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.