So obviously living in Queenstown is hilarious it's full of British People who like to drink too much. Another weird Kiwi thing is that they sell Goon here but it's more expensive, you get less in it and it's not even slightly palatable - Good old Stanley it is not. So one night where again I avoided drinking Goon in the hostel before we all played out me and Bob decided we would have a go on Cians Canoe when we got home. So off we all went out, there was some typical drama going on and eventually me and Bob decided it was time for us to leave as we had basically emptied The Find of Rum anyway. So off we went home, Flo a French girl we found sitting outside also desperate to head home so off we trotted. As we got back we saw Cian's Canoe which was of course attached to his car roof, and remembered our genius plan from earlier so we climbed on his car and in we got. We thought it was the best thing we ever did. Despite the fact we were in New Zealand so of course it had rained a lot that day/night so getting in we ended up with wet bums immediately but it was worth it to be canoeing away on the car. We eventually climbed down and went to bed after a quick photoshoot for Flo. So the next day Bob starts sending me these pictures of us in the canoe so I am pissing myself but whilst sitting next to Cian. So I was scared to show him as we didn't think he'd be hugely impressed but he did end up seeing the pictures. And wow he was an angry Irish man haha. So he eventually got over it but me and Bob were still just proud and love that we achieved our dream that night. Cian was a little more stern reminding us we could have went through his sun roof and we got footprints on his windscreen. Whatever. We did not looked arsed by these facts. We think in fact he was jealous he didn't think of it himself.

But it was now time for a trip to Dunedin to see England vs All Blacks. Wahey I bloody love Rugby anyway but seeing England play here was a dream come true and All Blacks are absolutely wow and it also meant we would see the Haka live! Which is a huge Kiwi thing obviously so this was exciting. There ended up been Me, Helen, Vicki, Lauren, Alice, Rachel and Anya going and we met Rob there to drive us home! We couldn't get accommodation there so we had to drive there and back, it's like a 3 hour drive maybe so not too bad this side of the world. For some reason in the UK people wouldn't consider driving 6 hours return in one day but here it's fine. So Lauren was driving us there so me and Helen just got on the raspberry scrumpy which is also known as Rocket Fuel. On the way there we ended up visiting Champagne which was way more exciting than the one in France (probably) as it was a pretty lake and some toilets and a sign, pretty standard place of interest here. But it was called CHAMPAAAAAAGNE. Score.

So we eventually made it to Dunedin, we parked up and went and met Rob for a beer in a burger joint. My burger was s*** but nevermind eating wasn't the reason for going there. We then went for a few happy beers before the game and ended up drinking stella in a nice bar just before the stadium. Good times. The game was awesome we were all split up with seating. Me, Helen and Vicki and the others were split up too. We kept getting told to sit down by some miserable kiwi behind us, as if people would stand up at a sporting event?! This country is so 80s!! So we went mental the Haka was amazing and the men were hot hot hot. A guy from Newcastle Falcons made his debut for England in the game so I was so happy to see that! He was really good too, the game was so close, England smashed it first half then All Blacks clearly had a word with themselves and went full on 2nd half we lost by one point at the end it was so close though and we were just buzzing it was so good. After the game me and Helen ended up losing everyone and having drinks with some twin girls we befriended who also lived in Queenstown so that was cool and then heading back to the car to meet Rob and everyone. Poor Rob driving home a bunch of drunken bums!! We were very loud at first demanded he stopped about 80 times for wee on the road breaks and then eventually we all fell asleep. Happy days.

So eventually Me, Emma and Ellie managed to move out in to a hotel complex called Sherwood Manor. We picked up a kiwi for the other bed online. It is so nice not being in the hostel, having our own space although yes its teeny it's in a cool community as the guy who owns the place is renovating it so tons of backpackers are living here while he does it up so it's very cool. Plenty of parties are happening a lot and everyone is hugely sociable and you can go home to your own house at the end and not be disturbed which is awesome. Living with the swedes is cool as there is always vodka in the house and they are just lush girls, Emma leaves in 2 weeks and I am dreading it as I absolutely adore her! But then I leave a week later so it's all change.

