8th december

Bus to queenstown was like a guided tour. stopped at lake tekapo - the most beautiful blue waters and snow capped mountains ever. Also stopped at Mt cooke, NZs largest mountain. Queenstown seems cool town surrounded by mountains and right beside the remarkables which is in Lord of the rings. Jackwills kinda boys and girls everywhere feel kinda out of place 70% of the hostel are from kiwi experience. Next day we got the gondala up a mountain sat and looked at the lush views went on a 30min trek around the top of the mountain, hugh had massive hayfever! Went back down and booked white water rafting for the next day aaah! Watched the sunset on the beach.

10th - Got our ssexy spandex on and got a rickety bus on the edge of a cliff which looked unsuitable even for a footpath..laura is starting to regret booking this and feeling really nervoud by the time we are in the raft. went through a few rapids which were fun got splashy. the finale was through a tunnel and massive rapid at the end and the raft literally folded in half, scarry stuff. we ddint flip and noone fell out yay. Afterwards bought a fergberger and sat by a little stream - looked like the shire. Went outlater saw a kiwi reggae band called 'ghetto blaster' they were amazing! next day proper achey arms for laura, coulding lift them! booked a bus for wanaka deffo staying in a smaller hostel. Met a nice girl on our last night always seem to meet the nicest people on our last day in a place! Next morning rushing about to get early bus, stressful hugh milky timesas milk was all over our spinach and our brocolli had been stollen! Arrived in wanaka the hostel seems really nice.

13th - Went to puzzling world crrrazy s*** maaan wierd illusions felt kinda dissorientated in the sloping room. Hugh got rather fraustated with a block puzzle after about half an hour lols... Next day is was chucking it down again which seems to have become tradtion for when we decided to hitch. We got picked up by a lady from Durham, who took us all the way 6 hours to franz Josef! Pouring with rain all the way water falls were pouring from the rainforst above down onto the roadside. nextday as the half day ice trecks were all fully booked we booked a shuttle and walked to the face of the glacier, which was really good and walked to peters pool, which was a reflective pool so stunning! Theres always a lord of the rings film on a literallyevery hostel, one after the other lol. Booking another night in franz as the bus to Nelson is fully booked for tommorro and its forcast to rain so we don;t fancy hitching. there has been flooding in nelson, hopefully it'll be okay. We'll have a lazy day tommorro. Watched some lord of the rings lol.. so emotional. 10 hour journey tommorro to Nelson.

17th - arrived in nelson & it actually looks like people live here. Booked a sky dive for tommorro aaah! in disbelief but so excited!

19th - woke up with major butterflies! Cannot beleive what we are about to do! Arrived at the airfiield (literally just a field) Got jumpsuitified! Laura is next to the door on this teeiny weeny plane looks like she is first out. Everyone is squished in, on eachothers laps. Questions flooding through our heads, will the parachute open? Is this harness too lose? The door slides open massive gust of cold wind, he nudged laurs to the open door, tuck your legs underneath the plane and then you're freefalling. Couldn't think or comprehend what was going on, just feel cold air (120 mph) and rushing tingling all over your body. Kind of forget all the saftey positions tucking everything in when you're tumbling through the sky lol. Then the parachute opens and you can relax, its so silent compared to the loudness of freefall. We floated down to the ground one after the other, we were literally buzzing for hours after. Feeling sleepy and proud of ourselves everyone has to do this one point in their lives. <3