An early start for me to get the ferry from Wellington to Picton in the south island. The bus leaves at 7.15am and we arrive at the ferry early which doesn't leave until 10.30am. Across the cook strait we go which takes 3 hours and is, as expected, stunningly beautiful! Once at Picton we pick our luggage up and get straight on the bus and head for Nelson.

When we arrived, a group of us headed up the 'Centre of New Zealand' walkway which gave incredible 360 views.

That night we stayed in a place called fern lodge which was lovely. There was a big roast in the evening and a free beer tasting session! Great success!

Next up is Westport. On the way through we stop at Lake Rotoiti. One of the most beautiful places in the world apparently! There was a jetty and we got to jump off and of course I didn't hesitate in showing off my flips! My bus driver got a couple of great photos.

The next day we travel from Westport to Lake Mahinapua, 435km down the spectacular west coast. We stopped for three walks along the way, my favourite being the pancake rocks and blowholes.

When we arrived at lake Mahinapua hotel, we were greeted by a very eccentric old guy called Les. He was very nice and cooked us a massive steak meal including a delicious venison stew. That night there was a big group party and the theme was bin bags so that made for some interesting costumes! I went as a cowboy...

On what I think was day 14 of my trip the bus headed down to Franz Josef. The drive down was fascinating and all my A-level geography came flooding back. There were lots of Kettle lakes around which is where glaciers retreat and leave huge chunks of ice behind that melt and form deep lakes.

Westland Tai Poutini National Park is a striking feature of the glacial region, and includes the two famous glaciers, Frans Josef and Fox glacier. So of course, doing geography at University, I had to do a glacier hike! And wow, what an experience!! It was incredible! It was enormous and we had an 8 hour return hike across the glacier. I took some great snaps to show you when I get home!

The following day we headed to Wanaka and we stopped at a place called Lake Matheson, we took some unbelievable photos of the lake with the mountains reflecting off them. Absolutely amazing!

A few hours later and we were in Wanaka which had scenery to die for! There was a big lake surrounded by mountains and forests! A quiet night in playing pool and a few beers and then up the next morning to climb Mount Iron! I felt manly climbing it, sure! Up there were more spectacular views of snowy peaked mountains, farm land and the lake. It was about an hour and a half round trip.

Our next stop was Queenstown but that will have to wait as it will take up a whole blog to tell you about my time here! In a few days just before I leave I will post my final NZ blog!

Much love from my favourite new country!!

Xxxx