Right, well left Kaikoura Tuesday morning and drove up to Picton. On the way stopped off at a remote location off the coast and took a walk into the woods where there was a large waterfall and dozens of seal pups playing and swimming around in the water. They get escorted there by their parents, then the parents go off on a 3 day feeding trip, and the pups are too young too be left on the rocks, so they all play together in this remote place that only a handful of people know about, it was lovely. As its spring, all the babies are out in force - lambs, calves, ducklings, seal pups, its adorable. This place is so green and beautiful, and everywhere you go you can smell roast dinner!! We got to Picton and caught the 3 hour ferry across to Wellington, which seems like a really nice city, so me and Vicky are going to spend a few days there on the way back down.

Went out in the evening to the bar and had a bonding session with the guys from the bus. Their a really nice bunch, lovely, friendly and chatty people. There are 15 of us, all about my age and 50/50 guys and girls, from England, Ireland, Germany, Holland and Brazil. The 4 guys working on the bus are Rob, Baggins, Seagull and Mambo, and they are an absolute crack. We cruise along in the bus with cool tunes playing, then they give us some entertaining commentary as we take in the sights. I love the Kiwi sense of humour, they just have us all in stitches all the time. Everything is just so chilled out and relaxed here, I'm loving it.

We got the bus at 6.30am today and I had a stonking hangover, but nothing that the Macdonalds breakfast stop couldn't cure!! We had an 11 hour drive up to Auckland, but we had some stops on the way. We have just got to our hostel now, and we are going to have dinner then have farewell drinks in the bar with everyone as most people are leaving now as they have done the whole trip and this is their last stop, but some of us will carry on, so am expecting a sore head tomorrow, but me and some others are going to have a chilled out day tomorrow taking in the sights of Auckland, doing the harbour and maybe a boat trip to one of the small islands close by.

Well today (Friday) me and Vicky took a wander around Auckland and it really is like everyone says - nothing special at all. But we went up the Auckland tower which is taller than the Eiffel tower, went up to the sky deck and took in the views, and even saw 2 guys fly past us as they decided to do the jump off the top. Bit of a miserable day weather wise, but the evening was much better. Me, Vicky and a few others went out to a bar called 'Minus 5' which is a bar made of all ice. You have to wrap up in eskimo coats and gloves, and you get half an hour in the freezing bar with a free cocktail. There are loads of sculptures made of ice, the seats and bar are made of ice, and the glasses you drink from are made of ice. Its a really great novelty idea for a bar, and we were having such a laugh in there. One of the girls called Amanda was from Brazil and had never been anywhere so cold in her life, and we informed her it was like an average winter back home. They actually forgot about us as the guy dealing with us finished his shift, so we were in there for about 50 minutes, and we decided to leave ourselves as we were losing all sense of feeling, so we went into the main bar and warmed up with more cocktails, before moving on elsewhere. Have now decided the best drink is Bison vodka and apple juice - tastes like a cross between cheesecake and apple crumble - gorgeous!!

Today we caught the bus to Paihia, which is the Bay of Islands. We had a boat ride to see all the bays which are stunning, and we got to see loads of dolphins as they were swimming around our boat for ages. We could have gone swimming with them, but I'm saving that for OZ when its warmer. Then had a BBQ back at the hostel.

Next day me and Vicky went to Waitanga, which is where the signing of the treaty was made between the Mauri and British, so saw all around the Treaty house where it all happened in 1840, and the views of the bay are awesome. We then took a 10km round trip hike through the bush to Hakaruru falls, which were beautiful waterfalls, and we got back at 5.30pm, so we did probably about 15km that day, all on the fuel of 2 crumpets each for breakfast. Truly we are superwomen. We have decided that either we will come back so fit, and toned using muscles we didn't know we had, or completely broken with ripped tendons and ligaments. I'm thinking its the latter at the moment, along with sleeping on mattresses that are thinner than Kate Moss, I'm beginning to feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but hopefully the fit and toned part will kick in at some point.

