Back in the North Island of NZ

So after leaving Christchurch, I headed a little further north to Kaikoura, the main reason for visiting this little place is to either go on a trip for Whale Watching or swim with the dolphins. i really wanted to do the whale watching and get the photo of the big tail out of the water. Unfortunately all trips were cancelled due to high winds and it just wasnt safe to go out into the ocean....bummer! So I literally walked around this small place and went onto the internet....nothing else to do!

Next day was a trans coastal ride on the train to Picton, this was a lovely scenic ride and we spotted seals sunning themselves on the rocks!

Then onto a ferry for 3 hours to get to Wellington, the capital city! We travelled through Marlborough Sounds and you can actually see both the North & South Island at one point..cool!

Onto Wellington and Im afraid I didnt do anything cultural, just hit the pubs as I arrived about 6pm and was leaving early the next day. Its a windy city thats all I can tell ya!

After the capital it was Napier where I spent the night in Jail! No honestly, it was a jail right up to the 1990's and now its a backpackers! Really quite eerie and people reckon they have seen ghosts as recent as this year! Saw the hanging yard, mess house and slept on an original bed like an inmate!

Then next morning we drove through Lake Taupo which was beautiful, its the biggest lake in NZ and then had the afternoon in Roturua, met up with Simon & Laura (pommes) who I got to know on Fraser Island so that was cool!

Last stop was Mount Manguini, a really pretty place where a lot of Kiwis come for their summer holidays, we arrived just before sunset so again didnt see much of it!

Now back for a few days with Tracey and its soo good to see her, she has moved house since I was last here as she is staying here for good...dont blame her at all!
The weather is cold and rainy but it feels nice to be back! Went into my old work place and it was great to see everyone again, they were upset I couldnt work for a while, but nah too much like hard work! ha ha!

Last night went to the Minus 5 Ice bar with my friend Kendyl (old work colleague from the cafe). They give you these big daft coats to wear and 2 pairs of gloves! Everything is literally ice, the bar, the glasses you drink out of and there was ice sculptures everywhere
We had a Jagermeister shot down this ice sculpture of a stiletto! Funny photo eh!

So again I set off alone...boo hoo...off to sunnier climates of Fiji and then the cook islands, will report as soon as I can..................Home in six weeks........................

After Queenstown! Whats this white stuff!

Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo

We couldn't eat with the chopsticks so what else could we do!!

Rosie & Deirdre on stage....what a riot!

Well after all that mad activity in Queenstown, I have now continued around the south island on a very sedate journey!
I left the boys in Queenstown for them to do snow boarding etc and I headed for Dunedin, which is the old Gaelic name for Edinburgh! Its the second largest city and it attracts students as they a diverse range of courses that some of the other universities dont offer.
Its also relatively cheap to live here too!
One of the most famous things Dunedin is known for is their Cadburys Chocolate Factory!!! Since I have never been to the one at home, I decided to do a tour as I was told about the free samples!
It was an interesting tour but more importantly I got lots of goodies to last me through the day!
After this I walked around Dunedin and discovered there isnt much to do, so in the evening headed for the cinema to watch Shrek 3 on my own....how sad eh!!

Next day I left Dunedin and headed for Lake Tekapo, en route it started to snow heavily and we were negotiating mountain passes and the driver started to get worried we wouldnt make it to our destination......anyhow we stopped for an hour or so to see how it would develop and we got the go ahead to continue.
On arrival at Lake Tekapo it was like a Christmas Card scene, so beautiful but cold!! So we didnt move away from the open fire, we had a few bottles of wine and played Scrabble.
I have met 3 irish girls called Rosie, Deidre and Ashley who are so much fun and we had a giggle that night!
Next day we had an icy welcome, but no more snow which we were thankful of, as a lot of us on the bus were restricted on our time schedules and couldnt afford to spend another night in a place that wasnt planned.
We heard from the bus driver that nobody is leaving Queenstown or Franz Joseph due to the weather conditions and the next bus to Lake Tekapo could be a couple of days, so we just escaped in time.....so lucky indeed!
We travelled to Christchurch and arrived in the sun early afternoon which was a nice contrast, the girls and I went out for a Chinese at night and ended up in an Irish Bar, which ended up with Rosie & Deirdre on stage!!!
I got chatted up by a guy from Ashton Under Lyne!!! cant go anywhere without finding a northerner!! He was apparently a professional golfer and he was old enough to be my dad!! The girls were sniggering at a nearby table and so I managed to make my excuses and run for the hills! haha!

