Doobee doobee doo...

Still in Christchurch....

went to a pub quiz last night with Rachel and Charlie - the prizes were awarded to 1st,2nd and 2nd to last - we strategically (spelling?!?) planned to get the $25 bar tab for 2nd to last and do you know what???? last place got 15/30 - 3rd to last place got 17/30 and YES we scored a huge 16/30 - hurrah! As the quiz anouncer so carefully put it - 'yes failure can pay dividends' Anyway it's another slightly overcast day and everyone's moved on again but I met a lovely lass called Kittie who is currently at a job interview so i think i'll go and get the champagne or the tissues and meet her for a coffee in one of the 3.6 billion starbucks in this city. (that was a long sentence)

have fun!

Happy Easter to you all!!

Hey Hey,

It's Easter weekend and i'm in Christchurch, got here yesterday and couldn't get any hostel accommodation as it's such a busy weekend in this cathedral city... so I stayed in a motel room equipped with tv and towel heater... oh yes!!! it's still a bit pricey down this way south so I had one meal last night to fill me up for the duration of my stay - it was the most wonderful roast in the world. anyway moving away from the seemingly regular topic of food... I'm booking in at a hostel now (well in about 35mins) for 4 nights to give me a chance to explore this huge place - it has a lovely river (river avon) running through it and is known as the most English city in NZ - I was a bit sceptical at first but I'll admit that there many similarities (it's like being in oxford....)

anyway have a fantastic weekend.

Franz to Wanaka to Queenie

Hello everyone!!

Sounds like the weather is getting nicer back home (it's a bit chilly here today) - I'm in Queenstown which is most definately the largest drain on funding in the world - everything is more expensive from dorms to food... but on the other hand it is renowned as Party Capital' of NZ and lives up to its reputation very well!! I've been here for 4 days although yesterday was a road trip but i'll come back to that in a sec. First things first (no really). I left Franz Josef and went to Wanaka which is a lovely little town further south than Franz which doesn't have a huge amount to do but is very pictoresque.... we stayed in a really cool hotel which had 4 bed dorms (a novelty form the usual 8 or 12) with en suites..... and get this..... the en suites had baths - hurrah!! - after a month of showers it was amazing how much more revitalising an hour in the bath was.... Anyway moving away from my washing regime - we then headed even further south to Queenstown stopping at 'puzzle world' on the way - http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/ - one of the coolest places we've stopped at (second to Bushman Pete's Centre).... after finishing the maze in... yes... 20 minutes (thanks to Mo on that one for training me up at hampshire mega maze and Chris for turning it into a race).... we carried on to Queenie and had a lovely dip in the lake (now I know the meaning of freezing). That night and every night has run as follows (occasionally there have been variations on the theme): Red Rock Bar - Altitude bar - Buffalo's - World Bar.... and due to this I woke up today at around 2ish... More Exciting News!!! - sorry this is a long entry (and probably not very coherent). Yesterday - after a few days in Queenie my friend Neen and I decided to hire a car and have ourselves a road trip to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is recognised as having the most spectacular sights in New Zealand and I would agree (even to sceptical Ashley who was starting to lose interest in yet another mountain) the drive was great fun an early start with long winding routes accompanied by my mp3 player running through the radio (a minor detail you may think, but there's something to be said for listening to rock music whilst cruising down a seemingly endless road!!) When we arrived we hopped (almost literally) on to a cruise boat for a 2 hour cruise through the fjord... we saw waterfalls and snow and seals and more waterfalls - I loved it.

Anyway I'll tear myself away from this journal for now.

Take care

These boots were made for spiking...

Hello Everyone,

I'm in Franz Josef - a lovely little town which lies, pretty much, at the foot of some big fat mountains with a huge glacier running (well crawling really slowly) between them - the franz josef glacier is one of three that run down into rain forrest areas in the world. Now you can walk to the foot of the glacier (the half day walk) walk up to the first flat bit (the full day walk) or, like me, jump in a helicopter (a-team style) and fly to about 2/3 up before hiking around these crazy ravines and caves... it's super fun and you get to wear clip on spikes on your boots and use an ice pick - simple things really amused me yesterday (i.e. it's not cold up there in all this ice - mad!!!) anyway by the time we flew back down the whole gang was pretty knackered and as such myself, chris and beccy decided to jump in the hot spa at our lodge... ah memories... well it's not that hard to remember being in the spa as i just got back out again 15mins ago - you can never have too much of a good thing....

st patricks day today so I'm planning to put my last sentence to the test....

take care everyone!

