Sunday 15th March

Today I made my way via taxi to the Bluebridge ferry in Wellington to head to the South Island. There were 6 people from my previous bus also going today but only Youst and I shared the taxi. It might not be far from the hostel but we had to be there for 7am so I really didn't fancy walking it with all my bags.

The crossing takes 3 hours and while it certainly has some amazing scenery either end, I didn't go outside until the very end. Now I know your all sat at home shaking your heads at me. In my defence it was cold and dreary, so staying inside on a comfy seat watching George Clooney save Sandra Bullock and then watching the irresistible Frozen (such a guilty pleasure!), seemed a much better option. That said, I was just pleased that it was an easy crossing as we had heard a few days ago that Cyclone Pam was heading towards the North Island and meant to arrive today. Nobodies quite sure where it will go when it arrives but it has been put up to level 5- the most dangerous level there is!

On arriving in Picton all the Stray passengers huddled together -in surprisingly nice weather- and awaited our new bus. I already knew my new driver was 'Wee man' but until I got on the bus, I was unaware that i'd already met him at the Blue Duck!

As we journeyed towards Nelson, Wee man had us come up and introduce ourselves as there were only a few people from the last bus on board. This is my fourth bus and driver and I have to say my first bus that isn't dominated by the Dutch. There are some but maybe only a 4th of the bus which is great. We have 3 other girls from England, people from France, Canada, Germany. Its a much better mix than usual and again im lucky in that there are only 23 of us. Though how this is possible when so many people were having issues booking on the bus on this leg, I don't know!

So about half an hour after leaving Picton we stopped at a winery. This region is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc so we tried one of those along with some others. I liked a couple of them- like the dessert wine- but I preferred the ones on the East Cape.

We stopped for lunch in a small town but apart from that we didn't stop and I can't tell you much else as I dozed alot! Its ridiculous how tired im feeling when 60%of my time is spent sat on transport of some kind!

I woke as we were approaching Motueka and I suddenly felt as though sleep wasn't my friend- I had signed up for the Hang gliding and we were about to get dropped off for it! Soon waking up, i got off the bus with 4 others and weighed in and then the wait began. Mine wasn't too bad though as I went second.

I got given a fleece to protect my arms, a helmet and sunglasses. Then I went across and had to step into this padded suit and then got hooked up. Once Trevor the guy in charge was ready, I took a step forward and found myself laying parallel to both Trevor and the ground.

This is the only place in New Zealand that do take off via Microlight. What I mean by this is that we are tied on to a microlight and then pulled up with them as it takes off and only released when we're ready and able.

I really enjoyed this experience as it was calm and easy on take off and landing and once your up there, you have an amazing view of Abel Tasman National Park and the coastline.

Back on the ground I sat out in the sun as everyone else did there gliding. I got talking to a couple who are friends of Trevor's. They're actually from Essex originally, having made 'the big move' 5 years ago. They love it out here and it was really interesting talking to them about the change in lifestyle. Like me, back in the UK they were always looking to the next trip, but in comparison since moving out here they've barley left.

Its also quite interesting talking to the Trevor's wife as she told us it was a small group of friends who did hang gliding as a hobby and competed in a few competitions that decided to make it into a business in 2004. It was a long road to getting it off the ground though as without it fitting any of the know air activities (paragliding/ skydiving etc) NZ aviation didn't quite know what to do with them. This means this small group of people have pretty much written the book on hang gliding in NZ as they were the first to turn it into a business. Even moving from the North Island to the South to do so.

Once we'd all glided we got a lift to the supermarket and then on to our accommodation for the next 2 nights. Or in my case, the next 4. 'The Barn' is a backpackers come campsite, a lot like one of the places we stayed on the East Cape. We did a group dinner consisting of burgers and I spent some time talking to two of the Brit girls. I also ran into Kim and spent some time talking to her -mostly about how few people did the Tongariro without injury. I also saw Papa G and Miriam, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her.

Monday 16th March

Today I was having a layin. It was awesome despite still getting woken early by my roommates! This is the first time in what feels like ages that I didn't have to get up at a certain time for something so I stayed in bed until 10am. I then went to get breakfast and again got talking to the girl from near Reading.

After sitting on the same picnic bench - again in the sun which we weren't supposed to have- for an hour, I decided I should get going if I was going to hike at all. That said I really couldn't be bothered!

On walking out of the campground entrance I saw an ad on the fence opposite talking about riding in Abel Tasman. I tried to work out where the office was but gave up as I figured I could sort it later. Walking down to the start of the coastal walk I read up on it a little before setting off. By then it was around noon.

While the accommodation is fairly sufficient - not nearly enough toilets or showers- and I knew we could see the beach from where we were, I never knew exactly how beautiful this area is until i'd started walking. I'd arranged to spend an extra few days here as I had seen pictures of the coast line but nothing really prepares you for how stunning it is. To my left was the National park which the path takes you along the edge of. On the right was the turquoise blue water with Islands and Mountain ranges in the distance. It really is paradise.

I spent maybe 3 hours walking in all with another hour taking pictures and sat on the beach. I was planning on going swimming but in the end I wimped out again. I will before I leave NZ though. How's that?