Sunday we had a long 10 hour day going up to Cape Reinga, which is the very tip of NZ, and its where the 2 oceans meet - the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Its stunning. We then went on '90 Mile Beach' and did some sand boarding which was fantastic. Now - those of you who know me well know I have a huge phobia of hills. They scare the living crap out of me, and I have nightmares about them. This has been since I was a little girl, and I see a hill and go into a cold sweat. So here I am faced with sand dunes as steep as you like. I could have been a total wuss and opted out, but I thought sod it, face your fears, so hiked up the HUGE dune (feeling quite weak and sick at this point) and watched as others hurled themselves down, Realising that the only way back down was to actually do it on the board, I went for it. Basically you have a board which you lie on your stomach on, hold on tight, and whoosh head first down the steep sand dune. It was terrifying but so exhilirating at the same time - I loved it. I absolutely bloody loved it so much, I took myself up again and threw myself down again. It was AWESOME!!!! I highly recommend it. You get sand in places you didn't think possible, and spend the next week finding sand in your underwear, but its great. We then went for an hour drive down 90 mile beach, and we were lucky enough to see a big group of wild horses and their foals galloping through the sand dunes. It was Black Beauty eat your heart out. They were beautiful. Got back and me and Vicky moved hostels. Now I'm not a huge snob, but I have standards, and I am not prepared to stay in a total s***hole where the prospect of cooking in the kitchen is enough to make you want to vomit, so we moved directly across the road and its so much nicer, and the mattresses are proper ones! They no longer represent anorexic models on cocaine, so hopefully a better nights sleep. This is really not glamorous folks - but hell I'm loving it!!!

Monday 27th October - today is a bank holiday (labour day). Now being British, obviously I'm used to all Bank Holiday Mondays being wet, cold and dreary. So hurray when today was gorgeous brilliant sunshine, a nice comfortable 25'C, and we went sunbating on the beach in Paihia. To get in that bikini, lie on the beach with the waves gently lapping a few metres away and feeling the sun on my bare skin was complete and utter bliss. Jealous yet???? Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!! It was a total relaxtion day, icecream from the best icecream stall in the world, wine on the bar terrace and sunbathing. What a bank holiday Monday. Its great as I was beginning to look like a regular at the Hobgoblin pub - a goth wannabe who hasn't seen the light of day in 10 years, but now I have seen the sun its like a case of join the dots with all the freckles which have come out with a vengence!! We have decided to stay in Paihia all week as its such a lovely place, right in the middle of the bay of Islands, the hostel is lovely and the people here are great.

Tuesday 28th - we caught the 5 minute ferry across to the little Island called Russell, which used to be called the 'Hell hole of the Pacific' as in the 1800's the sailors used to go there and cause complete mayhem with their acts of debauchery ( a bit like G's Wine Bar on a weekend for the soldiers), but now its a lovely little town with really friendly locals and fantastic colonial buildings. I have decided that my dream house is a colonial style building, absolutely gorgeous.

Wednesday 29th - more sunbathing on the beach today as another gorgeous hot sunny day, then at 5pm we went on the overnight 22 hour boat cruise called 'The Rock'. This was my highlight so far of the entire trip away. The boat is owned by a couple called Sarah and Johnny, he's English and she's a Kiwi, and they got married 4 days ago. They had a lot of family on the boat and there were 30 people in total. The family were from England all over for the wedding, and were the lovliest people, and there were about 15 others like me and Vicky, but it was all like a big happy family. The crew were fantastic, the lads were from England, Denmark and Israel, and straight away they remembered every persons name, and they always used your name in conversation and were mingling and chatting to everyone. The other guests were fanatstic people. We got on and straight away we had an air rifle shooting competition shooting a rubber duck swinging from the back of the boat. We had 3 turns and I missed every one but was quite close apparantly (according to Ariel the Israeli crew member who was there), but it was the old guys who were great shots ( a bit unfair considering they shot god knows what in the war - they were probably all snipers!!!). Then some people did fishing, and they set up the BBQ where we had pasta, salad, chops, sausages, burgers and steak - mmmmm. We all sat on a long table and were chatting away, they were all so friendly, then we went night kayaking. We were in the first group out and it was about 10pm by this point. We got in the kayaks and with Peter the Danish crew lad, 8 of us at a time when paddling off out to sea. It was awesome. Cold mind, but I felt like Daniel Day Lewis out of 'Last of The Mohicans'!! We were shown the phospherence organisms around us, which basically are single cell organisms that light up at being touched, so every time we paddled with our oars, the water around them shone like a cross between glow worms and fairy dust. It was absolutely beautiful, then we saw the fish zooming past all lit up. Its a defence mechanism they have, so they look like a glowing torch, or a shooting star as they zoom past. The whole expereince was amazing, and it was so tranquil and surreal. We then went back to the boat and me and Vicky were having a race. I was managing to win and we were both way ahead of the others, looking like real pro's, but I managed to overshoot the boat by being way too enthusiastic with my rowing, so thought "b*****", and had to do a quick turn around and come back. The other groups went as we warmed up by the fire they had put on, and then we all stood there watching the stars. I have never in my entire life seen so many stars - the sky was totally lit up. There was not an inch of sky that was not occupied by stars, and Orions Belt which is usually central in the sky in England was right on the horizon. It was the most beautiful sight and everyone stood in total awe, just gazing up for ages. Never seen anything like it. We then sat round the bar by candleight as they turned the generators off, and we went to bed gone midnight. It was hilarious trying to get into bed as there were 6 of us to one tiny cabin, and having the top bunk was no easy thing. It was like 'Challenge Anneka' trying to get in without smashing your head on the ceiling (I managed about 5 smashes in 30 seconds), then sqeezing onto the sleping bag. We were in absolute hysterics trying to get in and not fall off the edge, and we had the Canadian girls sharing our room in hysterics with us and it was so bloody hard. I lost all strength from laughing so much and gave up and just flopped down.

