Hello,

So i spent my last couple of days in Christchurch just milling about, doing the usual free stuff, the art galleries and the botanical gardens etc. i met a really nice girl in my dorm, and we ended up going out for a meal together, although she left the next day, which is one of the annoying things about travelling. you finally meet someone you could really get on with but you are different scheduels so endup going seperate ways.

I got on the bus that i am using to do the rest of my trip in new zealand on saturday, and guess who was on there - Lee! he was on his return journey past christcchurch up to picton to get the ferry to Wellington. so that was cool. i have now travelled north on my south island loop, through kaikora and am now in picton. tomorrow we leave for Abel Tasman. all the people that were on the same bus as me have got off now to go to the nroth island, and it is just me and one other guy on the bus now! i am assured by our driver that some more people are getting on tomrrow. (the guy who i am now left with is really getting on my nerves already, keeps going on about all the job offers he has got, his shares, his house, his blackberry (basically how amazing his life is) grrr. so am hoping to meet some new people tomorrow. yesterday we went to a little town called Kaikora. The funny thing about new zealand, is that it is bigger than the UK, but only has 4 million people in it, so towns are very far apart, and with virtually nothing and no one in them! very much like oz. Christchurch is the biggest city in NZ, which is very funny as it is so tiny. Picton in a major port town, having said that there is nothing in it and it is raining, so i have got nothing to do! am gonna have to go back and pretend to be interested in the guys conversation soon. eek. there are lots of seals on this part of the coast, and we saw some seals at kaikora, and today stopped off at a waterfall where there were loads of seal pups playing in the waterfall pool, which they use as a nursery.

As i said there isnt a lot in most of the places i have been so far, but the scenery it absolutely beautiful, very much like the peaks, or lake district, but like that everywhere.

My hostel i am in tonight is very homely and provide free apple pie and ice cream to all guests. so had better go!

think we are going to Able Tasman next.. will get online when ican...