Back at The Barn I spent some time talking to one of my roommates- amazing the difference 20yrs can make when looking at a guy only in his underpants- before walking down the road and sorting out riding for tomorrow. I'm so excited.

I spent the rest of the evening chilling out and resting some more. What? It is paradise afterall :)

Tuesday 17th March

So as of today I have been away from home for 2 months and 1 day, making me just over halfway through my trip. Its amazing how quickly time goes and I find that while I'm enjoying myself, it is like one holiday after another. Don't get me wrong this is not a bad thing! But where I'm trying to see and do as much as possible, it does mean I move about almost everyday and this can get old.

Hence the fact that though my roommates woke me again at about 7am, I wasn't too upset. Okay maybe a little as I could have potentially slept as late as 9.30am if I'd wanted, but either way, I'm staying 4 nights in the same place so it's almost like I have a home base for awhile so i'm happy.

I waited until they all packed up and left before getting up. Since I wouldn't be getting new roommates until this afternoon I made the most of having the room to myself and switched beds! I'd been sharing with the group I had gone hang gliding with and had ended up on the bottome of the only bunk in the room. The only saving grace being that I was the second to last in, meaning I wasn't stuck with the top bunk again! Anyway with the room clear I decided to move to the single bed in the far corner and got to switching all the bedding around.

After this I pulled my bag apart and rearranged everything before actually doing a -very- short workout in my room. With the curtains pulled and the sliding glass doors locked!

A little before 10am I went to get breakfast and took my time. With both the normal Stray bus and the Stray journey bus ( Strays all inclusive option) pulling out that morning, it's amazing how quiet it was. I contemplated doing my laundry but I really wanted to wait as long as possible and since im going riding there didn't seem much point yet. Speaking of, it was raining. Yay.

Luckily by the time I left at 11.15am it was dry and looking a little brighter. On entering the field opposite where the rides leave from, I found two horses tied up but no person to go with them! I knew there was meant to be another experienced rider as well as myslef so I figured since I was early the owner Brian may have been getting the 3rd horse in.

I was wrong. At exactly half past Brian came into the makeshift yard and explained that it was just us. Apparently despite being an experienced rider the other women had been scared off by the rain. I'm guessing she's not British!

I quickly learned that Brian is very laid back and a 'dump the tack on and go' kind of guy. No fuss or fanfare but he seemed happy to be taking an experienced rider rather than a novice. He would later be quite blunt on his views of people doing it to try it out and check it off a list. As you can guess there not favourable.

On leaving the field we headed towards the beach. Along the road Niva and I had a little scare when a lorry overtook us before we even realised it was there. It turns out they have just as many ignorant drivers as we do back home, the only difference is that there are less horses on the road.

Brian explained to me that he no longer gallops or even canters anymore but I was free to have a good blast on the beach. So I did. I left him and headed to the sea which is a long way out here and then turned around and came back part way before heading out again. I walked Niva through the water and she was good as gold. I would soon learn that trot is not a pace she enjoys. There's walk, trot as a lead in to canter and then canter. Nothing more and nothing less. Canter is what she likes and for that alone I fell in love with her!

Once Brian caught up he dismounted and offered to take some pictures on my 'telephone'. You may have guessed that he's not a real fan of the latest gadgets. He encouraged me to push her on and go some more, not that it took much so I spent maybe another 10minutes alternating between walk and canter as he did his best to take a few pictures.

On our way off the beach Brian started trotting which should have been fine but Niva really does not want to trot. We had a little war going on as I tried not to let her canter too much as we would then overtake and that wound Brians horse up!

Back on the road Brian led me down the road saying that we'd do something different as I had earlier said I didn't mind what we did. I was just happy to be riding. True to his word we did do something very different.

I herded sheep.

Yep, you heard me right. He needed to check on the sheep so we went through the fields opening gates. Then as we approached the bottom field Brian informed me that he needed to move the younger sheep up to the first field we'd opened so they could get some better grass in them. Did I mind? Nope.

By this point though Brian was walking with his horse and he stood at the bottom of the field and told me to follow the fenceline to come up behind them. I did as I was told and we brought them down to the first gate. Getting them through that they then headed further into that field rather than go though the second gate so I went and got them back. At this point both Niva and myself seemed to be enjoying ourselves.

Going through the next bit was a little tricky. They needed to go up to the left on a narrow path where I would need to dismount again to get under. But there sheep so they went right and around the corner onto a different track. Brian sent me after them and a few minutes later we made our way back around the corner, 2 dozen sheep in front of us.

Hopping off quickly I followed Brian up the bank with Niva and then he's urging me to hurry up as the field there going along holds there mums and is the trickiest part to keep them moving on. Swinging quickly back into the saddle Niva and I carefully trotted behind them, pushing them on and falling back when necessary so we didn't spook them.

We made it to the next gate where there's a 3 foot watery ditch so we came up behind them and kept them moving into the field beyond. Having found that Niva is quite adept at jumping ditches on the beach I didn't worry to much but I did slow down enough so that we were safe and clear of sheep in front of us.