Thursday - woke up early just naturally and stepped outside the cabin to the most amazing and beautiful sight. It was 6.30am and everything was still, the water was still, all you could hear were the native Tui birds singing (they have the most fantastic song), and the sun was rising. There were 3 other girls up, and we just all sat there mesmerised watching the sun rise in the total peaceful tranquility of the Bay of Islands. The other side of the sky was pink, and the sunrise was too stunning for words. I sat there and just thought to myself "This is it. This is exactly why I have come away". To experience what was there at that time is something I can not put into words, but I could not take the smile off my face. The others in my cabin stayed asleep so I got dressed and went downstairs for a cup of tea. There were about half a dozen of us awake, so Johnny the Captian took us out in the long boat for a half an hour gentle ride around the bays, where we saw Oyster catchers, loads of jumping fish, and the sound of the Tuis from the bush was amazing. We then went back and everyone else had got up at this point, so breakfast was served, then we went cruising to a beautiful spot, and we got back in the kayaks and rowed over to a tiny secluded little beach in one of the bays. We made ourselves comfy, some people went snorkelling, but the sky was pure blue, the water was pure turquoise and the sun was so hot, so me and a few girls lay there sunbathing, just relaxing in the best possible way ever. We had lunch there and stayed a couple of hours, then went back to the main boat and cruised back to the spot we started at. Some of the guys had grabbed some sea urchins whilst snorkelling, so the crew split them open and cut segments out which are edible. They looked like a slug, and they are a real delicacy amongst the Mauri, and apparantly they sell for about US $500 each. What you need to do is wipe it over your hand to get rid of the salt water, and most people were disgusted but I decided to try a piece - I had 2 pieces. They just tasted like soggy seaweed really, quite non-descript. We got back at 3pm and left the boat and we were all in such high spirits as everything about the 22 hours had been perfect. Amazing guests, amazing crew, great food, fantastic kayaking, especially at night, amazing scenery and the stars and sunrise just topped it off. Fabulous experience. Its now the next day mind and everything is still swaying slightly. Hopefully the feeling of being on dry land will hit at some point as I can't feel like I'm still on a boat for ever!!!

**** There are some things we have noticed about New Zealand. Everyone says "sweet as", so when me and Vicky say it for a laugh it sounds like "sweet ass". We have to be careful as we have said it when guys have just happened to be walking past at the wrong moment, and they just stare at us, and we're like "no we're not saying you have a nice backside, sorry mate". Kiwis LOVE UB40. Everywhere we go - and I mean everywhere, they are playing UB40. On the boat, in the bars, and the most random time was when we were doing our 10km hike to Hakaruru Falls, and everyhting was so peaceful, all you could hear was the birds in the bush, we had wandered through the mangroves, then we came to a clearing and UB40 was blasting out of a house across the river. It seems the entire population of NZ own all the UB40 cd's ever made. It is so random *************

