Hey all,

Apologies for the lack of blog over the last few weeks but Im really getting in to the swing of travelling now and spending less time on the internet...which is a good thing!

Im currently in Queenstown, the extreme sports capital of the world, however it doesn't seem much bigger than Lymington (its the 3rd biggest town), half debating a bungy swing or something extreme but don't hold your breath!

The last 2 weeks have been amazing, so much so that I have decided to extend my stay for another 5 days! This is mainly due to the great group of people Im travelling with and as we have been together the whole time in NZ we are quite a tight little group now.

The South island kicks the North islands arse, in so many ways. Mainly due to the amazing scenery. We arrived in to Picton on the 'ferry' which was more like a scenic tour of the islands. We travelled through rolling green hills with the sun coming up. We have also had brilliant weather in the last couple of weeks which does make all the difference.

I have so much to tell you but dont want to bore you with every little detail but highlights have been:

Abel Tasma: Simply the most beautiful place I have ever seen, its hard to describe but we went for a 12k hike (oh yes people!). We walked through a rainforest and in eye line was a golden beach and snow capped mountains in the distance...I never knew this was possible. After the hike we went on a yacht for the afternoon sunbathing and taking in the National park

Franz Josef: One of only two Glaciers in the world to go down to sea level and finish in a rainforest. Again I did a 8hr hike with crampons (spikes on your feet), it was pretty awesome actually cutting our way through the ice (well the guide did) and it was beautiful blue ice surrounding us. It was great for the first 6hrs but bloody cold and the in the last hour i got stuck in an ice block! It was pretty scary but I managed to wiggle my way out...the girl behind me was stuck for 20mins (maybe I have lost some weight??)

Wanaka: We stopped here after Makarora (where we did Jet boating, kind of extreme speed boating). This was again a beautiful village which looked out over Lake Wanaka over to snow capped mountains. The day we arrived it was gorgeously sunny and we went kayaking. But after all the excitement of the last week I nodded off on the kayak and decided to make my way back to the hostel! We stayed there for 3 days as so far we have been constantly on the move with activities and walking everyday.

So today we have arrived in Queenstown, the weather has taken a turn for the worst so my little group and I went for 'Ferme burgers' quite literally the best in the world and then fell asleep in front of the fire in a heep in the hostel....

Its been a pretty crazy few weeks but Im starting to get in to the swing of things and enjoying keeping moving and all the stuff to do. I am looking forward to the Australian sun though and proper beach weather!

Before I came to New Zealand my mate Helen asked me to explain what all the fuss is about and why people come to New Zealand...it is hard to articulate but to be constantly bombarded with natural beauty from rolling green hills, to snow capped mountains, golden beaches, rainforests, waterfalls all of which you are likely to see in one walk!! I dont mind admitting I was sat on the bus with a tear rolling down my cheek two days ago as I couldn't believe how lucky I am to be experiencing all this and that its all turned out ok. It makes a huge difference to when I was in Auckland alone and scared in the first hostel! The Stray bus tour that Im on is brilliant, luckily its not a booze bus but just really friendly and the tour guides are so warming and enthusiastic about their country you cant help but get caught up in all the excitement.

Anyway, off out again tonight but not a big one as we have to be on the bus at 6am - erk to go to Invercargill, apparently a bit dull, its probably amazing compared to normality but after the experiences of the last few weeks its probably has a few less mountains or beaches or something J Then Im off to Milford Sound which is one of the things I really wanted to do….Ill keep you posted.

I miss you all at home and Im loving Facebook as everyone doesn't seem all that far away.

J xx