Once in this big field I wasn't sure if we were pushing them up so I let them be until Brian caught up. They spread out some but were all grazing so I wasn't too worried so long as they didn't try to come backwards. Once Brian caught up we pushed them on from opposite ends with me watching for any breakaways. Again having to go up a narrow ridge with low trees, I trusted Niva with her footing and concentrated on trying to push the branches out of our way.

As we came through, the sheep made for the righhand track rather than the open gate in front of them. Dumb sheep! I tried pushing Niva on but she wasn't having any of it as we were that far infront of Brian and his horse. But that's alright as Brian was happy with what we'd done and was undecided on trying to get them back as there's so many different directions for them to go in.

Remounting we agreed to give it one go, so off we went. We were down by the river by the time we managed to get behind them and then Brain told me to back off as there were a couple of sheep who might try to go through the water if pushed. Slowly inching forward we turned them back towards the track with Brain begining to block off the river escape. It was upto Niva and I to cover the way they'd been heading before we came after them- the forest.

Surprisingly we got them all moving in the right direction and back through the little trailer park. Then with Brian pushing them on, I dealt with the other breakaways of which there were maybe 8 sheep and 3 different attempts. Brain then rode on to cover the track we'd originally eneterd, leaving me to herd them all in. Not bad if I do say so myself!

Once the gate was shut we turned and went back down the track the sheep had headed down. We crossed the river -which was deep enough that it almost reached my feet- and rode for a few minutes through the forest. We ended up coming through the Mcdonald campsite and back down the road leading to the field just as the rain started again.

Quickly untacking I gave Niva a fuss before Brian gave me an apple to give her. We then turned them out and I made my way back to The Barn with me resisting the urge to book another ride for tomorrow! Back at the accomodation I lazed around for a few hours while it tipped down. I met my new roommate Anga, who seemed really nice and grabbed a shower while it's quiet.

As I got back I found I had a second roommate but only as I saw her stuff. As I was getting ready to go out though Julia came in and we started talking. She asked me for ideas on what to do with her one day here so I made some suggestions. Having mentioned the ride I learnt she has a horse back home ( a really gorgous grey spanish horse) and misses riding having been in Australia for 6 months.

I gave her directions to the booking office but on leaving a few minutes after her I saw her looking as lost as I felt when I tried to find it yesterday so I ran up to meet her and walked her down. I did resist booking to go with her but I seriously think I may go back in the morning. Yes it'll be the same thing and maybe not as good as the first time but I really did love it, so what will I regret more? Spending the extra money or not?

We parted ways at the bottom of the road, I went into the cafe for a drink while Julia went for a walk down the beach. With a view across the beach I enjoyed an hour or so here before braving the rain to head 'home'.

Another day in Paradise done.

Wednesday 18th March

So this morning all 3 of us woke about the same time at 8am ish. Earlier than the 9.30 i'd been striving for but a much better nights sleep with the two more considerate roommates!

As has become habit the last couple of days, I didn't rush up. When I did emerge I was still toying with the idea of riding a second day in a row. But given how little I ride anymore, I was a little sore already. I began walking down towards the town though this cosisits of just a cafe and shop really. I walked down further to a little bay and sat in the sun for a few minutes.

Walking back towards The Barn I took the road that we had ridden down the day before. On reaching the 'Rocking chair' furniture maker I entered the workshop, my step more than a little uncertain. I spent an embaressing amount of time dithering over whether to interrupt the guy I could hear working in the back.

As I made my decision he finished up with the power tools he was using anyway so I took that as a good sign. His name was Dave and I spent the next hour attempting to learn the basics of archery from him. How to hold a bow, how to stand, how to aim and how to shoot.

I spent maybe 30/40minutes trying a couple of different bows out and trying to hit a target. I actually did better when he was shouting instructions at me- go figure! I was pretty useless overall always forgetting my stance but I had fun trying it and think I may have another go at a different time. Maybe when I'm home and stressed out :)

The rest of the day I passed by doing a short walk along the coastal path and stopping in the sun to read awhile. On the way back I stopped for fish and chips at the well known burger place. Such a shame I know but I'm not a huge burger fan with all the crap they put into them. Besides we had burgers the first 2 nights in Abel Tasman.

Julia enjoyed her ride. Well actually she loved it and made me a little envious that I'd passed up the opportunity to join her. But all in all im happy to have left her to enjoy her own ride and done my own thing. While I spent a few hours doing the boring thing of laundry, I ran into a group from the East Cape trip and looks like they'll be on the bus with me tomorrow.

Thursday 19th March

This morning I got up and ready to hop back on the bus at 8.15. It turns out that there were a good number of people that I knew hopping back on the bus today from my previous two buses plus those I'd seen from the east cape trip.

As we made our way to Westport we crossed Buller Gorge which flooded badly in 2002. So badly in fact that the water was higher than the road! Again I must check out the youtube videos. Apart from this the only significant stop we made today was at Cape Foulwind outside of the town. Here we did a coastal path walk that took about 45mins or so, spotting seals along the way.

On arriving in Westport the rest of the evening was passed we the unfortunate task of trying to clean everything and anything we own. We have a bed bug infestation :( All part of traveling and using hostels I know, but this truly sucks.

We did have a group meal though-burgers again- and that was really good. Plus the best value yet. However by this point I just wanted the day over with.