Friday 31st October - we caught the bus to Whangerei and everything about this place has been so random and weird since the start, from the moment we got dropped off at the information centre which was shut, being miles away from the hostel, managing to catch a taxi with a grumpy, arsey one armed driver who rudely announced that "us" people talk funny, but its so hard to describe just how weird and strange this place is, but lets just say this place does not feel like it belongs in NZ but in America instead. Its really quite rough and really shabby, but we stopped here as met one of Vicky's mate from the UK called James, and he has emigrated out here, so we met him and his mate Jake, and they took us to a BBQ at one of their friends places in town. James was telling us about how there is a lot of gang problems with the Mauri locals around here, so going out after dark is a no no, but we were just at a house party anyway. Met some really cool people there, really friendly and had a really good night, don't think I have laughed so much in ages, it was physically hurting. There was a fab Japanese guy who was so high on class A's he looked like he was a demented pigeon having an epileptic fit whilst walking over hot coals he was so fidgety, but so entertaining. The locals at the party were great. Me and Vicky managed to get through a bottle of vodka (she has converted me into being a flavoured vodka drinker now - I never touched the stuff before), several cocktails mixed by the hostess and several shots of tequlia later, and there were 2 very drunk but happy girls. Not so happy in the morning though when all we wanted to do was die a slow and painful death. I think death would have been the easiest option, but we managed to drag ourselves out of bed, eat a fry up - then a Mcdonalds (always works), then headed off to the Zion Wildlife Park to see 'The Lion Man' - as off the t.v series. It was awesome, Craig is the actual lion man, and he rescues endangered big cats and a lot of them have been hand reared so he gets up close and personal with them in their enclosures and they have a really close bond. There were loads of Lions, white lions as well as normal, and the same with the tigers. There was an enclosure with several lions and tigers living together which is absolutely unheard of in the wild, but they were all hand-reared after being rejected by their mothers, so they all got on really well, and the keepers were wandering around with them, and the cats were going up to the keepers to be cuddled and fussed. We then met Craig himself who was with the world famous lion called Zion, who has done tv shows, commercials and films, and the whole thing was awesome. That would be my dream job, they are so lucky to work there and have that bond.

Sunday we got picked up by James and went to his mates house who's party it was on friday, and it was her birthday, so she cooked us all lunch and we stayed there for a while, she was really sweet, then we went back to James' house which he shares with some others including a woman called Nat - who is actually the t.v presenter from Extreme Makeover New Zealand. She was so lovely too, and everyone just makes you feel totally at home and comfortable. A group of us all went to the pub then for a game of bowling, and it was such a cool night, and I met a girl called Nicola who emigrated to NZ when she was 6, and she's originally from Rainham, in Gillingham, Kent, which is the town I lived in from the ages of 4-11. Its such a small world when you think about it, then we all went back to the house to have a few beers, and me and Vicky spent the night chatting away and singing songs with a NZ tv show presenter! Surreal. We crashed there for the night then spent a very lazy monday watching films, but to sit on real sofas and use a big clean bathroom, and have more than 1 pillow was bliss, and to have our breakfast and lunch cooked for us was amazing. Being a backpacker these things really do count, and we had such a good weekend. It has to be one of the most random, but funniest weekends I have ever had in my life, and only Vicky and the guys would ever appreciate what I mean, but its one I won't forget. I also won't forget all the hospitality and niceness of these guys over the weekend. The pace of life is so chilled out over here, its fantastic - so different from back home. Its so easy to lose track of time, what day and date it is as its all so chilled. I absolutely love NZ for sure. James dropped us back in the afternoon to catch our bus back to Aukland, where we hit the bar straight away for some Bison vodkas. The only thing Auckland has going for it is the bison vodkas!!

Tuesday - left Auckland (yay!!!!!) and come down to Hahei which is a really cute beach town. We went to Hot Water beach in Hahei which is where if you get a spade and dig in the sand, the water is boiling hot due to the geothermal activity, and you can have your own sauna on the beach. After watching people screaming with the burning sensation, and one man actually got in the sea, whipped his swimming shorts down and bathed his red raw scalded arse, we decided just to paddle our feet. That was enough - it was scorching hot and I'm no sadist!!! We then went back to our place and we had a huge BBQ where everyone chipped in to prepare the food in a little production line, and there was plenty of wine - always a favourite of mine. The food was gorgeous and it was a real bonding session for all the guys on the bus. Met some fantastic English and Irish girls, and we were all having a session.

Wednesday 5th November - we went up to Raglan which is a surfing town, and the film 'Endless Summer' (which I've never actually heard of), was filmed there as they have world famous surfing competitions there. Some guys took a lesson - we were like "sod that" and took a wander into town. The hostel was really remote and in a place full of vegetation, it looked like we were in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, but it was great. Anyway, obviously the American election was on live, and some of the guys in the hostel were American, along with the surfing instructors, and lets just say the lounge was rammed with everyone in the place watching it live, and obviously the outcome was fantastic with Obama winning, and everyone was really happy, and the champagne and sparkling wine was flowing amongst everyone. It was a real poignant moment, especially when the place went silent to hear Obamas speech, then the partying started. Its definately something to tell the grandkids. They will ask me "where were you nan when the first black president of the USA got elected?", and I will reply - "well dears, I was in a backpackers hostel in Raglan, New Zealand, getting pissed up on champagne with a bunch of Americans!!!" - Fab. We were partying all night and had such a great time, a definate moment in history to remember.

Thursday - Went to Waitoma caves today to see the glowworms. It was a 4 hour trip, all kitted out in wetsuit, helmet with torch, very sexy outfit I must say, and we took a trek over fields where the sheep were looking at us like "bloody hell mate, what the hell are these things in boiler suits and helmets tramping over our fields????". It must have been a sight. We went down the ladder into the caves and then started clambering around. It was hard work with loads of tight spaces but it was so cool. We went over rocks, swam through FREEZING water - and I do mean FREEZING, we were hyperventilating with the cold - all good fun!! Then we went black water rafting which is basically where you sit in a huge rubber tyre and float along in a line, and all the lights were switched off on helmets, and the whole caves were just glowing with the glowworms, it was like a sparkly green night sky. ****** Interesting fact readers - glowworms are actually maggots, and the green glow you see is their poo. And they eat each other. They are cannibilistic poo shedders, but they are oh so pretty ******** We also did shooting down water shoots on our backs like a scene from Indiana Jones, it was so cool, and we learnt all about the glowworms, stalagnites and stalagmites. It was a great day, then in the evening we went to Maketu, where we stayed with a Mauri family. We were all given dinner which was traditionally cooked in a hangi, then we had to go through the greeting where you say "kiaora" which means "hello", and you shake hands and touch noses with every member of the family. They then put on a performance for us, dancing and singing, then the guys performed the Haka - which is the dance that the Kiwi All Black rugby team perform, and my god its fantastic. They are so scary when they do it, if I was faced with a Mauri doing that to me, I would say "take whatever you want" and run a mile. Its so amazing to watch, then the women performed the poi dance, which is with a ball and string. It was originally a heavy weight which the warriors would use to excercise their wrist muscles before going into battle as all weapons were hand held, but when the wars finished, the women took it up as entertainment. Afterwards the guys on our bus were taken off to learn the Haka, and us girls were taught the Poi, then we had to perform infront of each other, so the guys performed to us, and we performed to them. It was so funny, lots of entertainment and the guys were fantastic - full credit to them. Afterwards we hung out for a while, then we slept all together in the huge main room with a mattress on the floor. This is how the Mauris used to sleep, all in one room. Me and the girls managed to grab our cosy corner, but it was actually the best nights sleep I've had since being away, even though there were 30 of us in one room. I think its because everyone knew they had to be considerate, if not they would get their arses kicked.

