We finally got to use our northface jackets for the first time in Christchurch. The difference in temperature is very noticeable compared to Australia. This is a quaint little town with lots of cultural activities. We visited a few art galleries and saw some spectacular views of Lyttleton Bay and Christchurch via a gondola ride. We also managed to hook up with Jo, who we met in Cairns, for a night out on the town. The following day we did a day trip to Kaikoura to do whale watching. It was amazing seeing these majestic creatures at such close range to the boat. Our next port of call was Picton and the Marlborough Sounds. We took a boat out to Resolution Bay and did a 10km walk to Furneaux Lodge. The Queen Charlotte track is 77km in total and if we had more time, it would've been nice to do the whole track whilst staying at backpackers along the way. It really is breathtaking. On the boat ride back we met another South African who lives in Wellington. We went out for a few drinks that night and he invited us to stay when we eventually make our way up there. Yey, free accommodation!!! Our next stop was Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park. This spectacular coastline has so much to offer for the active type. You can do scenic walks or kayak the coastline. As we wanted to be adventurous, we combined both and spent the night camping, all we had to do was figure out how to pitch a tent. How hard could it be? On the first day hiking to Anchorage, the weather was not on our side and it pretty much rained the whole 4 hours there. Thank God we had our hideous luminous orange ponchos keeping us dry. The next day we kayaked from Onetahuti Beach back to Anchorage passed various seal colonies. As we were both novices and had never kayaked before, it was both scary and exhilarating being on the open sea. On the water taxi ride back to Marahau we encountered a school of orkas (aka killer whales). These mammals kill seals for sport, so thank goodness we were in the boat and not the kayaks when they passed. Otherwise they could have had a game of tennis with two South Africans. The following day we made our way to Greymouth and stopped off at various places along the west coast. Namely, Buller Gorge, Punakaiki (The pancake rocks) and Tauranga Bay on the Cape of Fowl winds which is home to the kekeno (New Zealand fur seals). Greymouth is pretty much a one horse town so one night there was more than enough. Our next stop was Franz Josef. As mother nature is so unpredictable, our Helli hike was canceled two days on the trot. Thank goodness for the 'Ice Bar', where a UK DJ outfit called 'The Disco d*** ' kept us entertained for the evening. We then headed off to Queenstown, adventure capital of New Zealand. Wow what a beautiful setting. A town formed around Lake Wakitipu and surrounded by the Remarkables Mountain range (aka Mordor from the Lord of the Rings). We spent one day at the Milford Sounds, which is a glacial fjord and got up close and personal with several waterfalls. The dramatic landscapes were breathtaking. The next day we did a scenic helicopter flight around Queenstown and got an awesome Ariel view of the landscape, which also included a snow landing on one of the mountain ranges. On our flight we met an American couple who have been stationed in Baghdad since 2003....and we thought that working for Citigroup was bad.... Dunedin was our next port of call.It's a student town with Scottish influences, where you can even buy haggis in the down town cafe (yummy). Two Scotsman purchased the land for $ 2,000 worth of gold from the Maoris. They ended up selling plots of land for $200,000. Somehow I think the Maoris got the raw end of the deal. On our way to Lake Tekapo we stopped off at Lake Pukaki for a magnificent view of Mt Cook in the distance. This is New Zealand's highest mountain (aka Aoraki which means cloud piercer). That night we had a BBQ at our hostel in Lake Tekapo, which culminated into an evening of drinking games with our fellow magic bus crew. We successfully managed to clear the living room but we were to merry to care and were leaving the next day. You don't quite get night skies like this in London. We kicked back on the benches outside to take in the milky way in all it's glory. The following day we caught the ferry to Wellington from Picton and bumped into Ryan (a Canadian mate). We spent three hilarious hours on the sundeck of the ferry. We were in stitches the whole time and I'm sure everyone thought we were pissed. Who needs alcohol when you're high on life. Our welcoming committee awaited our arrival in Wellington (aka John, who we met in Picton). We stayed with him for two days and he even let us crash in his room. He took us to Mt Victoria for a stunning evening view of the harbor and city. We spent the day doing the cultural thing and spent a few hours at the Te Papa New Zealand National museum, where you can get seriously lost in. Our next stop was Napier which is famous for it's art deco design. This came about as a result of an earthquake and fire that destroyed the town in 1931. It's quite different to any place we've been to in New Zealand. Very original. We spent the evening at an Irish pub with Corinne (a police officer in the UK) and our magic bus driver, who's name is Paris (no really). He was like a fish out of water, this being his first job after having spent two years in isolation living in the bush. I can't actually comprehend being alone with only sheep for company for two whole years. Our next stop was Lake Taupo, where Claudia decided to throw herself out of a plane for fun. It was the most amazing experience ever and being strapped so closely to a hot Swedish instructor made it even better. We then headed off to Rotorua. If rotten eggs is your thing then this is the place to come to. The smell of sulfur is pungent in the air. This is an area of Geo thermal activity, with numerous bubbling mud pools, sulfur vents and geysers. Mount Maunganui was the next stop and we spent two glorious days chilling on the beach. The first evening we ended up going to a local bar with Corinne. It was karaoke night and the locals dragged us up on stage where we did a rendition of "Hey Jude" by the Beetles, which went down well with the locals who all seemed like professional singers and probably did this every Thursday night for the passed 10 years. The following evening we walked around the mountain and enjoyed a picturesque sunset with a good bottle of red wine. After another early start, it was off to Whitianga which is on the Corromandel coastline. We spent the day passing through Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach, where you can dig yourself a hole in the sand and lie in hot water after having a refreshing swim in the sea. I have never experienced anything like it. It was very a unique experience where hot, almost scalding water filters through the sand on the beach just below sea level. Then we were off to Auckland which was our final stop. It is just like any other city and we much preferred other parts of New Zealand. We took a ferry to Devenport to check out the extinct volcanic cones of Mt Victoria and North Head. We also bumped into Karen and Sarah (Irish sisters) who we met in Newcastle and later also in Sydney. New Zealand has everything, picturesque and breathtaking scenery, great night life, all sorts of activities for the adrenaline junkies and a unique cultural experience.