Hay people! Guess what i did today.......a skydive at 15000ft! It was amazing! I have a dvd to prove that i did it so i'll send it home soon for you all to laugh at me. As it is an amusing 1. Me, mel and teresa all did it and i'd do it again in a shot. 15000ft is the highest you can go, a little plane took us to the top and then i hung out of the door for a picture and then was flung out with my instructer and did several sumersalts, we were travelling at a speed of 170mph! Then suddenly the parachute came on and i cruised nicely to earth. The scenery was spectacular and at the beginning we were above the clouds! You could see for miles and to see the mountains and lakes like we did was breathtaking. I'm really tempted to do a bungy jump but i cant afford it as there are some other trips that i really wana do instead. On the companys website (www.skydivenz.com) are our pictures, go to feb 1st and scroll along to pages 6/7 i think and you can see us. Beware they look awful, but they'll give the impression of the height we were at! I throughly recommend it to any of you! At the mo the three of us all all feeling a bit weird, me and teresa have had colds the last few days and our ears were really affected by the falling, i got shed loads of snot on my gloves...mmmm attractive!! Anyway, hope your all ok and you havent fallen of your seats in shock or laughter at our pictures?!! C u all soon. Love Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My god, New Zealand - you couldn't be further away from us could you!!!!! I am so jealous as I sit here at my empty desk (9th office move in 4.5 years) wishing I could be with you right now. Nothing much has happened with me, still going to the gym - upto 5 -6 times a week now, starting to feel a real difference in myself and should have listened to you years ago. Went out with some of the lads from Mersey last night and had a good night, didn't get in til 1.45 this morning and was still up for the gym at 5.55 what's that about I think officially now I am a weirdo. Dad is home for upto 6 weeks cos he fell off a temporary ladder at work and has dislocated his shoulder and is milking having all the attention and not been able to do anything - he will be bored by Thursday!!! Got talking to someone last night and I have decided to change my path of career slightly, think I may need to go back to college or start a university course in september. Your seat is already reserved for the xmas meal!!!!!!! love ya missing ya loads xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hay! MANY CONGRATS TO GEM AND ROB!!! i cant believe you have finally decided, its so unlike you both!! Ha, ha!!! I'll try to be back by 2007!! I miss circuits to, i think i look pregant at the mo. Altho we did climb the Franz Josef glacier today and i am completely shattered. I ended up doing the magic bus, as we have heard some bad stuff about the kiwi experience. Yes, i am doing the south and north island and the dolphin swim is a must. The franz josef glacier was fab, climbing up steep ice steps, walking over craveses and then walking down again was scary but once you are the bottom you def feel a sence of achievement. Nz weather is just a tad colder to oz. I very worried that i may loose the little tan i have. God dam it! But i really am appreciating the colder weather its like england! Yesterday we did a transalpine train trip through the southern alps from christchurch to greymouth. It was fantastic scenery, but i did feel like my mum and dad. As it is something that they would love!! Sorry, bless you both! Tomoz we are moving on again to Wannaka, where i'll explain more later!! Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!! Then on to Queenstown where i am thinking about doing white water rafting. Then the gals move on and i'll be all on my lonesome. But i'm, thinking of it in a positve way. At queenstown rach i'm doing the milford sound so i'll try to get some good pics. Rach, what are you doing moving in with a boy! I'm more than happy to give interior design advice over the email! Anyway, hope you are all well? Lots of love Helen.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Helen,
sorry I have not written a message for such a long time, that's what busy working life is like, don't have time to go on the internet. Never mind, it sounds like you are having a great time on your travels and I am sure you will not want to be returning home when you first planned. Are you travelling around the north island as well, if you are then you must keep an eye out for my brother in Auckland.
You must visit Kaikoura on the south island if you have not already where you you can swim with the dolphins, and there is loads of them. I think you can also swim in a cage with sharks but we did not try that one.
As Rob has already told you in his message we have booked up for the 1st september 2007! we decided to go for tithe-barn in the end after looking at several other places! SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kara and I have been to circuits tonight, we miss not having you there! I was suffering abit from my works night out on friday which involved lot's of dancing around a pole!
Anyway better go,will try and write again soon, Love Gemma xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Hellie

I've finally got offmy ass and posted something on your website ... sorry for being such a slacker!! Glad to hear you're having a good time!! How are you finding the Kiwi Experience so far, we did it around the North Island and had a superb time!! As a hint for the news that Gem will tell you ... can you keep the 1st September 2007 free :-)