Friday 7th October - met 2 English girls earlier this week called Shelley and Sarah who are hilarious and hanging out with me and Vicky, and we all went white water rafting today in Roturua. It was the most amazing experience and I would so fully recommend it. We did a grade 5, and we went over the highest commercial waterfall drop in the WORLD - it was 7metres. Our guide was a really cool Kiwi guy called Lee, and he got me in the back with him as I was the smallest (but it does pay to be the most vertically challenged sometimes - as you will see later), and he was such a laugh. We went over smaller falls and through rapids and then we got to the 7m waterfall, and it was like "OH MY GOD!!", anyway, I was lucky as Lee got me to tuck in the boat and hold on first as I was next to him, and all the others had to row right to the edge. I was like "Nice one mate, sweet as". There were 8 of us in total, including him, and there is a 50/50 chance that the raft will flip over when going over the fall, so we all held on for dear life. I can not even begin to describe the feeling, the adrenaline and exhiliration are beyond words, and we went straight over and we survived without flipping!!! Sarah got thrown out bless her, so she had to swim back to us and we all hauled her in, but it was amazingingly awesome. We then carried on and the story of my life happened. I survive the worlds largest commercial waterfall, and we get to a small one, the raft smacks the side rocks, the girl in fronts oar catches me, and out I plop into the water. I heard Lee shout "We have a swimmer!" and everyone is in hysterics, and I swam back laughing my head off, and Lee picked me up by the life jacket and hurled me back in, and I landed in a heap on the floor and couldn't get up I was laughing so much. Everyone was like 'how the hell did that happen??' and I just said I fancied a dip. The water was lovely and warm though. We finished up and it was just the coolest experience. Loved it. These Kiwi instructors are awesome, they are so laid back and relaxed and their sense of humour is fab. We went out tonight into town, me, Vicky, Shelley, Sarah, Will and Matt, and we went to a bar to see a really cool live band, they finished off with Rage Against The Machine, so quite a bit of moshing was going on. We got back about 3.30am and collapsed.

Saturday - today me, Shelley and Sarah went Zorbing in Rotorua, which consists of getting in a large hamster type ball which is full of water and rolling down a hill. It looked a bit tame from the top, but us 3 all got in together and its one of the most fun things I've done. To get in you fly like superman through the entrance, and Shelley and Sarah managed to get in a standing position inside the ball, but when I came flying in I knocked them off their feet so they couldn't get back up again. We then went rolling down the hill and it was awesome, it felt really fast and we were just sliding everywhere. When we got to the bottom we were just laughing so much it was so much fun. Vicky, Matt and Will were watching, and they said the other 2 girls were flying all over the place, and I was in an outstretched superwoman position the entire time. Then we went to go up the mountain on the gondola and went on the sky swing. Again it looked quite lame, but once you get in it and taken to your top position, you begin to laugh hysterically with nerves, then we were let go and went hurtling up through the sky. We all screamed, even Matt sat in the middle of us screamed like a little girl!! Then we went on the luge which is a racing track on a small car type thing. Anyway, Ive never done this before and after the 1st corner I crashed, came off and cut all my hand open. I took a 3 minute breather and got back on to perservere. BIG mistake. I tried to take it slightly easy and people were whizzing past, then we got to a big slope which I went shooting down at top speed, tried to brake but no such luck. I hit the side as the bloody thing lost control, and I went flying head first (again in my superwoman position - although obviously not so super) and hit the side and went skidding down on my front for metres. I was in a heap and people stopped to see if I was okay. I couldn't speak I was in shock (I am a wuss) and I was in so much pain I then burst into tears (really like a girl). The 2 girls who pulled over managed to call for help, and 2 women who worked there came down to patch me up. I managed to slice my hands and both elbows open, also huge cuts and grazes on my legs, stomach and hips, so bandages were put on, they shut the track and carted me back up to the top in a van where the others were waiting for me. I was okay, but my skin is still burning up like crazy where all my skin has come off. But HONESTLY guys, I am actually a good driver in real cars on real roads!!!! I'm just complete and utter s*** in those stupid bloody things. Never again. Ever. Anyway, it was a really fun afternoon apart from the injuries, but hey ho, such is life!!!! But anyone who knows me knows that I am the most clumsiest person ever. I even fall over on flat ground so it really is the story of my life. The girls said they were going back to the start of the track on the cable car, saw me down below wrapped in a blanket with the rescue women, and they shouted "Noush are you okay????". I shouted back "No, Im bloody dying!!". Vicky said they cracked up and said I was obviously fine as I still had my sense of humour, so they shouted they would see me back at the top. When I met them at the top Vicky bought me a cup of tea and chocolate bar to cheer me up. Bless her.

