Hi again, it's Emily! I'm going to have to fill in a bit of a gap in blog entries as it's been hard to get to a computer until now; we have several days worth of goss! Needless to say, NZ is proving to be an extremely memorable place in terms if places, escapades & people.

On Friday (14th) we travelled to Mahinapua (don't you just love all these unpronouncable Maori names?) along the outstanding west coast, crashing waves of the ocean to our right and looming monutains to our left. We stopped off at the Panakaiki pancake rocks and blowholes national park where we got to stand at some breathtaking viewpoints and even watch some lazy seals making the most of the sun. One fellow Kiwi-explorer attempted to hop over the fence and onto one of the pancake rocks (named so because of their multi-layered pattern) nearly falling in just for a good piccie!

That evening, the infamous Poo Pub party was set to take place, run by the legendary Les, an 85 year old bearded Kiwi with painfully sharp wit! He took NO poop from anyone! A pyjama party theme was chosen by one of the group, Steph, and girl from Montana (as it was her bday), so we all trooped into Salvation Army to see what we could salvage for our costumes; the oh-so-unflattering granny nighties and nylon pyjamas were paraded around! Steph bought a pair of white long johns (didn't know they still made those: I reckon she should give them to a museum) unknowingly for 7-8 year olds, and a PJ top to rival Mr Blobby. All for $3! There was a competition for best costume (a canyon swing in Queenstown worth around $200!) so a special effort was made for some! Les cooked a HUGE feast of venison stew and steak for everyone staying before we all ran off to get ready...and it was definately a sight worth seeing! People were dressed in everything from sleeping bags with arm and leg holes, to dummies & nappies (don't ask!), teddie bears to playboy bunnies...It was a great laugh and our group photo will join the thousands stuck around the walls of Les' pub. Let's say everyone was slightly fragile in the morning...!

The next day we drove to Franz Josef, stopping off en route at the Bushman Centre museum about the history of deer hunting. The Kiwis really like to do everything the hands-on way; in order to cull the thousands of deer they had mistakenly released into the wild years before, wld Kiwi guys would catch the 12000lb deer by jumping onto them from a helicopter, pinning them down, tying their legs together & carrying them to the farms by flight! It was slightly horrific...We also got to see feed a couple of cute possums, whilst later being served possum pies and roadkill specials at the cafe...! These critters are not too popular in this country.

In the evening, we made the most of the last rays of sunshine in the 20-man 40 degree C hot tub at the Rainforest Retreat hostel, (backpacking, us?) relaxing before a long glacier hike the next day...

On Sunday (16th) The whole group went on a full day hike up the amazing Franz Josef glacier, scrambling over ice boulders, walking through crevasses and crawling through ice holes after being lowered down the shafts. With our crampons and pickaxes, we meant business! Our guides carved tracks and steps into the more difficult terrain with their huge pickaxes, but it was an amazing challenge - how many people can say they've conquered a glacier?! We then spent the evening relaxing in a luxurious hot pool spa, resting our weary limbs and blisters. The cute glacier guides met us at the bar late that night for a tipple or two, which the guys on our bus weren't too happy about...! (The girls loved it!) Steph stayed out right until the bar closed!

Today, we hit the beautiful town of Wanaka, which strongly resembles the Lake District in it's gorgeous scenery. We had an excrutiating 7am start in order to view the infamous reflections off Lake Matheson, and we got some amazing dawn photos over the serene water where the mountains reflect with perfect symmetry. We stopped off along the way at the Blue Pools, accessed via several swing bridges which of course everyone swang! The crystal clear pools were so inviting that several of our guys insanely decided to leap off them, despite their freezing temperature.

Tonight we're having a karaoke night at the bar with several prizes for the best singers, so wish us luck!

We love you all, wish you were all here!!

xxxxxxx