South island part 1

Hi everyone. So I am finally going to tell you about the amazing time I had in the south island.

My trip started with a celebration at the base backpacker bar (Christchurch) for my birthday. It's always good to celebrate your birthday in 2 different counrtries I think. The bar staff found out it was my birthday and gave me loads of free stuff which was cool. They also made everyone in the bar sing to me by promising them a free shot. Very embarrassing - especially as no one actually wanted to sing, they wanted free alcohol! During our stay in Christchurch we also watched a traditional Mouri show. They performed the haka which was really cool if not slightly intimidating, but I suppose that's the point. There wasnt much else going on in Christchurch as they were still recovering from the earthquake they'd had a few weeks previously. There want much obvious damage apart from the odd collapsed building but i think they were still waiting to assess each building before opening.

Our next stop was Kaikoura and it was our first trip with the amazing Stray bus (our mode of transport for New Zealand). On our first day we met too lovely girls - Mo and Kaitlin- who we ended up spending the next 2 weeks with. Kaikoura was also our first experience of the amazing scenery in NZ. Beautiful beaches surrounded by snow capped mountains, absolutely stunning. Here we set out on a 3 hour walk where we came across a colony of seals. They were quite tame and let you get really close to them (even though they stank) so we got some good pictures. We then had fish and chips on the beach and got attacked by seagulls. A great start to NZ!

Our next stop was Picton. The scenery was just as beautiful here so we attempted to head out on a bike ride. Bikes were hired out free of charge at our hostel but we soon realised why this was. The one I had had no brakes and there were equally important parts missing on the other 3. We decided to give the bikes a miss and do another walk. I know you'll all be shocked, but we were new and feeling keen, especially after the pie fest that was Australia. Speaking of food the hostel we stayed at did free apple crumble which was amazing! Thats what I look for in accommodation - how much free food can you get. We left Picton the next day and headed for Abel Tazman National Park. We also joined the bus we'd stay with for the next couple of weeks and loved the people on it - we were really lucky.

This is getting boring now but Abel tazman was also absolutely gorgeous. Our first day here we set out on yet another walk. It was a really lovely walk along the coast. It ended at the beach where me and my friend cremated our faces as she put it. I seem to get more burnt in NZ than anywhere else Ive been! We then sailed back to our accommodation on a katamaran. That night we all had a few drinks and played some party games. The favourites being the card board box game (where hannah excelled herself. Apparently she hasn't lost any flexibilty since we were 8 and can still pick a piece of cardboard off the floor with her mouth!) and the chicken game. I'll be bringing this one home with me.

The next stop on our tour of the south island was the incrdible Barry Town. It has a population of about 30 people so when the Stray bus arrives every other day, the population doubles. There really is no reason to visit this place except you stay in an old pub that has a fancy dress room. Basically everyone good and puts on a silly costume and everyone has a few too many drinks. Sounds weird but it was probably my best night out in NZ so far. We had such a good night!

Anyway I'll leave you with thoughts of Barry Town. Part 2 of the south island to follow shortly!

Take care everyone - home in a month now. Crazy! x x x