Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and had a great Christmas. I had a fun (hot!!) Christmas in Melbourne - but I shall save that for another blog post!!

Firstly I need to update you with the last few months - I don't know how to start describing the time I spent in New Zealand, but I will try to do the beautiful country justice.

I went to see The Hobbit last night at the IMAX cinema in Melbourne (which is the 3rd largest screen in the world!) and it reminded me of the incredible variety of mind-blowing landscapes that make up New Zealand. It really is another world. Sometimes it reminded me of the UK but everything was on a much grander, extreme scale, the mountains were taller, the lakes bluer, the landscapes were just ever-changing. I felt at home in New Zealand, it was a wonderful country to explore and my time spent there has left me wanting to see more! I can't wait to go back with my Mum and Dad and be their tour guide!

My friend Josh (who I met on the Kiwi bus) has written a much better introduction to New Zealand on his blog...so I am going to steal his words as I couldn't put it better myself:

"New Zealand, or, as the indigenous Maori people call it, Aoteroa (The Land of the Long White Cloud), is completely nuts. For a country of only 270,000 square kilometres and with a population of just 4.4 million it is certainly amongst the most diverse, fascinating, extraordinary and beautiful places that I've visited. The landscape is that of dreams, (particularly for those with a penchant for geography or geology) and I have, over the past weeks, found myself repeatedly in a state of disbelief over my surroundings." (Check out Josh's blog: http://imissedmybus.wordpress.com/)

I couldn't agree more! Thanks Josh! So anyway...I shall start at the beginning and try to remember as much as I can...

I travelled from Siem Reap in Cambodia with my Mum as far as Bangkok, then we had a very emotional goodbye as she was whisked off in one airport bus to board her flight back to the UK and I boarded another bus to take me to arrivals, where I spent the next 9 hours waiting for my flight to Auckland, via Sydney!

I arrived in Auckland weary and apprehensive; I was nervous but excited about the next step of my adventure. I have always wanted to visit New Zealand and was excited to finally make my dreams a reality! I got the airport bus in to the centre of Auckland and spent three nights staying at Base hostel. I spent the next two days exploring the city and getting a few last minute supplies for my upcoming adventures on the Kiwi Experience bus!

Auckland had a nice feel to it but I've never been a huge fan of cities so I was looking forward to getting out on the road!

So after a few days in Auckland I joined the big green bus and started my unforgettable month exploring New Zealand. It was a bit nerve wracking at first, getting on a bus with a bunch of strangers but we soon got talking about The Proclaimers (Is 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' their only famous song?!) and united in our excitement about our upcoming adventures!

Our first stop was Hot Water Beach. We arrived in the driving rain but made our way down to the beach nonetheless as we had been told about the amazing hot pools! Just before high tide we dug huge pools in the sand which filled with steaming hot water which we could sit in; this is caused by some geothermal activity on the shores of Hot Water Beach. We let in a bit of sea water to cool the pool down and spent the next few hours lounging in the pools. It was a very bizarre experience, sitting in a boiling hot pool while our heads were pounded by driving cold rain! Very strange but really fun and a great way to make friends! We were staying in awesome wooden huts for the night and spent the night playing games as we got to know our new travelling companions!

The next day we had a really lovely walk in a bush clad gorge in the Karangahake Scenic Reserve before continuing on our way to the small town of Waitomo.

The name Waitomo really tells you all you need to know about the town...'Wai' means means water and 'tomo' means cave...so we were off to explore some of New Zealand's famous glowworm caves. I signed up for a 3 hour trip 'Black Water Rafting' in the caves which entailed throwing ourselves off waterfalls, floating along on rubber rings, squeezing through crevices and occasionally stopping and turning off our head torches to stare up at the thousands of glow worms above our heads hanging from the roof of the caves. It was incredible. We floated along in the dark, on our own, in silence as we took in the awesome sight of the worms glowing above us, it was like looking at the night sky blanketed with stars, but more stars than you have ever seen, it was truly amazing. It really was worth the 3 hours submerged in freezing cold water, the adrenaline kept us going (and stopping half way to snack on a chocolate covered raspberry marshmallow fish that out tour guide had carried along for each of us!). Once we'd emerged from the caves we were treated to toasted bagels and tomato soup to warm us up! Genius!

We spent the evening at Curly's Bar (next to our hostel) playing pool and telling stories of our awesome caving experience. (Sadly Curly's Bar burnt down a few weeks after we left - there was a chip pan fire : ( It was terrible to hear about, at least no one was hurt, but it really is the only bar in the tiny town so lots of locals will be devastated.)

The next day it was back on the bus for a short drive to the Ruakuri Reserve for another great walk. The walk was above where we had caved the day before so it was fun to see what was above ground and to see where we'd come out of the caves.

It was then on to the slightly larger town of Rotorua. Rotorua is famous for smelling like rotten eggs. It is due to the geothermal activity that the town is full of hot pools, mud pools and geysers, but thanks to all this fascinating stuff the town smells very yucky indeed.

We got used to the smell after exploring the town for a while, then it was back to the hostel for a quick dip in the hot (?!) swimming pool (thanks again to the geothermal activity!) before we were shipped off to get some culture! We had signed up for an evening of entertainment at Tamaki Village to learn about the Maori people, their history and traditions.

The evening began with a traditional 'Waro' - where the tribesmen try to intimidate newcomers with scary faces, noises and movements - before deciding we were not enemies and letting us inside their village. It was a really fun evening and a great opportunity to learn about their culture and various ceremonies. They taught us the dance the Haka, as well as games, training methods, poi and a tiny bit of Maori language. We then watched a performance by the villagers before sitting down to feast on a traditional 'Hangi' which had been prepared for us. A 'Hangi' is a traditional Maori meal cooked in an underground oven. It was delicious! We had baked sweet potatoes, a crazy assortment of meat and loads of vegetables...after having lived off noodles and rice for a while I made full use of the buffet and really got my money's worth! (2 main courses and 3 puddings! I hope you're proud Mum!)

Anyway...so after being thoroughly stuffed and feeling a bit more cultured we made our way back to the hostel and stumbled upon a Mexican themed night being held in the hostel bar. Who could refuse buying a shot of tequila when you got a free sombrero?! We developed a very strong bond with our sombreros and carried them all over New Zealand for the next few weeks!

The next morning we boarded the bus (wearing our sombreros of course!) and headed to the nearby geothermal reserve called Te Puia to learn about the geothermal activity occurring in much of New Zealand. We saw New Zealand's largest geyser and each had an egg cooked for breakfast in a hot pool! Was awesome! The bubbling mud pools and geysers were really fascinating. We also saw a training centre that takes boys from each Maori tribe and trains them up in traditional crafts, such as wood carving, so that the traditions are not lost. It was also at this park that I got to see a real life Kiwi bird! It was in a very dimly lit room so I could barely see a thing, but I definitely saw it!

After a fun/educational morning we continued towards our next destination - Taupo. On this journey a clip board was handed back down the bus (this is how we signed up for various activities) and I saw the words 'Skydive Taupo'…I remembered some friends telling me that this was a great place to skydive in New Zealand as you jump out over a huge lake surrounded by incredible mountains. I have always wanted to do a skydive and said to myself that I would save it for when I finally got to New Zealand one day - so the day had arrived and I had signed up to jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet! Incredible! I spent the next few hours on the bus trying to convince other people to do it with me and managed to convince Josh and Colm that it was a good idea! The weather was perfect, bright blue skies and hardly a cloud to be seen.

We stopped briefly on the way to Taupo at Haka Falls - a waterfall with a crazy amount of water passing through it at great speeds (I know that's what a waterfall is but there was some fact about the HUGE amount of water passing through each day…I can't remember how much but I'll look it up!)

Anyway…so as the bus drew up at Haka Falls we saw a big white limo, with the words 'Skydive Taupo' pasted on the side, waiting for me, Josh and Colm! Sweet ride! As you can imagine we got very excited on the way to the skydive centre in our limo! We watched a safety video and before we knew it we were all kitted up and climbing up in to the plane - a very pink plane! It all happened very quickly and we barely had any time to think about what was happening. I decided to have a video made as I wanted to be able to show people what I'd done! My skydive man (the man I was strapped to as he threw us out the plane!) interviewed me and he made a great video of the views and then my hilarious face as we freefell for about 30 seconds (I think?!) and the whole canopy ride as the parachute opened and we floated peacefully to the ground. It was an absolutely incredible experience, I am so so glad I've done it and would do it again at the drop of a hat! It was just the most surreal feeling. I felt so at ease on the way up in the plane, I felt really relaxed and excited, just taking in the incredible views. I was first to jump out the plane so before I knew it my legs were tucked under the plane, head back on the man's shoulder and he pushed us out in to the sky! The freefall is the scariest part, as you woosh through the sky at a ridiculous speed, your face is wobbling and there is nothing you can do apart from accept that you are falling through the sky! The best bit was flying through the cloud and feeling ice particles hitting my face! I fell through a cloud! How crazy! I've always imagined what a cloud felt like!! The freefall felt like it lasted for ages, I began to accept that maybe the parachute wasn't opening and that this was it…when the canopy opened and it felt like we wooshed upwards and began to float slowly towards the ground. It was magnificent watching the world from above and taking in the incredible scenery. I couldn't stop grinning, I was so happy and loved every bit of the decent, watching the ground get closer and buildings get bigger and bigger. It looked like a toy town, it felt like a dream. It was really strange landing on the ground and looking up to see my friends floating towards me! Amazing. It was so weird to think about what we had just done, it didn't feel real at all.

After a few dazed looks and exchanges of 'wows' we took off our lovely blue jumpsuits and headed to the 'cinema room' to watch my skydive video! Ridiculously funny and embarrassing (as it's very hard to look glamorous falling through the sky!!) but really fun to watch! I was so pleased. I got to choose the music for the video - I will try to upload it when I can.

We headed back to Taupo to soak in the day's events and check in to the hostel. Everyone was out exploring the town so we headed to Pizza Hut to celebrate our bravery with a huge pizza each!

That night we headed next door to the Irish Bar and joined in on a pub quiz. I love a good pub quiz. Then it was to bed to prepare for the adventure that was to unfold the next day!

We got up about 5am and got taken in a mini bus to the Tongariro National Park to do the Tongariro Crossing - an 8 hour trek across the top of a volcano - Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings to be precise! The day was incredible. One of the best days of my adventures so far. The views were out-of-this-world, just breathtaking (I know I keep saying that, but really it's amazing!). We started off trekking as a big group with all our friends, but we soon split up in to smaller groups. I walked with Miles and Holly - a lovely couple that I'd been sharing a room with. We had a great day, it was thoroughly exhausting and at parts we thought the path would never end, but it was all totally worth it. The landscape changed throughout the day, we started walking on grassy bush land, then rocky terrain, up to ankle deep snow in the crater of the volcano, then down a black volcanic ash flow, past emerald lakes and through a rainforest. My geeky Geography dreams came true that day! I just wanted to call up my old Geography teacher and say 'Guess what I'm doing?!' - it was so fun. I've always wanted to climb a volcano and to walk next to Mount Doom was incredible. The boys obviously took the challenge one step further and summited Mount Doom (which added 3 hours to the trek! And a very steep climb up a volcanic ash flow!) - I would love to have done it, but we had a strict deadline to make it to the other side of the crossing in order to make the last mini bus back to the hostel!

A few weeks after we did the crossing the volcano erupted and it had to be closed for a few weeks! There were people doing the crossing at the time of the eruption (no one was hurt)- it must have been scary but it would have made a great story and you tube video!

Needless to say that evening we were exhausted, so we sat in our bunk beds eating pizza! (I think I deserved pizza 2 days in a row!)

The next stop on our tour was River Valley. We made our way there after a 2 hour walk through native bush land, past huge waterfalls with views of Mount Doom. We were told the walk was 1 hour, but our bus driver had got it wrong and we returned after 2 hours - much to our amusement after walking for 8 hours the day before!

River Valley was just what I needed after 2 days of adventures. We stayed in a peaceful wooden lodge right at the end of a valley in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful nature. There was a river next to the lodge with a flying fox across it - obviously I had a great time playing with the boys, flying across the river, trying not to fall off in to the icey water below. We had a really fun relaxed evening playing games in the lodge as we were the only people there. We knew that after the next stop we were going our separate ways (as some people were staying in Wellington and the rest of us were continuing on to the South Island) - so we had a great evening hanging out with our new friends.

We had a relaxed morning the next day as we weren't due to leave River Valley until the afternoon. Some people went white water rafting, some people went horse riding, and the rest of us sat outside the lodge in the sun and played card games, drank tea, played on the flying fox some more and managed to convince some of the boys that it was a good idea to jump off the flying fox in the middle of the river while we took photos of them freezing their asses off! It was great. The rest of the day we spent on the bus as we made our way to Wellington.

I would have liked to have stayed in Wellington for longer than the 12 hours that I was there, but there was so much to see and not enough time to fit it all in, so I had to get the bus the next morning to the South Island. We made the most of our last evening together as a big group; we hung out together in the hostel bar and then explored the night life of Wellington and threw some awesome shapes on the dance floor! We had really bonded as a group and really got to know each other, we were so lucky to have such a lovely group and it was sad to say goodbye to people after spending such amazing times together. We promised to meet up in various places and said our fond farewells…for now.

I think I will leave the blog there for now as that is the North Island covered, tune in next time for the adventures of the Super Six on the South Island! I had a wonderful time on the North Island; I loved every minute of it. It has left me wanting to go back and explore all the places I missed!

So until next time, thanks for reading, take care, speak soon xxx