Sat 3rd may - ali slept pretty badly partly because we were sharing a single bed (but i think the thought of the bungy was more to blame) We tried to get some brekkie down us but it was provinbg a challenge with the butterflies in our stomach! we checked into the bungy centre and had to be weighed (ali was not happy about this) and then we were on our way. 45 minutes out into the mountains, and then the steep climb began! we were on a dirt track snaking around a huge mountain with a sheer drop to our side (thhis was enough for ali without the thought of what was yet to come!) the nerevs started to kick in and the whole bus load of people were silent! as we turned around the top corner the bungy pod came into sight! we got harnessed up which proved to be a struggle for ali as her legs refused to move!Then we were taken over to the pod in a weady little cable car hanging over the huge canyon. This was when we realised just how high we were going to be jumping! for those of you who dont know Nevis bungy is 134 metres high (the 3rd largest in the world) giving the victim a 8.4 second freefall to the jagged rocks and icy water below! After watching a few others jump I was the first one out of us two to be called up. Ali at this point thought that she was going to throw up! although I was nervous i was really excited and to overcome my fear i was really jittery and hyper & everyone thought i was really cool about the whole thing. the reality was somewhat different, as i stepped out onto "the meat plate" (the jumping platform) I thought i was going to s*** my pants! I had planned to do a massive dive so that it looked cool on the DVD so I crouched ready to pounce! However my legs decided they didnt want to extend again so I ended up flapping my arms like a chicken as i did a semi roll/tip out of the pod! The experience was like no other for the 1st part of the journey down i was still amazed that my feet had left solid ground and i was still bricking it! about halfway through the fall i realised how wikid bo it was and a huge grin spread accros my face as i flew rather than fell downwards! Next up was ali: she had tears in her eyes and everyone in the pod was encouraging her. the bungy guy led her to the end of the meat plate at which point she tried to grab him with some crazy belief that this would stop her going over the edge...3...2...1...and she was off! followed by some cheers from me and the bungy guy and then the whole pod! when she came back up she had tears streaming down her face.; I dont think she could believe that she had done it! as soon as she was back in the pod the first thing she said was "can i go back to solid ground now please!" and then started crying again!

We arrived back in Queenstown later that morning and went straight off to buy some warm clothes (we were still in shorts and flip flops at this point in the freezing snow!) Kitted out in our new gear we explored Queenstown and got a gondola ride to the top of the mountain overlooking the town and lake.after all this excitement we were ready for a whisky!

sunday 4th - Ali managed to sneak out of the hostel ready for the magic bus again to go to Dunedin.When we arrived we headed into town and had a look at the art gallery and the famous train station. that evening we chilled with some people from the bus and watched some films.

monday 5th- after a lush nights sleep in a warm cosey bed we were up early again and out to the bus to lake tekapo.westopped to climb the steepest street in the world which was not on our top 10 things to do at 8.00 in the morning especially when its 4 degrees outside!when we arrived at Tekapo we went for a lovely walk along the lake then warmed up by the blazing fire in the hostel (rob made the fire himself...hes such a man!) (and he wrote that!)

tues 6th- today we made our way to Christchurch stopping at the church of the good shepherd to take a few piccies! then it was straight on, stopping only once at a cookie factory to get some bargains (we got 20 huge choc chip cookies for $6 / 2 pounds 50)In Christchurch we went for a walk to the arts and crafts centre which ali loved and then for a walk along the river where we stopped to have a picnic (we couldnt afford a real meal that night so we had 1/2a bagof peanuts and a $2 beer (between us)

weds 7th - on the bus again to kaikoura (a beautifull fishing village) spent the day on the beach throwing stones and pissing arround. after a small argument about toasted sandwiches we needed some alone time and stormed off in separate directions on the beach. 5 minutes later I went to find ali and caught her sitting by a pond taking pictures of a black and white sea bird (she must have had about 25 pics of this thing) "what are you doing Ali?" no reply shes obviously still in a mood so i ask again "what are you doing Ali?" "taking pictures of these penguins ive found" a blank look from me "these what youve found?" "PENGUINS!" I didnt have the heart to tell her they were some kind of seagulls that looked nothing like penguins but i think she figured it out when they flew away and thought "i didnt think penguins could fly!" she still has the pictures bless her!

thursday 8th- today we made our way to the north island arriving in wellington at about 6pm. we stopped on the way at a seal colony which ali loved! we managed to get one bed again saving on the old pennies. that evening we went for a walk arround wellington and we were really craving a corona and lime just when we saw a bucket of 4 for 20 bucks. Bargain! Into the bar we went and we just so happened to bump into an Aussie couple we met at the Nevis Bungy. we got chatting and one thing led to another, before we knew it we had a drunken night on our hands and ended up drinking cocktails out of tea pots!(it was an alice in wonderland themed bar) all topped off with a greassy kebab! all of which we could not afford which didnt really matter as the Aussie couple paid for us! (they could remeber when they were skint back packers and took pitty on us!

Fri 9th - up with a stinking hangover and off onto the bus again. we stopped at the wildlife centre en route where we grabbed a bacon and egg sarnie (perfect hangover cure!) after we had devoured our brekkie we went into the wildlife to centre and saw our first Kiwi Bird. It was so cute but much bigger than i had imagined. Rob thought that he walked like a funky chicken wearing big fluffy jogging bottoms (i think he was still intoxicated!) Next stop Napier. After checking in we went straight into town for a mooch and a walk along the seafront. then we found a small stall selling hot dohnuts-lush!

sat 10th - We drove straight through to Taupo and arrived at about 10.30 am so we had the whole day to play with. we went for a walk to the lake front - Taupo by the way is geothermally active and we found some natural hot pools by the waters edge. it was breally weird seeing steam rising off of a rock pool.

sun 11th - our first lay in!!!! got up at about 10 which was such a nice treat! after fannying about a bit we headed to the Huka Falls, it was about a 2 hour walk to get there and boy was it worth it. the walk itself was lovely but the falls were amazing. we stood over them on a bridge and soaked in the atmosphere. One thing about New Zealand in general is that the water is almost as blue as the sky- breathtaking! On our return walk we stopped off for a dip in the hot pools. we got into our swimmers and took the plunge. The water was lovely and warm, just like a bath. after our soak we made our way back to the hostel and warmed up. Ali was feeling a bit peeky so we had a good old dinner of sausage, onions,beans, and mash. after 2 weeks of noodles it was absolutely amazing. (Grandma we can't wait for your meat pie!)

mon 12th - Had another lie in then the bus picked us up at 10. we made our way to Rotourua stopping at some boiling mud pools on the way. when we arrived we did the same old trick of buying one bed-and so far so good! wespent the day walking around the town and god does it smell! the place smells of rotten eggs because of all the sulphur. Rotourua is the geothermal centre of Nzew Zealand so the place is full of boiling lakes and hot pools and mud baths. i cant walk out of the hostel without gagging!

tues 13th - another lie in-we could get used to this! went to a fab park today which had loads of boiling mud pools- pretty impressive stuff. sat by the lake (we saw loads of black swans which was cool) and chilled with an ice cream and now doing all our jobs! washing, blogging and journal writing!

love to you all, cant wait to see you love Ali and Rob xxxx