Crazy Queenstown!! Love it!

Well I am officially insane........I have just done the most scariest thing ever in my life!!

Yes I did the AJ Hackett Nevis Bungy Jump which is the 3rd largest in the world..crazy!!!!!!

It was 134 metres down a canyon and I was doing a freefall on some silly elastic for 8 seconds!

Oh my god, you should have seen me, I dont think I have been so scared!! I was fully pumped with adrenalin after the event and glad to be alive too!!

I had to buy the DVD as proof so I will look forward to showing you all when Im back home!

Di Thornicroft mentioned how I have changed doing all these activities and how I wouldnt jump over a wall before this trip...so true....just call me GI Jane from now on...ok!

This is what Queenstown is all about....its all extreme sports here and you have to do these things or you havent experienced it at all!

Really love this place, reminds me of a ski resort, its got a good vibe and the scenery is amazing!

In the evening we all went out to celebrate our survival and found a bar that sold cocktails in english teapots!!! Good night out indeed!

Next day I went on the Shotover Jet which is a fast boat that spins 360 degrees at a high speed, it speeds alongside canyons and you get sooo close to the cliff face...so much fun!

Later in the afternoon, decided to take ot a bit easier and took the gondola up the mountains to see Queenstown from above.........love it even more!!

I would have liked to have a go at snowboarding too, but there is 2 problems with that..........first being that my foot is still a bit sore so probably not the best idea and two is that there isnt any snow!! They have a mountain with artificial snow and they have forecast some real stuff over the next few days. The weather has been so sunny but cold....again they say its unusual for this time of year....I just keep bringing the sun with me where ever I go!

Franz Josef Glaciers & Quad Biking!

Helicopter over the glacier

Me on a Quad Bike with Franz Josef Glaciers behind me!
Helmet lopsided but still in control...not!!

Oh thats a big one!
Wow....see what I mean...what a view!

Peters Pools......can you see the mirrored effect...check my lippy whilst Im here! Bottom of the glacier

Had to crawl through this ice cave!
Am I strong or what??? Holding up all of this!
Another nice view.......love the texture of the snow!

I am a Gold Panner! Could do with some right now!
"I'm a lady"says Henrik & Dave!!

On the way over from Greymouth to Franz Josef we stopped at this town called Ross, where
we had a Gold Panning Demonstration and then the chance to get rich ourselves! Bizarre place really, as you can see we just got silly and took some daft photos instead!

Then on arrival in Franz Josef I did a Heli Hike in the afternoon, the weather was spectacular as apparently they dont see the tops of the mountains very often and we could today, so no time like the present to do it!
So first of all I had to get kitted out with a waterproof coat, trousers tucked into woolly socks, hat, gloves, walking boots and best of all crampons!!! I felt like a professional with all this gear on!

So first part was a 10 minute helicopter flight to the Franz Josef icefall which was ideal as they drop you high up on the glacier which you wouldnt reach even if you hiked for a day, so it was well worth it! It was an spectucular view point from the air too!

Then it was a 2 hour hike amongst glacial ice formations where I saw so much blue ice due to its density, climbed into caves, walked in crevices and hiked up hills of ice and snow, the texture of the snow was peaked too and it looked tremendous

The guide had to carve steps in the ice using his pick on certain parts of the walk to make it as safe as possible, having said that I did have a few slips and slides but thats all part of the fun!