Bye for now, Luv Rob

Hiya hellie! Happy (belated) new year!!! sorry I am soooo rubbish, i check your site most mornings (sounds like you have turned into a hardened traveller - am so impressed!) but after reading the thousands of new messages each day i dont have much time left to write.... had a pretty hectic january, been house hunting (agghhh! i'm so grown up!), to wales for the weekend, to london for the chinese new year and been planning my (work!) trips to Hawaii and Venice, all very exciting! We're (me and Darcy - even more scary!) putting an offer in on a place in southampton, its really cool but has a yellow lounge!!! so u better come back in April, what use is it to have an interior designer as a friend if she is on the other side of the world? Keep the pics coming, they're so cool! enjoy new zealand - its so beautiful. Challnege for you - try and get a photo of millford sound in the sun! Sorry again for being so pants, am thinking of you tho!
lots of love, xxx

Hay, have arrived in Greymouth by scenic train! We went through middle earth and you can def imagine the hobbits walking around and gandelf on his horse! Fab! We are going to Franz Josef glacier tomz and walk around it, luckily they supply warm clothing! Money is running out...bye 4 now!!

hello all the way over there! iv just ben checking out your photos and it did make me smile to see little irish alan appearing in some! what a small world! is he still up to all his crazy drunken tricks!? thanks for his email address. well it sounds like you are having a blast and the photos are great, wish i ws there, especially since its really really cold here!
looking forward to the next installment, love carla x

Hay everyone, i have arrived in New Zealand and i believe i am now 13 hours ahead of you guys! Adam has now gone on to Cairns to do diving etc. I'm in a rush at the mo, i'll email you all later with further news and updates. I have no mobile for the next 6 weeks while i'm here so email is the way forward! Love Helen xxxxxxxxx

AT LAST!! Really enjoyed looking at those photos, especially the diving 1s - nice outfit hunny - loving the goggles. Just kidding, you looked good and it looked fantastic, I'm just jealous - I want to feed that turtle, he/she looked well cute and very similar to those on finding Nemo! I hope your having a great time with Adam, cheeky sod commenting on your freckles and lack of tan - surely he realised you're not as transparant as you normally are!! I can't believe your off to New Zealand on Sunday - alone - you are so brave and I really admire you, can't wait to see more beautiful pictures. We're all going to be so gutted if you decide to stay on for longer but you should definately go for it hun, you'd be daft not to (well dafter than you are)!! You'll be proud to know that I, yes me, went to gym after work yesterday on my own. I felt like a right saddo but I did befreind an old man (about 60) who kindly pointed out that I was going backwards on the skier (I did already know this tho and I'd already gone forwards), bless him. I'm off to Birmingham tomorrow with Scouse, Lee and Kelly - should be interesting - I'll let you know if I'm still alive on Monday. Hope you have a brill weekend. Missing you. Take care, love and hugs, Me.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello people! I have put some more pictures on finally! Hope you enjoy!? So, i'm back in Sydney and feeling quite weird that i'm back to a famililar place. It was good to see my bro altho he only remarked on how freckly i am than my amazing tan. God dam it! Yes, he did bring me some goodies......2 padlocks, a bar of vanish and a tube of hand wash! What more can a gal ask for. Well i did my surf lesson....it was good, i even got to standing on it in the water! Bring it on! It was also successful because i didnt drown but my hurt my knees real bad with the amount of times i did fall off. If any of you lot were there you all would have found it very, very amusing! So then, Sunday i'm off to New Zealand for another adventure.....yippee! I dont think it is going to work out very well with us gals doing some of the trip altogether as we are all there for different lengths of time. So i'll be doing the whole trip on my own. I'm gona pay for a trip called the Kiwi expereience which is for young independant travellers and is very popular and have heard good stuff about it. Its gona be a challenge for me but i'm gona do it. My first challenge was coming out here and i've done that! It'll build my confidence up for when i return to oz in march and if i decide to stay longer and look for work! Anyway, its Australia day today Adam has gone to watch a lilo competition and i'm gona meet the gals at the Opera house! Oh, by the way adam and i did a tour of it yesterday...it was facinating! Wot tourists we are! Hope your all ok, i know some of you have sent me personal emails to my hotmail i'll try to reply as soon as i can, heres a quickie.....Tash many congrats, Jen keep smiling that lovely smile of yours! I'm sure there was someone else, but i'm lame and have forgotten! Sorry. Love to you all. Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello hun, it was so good to speak to you the other night still missing you like crazy. Tasha and I started training for the race for life on Sunday in the gym, Tasha managed 5 minutes of running where as I only managed 3 minutes, (sports bra urgently required). I will still be doing it when you get back maybe you could join me for the last little bit. I hope you and Adam are having a great time together and that he brought you over lots of little treats for his wee sis!!! love ya loads xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx