Having successfully queue jumped onto the first Kiwi bus out of Nelson, our destination for the next day was the uninspiring coastal town of Westport. En route we stopped for lunch at the impressive Lake Rotoiti. It was here that we were encouraged to ignore the pleasant lawn areas around the lake, along with the agreeable temperatures associated with dry land, and take a running jump off the pier into the freezing water. The purpose of such as jump appeared to be two fold. One was the opportunity to catch hypothermia in spectacular surroundings and second was to obtain one of the greatest Facebook profile pictures we could ever expect to get. It was a proposition that James wisely declined and one Dave and Ant gleefully accepted. Despite the efforts of numerous photographers, none were able to capture a photo of us in flight and thus Dave and Ant left the water cold and picture-less. Having dried off and warmed up a tad, Ant and Dave joined James on the grass where another new great sport was invented. With lush golden beaches at a premium, Sandball was on rocks for now as we utilised the tennis balls for a fresh grass bound game. The object was to preserve lives by catching and throwing well, whilst trying to unsettle opponents with vicious and accurate bullet-like throws. Our game spread like wildfire and we were joined by Will and Ben as well as two other passionate sport enthusiasts in the inaugural `Tennis Ball Game`, game. The venue had just one flaw: sand flies. These little creatures are thirstier for blood than we are for a beer after just moments of exercise and as a result we came away from the game with more injuries than anticipated. These devilish specimen would be a nuisance throughout the New Zealand.

After leaving Lake Rotoiti, we continued our journey to Westport, passing through the impressive Buller Gorge, before arriving at our hostel. That evening, we were treated to a BBQ cooked by Zippy. Having been starved of any food other than pasta over the previous few days, we bought a typically gargantuan amount of meat and were able to teach our fellow travellers, Will and Ben, a thing or two about the joys of eating.

The next day we headed further down the coast to Lake Mahinapua, home of the infamous fancy dress party at the affectionately named Poo Pub. Our drive took us along the imposing shoreline of the Tasman Sea but unfortunately, many of the planned stops were hampered by the torrential rain. En route to the Poo Pub we stopped at Greymouth, the town situated at the end of the impressive Trans-Alpine Railway which spans the breadth of New Zealand`s south island. It is here that the Salvation Army surely has there most profitable outlet. The market for clothes older than most of the population of Greymouth may initially make one believe it is a less than well visited store. However, when a bus full of backpackers lands in town with the instruction of getting dressed up in `60s clothing, the Salvation Army becomes a hotbed of sought after labels. On arrival at the Poo Pub, we were greeted by a raucous, bearded, pint-sized 80+ year old man, who dealt out a series of ground rules not fully accepted by all parties. One such rule was refusing to allow any alcohol onto site. Despite having no alcohol, James proceeded to protest and insist that he would bring his imaginary bottle of vodka on site in his bag anyway. For Les, our host, this was not a laughing matter and as the red mist descended, a barrage of abuse including a threat to "knock James` block off" was hurled in his direction, most of which cannot be repeated in our ever so tasteful blogs. James finally backed down to a man a third his size.

Before our night of fancy dress began we were treated to a fantastic steak dinner which included an even better homemade venison stew. Post large stomach lining, we changed into our assortment of clothes seemingly not limited by decade or gender and made our way to the bar, with Dave and James looking remarkably like pimps and Ant sporting an uncanny resemblance to Elton John. However, somewhat surprisingly, we were far from the worst dressed in the bar. Notable mentions must go to two Swedish gents dressed as `60s lorry drivers and an Italian curiously dressed in a wetsuit and a single glove. In spite of our best efforts, Ant did the best out of us, coming just outside the medals in fourth place. He was well beaten by a tinfoil clad hippie, closely followed by a 1969 space shuttle. Drinks flowed and a collection of questionable music blared from the juke box as a good night was had by all. It proved to be a great icebreaker for the group with whom we would continue to befriend over the following week.

The following day we stumbled out of our basic accommodation slightly worse for wear, thankful that our first stop was going to be at the Bushman Centre famous for its food. As well as a delightful fry up and superb crepes, the centre also specialised in cooking any road kill you could get your hands on and had the tasteful tagline, "you kill it, we grill it". Refreshed, we left the centre to make our way to Franz Joseph, in the heart of Westland Tai Poutini Natioal Park. Shortly after arriving, Ant and Dave decided to take the opportunity to go on the highly recommended Kayak tour around Lake Mapourika. The tour took us across the 3km wide lake, offering spectacular views of the snow capped Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, New Zealand's two tallest mountains. The highlight however came as we kayaked through the tranquil waters that stretched through the rainforest. We were both taken aback by the quiet of the place and how reflective the still water was, something that made for great pictures and a memorable experience. The journey back was all about speed and who was going to reach the shore first. Both determined to beat an intensely irritating couple who were on our trip, Dave and Ant easily brushed them aside to leave a straight shootout between the two Hertfordshire boys. In a titanic battle (devoid of icebergs) that included a questionable overtaking maneuver by Dave that left Ant floundering, Dave returned to the shore victorious and able to add kayaking alongside his list of triumphs this trip. On our return we joined the rest of the boys in our room that had a spectacular view overlooking the hostel hot tub. With such an inviting view we felt compelled to make use of the facility and headed in to the pool to chill out in preparation for our glacier hike the following day.

