Day 160- The Stray bus was to leave from a hostel down the road at 11:30 which was a bit later than usual. We discovered this was because the driver had already dropped off a group of people at Mt. Iron earlier so they could hike up it. We knew Stray did this as a stop which is why we didn't bother with it yesterday but because nobody from Stray informed us we now wouldn't have time to do it. Luckily we weren't too bothered but we would have liked the option. The bus journey only lasted a couple of hours with a short stop at a fresh fruit shop where I sampled some of the cherries and grapes and then we bought an Ice-cream and some banana chips. Then just outside Queenstown we stopped at the A.J.Hackett centre for bungy jumping. The centre was on the site of the Kawarau Bridge, this is where the first commercial budgy jump was ever set up, scaling in at 43M it was no longer very big, but still an iconic jump. It was also where we had to book our jump if we wanted to benefit from the Stray discount. In the centre we were shown a video and giving an introduction of the different jumps on offer. In my eyes there was only one and that was the Nevis- a 134M drop. We both knew this day would come but it seemed very sudden, Eve in particular was really unsure and nervous, I knew she would definitely do it but I dont think she did quite yet.. We went outside to see some people jump from the bridge and it didn't actually look that bad so before we could change our minds we booked it an paid! I was buzzing for it, I think Eve quite enjoyed been scared by the thought, afterall she had had plenty of nightmares about it already! We jumped back on the bus and drove into the centre where we were dropped off at our hostel. To our surprise standing in front of us was the Swedish couple Madeline and Robin. We checked in and chatted to them for a bit. Then me and Eve set out to see what the centre had to offer, It was about the same size as Wanaka land wise but was so much more developed and crowded. Saying that we really liked the place and it still had its alpine feel, we strolled round and browsed a few shops before heading back for dinner. The hostel provided free dinner every night which was amazing, very unusual. We queued up and were given a bowl of mash with seasoned mince and gravy. It was actually really nice and we found a seat next to the Swedes. The hostel also had a sauna and when we told Madeline and Robin we were going to give it a go, they decide to join us. It was a great way to chill out and relax before bed.