The crampons did a great job but not totally fail safe as you all know me for keeping on my feet!

Then we got back to the starting point for the helicopter to collect us and get us back safely to terra firma......wow what an experience!

It was funny to realise too that some people havent seen snow before, there was a couple of Ozzies from Brisbane who were seeing snow for the very first time, it was comical watching them feel it, taste it and then realising the best thing to do is to have a snowball fight! ha ha!

Next day I did a walk around the bottom of the Glacier to gain a different perspective and onto Peters Pools with the mirrored lake, beautiful!

In the afternoon I enlisted for Quad Biking, it was a unique setting as its where ice and forest meet in such a spectacular way.

There was only the instructor and I, as its low season so that was quite cool, we drove through so many different terrains and it was exhilating and scary at times!

Went though a track, then onto a rocky area which the bike handled so well, at first I was trying to avoid the big rocks until I realised that you were meant to drive over them, thats part of the fun! Then onto the mud, splashed everywhere, then more puddles and dirt!, then onto river crossings, which both us of got stuck as he didnt realise how deep it had gone and how many rocks were in it...aargh! Then ended in a twisty trail through a rainforest! Soooo much fun!

Next stop is Queenstown for the adrenalin rush of all my adventure activities!! Cant wait!

New Zealand Again!! South Island this time!

In the Dog House!! Megan, Me & Henrik.....all wearing silly hats!

Small Blue penguins.....how cute!

This was a storm room to demonstrate how cold it gets in Antartica.....bbbrrrrrr!!
I hid in the cave for some protection from the wind chill!

After my Hagglund Ride...this can ride in all terrains and what recent explorers use in the Antartic environment. So I was taken out on an exhilarating ride over mounds, up and over a steep hill, across a crevasse, speeding across open ground, and through pools of water! Great fun!

Christchurch...Cathedral Square...its very english look alike with nice arcitecture everywhere

Water Fountain that I liked!

Tram ride around the city to get my bearings on arrival, its a hop on and off tram but I just sat on it the whole way around to see the sights!

So I have left Oz and now in Kiwi Land again, I am really sad to leave everyone in OZ and had real mixed feelings about coming here and having to start travelling alone again etc

but I know I love this place too and will soon meet some new friends, I hope!

As I flew over Christchurch I could see the Alps covered in snow and it was really exciting after being in the sun for so long, it was quite a contrast.

On arrival as you can see I did the tourist bit and hopped on a tram and a general look around the place. I booked myself a single room for the night as I wanted a good sleep and couldnt face a dorm room at the time...it was heaven but it was freezing even with an electric blanket...feels so weird to get out of bed and shiver...not done that for a long time!

Next day was an action packed day, I visited the International Antartic Centre as you can see, it was an interesting few hours learning all about the research/work/people in the North & South Pole and also appreciating what conditions they have to cope with!

Whilst there I got chatting to Rob from Cambridge so we decided to go "Punting on the Avon". There was actually nobody else doing this which should have given us a clue not to bother! But I was keen to do it and Rob has actually done the punting before himself living in Cambridge. Anyway it was so disappointing, no real views to look at all...Rob has said I must do it when I get back home and then I will know the difference!

Then we headed to some Art Galleries for a bit of culture...well actually to get warm again! Some of the pieces were beyond me...looked like something a 2 year old could have done!

Next day I started my trip alone around the South Island on the Magic Bus Tour heading towards Greymouth, so I travelled trans pennine from the east to the west coast and saw some amazing scenery and I now know what people mean about the South Island being so beautiful!

I met 2 guys on the bus Dave from Dorset & Henrik from Sweden who are so funny and we plan to stick together as the 3 musketeers for a week or so.

