I felt so lucky to have met so many awesome people as its the people who always provide you with the happiest of memories. Bring on Fiji though and bring on more happy days!ha

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