Woke up feeling rough (unsurprisingly) but just made it to the bus for 7:30am pick up. At the breakfast stop I carried on the healthy lifestyle with a Maccy D's where I first chatted to Gilly and Marian who had met on the Kiwi bus and seemed really cool. On the bus I was sat across from Dave, who it turned out did the LPC at Holborn last year and was starting at Herbert Smith in Feb, what a small world! When we arrived at the quaint but cool Urban Retreat hostel the four of us decided to get a dorm together, also joining us was a Welsh character called Thum (bloody silly Welsh names lol). Lo and behold who was in the bar at the hostel when we arrived, having got bored of Auckland where I was due to meet her on Thursday, but Kate from Queenstown!

Feeling very unfit Dave and I went for a run around Lake Taupo which was fine except he had just run the London Marathon and so was a little fitter than me (to say the least). The evening consisted of a few beers and some free pool in a local bar before Thum decided he wanted to serenade us to sleep back in the room with the guitar that he was taking around with him (or as it seemed just tune the bloody thing for half an hour). However, the funniest moment came when we were all recounting our skydiving experiences when Thum, who is a big lad, suddenly piped up "I was too big to skydive"…classic.

With the famous Tongariro crossing closed due to the weather I went with the Rough Guides recommendation and go on the Rapids Jet. This was despite the previous day having just booked it Kate saying she didn't think it was worth it…brilliant. Well I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was sat next to the driver and I got completely drenched which I was prepared for only wearing a t-shirt and swim shorts along with my jacket, however fellow passengers wore jeans which I found highly amusing.

For the afternoon me, Dave, Gillian and Marian walked up to the impressive Huka Falls, which one can only describe as a gushing torrent, and then had a dip in the natural hot spa spring running into the river which were flipping marvellous and very hot. Dave and I found the perfect spot, to idly chat away and reminisce about rugby days, where the top half of us were immersed in hot water but the bottom half in cold, a very strange yet pleasant sensation. The Tongariro crossing was on for tomorrow and so we all booked on and Gillian and Marian had much amusement watching me and Dave behave like a married couple in preparing some outstanding sandwiches for the crossing…which all in all took us about an hour.

Up early but not so bright at 5am to get the bus to Tongariro to do one of the top 10 hikes in the world. Joining us were Amy, Adam and Sonia. Bus duly arrives, only to tell us it's cancelled due to winds between 80-100 Km/h. Cock! Luckily I had scouted some contingencies the previous day just in case, which included the Craters of the Moon geothermal park which had a small admission fee and wouldn't be open until around 9am. Despite my protestations it was decided to ask the bus driver to drop us off there on his way back. So we got to the gates just after 6am and sure enough it was shut. Undeterred Dave saw a gap in the fence and it was decided to engage in some breaking and entering (make of that what you will). We all got in, went around the park (which wasn't worth it), and arrived back at the exit gates just before 8am. Only me and Amy were left in the park after the others had successfully scaled the gates and got out. She began to pass the ticket booth to the gate when a cleaner appeared and shouted out and she froze, cacking herself that she might get into trouble. I though, 'Just say something….anything!' But to no avail, so it was time for me to step in and do some of the best calm thinking on my feet ever. The cleaner was an old woman who I charmed round and made her believe some bulls*** story until I noticed the gate she had opened to get in and said, "Do you mind if we sit outside and have some breakfast until someone arrives who we can pay?", walked out the gates and when out of view legged it to the others! What an unexpectedly thrilling and amusing morning!

We walked back to the hostel, me and Dave chatting to Amy and realising we should be life coaches/ motivational speakers rather than lawyers, and so before 10am we had walked about 8km already! Me, Dave, Amy, Adam and Sonia pored over the options we had picked up from tourist info on what to do for the rest of the day whilst having brunch and tried to make a decision. Well Jesus wept what a farce, I lost the will to live. It was finally decided to play 9 holes of golf, go to a shop/attraction the Honey Hive and then the Lake Taupo hole-in-one challenge. Well the golf was great fun given Sonia and Amy had never played before, especially with Dave coaching the former and me coaching the latter. After a swift beer in the 19th hole we headed to the Honey Hive which was both informative and interesting surprisingly. Trying honey liquor was cool and the Manuka honey ice cream had to be one of the best I've ever had. At the hole-in-one challenge, which consisted of a floating green about 120 yards from the edge of the lake, Adam, being a rather annoying chap and a good golfer, took it way too seriously and I had great fun winding him up.

I wandered into our room back at the hostel to be greeted by the eerie sight and silence of Marian, Gilly and two new girls peacefully sleeping. So I decided to head straight back to the bar to get on the drinking with Dave. In the hostel bar it was all getting a bit rowdy as it was Claire's birthday, a Northern Irish girl who I had chatted to earlier, so Dave and I sat outside, drank and a deep and meaningful (as drunk men are prone to do haha). We met the others in Mulligan's for their famous Tuesday night pub quiz. Well it was packed and I made it my mission to get Dave smashed as he was seemingly waning. I met the other girls who were staying in our room, Monica and Ellen (who was a Swedish La Roux look-a-like). The highlight of the pub was me winning free drinks by being the first to take 3 different coloured bras to the quiz master (those of Marian, Ellen and my just for the record.) By the time we left to go to Element bar to dance the night away me and Dave were both two sheets to the wind but having a cracking night. He drinks flowed in Element bar, moves were busted and much fun was had by all until closing time. What happened back at the hostel can't be repeated on here but won't be forgotten by anyone present for a long time lol.