Wanaka, Queenstown, Doubtful Sound, Mt Cook, Rangitata and to the North Island

Our next stop was Lake Wanaka which was a little way inland from Franz Josef on the way to Queenstown. On the way we had some very scenic stops at the famous ‘mirror’ Lake Matheson (shame the drizzle made it a bit blurry) and at a beach for lunch where we saw very rare Hectare dolphins with their curved dorsal fins. When we got to Wanaka we had a wander around the cute town and to the lake. In the evening there was a battle of the buses between us and Kiwi Experience (we were cheated!) which was great fun! The next morning we anxiously looked out the window and saw bright blue sky’s (much to Nicola’s disgust) which meant we could do our skydive!! Very excited but a little terrified, myself, Katie and Nicola heading over to the airport to be prepped before jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft at 15,000 ft!! We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the view was stunning as we went up in the plane looking out over Lake Wanaka and the beautiful snowcapped mountains surrounding it. The only bit that I felt nervous at was when they opened the plane door and I realised I actually had to jump out of a plane! It happened so quickly though that as soon as we were falling I completely forgot about being nervous and tried to smile for the guy with the camera! It was absolutely amazing and I would definitely do it again. We also found out a fun fact a few days later that when Orlando Bloom was in NZ filming Lord of the Rings he also did a skydive at Wanaka…I possibly jumped out the same plane as Legolas!! When we got down to the ground we got to pick the music for our dvd’s (I’ll show you all when I get back…it’s hilarious!) and then got picked up by our bus who all cheered when we got on!

That afternoon we got into Queenstown which was beautiful. It’s got the real feel of a quaint ski resort and has beautiful views over the lake and of the mountains called ‘The Remarkables’ in the distance (used in Lord of the Rings!) In the evening we went out for pizza and drank cocktails out of teapots at World Bar. Nice and early the next morning me and Nicola set off on our bus out of Queenstown to Fiordland National Park to go on our very sophisticated cruise of Doubtful Sound. First we took a ferry across Lake Manapouri before getting a coach (with a v. monosyllabic coach driver) across to the port at Doubtful Sound. The scenery along the whole trip was absolutely stunning and the food they put on was absolutely amazing!! We sailed along for a few hours (experiencing every type of weather) before going out on a smaller boat to have a look at the land closer in. In the evening we saw the beautiful sunset over the water before enjoying an all you can eat buffet for dinner (complete with amazing deserts!). We got woken up at 6.45 with the anchor being raised and looking out our porthole (yes we had a porthole!) it was completely black outside. Another all you can eat breakfast before heading out outside to see the Bay of silence and see the dolphins swimming along with the boat. We also saw very briefly a blue penguin swimming along! It was so peaceful and quiet at Doubtful (we were the only boat there) it seemed strange to head back to Queenstown but we soon made up for it with a slightly impromptu night out with everyone from our Stray bus which ended up at 4am at Fergburger. Good times!

The next morning feeling slightly worse for wear we went up the gondola to watch our friend Michele do the ledge swing (it looked terrifying!) and also see the stunning views of Queenstown. It was snowing when we got up there which made it seem even more like a ski resort. Back in the town we took a wander around and walked through the beautifully autumnal park before heading to Fergburger for dinner (For people who haven’t been to Queenstown you have to go just to go to Fergburger! They are amazing burgers bigger than your hand which are famous throughout NZ and delicious!)

The following day I jumped on a new Stray bus over to Mount Cook through some more beautiful scenery. Everywhere in New Zealand is so different and I’ve taken hundreds of pictures! That night we stayed in a beautiful lodge that overlooked Mt Cook (NZ’s highest mountain) which is currently covered in snow. In the evening we took part in the most random pub quiz and didn’t do too well! We had a nice leisurely start the next day before driving over to Lake Tekapo which was a beautiful turquoise colour where we stopped for lunch. Our accommodation that night is a replacement for Christchurch since the earthquake and was literally in the middle of nowhere on a sheep farm but it was very quaint with a log fire, free chocolate pudding for desert and the strangest 3 tier bedbunks I’ve ever seen! We had a great movie night complete with ‘The Holiday’ (not the boy’s choice) and popcorn.

 The next morning we began heading back up the coast to Christchurch to drop a load of people off before driving up to Kaikoura again. Yesterday we got the ferry over from Picton to Wellington (it was really choppy!) where I’m now spending a few days before going up to Auckland to start my tour of the North Island.

I’m absolutely loving New Zealand and reading this epic blog post back (if you’ve read it all I’m impressed!) I’ve realised how much of New Zealand I’ve seen and how much I’ve loved it so far….you should all come!

Speak soon! All my love,

Ro

X x x x x x

Abel Tasman National Park, Punakaiki and Franz Joseph Glacier

So, after staying the night in Picton I was picked up by the next Stray bus which had come over on the Ferry from the North island and we headed on over to the Abel Tasman National Park via Nelson. On the way we stopped at a Vineyard to do some wine tasting (very nice) and at the airport to look at some microlite planes before checking in at Old Macdonalds farm for 2 nights in our little huts overlooking the park. The next day we set off nice and early for our 12.9km walk through the park to Anchorage, past all the lovely golden sandy beaches and lush greenery. Shame the weather was not at its best because the scenery would have been even more gorgeous in the sunshine. Nevertheless it was very pretty and after lunch at Anchorage we hopped on a water taxi back to the town to avoid the approaching storm clouds (and having to do the walk back!).  It was a very quiet little place so not much action in the evenings other than tv watching so had some good early nights! The next day we hopped on the bus to head down to the west coast, stopping at the aptly named Cape Foulwind to walk round and see some seals. At Punakaiki we stopped to see the stunning pancake rocks and blowholes before heading over to our slightly strange hostel for the evening with beds on the floor and a giant rock in the kitchen! I also got attached by a Weta (looks a bit like a giant grasshopper) while sat checking my emails that climbed up my leg and wouldn’t let go! I screamed so loud the lady from reception ran over to see what the problem was (she also screamed when she saw it!) but luckily got rid of it for me!

The next morning we headed to Franz Josef via a very odd Bushman museum where we watched a video in which fully grown men in shorts jumped out helicopters onto deer to catch them and put them in deer farms…complete with theme tune…very odd! At our ‘Rainforest retreat hostel’ we went to the bar to play bingo and have a few happy hour drinks. In the morning we got up nice and early to go up the glacier. Recently the glacier collapsed at the bottom end so now the only way you can walk on it is to go up by helicopter. This means they are reliant on the weather and unluckily for us there was too much cloud for us to go up. Very disappointing as we got dressed up in the sexy climbing gear (twice!) and got so close to going up we saw the helicopter land. Instead we took a shuttle and then walked over so we could at least see the glacier which was nice (it’s shrinking quite rapidly unfortunately) before heading back to the hostel to go in the hot tub!

New Zealand!! Christchurch, Kaikoura and Picton

Arrived in a very nippy New Zealand on thursday night and checked into my hostel in Christchurch. Went to the mall next day to get myself a new camera (yey!) and some warmer clothes to stop me freezing to death! Had a little wander around the city and its such a shame that the earthquakes have caused so much damage. Much of the city centre is still closed and there are so many building cornered off as unsafe or being knocked down. The next day I started my Stray bus trip and hopped on to my 1st bus to Kaikoura. As recommended by a girl I met in Aus I signed up for the wild dolphin swimming there which was absolutely amazing...one of the best things I've ever done! You get suited up in winter wetsuits with boots, hoods, gloves and jackets to keep you warm in the winter water (I looked super sexy!) and then they take you out in the boats. Because of a rift in the plates out to sea (which makes lots of nutrients and smaller fish available apparently) there is an abundance of wildlife in this part of the coast which is why they are really successful with their whale and dolphin watching trips. We saw a small humpback whale and a sperm whale on our trip and also lots of seals and albatross's which was an added bonus...along with the hundreds of dolphins! Because the dolphins are completely wild they don't entice them by feeding them etc...they just drop you in the ocean with a snorkel where they are and if you look interesting the dolphins will swim around you! They encourage you to make lots of noise to encourage them and swim around in circles (we must have looked ridiculous to the crew!) but it worked and in the course of about an hour we had so many dolphins swimming around us, under us, jumping over us...it was amazing!! I would absolutely recommend it anyone coming to this part of New Zealand! When we finally had to get out of the water it was freezing so we had to quickly get changed and drink hot chocolate before going to take some pictures!

Back on dry land we stayed one night there before travelling over to Picton where I'm staying tonight before getting on a new bus tomorrow! The bus timetables are proving a little confusing but I hope I've got it all sorted now so that I can fit everything in I want to! So far the scenery has been absolutely stunning...picture postcard worthy shots around every bend in the road! Can't wait to see some more!

Lots of love to you all!

Ro

x x x x x x

Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

Spent one night in Airlie beach which was lovely! Went to the lagoon in the day with a few girls I'd met at Rainbow Beach and then we cooked a very healthy veggie Risotto for dinner. The next day I went on my one day Whitsunday trip on an ocean raft. The boat was quite small and zipped over water incredibly quickly...it was quite terrifying at times! The 1st stop was to do some snorkelling by a some coral reef on the edge of an island. Saw some beautiful fish but this was unfortunately where my camera decided to give up being waterproof and a little bit of water got in! Such a shame but considering I'd had it for 3 1/2 years it hasn't done too badly!! Then went over to the gorgeous Whitehaven beach which was absolutely stunning. Saw hundreds of tiny crabs scuttling back into the water as we walked towards them and headed up to the look out to see the famous view over the beaches which looked like this (though not so sunny!)

We then moved on down the beach to have lunch and spend some time relaxing before heading back to the mainland on another high speed journey (ending in a few doughnuts and lots of holding on for dear life!) Next stop was a few nights in Cairns where I took a day trip out onto the Great Barrier Reef. Such a great experience and even though I was only snorkelling (a few people went diving) I still managed to see 2 turtles, clown fish, parrot fish, sting rays and so many other brightly coloured fish and coral it was fantastic! Took some pics on a disposable camera so hoping to get that developed along the way and see if I managed to get any good ones! The next day it was time to say goodbye to Australia and fly over to the much chillier New Zealand!