Hey All.

Well since my last blog we have managed to pack loads into a few days. On Saturday morning we were up early to go on a full day hike up Franz Josef Glacier. We were hiking for a total of 8 hours with around 5 hours on the actual ice, we managed to get really high up onto the Glacier as we were with a good group who were up for going at a decent pace so our guide took us to some really amazing parts of the Glacier. At one point our guide "Tom" found a an ice tunnel which was about 6m long and he thought it would be fun for us all to climb through, thats fair enough given he was about 5ft 8 tall and hardly weighed a thing. When i popped my head round the tunnel entrance and saw how small it was i thought there was no way on earth i was going to even try and get through, though after a huge amount of peer pressure we all in turn had a go, i thought i had got stuck and was going to be left there to freeze to death about 10 times on the way through, i have never been so relieved in my life as when i fell out at the other end. It was only afterwards that Tom confessed to us all that he himself was unsure that he could get through earlier that morining when he found the tunnel whilst up on the glacier digging steps. On the way back down the heavens opened, the rain was so heavy, apparantly at Franz Josef they can get more rain in a week tjan England gets in a year, i think most of it fell that afternoon. I have never ached so much in my life as i did on saturday night, and there was no time for rest as well all had to be up at 6.30 to catch the bus to Wanaka in the Morning.

We had booked to do a sky dive in Franz Josef, however due to bad whether over the 2 days we were there all dives were cancelled, therefore the sheet was passed round the bus for dives in Wanaka and we all signed up, fully expecting for it to be cancelled again. However as we got closer and closer to Wanaka the weather suddenly cleared up and it became the sunniest day of our trip so far, thats when it dawned on us all that we were in a few hours to be jumping out of a plane at 15000 ft, check out the photo of Tom on the bus when Toddy our driver annouced the dives were going ahead.

The sky dive was the most amazing thing i have ever done, for some reason i didn't feel nervous at all (am saving all of that for the bungy), the views were awesome as the sun was setting over lake Wanaka and the mountains. I have uploaded a seperate album of all the photo's taklen by the professional photographer who jumped with me.

Yesterday we arrived in Queenstown which looks like a really cool place. We checked into the hostel which is certainly alot more lively than any of the other places we have stayed and then went to the top of one of the near by mountains by Gondola so that 5 of us could go on the luge track. Thats was such a laugh and how were did not end up in a massive pile up a some point over our 6 races i will never now, especially as we were racing against Anders (crazy guy from Sweden) who did not beleive in using his brakes and instead went full pelt into the back of the person in front in order to make it round each corner. Then last night was a few beers in the hostel bar and karoke was started up, later on we moved up the road to World bar where you can drink cocktails out of a tea pot (random) and we all spent most of the night applauding Morton on his dance moves (dances like Howard in fast foward).

Well thats it for now, will up date you all again soon.

Take it easy

Girtch