So one night a few of us end up going for a curry at Bombay Palace which is the best indian here. Its BYO so we wait for our table in a sports bar drinking Steins of IPA great idea drinking a litre of beer on an empty stomach, we then drinking a bottle of wine each with our dinner and then head to another bar for more drinks which is of course what we need. Everyone ends up going home but me and Helen. We are putting the world to right for a change and then I go and meet Stefan from work, and eventually I decide to head home. For some reason I decide to walk home and I notice a police car basically driving past me repeatedly so I start shouting stuff at them a little bit as I can't figure out why they're following me so much. So then end up pulling over and this is the conversation:

Police: Are you alright there?

Me: Yep

Police: are you a bit drunk

Me: yep

Police: where are you going

Me: Sherwood manor

Police: that's quite far do you want a lift as you are a little too drunk to be walking home

Me: Nope……..yep

So in I get and the guy asks if I'm ok as I seemed to be shouting stuff as they drove past so I tell them I was shouting pig at them… haha oops. Honesty might not always be the best policy. I then send a snapchat saying 'im in a police car' and apparently tons of people though I'd been arrested for being Drunk and Disorderly which of course I was not (maybe a bit). They drop me right off at the door and wait for me to wave at them before I head inside my house. Oh my word - ooooops.

The next night our next door neighbours had a party, it was mental we were doing bodyshots, playing a million drinking games, drinking straight vodka, Jager. Downing goon it was a mess. In the middle of the night somehow I dropped a full bottle of vodka on my foot. Ouch I was only wearing socks, but didn't think about it anyway as I was a bit tipsy. At the end of the night my flatmates had all went home by this point and they had locked me out and my phone and keys and everything I own was inside and I was outside. No one heard me banging the door down (too much vodka I think) so I had to sleep next door which was fine but when I woke up it was already past 9 and they had all gone to work and so I was still locked out with no phone. They both work in opposite directions both about a 35 minute walk and I didn't have shoes and its winter. Oh great. Luckily we live in a hotel so reception managed to find a spare key for me to get back inside thank god as I was going to Arrowtown that day finally it's a 15 minute drive from my house and somehow after 3 months of living here I hadn't been.

So I got in the house had a shower ate food and inspected my foot that was now killing. So of course my bone on the top of my foot is protruding out of my skin. Great. So I have actually broken my foot in the same place before hence why I can tell it's broken my foot was also a big fat swollen mess and bruised like hell. Fun times. So anyway I headed to Arrowtown with Helen, Vanessa, Neil, Tom and Alice. Vanessa was in the boot which is of course not legal but you know we are young and reckless.

Although I'm not that young at all and Helen is even older than me but nevermind. Arrowtown is really cute it's like Beamish but a real life place. I didn't taken any photographs as it was cold as I needed a beer, but it is like a real life Beamish for real it's so funny. We went to the pub and I have a disgusting burger but nevermind my beer is delicious. We then decide to head back to the hostel to drink wine all day and make cookies. So that's what me and Neil do. We end up getting horribly drunk and swapping clothes then swapping back and going out all night and dancing like mentalists.

So after 3 hardcore nights out I'm dying and I get the worse tonsillitis known to man, I get sent home from work and then end up being off for a full week and have to go to the doctors as my throat hurts so bad I can't really drink water anymore. She ends up giving me liquid medicine as she's concerned I might choke on tablets as the tonsils are so big and tells me if they haven't gone down in 2 days I have to go back as a matter of urgency. Urgh they looked absolutely gross. So for a week I was actually stuck in bed dying I probably managed to eat about 6 slices of toast all week and I forced a cake down me that Laura from next door got me from her work and Emma came home one day with some super fruit smoothie for me too. Lucky me I was well looked after which was nice cos when you're feeling so ill all you want is a cuddle from your mam and your dad to make you dippy eggs with soldiers which is hard when you're 11000 miles away from them. Bad times. So of course being off sick totally f***ed me over financially as the doctors cost a fortune here, my prescription cost a crazy amount. And being off work for a week with no pay was not fun but I could barely talk or even get out of bed my body was shattered so I was definitely unable to go in and the doctor signed me off for a week as she said I needed to sleep for England.

But I did make it through thank god and I am alive and since then I have been trying to eat better as my diet is terrible here as it's so expensive to buy food here. It cost me $6 for 3 small tomatoes the other day, that's 3quid. It pains me going shopping, you buy bread, milk, yoghurt, cereal and some apples and it's like $50 it is actually mental.

