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New Zealand from Taupo, South island back to Auckland

Kaikoura, New Zealand


Apologies for the delay in posting my latest blog but i just havent had time. i have been having an absolute blast in New Zealand. I really dont know where the five weeks have gone. I havent stopped and yes I am even more shattered than before so Fiji will be very welcome.
New Zealand is amazing. I have travelled round alot of the north island and even more of the south island and i love it all. I have lost track of what i have seen, where i have been but i know i havent hated one single minute. Wellington is a lovely city. I arrived there on the day before the Rugby 7's so was welcomed with a parade (just for me!) of all the rugby teams and even though i didnt know any of the players, they all looked very fit and hot!!! It was Waitangi Day which is the treaty bank holiday so Wellington was buzzing. It was hot and i sat by the harbour and took the world in. My first thought was i could live there! but then I have had that thought about pretty much every place I have seen in New Zealand! The boat trip across the cook strait to the South Island was beautiful. Thankfully it was a very calm sea that day and I got to enjoy the views from the top. I cant even describe it, it was just beautiful. Nelson was a lovely town. I stayed in the Paradiso (kept calling it the guesthouse paradiso but it wasnt). I treated myself to a single room so I could get a few nights uninterupted sleep. However I was still surprised to see that they could make a double bed into a double bunk bed! never mind it was all mine and I only bumped my head once, well maybe twice!! The main purpose of staying in Nelson isnt so much Nelson itself, which is a nice town with a nice beach area and nice shops and some fun bars, but to go and visit the area known as Abel Tasman. Its a stunning mix of forests, cliff edge walks and beautiful white sand beaches. I opted for a day trip there, which meant a boat trip - lovely - followed by a 4 hour walk along the coastline. it was just stunning. made more so by the 2 hour sit on the beach and swim in the sea half way round. Anyone who misses out Nelson and Abel Tasman misses out one of the best places ive ever seen.
I then headed to Greymouth which really is a nothing place except that the hostel we stayed in was called Noahs Ark and there are themed rooms. Everyone wanted the monkey room, a friend got the Zebra room, another the Pig Room, I ended up in the Kiwi room - one girl said that its no even an animal! I explained that it was the national bird of New Zealand so was quite a cool room to be in!!! The room was green with pictures of Kiwi jumping out of planes and driving etc on the walls. Its tacky but fun!!!
After Greymouth came Franz Josef. Despite the bad weather i was lucky enough to get on the Helihike up the top of the glacier so saw the blue ice, climbed through cracks in the ice, down into tunnels that had developed and basically got very wet and cold. it was amazing. As there was little else to do though I went quad biking for the first time in 20 odd years, it was hysterical especially with one of my friends Joe, showing off doing spins and twists, only to get stuck in mud!!!
Then onto Lake Wanaka where the six of us, Myself, Heather, Henrike, James, Steve and Erik, booked into a hotel where we got two triple rooms for the price of a dorm bed, but with the luxury of towels, fridge, tv, bath - yes a bath!!!!!! heaven. Wanaka is small, sweet, nice Lake, good walks but i shall remember it for an evening in an irish bar (obviously) playing Jenga. Absolutely cracking night ending up in the Mint bar having bumped into guys who had stolen a fence post from a local church for a photo op - they put it back! They were Kiwi Experience bus people, obviusly!!
then came Queenstown, probably the best place in New Zealand. I was a bit unsure at first as its called the party capital of NZ and at my age my partying days are done (dont laugh its true......!) \As we crossed mountains and past by lakes, we turned a corner and just could see over Queenstown. It took my breath away. it was in such a beautiful area. Its an alpine type place but by a lake. A few of us spent the afternoon with a cold beer by the waterfront basked in sunshine. It was lovely. Sadly the drinking carried on into the evening - well about 5am! It was a random night with lots of laughs and again one for the memory box! The saturday morning wasnt so great, slight headache and tiredness, so Heather and I headed to the top of the gondola and watched the people going down the luge track, jumping off the bungy ledge (which at that point i was calling them nutters) and paragliding.
