well have i got a lot of catching up to do! here goes!!

ok so since doing my skydive i left the group i have travelled and got on with well from auckland and joined the east as bus! i was fortunate again to meet a good group of people and we experienced the north east of north island NZ.... which is a lot more rural and back to basics lifestyle! it was a 3 day tour in which i got to stay with maori families in lodges. the first night we stayed in te kaha and had a fun night singing with chay the host, everyone having to come up with a song realting to either theior country or name! i chose que sera! nearest i could get! good way to get to know everyones names on my bus and in a beautiful setting.

second night we headed for rangitukia, where i got to bone carve a necklace, and go horse riding! never been a horsey person and lets say i was not converted! my horse wanted to keep up with the experienced riders so i encountered galloping up a steep hill on my first horse riding experience! not something i'll be doing again!

third night we stayed in a place near gisbourne where they had a pet penguin which they had rescued! check the photos out...he is so cute!! i was tempted to steal him in the night but thought better of it!

next day headed to napier on a separate expedition but barbara and paul from my bus joined me! went to visit rene, who i met on trek america. we met up and went to a blues, brews and bbq festival which was lots of fun. you pay for paper money and then take this round to the stalls to pay for beer and food! needless to say the novelty of paper money makes u spend more! also on entry you get a glass tankard which i'm still carrying, and all ur beer is poured in that! the live music was cool to! after that finished, went to sample napier night life with rene. real nice to catch up with him.

next day headed to taupo for a night before headed south to river valley, where u saty in a remote lodge miles from anywhere.... but you are near to a grade 5 river in which i went white water rafting! was fun, not as scary as i thought it would be..... my fave part was when we jumped out and floated down the rapids!

next stop wellington, the capital of NZ. although it doesn't have a capital city feeling about it. its an arty quirky kinda place where theres lots of coffee shops, alternate food and clothes. i visited the te papa museum which has lots of interactive features to keep kids and the likes of me entertained. also went to check out the parlimentary building as i'm a very political person.... or was it because its shaped like a beehive?? i'll let you come to ur own conclusions! stayed for two nights so was able to go to the theatre..... saw rabbit, it was really cool play that focused on friendship, relationships and the complications of every day life! it was a bit like watching myself socialising with my bessies!!!

oooo also had my first taste of sushi in wellington, which i loved!

from wellington its a ferry ride to the south island, a scenic one at that. Nelson is a really idellyic place and is the centre of NZ.

from nelson, headed south down the west coast, in which i have had several stops and experiences. buller gorge jet boating being one,,,, a jet boat ride over shallow water due to a hamilton engine, allowing the boat to swerve and do 360 turns. i was the only one screaming.....it wasn't scary but i coukldn't help it!

had a girly night watching bridget jones.... such a nice luxury!

next big stop was franz josef.... where i did the full day glacier hike. were given all the gear, including crampons to help me grip to the ice! was a real cool day of walking, gripping to the ice, crawling through holes and squeezing inbetween ice.... check out my photos! its hard to explain, but a cool sensation! loved walking on ice, another reason why i might want to go to my dream location of antartica!!

travelled past mount cook and fox glacier into wanaka. another idellyic spot, infact it is a smaller version of queenstown, beautiful lake, with stunning imposing mountains, a little town centre and a stop in a cool hostel!

NEXT STOP QUEENSTOWN AND MY CURRENT LOCATION! am working in a hostel for accomodation, 14 hours a week...sweet! clean in morning on days working and then i'm done! its wierd being in the same place for more than a few nights! am finding i don't know what to do with myself!!! i find chilling out and still getting things done a hard thing to do, being an all or nothing person!!

have been going for walks and doing a full day walk tomorro with a gathering of friends. queenstown is ace, beautiful scenery, can escape and just chill out by the lake or in the queenstown gardens and then at night there is always a party happening somewhere!!!!

well, thats all. will be in touch when get into christchurch and hook up with steve and nikki! looking forward to that x