Friday 20th March

So yesterday 11 or so of us had signed up for Green Stone (Jade) Carving which was really cool except that Hamish the guy who teaches it, can only take a max of 5 people a time. Because of this, we had no idea who those 5 people were until we were about to get picked up.

As it turned out a large group of people on the bus have become good friends and didn't want to do it without each other. This worked out for me and the other girls as we got to do it without any arguments.

Once at Hamishs place we had to pick designs. We all knew we wanted ones with meanings but a lot of the ones we liked were to intrinsic, so 3 of us chose to do the same design. Still not simple but easier than some of the others.

The first stage consisted of cutting the shape out of a slab of Green Stone, then it had to have an indentation made in the center of it. Next we had to shape the sides to make it into a disc shape. All of this I did without too many issues.The same can't be said for the next stage of the process.

Carving/etching the design into the stone was a lot more ticky for me personally but Hamish was great. He has a way of helping you out without making you feel as though you've not done any of it. I also enjoyed fussing his dog towards the end when I needed more than a little help to finish up in our allotted time :)

We met the bus down in Greymouth and made a quick dash to the supermarket to get supplies. Once we had these we made for the local Brewery where many of the others were having a tour.

We had a couple more hours driving and then we arrived in Franz Josef. Here those of us doing the Ice Explorer tour tomorrow had to go listen to a brief about it. Following this we checked into the hostel which is one of the best looking accommodations here and had a rather amusing welcome. There may have been a guy slightly pressured into beer chugging :)

That evening most of the group were doing the pizza meal deal so between 6 and 7 the communal shower room in our block was full of women priming having been told by Jack to 'look nice'. You know, opposed to usual! It was quite amusing really as Leane is traveling with both her hairdryer and her straighteners so she was the most popular person by far! Not that I can talk. It was lovely to have my hair behaving for the first time in over 2 months!

Once down at 'Monsoon' the bar/restaurant here onsite, Leane and I got our included drink- a glass of house wine- and went to sit down in the 'open air' seating area. We were soon joined by a couple of the lads. Christian from my last bus (German), 2 Irish guys (ones Johnny the other Mike) and an English guy (can't think of his name though I know he's the beer chugger).

Anyway, our meal for the evening consisted of fries and garlic bread plates being bought out to begin with, followed by pizzas. There were 5 different types and basically they keep coming until we say otherwise. Phew! That was a lot of food but despite not being the biggest thin crust fan I have to say they were all really good. Though I am mightily glad that the hot slice I had was minus any of the Jalapeños as the sauce and peppers were hot enough!

After going up to get another drink- Malibu and lemonade- Leane and I relocated to the bar area. A lot of the bus were already here so here we stayed.

While most of the bus had a late one (or early depending how you look at it) I called it a night at about 10.30 and went back to my dorm and listened to some music. Unsociable, me? Never :)

Saturday 21st March

So this morning I woke up feeling tired but also having had a nice deep sleep. Win! Since i'd woken over an hour before my alarm was due to go off, I refused to leave my bed. At least for a while.

Once I was up I went to shower and get some breakfast, running across Leane on my way back to my dorm. We agreed on when to head to the excursion place so I went to gather the bits I would need for the day.

The weather wasn't great for flying so once there we had to wait until our exact check in time incase it got cancelled. As it happened we got very lucky. Even as we suited up into the provided boots and jackets etc and walked to the helicopters we were told it still might be cancelled as the cloud was moving in. 

Having our group split into two we were loaded into different helicopters to take us on the 5minute journey onto the glacier. Once there we learned they were cancelling all other groups for the day. Including those suited up behind us! That's 4 people from about 25 from Stray who made it up there!

We did have to get picked up maybe 30minutes earlier because of the weather but we still spent a good 2 1/2hrs on the ice. With gramptons on our shoes we carefully followed our guide Lauren up the ice, climbing through crevices and up ice steps. One foot a time.

We also had two optional caves to go through. The first was great fun though a very tight and wet squeeze, only having formed the day before! The next was not fun as I banged my head on the ice! Talk about ouch. Though I was lucky as i didn't draw blood and while my head is sore to touch, I didn't do any real damage.

Along the way Lauren told us a little about the Glacier such as it's one of only 3 in the world that descend into a temperate rainforest. And she also told us little stories like when she and some of the other guides stayed at an alpine hut they had pizza and beer flown in by helicopter! Its the local way I guess.

Back at the bottom we made our way back to the hostel and went our separate ways. I spent the next hour trying to warm up before giving up and putting a pair of trousers over my leggings and heading out to wander the town. I took my time but there really isn't much to do here. I looked in some of the shops and got some chips (I will get around to eating my noodles at some point) but as it had started raining again I made my way back before I froze again.

Sunday 22nd March

This morning we had to be up and ready for just after 8am but we didn't end up leaving until almost 9am as the bus died. Apparently it's slowly been dying all week and Jacks been told he will probably have to wait until Queenstown to get a new battery! So as you can imagine today with plenty of short stops, we ended up having to push the bus more than once. This first time though, the boys did it- who says chivalry is dead?

