20th

Christmas shopping! felt so silly buying christmas things with music playing everywhere in shorts and flipflops?! (or jandles) Made seperations between our bunks to wrap each others presents, noy peeking! Then we were too excited so we had to open a couple.

Next morning we got up reeal early for 7am pick up to take us to Abel Tasman for some kayaking. After an hour and a half safety lecture we were off - strapped into our double kayak. Pretty exhausting as there was a headwind and took us a while to get into it. 2 Hours later we rocked up to our private little beach! had our pic-nic and sat in the sun for about an hour before we started to row back with achey arms and surrounded by lush cliffs and mountains! Later on we realised we had the worst sunburn ever! soooo red and shiney!

Next day we had another early start to get bus to Picton back to the same hostel where we felt the earthquake and they give you free chocolate pud! When we arrived we were too sunburnt to do anything, so ate fish and chips and chilled in the hammock.

23rd - packed and ready for a whole day of travelling. Up early then ferry was delayed. really bouncy ferry so felt pretty sea sick.. Arrived in wellington and wandered around for a couple of hours before our bus to New Plymouth. Went to STA for some advice on vietnam visa's and were told to 'google it' cheers. Arrived in New plymouth at 11pm and had some wine and chatted with Maria and Kathleen. :)

Slept like babies and woke up to a cooked brekkie! thanks maria! Saw the lovely sights of new Plymouth, had some more wines and watched NZ film 'Boy' yea nah bro!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS! woke up veeery early and half asleep opened our pressies! Missing home quite alot and feeling wierd being so warm but loving all the christmassy new plymouth love ha! Went to Kathleens for breakfast, got more presents! Then to Darryl and Frances' for massive all day buffet including roasties!! Met all the aunties and got pressies which was lovely and hugh has accumilated a large keyring collection! Also have lots of New Zealand memoribelia.Skyped fam in the evening which was lovely :)

Boxing day - Went to the harbour and on the boat with Gareth, Darryl and Frances. Went for a spin around a seal island and around the bay, was well lush! Went to Kathy & Deans in't eve for a BBQ stuffed our faces again. Hugh has tonsilitius :( Later we went to a park with had a Christmas Lights festival thing, with colourful lanterns and UV plants. A water fall with soapy bubblesand swan shaped lit up boats. The most crowded place we had seen in the whole of NZ.

27th - Ate and chatted with Maria all morning then went to a park where Joe and Nadia got married. Also to a free zoo, saw a funny looking cow print french llama thing. Then to a chinese garden cool oriental hut and a friendship tree! Later we watched love actually, felt all christmassy and miss london!

Next day got all packed up and ready for flight. Got bus to Auckland and waved bye to Maria, kathleen, Bella & James :( Arrived at airport at about 8pm to wait for our flight at 7am..its gunna be a loooong night. Had about 8 horus to kill before we could check in at 4am. Read our books, had KFC (not as good as we remembered!) "erm excuse me are the potatoes roast ones??" then had pointless tea and afgan cake - trying to kill time. Went to check in to find a massive que already. Then were told we are not allowed in to Singapore as we don't have an outward ticket!!! As we fly out of Bangkok it doesnt prove we a leaving singapore?! Lady convinced us to go and buy a refundable ticket from singapore to anywhere. Got to the ticket counter, they said we could only buy a ticket to England as its out home country?! so thinking we are going to have to spend pretty much our entire budget for asia just to go to singapore. And were only staying there for 1 night! a lady overheard and made a phone call and fixed it for us. Feeling relieved we checked our bags in, lady briefly mentioned they will only go as far as melbourne, thenw e have to pick them up and re-check them in for signapore... to tired to ask questions. Get our 4 hour flight to melbourne. Arrive groggy and confused as to how to get our bags as we have to go through transit, and to claim your baggage you have to go through customs to get into Australia.. Got sent by security to transit people - got sent by transit people to customs que. Qued for an hour stressing out, got to the front to be told ' where is your visa for australia?' Can't get our bags without a visa?! so sent back to transit and struggle to find someone to makesure our bags get on our flight to singapore. Fiiiinally found someone who just clicked a button on a computor and sorted it all out. :)

BYE BYE NEW ZEALAND, had a wicked time here will never forget it - so excited about South east Asia!!!