We got to Christchurch and this is where we will also be leaving Rich and Liz :-( Due to issues with flights they had to cut there trip a few days short and miss out on Kiakora.

We checked into possibly the oldest base and went for a walk around the town, not loads to see or do here so me and Liz went back to the hostel for our last joint effort on the computers while the boys went to the supermarket to get some dinner - no surprise Dave came back with a WHOLE chicken and got a little grumpy when I wanted a bit! Not much else to report about Christchurch, Rich and Liz were due to leave really early in the morning and as it turns out so were alot of other people in our 10 bed dorm all between an hour of each other so we didn't get much sleep.

Tomorrow would be our last time on the kiwi bus as we weren't using our pass which would take us all the way back to Auckland, we had done everything we wanted in NZ and didn't want to go back to the same places we had already been so had booked our own way back to Christchurch to catch our flight to Nadi. So onward to Kiakora, the next day the bus was early and it was weird getting up and onto the bus without Rich and Liz, normally Rich was there about an hour before he needed to be but we did sit at the front in remembrance of them plus i'd heard that there was limited availability for swimming with the dolphins. Well being at the front paid off and we managed to get our spots but as we wanted to do other things to we booked on to go early in the morning e.g 6am!! (did I mention Dave's no longer the only one that's not good in the mornings!) The day we arrived in Kiakora however the weather was slightly overcast but we'd booked on for the whale watching - we got lucky with the hostel too as we managed to get our own room, no dorm for us which was nice as we were there slightly longer then most people book for. We were due to go Whale watching that day then up early for the dolphin swim and I was due to go swim with the seals in the afternoon and Dave on some fishing trip which we'd heard good things about. We started to make our way through the tiny town to the sea front and check in for the whales but due to the weather the 1.20 pm slot got cancelled so we mooched about for a bit and was lucky enough to get on to the 4 pm but with extreme sea sickness warnings! We bought some tablets and off we went, the boat was sooooo fast and with the bad weather really came back down from a wave with a thud, didn't take long for some people's sea sickness to kick in and a few were vomiting - I tried to keep my eyes off them and my ears shut so I couldn't get effected and the boat did a good job with the smell. First we saw an albatross, which are the biggest flight bird I think? They really are funny to watch as they do actually run when they take off and land just like the Disney's the rescuers! haha We all then got back in the boat in search of whales but they spotted a shark, unfortunately by the time we got out on deck it was gone and not enough of it was seen to determine what kind of shark it was. Next came time for the whales, most of the time its sperm whales that are spotted - they dive for about an hour then come back up close to the same spot and this is how the boats no where to find them as no tagging or baiting is used - some boats are lucky enough to see killer whales but due to Kiakora being a big whaling town years ago sperm whales survived the most due to their deep dives whereas most other species, one in particular now only has 350 left!!! Anyway - we was all waiting on deck with about 2 other boats and a helicopter above when it got spotted a little way out from us but you could see the spouts of water still, didn't take the boat long to get to it and it was just floating on the top of the water like a massive log - the dusky dolphins which we were due to swim with the following day were swimming around it and Dave got a really good pic of the whale and a dolphin jumping in front which gives a fab size comparison, unfortunately the dolphins are like flies are to us for the whale so it was more likely to dive earlier but they only normally stay on the surface for around 10-15 mins. We took numerous pictures of the small percentage (apparently 20%) of what we could actually see of the whale and then it was gone, I tried to get the classic tale pic but we was looking from the side :-( Then we made our way back to the port, we stopped on our way back to the hostel for some fish and chips (got to be done!) and met some people on our bus who had been on the fishing trip, turns out it had got cancelled and they had all gone back to the guys house and got pissed? They were nice though until they stole one of our chips!!!