Up early we headed over to the Franz Joseph Glacier Guides Centre to get ready to start our hike. It was here that for the first time in the trip Dave's knee would be an issue. Despite his willingness to climb, his knee was a cause for concern for the instructors who were unsure how he would be able to cope on the ice. After some gentle persuasion and outstanding negotiation skills Dave was to be allowed to climb, however he would have to be separated from James and Ant and walk in group 5, the slowest group designed for unconfident walkers. Needless to say this was a disappointment, even more so when it was later discovered both groups went to the same places on the ice and that the track wasn't nearly as dangerous as the instructors had made out. Regular short messages over the walkie talkies could be heard questioning Dave's progress mixed in with a distress call as Ant and James realised they still had Dave's lunch on them after the groups had been split. Crampons donned, Ant and James powered on up the icy slopes into the distance as Dave and his companion for the day, Harwil, snaked up the glacier as a snails pace. The hike was a great experience, something that Ant and James hadn't done before and was very different to anything on the trip so far.

After all that hard work, we made it back to the hostel and changed into swimming trunks once again as the lure of the hot tub overwhelmed us. That evening we chilled in the Monsoon Bar which had the great tag line, "It rains, we pour" and waited around for the advertised Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) competition. With only 32 places available, you can imagine the melee that ensued as we fought for our chance to win an unknown prize. With the months of training we had all put in on the trip so far, it was a great shock to see Dave exit so early as his first round opponent proved too much to deal with, continuing his terrible form. Ant and James made light work of their first two games, cruising through to the quarter finals without breaking a sweat. However, this swift progress was halted abruptly as Ant crashed out to a very strong female opponent, only confirming Ant's RPS status as a ´nearly man´. Clearly pumped up, James was in full flow at this stage, taking a house favourite out at the quarter final stage as his good form coming into the tournament continued. Four wins in a row in pre-season had done his confidence the world of good and after much needed stretching, he dispatched his semi final challenger with consummate ease, living up to his name of the Iron Man. This display of confidence coupled with his victory over a local favorite in the quarters had clearly riled the home crowd and James went into the final as the pantomime villain. 30 people down, James faced a best of 5 match against the pre tournament favorite and the prodigal talents of Dr. Aids to take the coveted prize and the glory. James established a quick early lead which was soon equalled and then reversed as the victory looked as though it was slipping away from him at 2-1 down. A brave call of paper from the Iron Man made it 2-2 and after collecting his thoughts, James sealed an epic victory on unfamiliar territory to the home crowd's dismay but our elation. His reward was an AJ Hacket Nevis Arc, a prize with a monetary value of over $150. However the glory and the pride gained for such a mammoth performance was priceless for the Iron Man.

The following day, we headed to our next stop of Wanaka. En route, we stopped off at Lake Matheson where the tranquil waters reflected the overlooking Mount Cook. It was one of the most spectacular sights we had seen on the south island to date. After yet another picturesque drive along the coast we headed inland through Haast before hitting Lake Wanaka. The majority of that afternoon was spent on one of our favourite pastimes, the Tennis Ball Game. Ant's unexpected defeat in RPS has obviously taken its toll as his ability to catch went AWOL as he slumped to an early defeat and as such would be responsible again for the first drink round of the evening. After finishing the game, we headed to the supermarket with Will and Ben to pick up supplies. We soon got distracted by the cereal aisle. Following a debate that wrangled for well over half an hour it was decided that Mars Rice Krispie cakes were the order of the day. We hurriedly bought the ingredients and scuttled back to the hostel with uncontrollable excitement. Over the next hour, 5 giddy chefs crowded the stove immersed in cooking and intently focused on the task in hand. The result was a triumph in cooking and a kitchen full of exceptionally jealous hostel residents.

The following day we left the impressive Lake Wanaka and headed for Queenstown. On route we stopped at Puzzling World where we spend most of our time failing to solve fiendishly difficult puzzles. After this slightly pointless stopover, we headed to the Kawarau Bridge, home of the world's first commercial bungy jump. It was here Ant decided to sign his life away and wave goodbye to a considerable amount of cash for the privilege of jumping off a high platform attached to a bit of elastic a couple of days later.

Shortly before arriving in Queenstown, our driver Zippy took us on a slight detour to his home town of Arrowtown, a charming old town with plenty of character. During our time in New Zealand we quickly realised that pies were something of a national dish. Given their availability at most of the stops we made on the Kiwi Bus we had all become connoisseurs of this savory dish. However, nothing we had experienced over the last two weeks came close to the Bolognaise pie we experience in Arrowtown. It was a taste sensation. Soon after leaving Arrowtown we skirted around the edge of Lake Wakatipo and finally arrived in the adventure capital of the world and the party capital of New Zealand, Queenstown.

Ant, Dave and James