Day 161- It was the big day and we were up early for the free breakfast and then chilled out in the hostel until it was time to check in. We booked our jump for 12:30 so we had enough time to psych ourselves up. We rocked up and checked in on time where they weighed us and scribbled numbers on our hands. Then we had to sit and wait..........BUS 17! We jumped up and walked over to our bus where an over-excited driver called our names out. It took 45 mins to drive to the Nevis site which if your nervous can last a lifetime. It was in the middle of nowhere in barren scrublands and then we drove up to a canyon. We could see a multitude of wires draped over the canyon and a small capsule hanging in the centre of it. We were strapped into harnesses and led down a path to the canyon side where 4 people were bundled into a shuttle cart. At that second we heard a scream plummeting to the ground and looked round to see this girl be catapulted back up into the area from the canyon floor. Time ticked by until me and Eve were the last two remaining and then we also were squeezed into the cart and strapped to the ceiling by cables. This was scary enough, it had a see-through mesh floor and swayed violently in the wind. We were then let out and in to the capsule and heard another scream as somebody else jumped out, there was glass panel in the floor so we rushed over to see them fall towards the ground only to be bounced back 8 seconds later. Before we knew it our legs were strapped up and we were tangled in safety gear. They had music blasting to get you pumped up and we were both bouncing up and down with excitement and nerves. EVE PURDY! Horror struck across her face. She waddled over and was bundled into a dentist chair before she could breath. She was told to look up and smile at the camera and did so accordingly. From that moment her beaming face didn't fade and she trundled over to the plynth. Another smile for the camera 3...2...1 AAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH she just jumped! No hesitation, nothing. Gone. She flew down and I was speechless at the sight. Incredible. I was so proud of her, she just screamed continuously and didn't stop until she was back in the capsule and getting untied. LLOYD POTTS. Bumph, me next. I jumped into the chair and my legs were tied together so there was nowhere to run. Everything from here just happened in flashes and I was so full of adrenalin that my brain wasn't aloud to think. I headed to the plynth and felt a hand on my back keeping up. I heard Eve scream 'DONT LOOK DOWN LLOYD', I couldn't resist, i was already looking down and couldn't look up. The stream at the bottom of the canyon seemed so far away and the sheer vastness in front of me was overwhelming. Before I knew it I was hurtling toward that very stream. I had no thoughts or feelings just WOW! The speed was astounding I felt like I couldn't be stopped and was going faster and faster. Then miraculously I was going backwards and spinning round slowly as I was going up and down. On the second bounce you are supposed to pull a cord to flip you the right way up, I pulled mine and nothing happened, I then tried pulling it different ways and to the side until finally my leg was released. However because of the way i had to pull it, one leg was stuck. So there i was bouncing with one leg up and the other down, I then went to pull it out the way and I got a feeling that I would just fall from it altogether. I overcame it knowing it wasn't going to happen and managed to straighten myself out. I was pulled back to the capsule and released. Me and Eve were still on massive rushes and just smiled for a bout an hour after. Back at the centre we bought our photos and videos and then drove back to centre. It was dinnertime and there was no other option but Fergburger. This is a burger bar which is world renowned for its massive, extra tasty burgers. There was no doubt in our minds that we deserved it. I ordered a burger with cheese and beetroot plus trimmings and Eve chose the bacon and avocado burger. We sneaked a portion of chips in there and picked a table outside. It took me two attempts to carry everything outside and we unravelled our beasts. They were huge. They were also the most amazing burgers ever with juicy succulent beef and fresh salad and the chips certainly didn't let the side down. All this excitement was a lot to handle so we went back to the hostel to kick back for a bit. Tea wasn't needed after our dinner and we picked a seat for the pub quiz the hostel was putting on. We met up with the Swedish couple and Kayan- a Canadian from our room, plus a couple other lads and after 4 rounds we managed to win. We all won a bottle of beer each and me and Eve took a fancy to the caps in the basket as they bore the Nevis bungy jump logo- we think we deserved them more than anyone. After a couple of bottles we went along to a bar for happy hour and then to World Bar to redeem our $20 voucher we won. It was crowded and played bad music so moved to another bar where there was some live reggae rock music and cheap drinks. The band were great, nice to see something different and we all stayed there till 2ish. We had a thoroughly 'Kiwi' day and sat and talked about the days adventures in the hostel for a while before bed.

Day 162- After a lie-in we managed to catch the end of breakfast and then got ready for a standard dose of Sunday markets. From our room we could see a small one across the road so had a look over there first. It was only small consisting of a few stalls and mainly sold farmers produce. Then with Madeline and Robin we walked round to the main market which was great, full of local arts and crafts and random bits and bobs. We looked in a few shops and managed to work our way into the centre for dinnertime. Eve squied a sushi shop so we all picked some pieces each and found a nice spot by a stream where we spent a few hours relaxing and talking. Back at the hostel we uploaded some photos and the hostel knocked up some chicken burritos for tea which went down a treat. We just lounged around the rest of the evening, skyping home and catching up on things.

Day 163- We were up earlier today and felt like some hiking so set off up Mt Queenstown. It was a nice day with the sun shining and took around an hour for us to reach the top via the Tiki trail. it was a lovely walk through the alpine forests and crossed over the downhill mountain biking tracks so we had a chance to see some of the amazing mountain bikers showing off there tricks as they speeded across us. Before we knew it we were on the cafe balcony overlooking Queenstown and its beautiful surrounding countryside supping iced coffee's and milkshakes. We looked around and found a viewing point where we could see people doing the freestyle bungy jump, a small bungy where you are connected at the waste so you can jump out however you like. After watching a few people we then made to head back down and did some final browsing before heading back to the hostel to take advantage of the dinner which was sausage sandwiches. We then packed our bag and hit the hay early.