Arrived at Greymouth and there really isnt anything to do at all, so we just chilled at the hostel and watched a couple of movies ready to move on the next day. The hostel was called Noahs Ark and all the rooms were animal themed......guess what I really wanted......the Monkey room , but unfortunately we couldnt use it and ended up in the Dog House! No literally we had the puppy room!

Great Ocean Road

Isla, Kylie & Me just after our helicopter flight over the Apostles!

My favourite catalogue pose...the Great Ocean Road Sign!
Not sure what I was thinking!!

My group for the 2 day trip...Good bunch!
Koala sign where we saw them in the wild...not seen a sign like this before!

The fabulous 12 Apostles or is that 13?

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im falling......please rescue me!

The London Bridge in 2 pieces now!

12 Apostles view from the air!

In the Grotto!

This was a two day trip to travel from Melbourne heading towards Adelaide. This tour company was unique in the fact that he does the trip the opposite way to everyone else so we avoided lots of tourists which was great!

I met some great people on the trip, especially Kirsty & Isla, we had such a laugh! So will definately keep in touch girls and I will have to plan a trip to Cork on my return!

The first day we saw Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus in the wild which was pretty cool after seeing all of these animals in zoos it was a rare sighting!

Then driving down the Shipwreck Coast we saw lots of different bays/beaches where the coastline erodes to create different rock formations.

There was also some funny stories, for example The London Bridge (photo 8) collapsed in 1990 breaking into 2 pieces and it left a couple stranded on the rock face for 8 hours as it was too windy for a helicopter to rescue them. Anyway after being stuck there for so long, all the journalists turned up together with local people and when the couple finally got to land they wouldnt show their faces to the camera...it turned out they were both married and having an affair....doh...so they got caught on national TV! Serves them right is what I say!

Then onto to the 12 Apostles (photo 6 & 9). This used to be called the Sow & the Pigs but then powers that be changed the name, when they realised it became a real tourist attraction. The odd thing is that there isnt actually 12 rocks...depending on what you count its anywhere between 8 to 13 rocks..funny as eh!!

We watched the sunset over the Apostles and it was absolutely Brass Monkeys out there, so we equipped ourselves with lots of layers and a good bottle of red wine!! Once sunset appeared we watched the Penguin Parade coming out of the ocean to a safe spot for the night away from their predators. They were really small blue penguins and sooooo cute to watch!

Next day we returned to the Apostles and thankfully the weather was a lot nicer, so a few of us decided to have a flight in the helicopter to get the best view of the Apostles and the other landmarks of the Great Ocean Road. It was such good value for money and really glad I did it!
We went to a few secluded beaches and coves and explored some caves later on and then onto Bells Beach (annual surf contest is held here and also Point Break was filmed here too!)

Then finishing off at town called Torquay where Billabong & Ripcurl first started, we shopped at a few retail outlets...rude not to get a bargain eh!

Melbourne City

Melbourne really was a whistle stop tour of 4 days.....really needed longer but time was running out for me, so after the Neighbours tour & The Great Ocean Road Trip that left me one full day to see the sights of Melbourne City!

Lee & Kathryn Topping very kindly let me stay at their place which is gorgeous and very central, unfortunately Kathryn was in the UK but it was good to see Lee again and he looked after me very well as a landlord and tourist guide!

So armed with a list of things to do from Mark before I left Oz, Lee & I headed out on a mission and ticked the boxes after we had done the list!

Photo 1 & 5 was the famous Graffiti Alley which is constantly changing and as you can see its real art work

Photo 2 & 4 are in the grounds of the Shrine of Rememberance

Photo 3 were some girlies I met on the Great Ocean Road Trip and these guys were just stood in the street so we took advantage whilst trying not to laugh! As you can see not very successfully!

Photo 6 is Lee by Port Melbourne...this is just a few mins walk from their apartment...cool eh!
Photo 7 & 8 Well its me on a giant purse...which I had one of those right now with money inside! and the other one was a Wombat which I decided to jump on whilst throwing a small child off! No other words needed!