Our first stop of the day was at Mirror Lake where I did the 40minute lookout walk. Usually on a clear day the lake will have an amazingly crisp reflection of the mountain range towering behind it. As it was though it was raining and cloudy but this in itself was beautiful. It certainly made the drive through the peaks to get there rather special anyway.

The other main stops of the day were at Thunder Creek Falls which is a 28 metre high waterfall and the Blue Pools. Both of these stops were extremely picturesque with the Falls giving those in Western Canada a run for there money and the Pools being such a clear icy blue colour. Icy being the right word- though that didn't stop Bromwin or Vanessa from going swimming! Absolutely crazy! 

Once in Wanaka Jack was in a hurry to unload us- we'd already dropped a small group of guys to go Skydiving and Jack was hoping to get back to them in time to go with them. Grabbing my packs I walked down the road to my new 'home' for the next 3 nights, YHA Purple Cow. It has pretty great reviews on hostelworld and tripadvisor which is why I had gone for it. A decision I wouldn't regret.

After quickly settling in I went to walk about the town. Wanaka is a small place on the edge of a Lake with Mountains all around. A part of me wants to say it looks barren here with all the mountains but the truth is, its just dry, as they don't get much rainfall here compared to the rest of the west coast. 

After completing a walk around I decided to once again skip my noodle dinner :) Instead I got some chips and pinapple rings- which ended up being a much larger portion than i'd imagined- and went down to the Lake shore to eat it. All along the edge here are picnic tables giving you a great place to unwind. I began by sitting on the rocks closer to the water but a lone duck soon decided to make his presence known. Now we did reach an uneasy agreement- if he kept his distance then I would give him some chips once i'd finished, if not he'd get nothing.

Of course he looked so sorry for himself that I decided to give him something and then move away. This worked well I thought as I settled onto one of the benches a few minutes later. Pretty soon though I was surrounded by ducks- he sicced them on me!

For anyone out there thinking 'aww that's cute' let me assure you it was not. I do not like big birds and I especially don't like ducks. I took this 'attack' as a deep betrayal from my new 'friend' :)

I spent the rest of the evening back at the lodge. Each night they show a different movie so I thought i may as well watch that. From the start I was wondering exactly how bad this movie would be as I wasn't overly taken with the start. It was a good half hour before I realised I was watching 'Braveheart'!

Monday 23rd March

This morning I got up fairly early. Early enough that I couldn't call it a true layin but late enough that I couldn't complain. I had a rough idea of how I wanted to spend my day so I headed down to the isite to see what I could sort out.

On arriving yesterday I had found out that NASA have spent the last few weeks trying to launch a giant balloon from the local airport but with the weather it kept getting postponed. Today was meant to be the day but despite there being only a few clouds about and bright blue skies- the first of which I had seen in days- it was once again called off. Scratch watching that off my list then.

Still having made arrangements for the afternoon I set off walking towards the edge of town. I had been told that Mt Iron gives good views over Wanaka and the hike only takes about an hour and a half so this would be my first aim of the day. As you should know by now I hate going up and my fitness right now is shot to hell. But still, as with all the walks/hikes I've done since arriving in NZ, I found there walk times to be pretty accurate.

Of course within minutes of starting my ascent I realised I had left my camera on my bed in the dorm. And on top of this I had very little space left on my phones memory- and my new memory card was in my camera case! Oh well luckily I managed to delete a few bits and take a dozen or so pictures during my hike.

I have to say it really is stunning here and on reaching the top you see other Lakes between the next lot of mountain ranges. Again it reminds me slightly of the Lake district but it is far less harsh looking.

Having made the walk back down a lot quicker than when I was going up, I walked back to town and once again had a look around now that more shops were open. Though many were closed as today is a holiday- the Otago anniversary in fact.

Arriving back at the lodge I got some lunch and tidied up a little. As it approached 3pm I made my way back to the isite to meet my pickup, Kylie. It was time to do some aerobatic flying- with me at the controls! Scary thought, isn't it?

So once at the airport Kylie ran me through all the safety bits along with explaining what we would get upto. At this point I was really second guessing my decision to do this as they mostly have people with either a love of all things aviation or actual pilot experience! That said both Kylie and my Pilot/teacher Vince were great and very reassuring. You can tell they love flying, Vince having done it on and off for years before getting serious about it as a job and Kylie only got into it when she was 28 but now has a 7month old girl and a jack Russel that go up with her all the time.

Once we entered the hanger Vince showed me a half dozen different planes as well as his own micro light. Moving out into the sun we made our way to a Victa Airtourer which would be our ride today. Vince explained the different controls and what we needed them to read for different things and then he had me start the engine and begin steering it out towards the runway.

This is done with foot pedals. Quite simply left for left and right for right. Getting it to go straight though is surprisingly difficult! Once on the runway we made our way through pre flight safety checks again, with emphasis on checking the engine. For take off we did it together and slowly began our climb to 6,000ft. As soon as we were half way up, Vince gave me control of the plane.

Now ignoring all the dials and such, flying the plane was actually pretty easy. The plane we were in today had a stick which is used for steering once your in the sky and like the pedals, you just push/pull it the way you want it to go. The hardest part for me was keeping it centred. Once your done with any turns or corrections you always bring the stick back to a central position while the plane manoeuvres. Unlike with the gear stick in your car though, this stick doesn't have an easy to find neutral. So splitting my time between checking our position using the mountains as a check point as I had been told and keeping the plane level, proved to be a challenge.

