hello one and all!

ok... just remembered that i forgot to put on my last blog that i went kayaking with steve, nikki and her dad along the river avon, which was uber cool and gave me my first experience of kayaking with pedals!!

since my last blog i spent a few more days in christchurch, mainly chilling out with my good friend Jolene, who i met on the kiwi experience and spent time with in queenstown. we got on really well and had so many giggles over just stupid silly mundane things, and the fact that we must look like aliens as everyone in christchurch seemed to stare at us wherever we went!.... we also had a spa day, found a grocers that sold imported goods (so i had my cadbury's and walkers crisps fix!) and took in the sun at the beautiful botanical gardens.

i also visited the antartica centre where i got to see little blue penguins in their nests and being fed. my fave was called elvis and he was blind so he had to walk with his nose in the air and was even more clumsy in his penguin waddle than the others!

finally met up with J (who i met in the states) after his flights were delayed from antartica but the two of us are now travelling round the south island. we had a few nights out in christchurch before heading to hanmer springs for the day with steve and nikki. we then stayed on in hanmer and proceeded north the next day to nelson hitch hiking! Met some really nice people while h-hiking ...the irony being that most of them were from areas near to coventry or had at one time lived there! based on their descriptions J now knows that coventry is a horrible place and that finham is by the sewage works!!!......... but i feel coventry has been redeemed as the people are obviously nice (thats us!!) and thats why they gave us a lift!!

one couple we met, cousins from coventry own a dairy farm just outside christchurch and they offered us a place to stay after we returned from abel tasman, so thats where we are currently and this afternoon we're going to help milk the cows and maybe a spot of rabbit shooting! i'm excited!

abel tasman... we did a 5 day kayak trip, in the most beautiful scenery and camping on beaches or campsites in the national park that could easily be mistaken for paradise. lots of lush greenery, bright blue aqua tasman sea, white sandy beaches and for the most part sun! we did have a rainy day in which it downpoured none stop all day. reminded me of a british holiday! ooooo also saw while we were kayaking a penguin swimming in the sea and a seal!

ok so we're back in christchurch, have hired a car and i'm loving driving again, although there is hardly any traffic, pretty much only one road to travel along to get to a destination and its an automatic so my left hand and foot feels useless!

well the plans are to head to hokitika in a few days for a wild foods festival!

will let you know how the cow milking goes!!!

hope all is well x x x x