So about a month ago before the foot drama and the illness but after Dunedin tons of us went to Wanaka for a family holiday for Rob and Jon's birthdays. It was amazing. We rented a lush huge house, which unfortunately for the neighbours ended up being in a retirement village street. It was so nice to get away from Queenstown for a few days. Wanaka is actually more beautiful than here and no tourists so its super chilled out its stunning. Me, Jon, Rob, Rob, Hannah, Keegan and Vanessa went early on in the day and Chris, Emma, Ellie, Helen and Bob came later on in the night and Bever came the next day. It was just so much fun. The first day we just chilled in the house, sat in the garden, went to the pub for lunch and drinks and got a bit drunk, played drinking games ate some tasty food it was brilliant. The next day we all went for breakfast on the front street we sat outside had some amazing food, then fed the ducks by the lake and then went back for some naps. Some of the guys went up the mountains for the day snowboarding while we chilled. That night we got some indian takeaways and drank more red wine and vodka and we all hid from Bever when he arrived in some sort of kids playpen. It was a wicked few days we had so much fun and it really did me the world of good getting away from Queenstown I think I needed it!

So I am now probably amazingly up to date with my life since I got to New Zealand. I have just quit my job in the last week I am now working my required 4 weeks notice which frankly I think is ridiculous for a backpacker job but whatever it means I get my holiday pay so it's good as I do need that, I'm going to be moving up to Christchurch which is funny after I was like 'oh I can't live there on the earthquake line' but actually I am as I need to save save save some cash for my adventure, I am frankly bored of Queenstown now too. It's all a bit too repetitive, and there is too many English people here. I may as well be at home. But yeah the wages have to be better up there as they are disgusting down here and everyone just gets treated badly in their working terms and conditions because 'we're in Queenstown' the famous bubble of not the real world. This is definitely somewhere I have spent far too long but nevermind I have certainly learned from my time here. I will never spend so long somewhere I'm sick of again! I have a lot of friends here yes which is nice but having been travelling now for a long time I know everywhere I go I make good friends. And I have had a good time here but it is very same old and there is a lot of drama and I can't be arsed with it. I'm looking forward to being somewhere where I can save cash, it will be cool living near J9 again too and I just found out Jodie and Billy who me and Chris met in Broome have just moved there so I should get to see them crazy kids again too which will be awesome. Unfortunately my friend Theresa who I worked with in Melbs has literally just left yesterday to go home for a few weeks while her and her fella await their new visa's to be approved for Australia as he is getting sponsored there. So that's a shame as they are good eggs but nevermind - Que Sera Sera.

So yes I am looking forward to the next step in my journey, it turns out I get itchy feet very easily but that's not a bad thing when you are trying to travel the world. I don't like to feel too comfortable, which is funny as there is a lot of people who wouldn't survive if they didn't feel comfortable. Some people are scared to move out of hostels as they like that they always have someone to talk to but I don't think the whole point of travelling solo is to be with people 24/7 like some sort of security blanket. Its not getting you out of the comfort zone which I think is important. Travelling solo is you proving to yourself and the world you don't need anyone to help you achieve what you want to achieve. Being that needy with people is just not what it's all about for me, and also if you never have any free time to yourself where you can actually think stuff through how on earth do you keep your mind in check with reality? Any way I can go on I do apologise, I have recently started doing an online social psychology course as I think people are the most interesting thing on the planet. It's really cool and I'm getting quite into it.

Although I would also just like to mention that there was some meteor showers recently here and it was around the time of the new moon which means no moon, So me, Neil and Tom went up to Fernhill to check it out and I actually saw part of a meteor shower, I found us Neptune, Saturn and Mars and we saw shooting stars. It was absolutely one of the those wow moments. I am so much into my stars since I left the UK and realised how many you can see here in these countries that aren't completely rammed full of people and unnatural light. I wish I had a proper camera sometimes to photograph what I can see here as it is phenomenal to be honest. The milky way is crazy clear here although maybe not so much as it was back in Oz in WA but still amazing. Lucky me!!

So yeah if you're still reading well done I think I've gone off on one today. Much love and hugs xxxxxxxxxxx