Firstly, massive congratulation to Paul and Laura who got engaged last night down in Milford sound! Didn't see that coming guys, awesome news!

We knew Paul and Laura, friends from Clevedon, would be traveling around the South Island this spring and made plans to fly down to Queenstown, and spend a week hanging out with them and signing up for some adrenalin action, of which Queenstown is NZ's mecca of fun, partying and dangerous activities.

The first morning we arrived at Queenstown airport and Paul was there to pick us up in his hire van. It was the coolest van, covered in stylish graffiti, there was a huge lion walking down one side. It was really strange to see an old familiar face, apart from Kat's bro, we hadn't seen anyone from back home since leaving over a year ago. He still has his Somerset accent which was cool to hear after all the kiwi accents we are now more used to.

After checking in to the hostel room we met Laura and the four of us sat in the sun all afternoon catching up on our year of travels and their past six months living and working in France. We walked into Queenstown later to visit the British sweetshop and buy a Curly Wurly and most importantly book a place on tomorrows bungee jump bus.

The next morning we all went along with ten other people who were doing the Nevis bungee jump. I was really excited and was looking for what I was hoping to be a cool experience. We made our way over to the Nevis site which is about a 30 minute drive from the center of town. The Nevis site is about two or three miles from the original bungee site at the Kawarua bridge and is the highest in New Zealand, 134 meters or 440 feet. When we arrived we had to wear a harnesses which meant you then had three seperate connections to the bungee cord, they were using the older bungee cords today and were a bit concerned about a recent tear in the cord.

We all walked out to the loading platform while the kiwi instructor was telling us bungee jumping today will be the closest we will get to finding out what suicide is like. Great. Taking a good look at the jump you see the only thing linking one side of the canyon and the other were steel cables and the metal platform out in the middle.

We made our way over to the bungee platform in a cable car and were given ankle braces. The order of bungee jumping goes stupidest first, so I was the last to jump. Haha, it's according to weight actually, so all the pie munchers had to go first. Paul was the first of us four up to jump and didn't even need a count down from the staff, he just edged up to the platform and jumped with a huge leap. I was next and when I came to stand on the platform I took a quick look down. Big mistake, the brain goes Noooooo, step away from the platform! Looking back at the horizon is better for your nerves and then the guy counted down to one and it was time to start an 8 second free fall. I held my breathe all the way down and kept my eyes wide open. You really quickly reach your terminal velocity, a steady falling speed of 130mph and then you can take it all in, feels like flying, and that feels good! I bounced around a few times, started breathing again, and pulled a cord to get in a seated position, and enjoyed the view as you get hoisted back up. Back up on the platform the smile on your face is irremovable, the adrenaline is rushing through you and you want to do it again. If I was prime minister one bungee jump every morning would be compulsory for the whole nation, best way to wake up! Laura jumped almost last and like Paul had no fear, she just walked up and dived off!


Back in Queenstown we carried on researching all the bars and restaurants, ;). It rained very heavily the next night causing the shotover river speed to rise quickly, making the white water rapids a near grade 5, so we all signed up for a spot of rafting the next day. After a cancellation by the company due to dangerous conditions, the day after we got to go and headed off to the base to get suited up in wetsuits, splash jackets and helmets.

The rafting guides gave us instruction on river rafting and we made our way into the rafts. Our raft had us four, and two young Italian girls in it. Paul and I got to be in front which was cool because you get the most wet. The river rafting was awesome fun, our guide was clearly quite worried about the rivers strength because twice we had to stop so he could walk ahead and see how to tackle the next section. Funny, he never did say how long he had been rafting for, oh well first time for everything. Our team did well because not one of us fell out unlike a family of Aussies who flipped their raft going down 'mother-in-law'. All hell broke loose as we watched eight bodies bouncing down the rapids, like corks they kept popping up everywhere while all the guide shouted at each other trying to do a head count. Everyone was safe and we all enjoyed a free sauna and lunch after-wards.

Other highlights from the week was eating out a lot, drinking in the local micro brewery, seeing a friends band play who happened to be on tour, going up in the gondola and of course an afternoon spent at the luge. Luge carts, really a plastic tray on 3 wheels with chopper style handle bars where you sit with your ass about 1cm off the ground. About as stable as a shopping trolley but manages to go at around the speed of light. Get them on two wheels is a good effort which Paul managed to do.

It was a good week off work which was extended by another day due to snow on the runway which cancelled our flight for 24 hours. Back to work for ten weeks then back to the UK for 12 days over x-mas!