Sunday 9th November - woke up feeling like I've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I have a bruise and swelling the size of a golf ball on my left shin and a swelling the size of a golf ball on my right hip, a 10cm gash on my stomach, gashes on my feet, hands, arms, elbows and hips and it bloody well hurts!! The girls have been great and carried my bags for me and lugged them around as I'm finding it hard to walk let alone carry a backpack, but as I am truly hardcore I went skydiving anyway. We went to the centre in Taupo and did a 15,000 feet tandem jump. I did a 12,000 ft jump in 2005, but this was way better. I had the best instructor called Dale, he was an absolute little sweetheart, a real gem, and we got the DVD done too, and we were able to pick 3 music tracks to go on, so I picked 'I'm Alive' by Pearl Jam for the descent as I thought it was quite fitting. The jump was awesome, 65 seconds of freefall before whizzing around checking out the sights of Lake Taupo which is the size of Singapore!! It was the best feeling ever, absolutely amazing, and Dale was so cool. We were all on such a high that we had done it, and poor Will is scared of heights, and he was first out of the plane. Afterwards he had such a rush back on land that he had to lie down before passing out. I was the only one who's jumped before so I knew what to expect, but MY GOD - everyone should try it at least once in their life!! We then pitched up at our hostel, on such a high. Awesome. Truly truly awesome.

Tuesday 11th November - had such a crap nights sleep, Sarah in our room snores so badly its unreal, she sounds like a guy. Shelley was in the bunk above me and we were just crying with laughter as Sarah sounded like a farm yard animal who was asthmatic and constipated. Shelley put her i-pod on full blast and we could still here her so badly, so we decided to go out for a cigarette at 1am, and Sarah popped her little head up and sweetly said "Have I kept you awake?", to which we just collapsed on the floor in hysterics. When we came back in it was round 2 for snoring, and I think we were just so overtired we eventually managed to pass out after laughing for ages, how this girl did not wake herself up is beyond me - seriously she sounded like a dying walrus or something, but we had to be up at 6am to leave on the bus. We went up to Rongariora, where people were doing the 6-7 hour 19km hike across the crossing over mountains and 2 active volcanoes. Shelley was going to do it, but as no sleep was had due to Sarah's diabolical snoring, she opted out. I had really wanted to do it as its classed as the best one day walk in NZ, but considering the entire length of my shin is a purple bruise which aches every time I move it, and the gash on my stomach keeps tightening and opening up every time I move, I thought it would just be suicide, and I'm really no masochist. The crossing was over what was used as Mordor and Mt Doom in 'Lord of the Rings', so looking at it, if I was Frodo I would have said "Sod that for a laugh, not a chance in hell!", given the ring to someone else and gone back for a kip. N.B - if the world ever needs saving, NEVER give me the responsibility - you will all perish! Anyway, the views were stunning and we're staying in the most beautiful hostel, but it also doubles up as a hotel and motel, hence why we have pillows that actually resemble pillows and not a plank of wood. Us girls went for a short wander to a filed and sunned ourselves, then went back and collapsed with some DVD's on the huge comfy sofas and beanbags, had a kip through one of the films, then woke up for the next one. The others came back from the walk looking like death, so the decision to opt out was the best one. I would have just got half an hour up then probably cried as my leg and side are in so much pain, so looking at their photos was good enough for me. Its an absolutely gorgeous location, so peaceful and beautiful. There was a group that went on the walk yesterday and there was an Israeli couple who did not do it in the 7 hour timegap, so got left behind on the pick up, so I think a call out had to be made to go and get them (which would cost them as well). Their actually sat next to me now on the other screen, so at least they didn't cark it!! Off to Wellington tomorrow for one night, then off to do the south Island. Whoop whoop!!

Wednesday - went to Wellington and hit the bars with the guys. Enough said, it was quite messy. We ended up having a random Indian dinner later on, and I must say I'm disappointed, not a patch on the Indians back home. Not much else to report apart from a sore head and a mouth like Gandi's flip flop in the morning - Nice.

Thursday - gorgeous day today so spent some time catching the rays in the park, nursing a wine in an outside bar and watching Wellington go by. Its a really lovely city and one that I can definately see myself going back to and working in, its really pretty and everything is so chilled. We then went to the famous Te Papa museum which was actually really really good, had all the history of the people and making of the land of NZ, with loads of interactive stuff too.