Hi guys, can't believe this is our last journal entry from New Zealand. We've enjoyed it here so much we really don't want to leave! Anyway at least we're leaving the cold weather for some sunshine in Fiji (hopefully!). So here's what we've been up to.

After leaving Dunedin we travelled to Te Anau where we stopped overnight for a trip the next day to Milford Sound. It was raining really badly on the day of the trip, but this was actually a good thing as it made the waterfalls and scenery which Milford Sound is famous for, all the more spectacular. We did a boat trip on Milford Sound which included a delicious buffett! The boat then took us past lots of waterfalls, one of which it actually went under and we got soaked trying to take pictures!

The trip from Milford Sound ended in Queenstown where we spent a few nights. Our room had a beautiful view of the mountains and the town which was made even better when it snowed. From Queenstown we did a trip to Mount Cook. We had a lovely drive through the National Park and past lakes and mountains and then arrived at the Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook. Here it was really cold and snowed lots so we didn't explore too far! We were quite happy sat round the log fires inside the hotel which was really cozy.

From Queenstown we travelled North up the West Coast to Franz Josef. This was just a small town but famous for it's Glacier nearby. We actually did a walk on the Glacier which was one of our top experiences so far. When we arrived we had to kit up in walking gear including waterproof trousers and hiking boots. We then had to walk (well actually hobble) for 45 minutes over rocks and boulders in a valley to get to the Glacier. The walk was made worse as there was a frost that morning so the rocks were really slippery. We also had to walk through some streams so we had nice wet feet! Once we arrived at the Glacier we had to fit metal spikes to our boots so we could walk on the ice. Our guide was a really funny American guy who spent the whole time making fun of us trying to walk carefully over the ice while he just skipped down the slopes easily. We managed to make it without slipping over completely! The ice was beautiful, it was clear and blue in some places and you could look through it and in other places it was white like snow. We had to climb through holes and narrow passages in the ice and after all this when we got off the Glacier we had to walk 45 minutes back to the bus! The whole experience was awesome and well worth all the walking though.

Next we travelled to Nelson which is a really nice, arty crafty town. From here we did a trip to Abel Tasman National Park. First we got a Water Taxi which took us out into the National Park. On the way we stopped at the Tonga Island Seal Colony to see the seals. Some of them were 6 months old and were really cute! Then the Water Taxi dropped me and Ben at a deserted beach where there were no other people around and we were the only two who got dropped here. As it was a sunny day, the beach looked lovely and was really quiet and peaceful. We got dropped at the beach with a trail map and had to walk through the National Park to another beach where the Water Taxi was picking us up later that day. We had to walk down the trail to find the beach where we were being picked up but luckily we got there in time and didn't get stranded on a deserted beach!

Since Nelson we've been travelling back up to Auckland. On the way we stopped at Hamilton where we got to watch the All Blacks V Canada. This was another awesome experience and a fantastic way to end our New Zealand trip. The All Blacks beat Canada 64 - 13 which was pretty much expected but the atmosphere at the game was great and seeing the Haka performed live sent shivers down our spine.

We're now back in Auckland waiting to fly to Fiji on Tuesday. There's no internet on the island in Fiji or anything else for that matter so the next time you hear from us will be in America.