Christchurch

Well - where to begin on this one! I travelled from Queenstown to Christchurch with some German friends who had been on my bus. Prior to this I spent an enjoyable few days working on a dairy farm down near Dunedin - the dollars earnt there certainly came in handy! Upon arrival in Christchurch it was decided amongst the group that we should all head to see a rugby match that evening. It was suggested that I (being the only person in the group who knew a bit about rugby) should point out how the game is played. Canterbury (the local side) easily beat Bay of Plenty in their ITM cup game (something like our FA cup football equivalent). An enjoyable night was had by all after some farewell drinks that evening. Then came the earthquake...

Blimey - what an event. I dont think Ive ever been quite so terrified in all my years. We were evacuated out of hostel amongst a whole lot confusion, wreckage and disbelief at what had just happened. The hostel I stayed in was one of the oldest buildings in central Christchurch - thank goodness for sturdy building design. Four hours later we retrieved our belongings and had to track down somewhere else to stay - whilst being vigilant of any aftershocks (of which there was lots). The centre of town had an eerie atmosphere as police cordoned off areas throughout the day and kept onlookers away. I was due to leave down on the Saturday but was stranded there for what seemed like a lifetime.

Milford Sound

Just before I get going on this one I'm actually writing this from home as I returned about a week ago. Busy times. Well, way back when I travelled up to Milford with some of the crew from my bus. Its a fair hike to get into the heart of Fjordland - a good four hours from Queenstown. In actual fact the scenery viewed from the bus was equally impressive - if not more so than the Sound itself. We stopped at various locations along a road that was only created in the 1940s. We saw some breathtaking alpine views and drank water from the creeks running down from the ice capped mountains. Epic. When we arrived at the ferry pier - the view that greeted us was that of many a postcard that I had seen around NZ. The infamous Mitre peak was instantly recognisable. As soon as the ferry set out, hoards of hungry backpackers (including myself) descended upon a very tasty all-you-can-eat buffet. Unfortunately by the time we reached open water the choppiness of the waves didnt make you feel too great. We spotted some fur seals and saw some incredible waterfalls. The weather was decent throughout the day which makes the trip much more picturesque.

Another world heritage site area of outstanding natural beauty ticked off the list

Wanka and Queenstown

Our journey to Wananka was made all the more enjoyable by a stop at the Bushman Centre. Whilst there some of us saw the deerhunters museum which involved seeing a video of guys jumping out of helicopters to wrestle deer to the ground. The toughened kiwi who ran the joint was also a purveyor of Possum pies which, I may add, were delicous.
The stop in Wanaka was a chance to celebrate two birthdays by going for an Indian and having one or two beers that evening. Wanaka has been described as Queenstowns' little sister and is growing in popularity with serious skiers and boarders.

Queenstown is a fantastic place - as anyone who has been there will agree. Apparently there are over 600 activites on offer there and the place is rammed full of cool bars and clubs. There is of course the famous fergburger which had to be tried at least once. The first night there was an ideal oppurtunity to try out the nightlife which is rather good. I decided to walk off any signs of a hangover the following day by climbing a hill to gain a fantastic view of the Remarkables mountain range which lived up to their name. The town is choc-a-bloc this time of year - lots of trendy Japanese snowboarders and noisy Aussies. After all that I decided to opt for a trip that I hoped would be the highlight of New Zealand ...

West Coast

Aftr leaving Nelson, I rejoined some of my original bus crew who had been hiking in the Abel Tasman - our first stop on our coastal run was to the old coal mining town of Westport. Not a great deal to see/do there - we went out for a meal for a girls' 21st and that was about it. The next day we stopped off at Cape Foulwind and saw some fur seals and a flightless Weka bird which satisfied the need to see a bit of wildlife. We also saw the 'pancake' rocks nearby which were a geological oddity. That night, our bus stopped off a pub in the middle of nowhere - ran by a cantankerous old chap called Les. The highlight of this stop was the requirment for fancy dress (M theme) and I opted to go as Diego Maradonna (photo evidence is prohibited on this one).

The next port of call was to the Franz Josef glacier. I took part in a guided group trek on the glacier which was just amazing. We donned our crampons and crawled through ice tunnels and clambered through towering caverns. Brilliant. The weather was kind to us on that occasion but unfortunately the next day we were unable to see Mt Cook at a photo stop at Lake Matheson due to the cloud.