As soon as we were high enough though Vince showed me how to do a roll and as soon as he finished, he then talked me through trying one. The hardest part of this was getting the plane to climb steeply back up before we lost too much altitude coming out of the roll. You need to be very aware of the second your roll has finished and pull back quickly and hard until you can't see the top of the mountains again- this is what we always aim for as a visual height guide.

We then did loops which are pretty cool as you hang upside down for what seems like a couple of seconds a time. These are easier in way of pinpointing where you are in the manoeuvre as you start by seeing water (you dive towards the water to get speed for every trick before performing it) then as you pull back as far as possible you see mountains, sky and then water again. I found coming out of the loops the hardest of everything I did though as the plane struggles against the last part and keeping it climbing and steady wasn't easy.

In between my doing more of the loops and rolls Vince told me about the different Lakes and bodies of water I could see, along with the mountain ranges which I could see going on for miles. From up here with the sun shinning, the view was stunning and vibrant.

I fell in love with Wanaka while flying over it.

Now the 30minutes in the air were all about my learning and being hands on but Vince did do a Stall- which involves climbing at a 90degree angle straight up in the air and then letting the plane fall- and a Snap roll- the same type of roll that I had been doing but much, much quicker!

On returning to the ground we landed and taxied back towards the hanger. Vince had taken a GoPro up with us and I decided that while it was another expense, I really couldn't leave without it. Kylie soon got to transferring it to a USB stick while Vince and I talked in the sun. With a faulty USB stick and the next lot of clients not turning up, we passed a good hour talking before I paid and Kylie wrote out a certificate for me.

Now looking at the certificate, it may seem like a cheapy tourist thing but it actually stands as a legal document. The 30minutes I spent flying today is recognised by air aviation and counts in any country as time towards the 50hrs needed to become a pilot. How amazing is that?!

Vince ran me back to town and gave me lots of ideas about how I should spend the rest of my time in Wanaka. Its actually pretty funny as he has just applied to become a Stray driver so we had plenty to chat about.

Once back at the lodge I had something to eat and then spent an hour or so walking in town and down by the lake. Vince had mentioned the 'Wanaka Tree' which is a lone tree sat in the water just a little way off shore. A lot of people go to photograph it as the sun goes down behind the mountains.

I was a little early for that though and between the Lake not having as much water with it being summer and the amount of sandflies about, I didn't linger too long. I just took some pictures and played about a little before heading back to the lodge once again.

Tuesday 24th March

Before going to sleep last night I had booked onto the shuttle to Aspiring Park. I hadn't been sure as it was really expensive but there's no other way to get there unless I wanted to hitchhike. So getting up early I got some breakfast and then got my stuff ready to go. At 8.45 me and 3 other people (all of whom are weirdly also staying at YHA) were in a van and on our way.

The drive to Aspiring is a good hour from Wanaka and it took us through the valleys with Mountains everywhere we looked. Most of the drive was on a dusty bumpy gravel track, rather than an actual road too.

Once we arrived we set off through farmland following the glacier blue river to a swing bridge. After crossing this I took my time as the track started going up through the forest. And it kept going up for a good hour!

This hike is called 'The Rob Roy Glacier Valley Track' and is meant to take 3-4 hrs. The hike up took me alot longer than the one down but that's always the way with me. Besides on the way up I was stopping every few minutes to take pictures.

Having been unsure about spending so much money on a shuttle bus I can easily say it was worth it. Arriving at the lower lookout I had a view of ice and snow atop the mountain and to the left a drop waterfall. It was staggering and one of the girls from the bus Isabella told me that this was her first glimpse of a Glacier.

As I kept climbing uphill, I kept seeing other amazing angles of this waterfall but it wasn't until I got close to the upper lookout that I saw the whole of the Glacier. And what a sight! The left hand side was mostly waterfalls cascading down the rock face with a slice of snow and ice on top. To the right, was snow. Lots and lots of snow coming down the next rockface. It was a beautiful sight and made the cost well worth it.

When I arrived back in town I spent an hour doing the boring task of laundry before heading to the cinema. Yeh I know, your wondering about why I would do that when there are free movies at the hostel and a great scenic little town to spend my last night in. But this cinema is a lot like the hike in that its mentioned in all the guidebooks as being quirky and fun. They have a wide range of new movies throughout the week, changing them every day. They have lazyboy chairs and sofas in the actual cinema and a bar and cafe you can buy drinks from to take in- yep alcohol is allowed. Then they have an intermission where they have delicious cookies, ice creams and even pizzas available! Sounds pretty great right? And the tickets cost the same as back home..which once converted is just over half the price. I'm not passing that one up!

Back at the hostel I had an entertaining time with my dormmate as first the young girl was in the shower singing, unaware that there were 2 of us now in the room. And after that when we were all there, we had a kitten come into the dorm and spent a few minutes trying to coax it back out! 

Wednesday 25th March

This morning I jumped back on the bus. It didn't take me to realise this was another tight knit group and very much a party bus. Complete with hard liquor being passed about- at 11am.

We made a few stops on our way to Queenstown including a fruit shop stop and also stopping for a few of our group to do Kawarau, the original bungy jump. We seemed to dog the Kiwi bus the whole day but I have to say it seemed as if the passengers were all on the wrong bus' with the Kiwi bus seeming much more relaxed and mature (they have a party bus reputation) than ours. 

On reaching Queenstown we checked in and I ended up sharing with 5 girls from the main group. They're lovely girls but very different from me so I was quite happy that when I went in search of the kitchen I ran into Kim and Hannah from my 3rd bus.

After walking around Queenstown a little and getting a Domino's pizza for dinner (yep I know it's bad but it cost less than £3!) I headed back to the dorm room. The girls had asked me to join them and the group on a night out but I decided to see what Hannah was up to instead.

Along with her friend Marysia, we walked to a pub which had live music and caught up a little. Having just gotten back from the deep south, they gave me some warnings as well as recommendations for my next couple of days.

Leaving them to it awhile later, I walked back to the hostel running into Lara, Michael and Alex along the way. It seems quite a few people I know were in Queenstown tonight!

Thursday 26th March

Today Kelly (one of the girls in the dorm) and I got up to catch the bus to the deep south. On getting on I realised I knew a good 3rd of the group from previous trips. But I was especially pleased to see Leane again. And as we did pickups, as promised, Bjorn, Vanessa, Bromwin and Dominique also got back on the bus.

Today we headed to Te Anau and Milford sound. If neither of these names are familiar to you then you should know that it's fjordland. Arriving in Te Anau we dropped Bromwins group to their accommodation as they were staying a few extra days and then we were sent to do a grocery shop. As I returned to where we were to meet the bus I heard my name called and turned to find Miriam also waiting for the bus. She ran up to give me a hug and I have to say it was great to see her again after having last seen her in Rotorua! Sitting next to her on the bus we caught up and I learnt about her 4 day Kepler track tramp which she had actually managed in 3. So much for her being worried about it!

Arriving in Milford Sound we went to collect our cruise tickets and Leane and I spent the next hour or so amazed by the landscape- both plotting our returns to New Zealand! We were lucky as the sun was shining and we got to see both dolphins and seals on our journey but the really breathtaking sights were the waterfalls against the forested mountains. A fantastic fjord, it was just a shame the trip wasn't longer.

After our cruise we made our way to our overnight accommodation at Gunns Camp. Probably my least favourite out of my whole trip so far. Its in an amazing setting but between the thousands of sandflies and the fact we were sleeping in run down sheds, we didn't sleep much! Leane and I did try to do a river walk but it was so overgrown it was silly- not to mention the promised mountain views were nowhere to be seen through the forest. 

The good part of the evening though was the group meal (another burger of course) and then girl talk with Leane. Everything at Gunns Camp is powered by a generator which is switched off at 10pm. Having finished getting ready just as it approached cutoff time, Kelly and I went outside and star gazed awhile- nicking cushions off the rundown couch to lay on. Once again I had an amazing view of the nights sky, reminding me how big the universe is.

Friday 27th March

This morning I woke up with the same headache I had gone to bed with-again. While Hannah had recommended doing the 3hr Key Summit hike, I was quite glad it wasn't offered as I wasn't sure my head would be upto it. 

Instead we made a few shorter stops. One that was a 20min walk up to some waterfalls and another that was 'Pops point', a lookout over a Glacier crossroads. Another stop was at the gorgeous Mirror Lake that on a clear day, has brilliant views. It was still magnificent today though with the cloud low over the mountain and a mist across the lake. Very atmospheric. Unfortunately I couldn't get any decent pictures so a mental snapshot will have to suffice.

Our one proper stop today was at Te Anau. Whereas we had only briefly passed through the day before, we were given 2 hours to explore today. Leane and I stopped at the pie cafe (Anna raves about it) to get a warm drink and made our way down to the grocery store to stock up on anything we might need while on Stewart Island.

Afterwards we made our way to the theatre to watch a Fjordland film put together by a local guy who is very passionate about the whole Fjordland National Park. Coincidentally we learnt that it's the largest of parks in the world and bigger than both Yellowstone and Yosemite put together! 

As we made our way to Invercargill I spent my time reading. Only stopping as we reached the most southerly point of NZ mainland. We then made our way to the ferry and those of us going across for the night checked in. Once onboard Leane and I discussed what we might want to do and being a birder back home, Leane was already pretty happy having Albatross flying alongside the boat.

Once on the Island we collected our luggage and went to the information centre to see if we could get on a Kiwi spotting tour. We couldn't but we did get Leanes trip to the Ulva, the bird reserve, booked for the following afternoon.

Following the instructions we had been given we made our way to the hostel. Had I said last night's was my worst accommodation so far? I may have spoken to soon!

Okay that may be a little harsh. The accommodation wasn't too bad in itself. Certainly not worth the money but it was more the guy who checked us in who made us want to turn around and leave. After slapping him. 

Leane and I decided to see if there were any twin rooms available as it would work out the same price but there weren't which was fine we just thought we'd ask. As it was though we had to pay extra for single rooms because despite having had dorm beds reserved, he had given them away before we arrived. Then he went on to b**** and moan and be generally rude as he showed us around and point blank refused to give us keys to our rooms. I'm guessing they've had issues with Stray passengers losing them but he made us pay extra because he'd made a mistake and then wouldn't even let us feel secure about leaving our stuff? He could quite easily do what other hostels do and take a key deposit, but no, everyone else gets keys but not us. Yeh great customer service there. 

After getting our rooms sorted Leane and I got together to make pasta. Admittedly Leane mostly made it while I tried to close the windows in her room- I got two but the 3 I could only pull to as it doesn't fit properly. 

Once we had cleaned up we went to get some more layers and go and try to find some Kiwi. We sat on a picnic bench in a park we had been told they have been spotted in before and waited. And waited some more. Leane was kind enough to provide entertainment in the scare ourselves to death variety. So kind :)

After about an hour we saw some people come into the other end of the park and after walking a little the light they were carrying stopped. Deciding to see if they had spotted a Kiwi we began to walk around the edge of the field only to realise it was waterlogged. Now we were cold AND wet but still the promise of seeing a Kiwi had us creeping forward. Whether this group found Kiwi or not is up for debate. We could definitely hear bushes rustling but that could have been anything. With my feet now wet I told Leane I was calling it a night and she agreed. It would have been nice to see a Kiwi but 2 hours in the cold were enough for me.

Back at the hostel I kept 3 layers on as I went to bed and hoped that my shoes would be dry in the morning. The bites I have had are bad enough but how people can still be walking around in shorts and flipflops when every inch of the legs and feet are covered in bites ive no idea. As soon as I found out the sandflies were even worse further south, I decided to keep as much skin covered as possible no matter what!

Saturday 28th March
This morning I woke up fairly early and I have to admit while I don't like how having my own room came about, it was fantastic to have my own space for the first time in over a month. As I've yet to book anything, I'm seriously thinking that if the money holds out I may make my last night in NZ a single room.
As checkout time approached I went to find Leane as we hadn't bumped into each other yet-always a surprise when in hostels. We decided to go drop our bags down to the ferry terminal as neither one of us wanted to stay any longer in the hostel despite the fact that it was now raining.
Free of our bags we made our way to the Stewart Island Museum which consists of two rooms with old artifacts. Sadly a lot of it was from England which we found slightly boring but they did have an array of sea life on display including Puffer fish.
Leaving the museum we walked down to the waterfront before heading to the DOC information centre. Here I tried to find a walk short enough for me to do without missing my ferry back to the mainland. Eventually I decided I would do the short observation rock walk and take it from there.
Parting from Leane as she went to catch her tour, I headed up the hill we had walked up last night to go Kiwi spotting. Looking at the field now I saw plenty of birds of all sizes but who knows if it was them or Kiwi last night that we had heard. We did see two deer so it could have even been them.
At the top of the road I had a giggle as I realised the little house to the left of the field was the police station. You see last night someone had kept walking onto the porch and shining a light in our direction which we of course cursing. Having assumed it was some annoying tourist or old biddie, I found it quite amusing to realise it was a policeman and he was probably wondering what we were doing!
I decided to take the steep road up to observation rock but stopped part way up as I saw these gorgeous Kaka parrots that flew out from the trees just to my left as I approached, only to come to rest in the trees opposite. NZ has so many different birds that I've never seen before. Some look quite prehistoric but these parrots were so pretty as they chatted away while munching on leaves. The have a grey/blue body which is lighter in colour from there necks up but when they fly you see they have red underneath.
Up at observation rock I dodged around the tourist group that was there and got a look across the bay. It was pretty enough even with the cloudy drizzle but I soon moved on to explore more.
I walked down to Golden Bay before walking back via the wharf. I then took the path that according to the sign would take me to Deep Bay. And just because it's me im sure, the next hour and a bit was spent alternatively climbing steps and walking up steep slopes. And going down is no better as you always have to go back up. Still, I got some nice views of the bays but the best of the walk was listening to the many different birds and occasionally getting lucky enough to see them. The small ones seem the friendliest of the lot. Or maybe just not as wary of humans as the larger ones.
Making it back to town I used the libraries wifi to check my emails before I went to find a chai latte. Sitting inside with a view of Half Moon Bay, I sipped my drink while enjoying a sickenly good slice of red velvet cake. Yum.
Having made my way to the ferry terminal and checked in I kept and eye out for Leane. She eventually got back just minutes before we boarded the ferry to go back to Invercargill. Along the way Leane told me about her trip and I couldn't believe my luck. Having told her before she left that she could see Kiwi and Orcas if she liked, but not the promised penguins I've yet to find in NZ, it was almost no surprise to learn that she did in fact see penguins. So not amused!
Back on the bus Anna wasn't in the best of moods so I alternated between reading and watching Avatar that someone put of the tv.
Arriving late into Queenstown I found my keys waiting outside the reception of my hostel and easily found my dorm. Once in and vaguely sorted I messaged Leane and we agreed to meet up to get some dinner as we couldn't be bothered cooking at 9pm. We went to Devil Burgers which were really good but huge. After chatting for awhile we parted ways and said our goodbyes as we won't be seeing each other again as Leane flies home in 4 days time.