What a day!

Hey hey!!

I'm feeling better - not 100% - but nearly there... Have just arrived in Franz Josef, home to one of the three glaciers that descend into rain forrests in the world. It's a very cool (well very hot currently) place. Today has been amusing - the bus driver took it upon himself to play practical jokes on yours truly - I was 'lucky' enough to be chosen to face off and feed a ridiculously large pig at a deer farm today - then get pushed to the edge of a pond full of 'friendly' fish followed by managing to fall for the 'being interested in the weta insect' trick - which involved looking into a little tank for bugs being told to push the light switch to see them and, of course, activating a high speed jet of water onto my, by now, nervous wreck of a frame. oh you kiwis!!! ho ho ho anyways - walked up to some rocks and saw the glacier from a distance - pretty spectacular - hve splashed out for a heli-hike tomorrow - (not a walk in the park apparently.... lucky it's not called the heli-park-walk then) i have to wear those funny spikey shoes (how technnical) etc... so should be fun fun fun.. also failed to mention earlier that last night we stayed at Mahinapua and had the ''kiwi experience fancy dress party!!" accompanied with a lovely roast meal!! the theme was 'P' and i went as a 'punk' as I enjoy destroying my clothes and generally ruining my otherwise sophisticated appearance.

speak soon - take care

You give me Fever...

lost track of all time....

Hello all, I'm in the South Island and I'm ill...

I have a fever, sore throat and a headache in fact all of me aches - not fun... anyway just spent 25 hours in bed - super fun - and now i think i'll return to my wonderful bed as I'm on the bus again tomorrow at 7am!!! *addition* so that message was sent from westport - where i went to watch the sunset the next day but had difficulty in finding the beach..... before that i had taken the ferry from wellington to nelson - that's where i collapsed for several days - just in case you were wondering what had happened!!!

River Valley

09/03/05 - (yes - I actually know the date today!!!)

Getting to be dull as dishwater here - which, to be perfectly honest, is all I see at the moment - Had to get in the kitchen for 7:30 this morning to politely serve people lovely breakfasts (it shows i can be a morning person - just not everyday... 'GET IT YOURSELF') Anyway I'm heading on to Wellington now and the straight through to Nelson on the boat so I can catch up with the guys I was with before working at the Valley.... should be good to find them again - planning to go canoing in a couple of days with a danish guy called Jeppe - hurrah!! Anyway I've got a thumping headache at the moment so I need to go in search of cold water not dishwater.....

Work,Work,Work

HeyHey

I've got myself some delightful work in the wonderful River Valley home to rafting, horse treks and de de de de de de golf. I'm afraid there's no reception for my phone in this valley (shock) so no texts for me for a bit!!! will be working here (cleaning and chopping up wood etc..) for a week or so. will write again soon -

lunch shift now d'oh!!!

sweet as!

I'm on a road to nowhere....

hello everyone!

i've got a mobile so you can text me and i can send lil pics out - my number is 0064211497367 am in taupo, heading to river valley tomorrow - lots of scenic walks and hikes and climbs and the likes.... cooked a meal for the bus yesterday (i amaze myself sometimes) created a delicious (even if i do say so myself) mexican with sweet chilli chicken fillets, stir-fryed vegetables, wraps, pasta with a tomato, salsa and tobasco sauce.... it's all good!! my thanks go to bruv adam (the mexican king) on that one. not a great deal to fill you in on - went to the beach last night, had a swim and a few beers with the kiwi bus crew... got up late today and went shopping.... got myself a lovely leather cowboy hat which is doing wonders at preventing my neck from getting burn further. will write more later,

take care