Nelson

Arrival in the south island - and what a contrast. As soon as I hopped off the ferry the mountains were noticably more stunning than in the north. I decided to leave some of my bus mates behind and chose to stop off here for four days. I stayed with some friends of Mum and Dads who moved here 5 years ago. Nelson is a charming little town (or city as it claims to be) where I felt more at home than elsewhere in NZ. This could be because its a bit of a British ex-pat hotspot which is apparently because Nelson recieves more sunlight than anywhere else in New Zealand. The first day I helped out at a small farm where my hosts heelp out from time to time. I got to have the inevitable farmers chat to find out more about farming on the other side of the world. The next day I went for a days walking in the Abel Tasman National park which was beautiful. So many deserted little beaches to explore, with stunning bays and views across to the mountains. Day three involved going to an eco-event which my hosts were attending - no Dick Strawbridge in sight which was a good thing. In the afternoon I went to see Tasman (the local side) take on Canterbury in the ITM cup. Surprisingly the local team won in a close finish to the match. Saw Chris Jack play who is a player for the All Blacks.

Taupo to Wellington

The bus dropped us off in Taupo for a few days as there's lots to see and do - not so much to see and do if it rains for two days though. Some had booked to do their skydives here as its the cheapest place to do it in the country. Our informative bus driver told us it was because all the aeroplanes used were originally worked as crop sprayers over farmland - random fact of the day. As this was subsequently cancelled most of the folks decided it was better to have a good night on the town to make up for the dissapointment. The next day I went on a bit of a walk around the huge lake which is apparently the largest freshwater one in Oceania (second random fact). Lovely views across to the Northern alps.

The following days' bus ride took us through some fantastic countryside - some of it reminded me of Wales - especially with all the sheep around. That was until you suddenly see a palm in a field and realise the mountains are too high. We stoppoed for a nice walk in Tongariro park where alot of filming for Lord of the Rings took place. We then travelled on through some impressive volcanically-shaped countryside to get to River Valley. The place we stayed in was a really cool little lodge in the middle of nowhere which provided some of the best white water rafting money can buy. But guess what - that was cancelled too. Again, the combined disapointment of the group was made up for with a night on the beer. In the morning, I joined a few of the lads with a round of golf on the lodges' 9 hole course. This was pretty unique in golfing terms as the fairways are grazed by sheep. No need for Mountfields if you're a true Kiwi.

The next leg of the journey took us to le capital - Wellington. It was a visit of the fleeting variety as we arrived 7pm and left at 9am the following morning. From what little I saw of the city I could tell it was small - yet it seemed to be nicer looking than Auckland. Again, more karaoke was on the cards that night and a few us awoke a bit bleary eyed for the morning departure. We took the interisland ferry and said farewell to the north island. The ferry took us through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds at the Northeast tip of the south island. Thankfully it was a smooth crossing as the Cook Straits have been known to be very choppy at this time of year. That almost brings things up to date.

Mercury Bay to Waitomo

After returning to Auckland, I set off on the Kiwi bus to get round the North Island. The bus was really full - mostly with young brits but also some Germans and one or two other nationalities. Our new driver was a rugby-loving part Maori guy who was keen to tell us about his ancestral heritage as we drove along. We stopped at Cathedral cove on the Coromandel peninusula on the first day. Its a lovely stretch of coastline there and the weather was great too - far too warm to be called winter. Anyhow, first overnight stop was at Mercury bay where I got to know some of my new 'busmates'. Going to a ropey karaoke bar was good fun and was particularly enjoyed by some of the German crew. Next day the bus was going south to Rotorua - the place that famously smells of rotten eggs. Whilst there I undertook my first exciting (although not classed as 'extreme') activity of luging. This involved hurtling down a concrete track on a hillside in what was basically a plastic tray on wheels (thankfully included brakes) and was enjoyed by everyone. I decided not to go to the Maori cultural event in the evening as I thought it was too pricey. I need to find some cheaper activites as everythings so expensive when compared to similar activities in Asia. The next day we called in at the Agrodome which is basically a farm park where townies (and oddly lots of Chinese tourists) go to see farm-based activites. Some on the bus were nursing hangovers from the night before - not ideal for anyone who had planned to go zorbing.

Next stop was the famous Waitomo caves where the amazing glowworms live. I went on a 2 hour guided tour and saw lots of impressive stalactites and plenty of bioluminous glowworms. Some people on the bus booked to go on an 'extreme' abseiling and caving trip but it was called off the following day because it rained heavily overnight. Thats the trouble with being here in the winter I suppose.