Lies our coach driver/guide has told us so far on the Kiwi Experience:
- That a strange llama like creature we went past was a new cross between a sheep and a giraffe, called a "shiraffe"
- That the cows in New Zealand were genetically modified so that they went white when they were ready to be milked (the ones we were passing at the time were getting there but not quite ready)
- That the waterfall everyone was about to jump off had a natural thermal pool at the bottom which was about 35 degrees (it was actually only just above freezing)
- That we should change our dollars into local currency for the South Island on the ferry on the way over
- That all the buildings in Wellington were earthquake proof apart from the backpacker hostel we were staying at as it was such an old building
- That speedos were officially banned from the beach in Kaikoura by the local council....

The list is pretty endless, and unfortunately at least one person on the bus has believed him each time he's come out with a new one! He's been awesome though, and it's a shame we have to lose him now as we've decided to stay in Wellington for two nights and he has to keep going south with the bus. He just so obviously genuinely loves his country, it's just a bit tricky to know which of the many stories, historical facts, and general backpacker anecdotes he's told us over the past couple of weeks have been true!

We've done a lot since I last updated my blog, travelling up from Paihia and the Bay of Islands on a day trip up to the very northern tip of the North Island to Cape Reinga, then back down through Auckland, Mercury Bay, Rotorua, Waitomo, Taupo, and River Valley, until we got back into Wellington late last night. We see so much in such a short amount of time that sometimes it's hard to take it all in and remember which stunning view belongs to which place. I'll pick out my highlights from the past week or so though anyway.

The one most prominent in my mind as I sit here on this rather uncomfortable stool is the three hour horse trek I did up in River Valley yesterday, as my bum and legs are absolutely killing me today! There were only six of us who wanted to do it in the end, as we had to be up at 8am to fit it in before the bus left, but it was definitely worth the early wake up call. We all got given boots, chaps and huge long wax coats to wear (which Harriet kept tripping over until she made it onto her horse!) as the weather wasn't great, before trekking off over the mountains. Some of the views were just amazing, and although the riding itself wasn't particularly challenging as unfortunately we had one beginner in our group who was German and spoke basically no English (when we first got there our guide asked her if she was happy trotting and cantering and she said yes, so just to reconfirm our guide said "so you're fine to trot" and she shook her head emphatically and said "oh no"...). We did get one gallop though, when our guide shut the German lady in a separate field and told us just to go for it! It was a great way to see some of our beautiful surroundings (even if I did look a little like Gandolf on my white horse and wearing my long cloak!) as the lodge we were staying at was in the middle of no-where and completely isolated. The other strange thing about it was the sleeping arrangements, as Kirsty and I ended up in the huge 32 person dorm where everyone basically sleeps on 4 mattresses set on two huge bunk beds! Needless to say we got to know the new people on our bus very quickly...!