Hello again! I know I said I would be updating from Kaikoura but I thought the more I update the shorter the postcards will be so it will be less effort for everyone to read! I never went paragliding in the end the weather was too bad but I am going tomorrow yay! I said goodbye to some friends Friday morning and the rest on Saturday which was a bit sad but its' cool being on my own I don't mind I have chatted to quite a lot of people and my new room mates seem nice. I managed to book the Routeburn track for Saturday and Sunday and got back this afternoon. It's one of the famous walking tracks of New Zealand but not all of it was advisable to walk on so I did about half of it and stayed overnight in a hut! I didn't bother taking pots and pans and a stove as it was only for one night - carrying a sleeping bag, clothes and food etc. was enough! It cost me a fair bit to get a bus to the beginning of the track - it's a private shuttle bus not a general public one - they don't exist as half of the journey was on windy gravel tracks! So it was more like a taxi - hence why it was so expensive as it was about 40 miles out of Queenstown! The weather was beautifu sunshine and not too cold apart from some very light misty rain for some of the walk up, but most of the walk was under trees so I didn't get wet. It took me 4 hours to get to the hut where I was staying so I dumped my bag there and carried on for another hour up to a lake and some snow! Nearly got to the mountain peak but the snow felt slippy so I didn' t try walking on it. Also my knee was killing me by this point - don't know why but as it's obviously a reacurring thing I am planning to go to a physio tommorow. The walking I did without my bag past the hut was brilliant as I had nothing to carry - it was very different to the rest of the walk as there were no trees as it was too high up, but it was still very lush and green. The walk up to the hut then back down today was so beautiful - so many waterfalls and there was a big open marshy area with a fast flowing clear green coloured river. Throughout most of the walk I was following the river and lots of it was rapids too. There were so many beautiful sights very difficult to describe, I saw lots of very tame birds all the way too from tiny wren like birds and robins to mountain ducks to mountain parrots called kakas and keas! One robin came and started pecking my foot when I stood dead still it was well funny! The hut was lovely it was really new all wooden with a massive balcony. The bedroom was cold but iin my sleeping bag, clothes and hat I was warm! There were quite a few other people staying there, mostly New Zealand families as it was the weekend and the end of their half term over here. One of the families lie the log burner in the kitchen and had candles so I benefitted from other peoples' organisation and provisions! Spoke to a couple from Slovacia who were doing a 5 day trek altogether how crazy! It was adventurous enough I thought staying one night in a mountain hut with no running water, electricity and flushing loo but 4! They had tons to carry as well! So after 2 days of peeing in the bush and in pit toilets, no shower and drinking from mountain streams I was glad to meet the same bus man at the same place I started at to take me back to Queenstown. He was really cool - we chatted all the way back and I enjoyed the views of lakes and mountains from luxury!! My knee is a bit better so went ona shopping mission tonight and stocked up as Mt. Cook where I am going after here is a bit remote therefore very expensive! I hope my knee is better by then for more walking!!