The next day we woke to it being pitch black and raining around 5-5.30 am but we still had to get up and get ready to go for the dolphin swim, when we go there the shop was still closed but didn't take long for us to be in and once again getting into another sexy outfit!! (getting to be a bit of a pattern!!) but at least going on the early one meant the suit was dry, we watched a video and I had already been told that the more you interact with these the dolphins the more they interact with you. I must admit I never look forward to water activities, especially when they are far and deep out to see - not to mention in the pitch black of night too! :-( We got ourselves onto the boat and in no time was out to sea - oh did I mention it was extreme sea sickness warnings again and freezing - they told us the temperature and Dave thought this would be good time to remind me (bearing in mind we had seen a shark the day before too!!) that it was the same temp as when we done the great white shark dive in Cape Town!!!!! About 15 mins in we spotted our first dolphin but we kept going as we was looking for a pod, again they don't use any baiting or tagging as these are just wild dolphins - by the time it got a little lighter we had found our first pod so flippers and masks on it was time to get in the water - I was still petrified and hesitated but Dave went in, as usual he was fine but he was really cold so didn't dive down like he does every other time - there were over 100 dolphins around - the guides talked to me a bit, I said I was fine and would get in just not ready now - then the rest of the boat got back on so we could go to find another pod this time I got in - didn't really have much choice as I was already sitting on the back of the boat and both my legs were in the water so I mostly got swept off by a wave. Dave was good though and held my hand most of the time - it wasn't the dolphins that were freaking me out it was the fact we were right out at sea and the water was almost black it was so deep!! The dolphins did take my mind off it a bit though and were swimming around, one in particular that swam right underneath us turned upside down so its belly was facing us - they were all around but then began to swam off so one more time we was back on the boat and on route to our next pod - Dave by now was really feeling the cold and said he was starting to freeze but due to being absolutely petrified I was ok, we got back in the water for the first time and watched as the dolphins swam around and jumped out of the water. Then it was back on the boat for the final time and we had to get out of our wetsuits and back into our dry clothes, there was no changing rooms so you had to change wherever you was, this one old guy hadn't got in the water and I wasn't aware anyone was there when I dropped my towel and flashed my white arse!! I turned round and said sorry to him and his wife and she just said she tried not to look - (I was a lil offended....why not!! hehe) We was back at port around 9 am and made our way back to the hostel.

Like I said I'd booked on to the seal swim and Dave the fishing trip so we didn't bother showering and just went to the movie room to watch a film while we waited, some dutch guy was already there and he's just put on American Psycho - such a wierd film, so we watched that but still had more time to kill so put on Perfect Storm - the weather was getting really rough by now and didn't look as though it would clear - we put another film on (clockwork orange) and by the time it had finished the weather hadn't cleared up - Dave decided even if the fishing was on he didn't want to go but one girl from the kiwi bus who had also booked onto the seal swim had checked and come to find me and say it was still on, I wasn't too keen on going just the two of us (being in the deep cold water didn't really appeal to me!) so opted out - it turns out it would have only been the two of us anyway which I wouldn't have liked either (I like there to be other meat options if a shark were to turn up!!) and the seals didn't get in the water anyway so she ended up just swimming round the rock where they were! - $70 well saved!!

The next day we got ready and made our way to catch our intercity bus back to Christchurch to catch our flight to Nadi. This is the last point I would be able to be truthful as to where I would be to my mother (and Dave's) as you will all know by now, Debbie, Lauren, Yorkie and Mother then we are coming home early to surprise you all!! So we are making out that we will be in NZ the whole time we are in Fiji and LA and then bam - home we will be!! So I said my lies (I apologise now) to mother about how the internet was being rubbish lately and how we couldn't top up skype bla bla bla and she seemed to believe me.....I think?

The next day was an early fight to Fiji, we'd had such fun in NZ - it seemed to have so much more to offer then Oz and travelling with Rich and Liz was fab - it did have it's tense times but we was with each other constantly for over a month but it all went very well so lots of good memories, good times and pics (mostly of Dave though to be honest) are the outcome!