There must have been something about the freshair there, or the Fergburgers (which have to be the best burgers in the world ever - official!), but Sunday morning I woke up, and decided today ws the day. I walked into the booking office and asked to do the bungy. I wanted to do the Nevis (134m drop) but it was full. I asked about the bridge - also full. Only one was the Ledge. Crazy. I dont think so, its off the mountain and has rocks and trees all around it. So i went hangliding. For 20 minutes I actually thought I was a bird. It was sensational. But it wasnt enough for my adrenalin mood. Back to the office, book me on the bungy then!!! 10 minutes later, I walked up to the Ledge Bungy overlooking Queenstown, handed them my ticket, got weighed, got strapped off and ran off the edge. There is a DVD, i swear alot in it. I apologise for those who ever see it! I didnt think about it all. I didnt look down, that would have been stupid. I have to say running off the edge of a ledge into nothing is the weirdest sensation ever, scary as hell but extremely exhilarting and peaceful all in one! i think my brain shut down from sensory overload as I dont recall too much other than getting my face whipped by the rope leaving a black eye! I would do another one any day of the week. It was amazing. Adrenalin rush over!!! So off I went to Glenorchy for a nice horsetrek seeing random vague sights from the Lord of the Rings film.
the following day was a trip to Milford Sound. Its a fjord. The bus took 5 hours and for the whole five hours the bus driver had his mike on and said absolutely every single thought that came into his head. I thought I was bad at wittering on but this guy was the master!!! At one point the few of us that had realised he was clearly crazy, were laughing so much tears rolled down our faces, particularly when one guy Neal was guessing the end of the drivers sentences and got one of them right!!! THe driver not only pointed out the mountains, the rivers etc, he told us of the two men in the Yute on the RHS who had either been fishing or were going fishing! That there were lots of weather conditions that hit this area including - sun, rain, ice, snow, warm, hot, sleet, frost, - you get the picture. We also had a man mowing his lawn pointed out!! It was factually fascinating as you can imagine. Having nearly peed my pants with laughter, i thought I couldnt possibly do this on the way back for another 5 hours so opted to fly back over the mountains and fjords which took 40 mins and a massive dent in the credit card! it was worth it. The boat trip through the Sound was beautiful. The flight back was beautiful. See pictures, words cannot describe! even better go yourself!
I was sad to leave Queenstown as it was also the time i left some good friends I had made. i have no doubt I shall see them again though. I was even sadder as its the only place I have been asked for ID and seriously had to show it!!! Must be something in the water there that makes me feel young!
After queenstown came Dunedin, a small town just like one in Scotland. It had a town clock which struck and this was the first time ive thought of home properly. There was a cadburys choc factory but i couldnt go, its not proper english cadburys so whats the point!! i shall save myself for the one in the UK!! AFter Dunedin was Lake Tekapo which is pretty. The weather was lovely again so despite freezing water i managed a swim in the glacial lake followed by a couple of hours drying off on the beach. the evening was beautiful and spent skimming stones with Neal who nearly killed a duck!! harsh!!!
Then onto Christchurch. Even more like home. I thought of Cambridge but its supposed to replicate Oxford. Very pretty, not alot to do though. I took the Tram, with stops of no more than 2 minutes apart, I felt so lazy!! the weather sadly was also english so an afternoon at the cinema was required where I watched the film, "hes just not that into you", a film every woman ought to watch.
Now im in Kaikoura ready to cross to Wellington back to Auckland. Yesterday I went whale watching and saw sperm whales. OMG they are massive. Today was a dream day, i got to swim with dolphins again. Only this time there were over 100, one touched my arm as it swam past me, looking at me. others went ruond in circles, underneath, overhead. It was unbelievable. I couldnt breathe. The guys on the boat who do this everyday have to have the best job in the world. I wanted to stay in the water all day with the dolphins. It was unbelievable. Once again Ive been so lucky. I dont even know how to appreciate everything ive done, seen, or the people ive met. All i know is i dont want it to end!


permalink written by  Sarah Coles on February 23, 2009 from Kaikoura, New Zealand
from the travel blog: Sarah's Voyage from South Africa to Hong Kong
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Sarah Coles Sarah Coles
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As all my friends and family know ive been a bit lost for past few years in all areas of life and I have not really known what to do with my life, sort of lost my way i suppose and thats weird for me as never felt like that before. Work began to suck more than usual, started to feel like i was...

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