We got up at about 10am on Monday, and cooked some eggs, and then said goodbye to the others. They were going to do the Nevis, so had to be up relatively early. We joked around, saying how scary it was, but they were all looking forward to it (well, they said they were!). We got on the road just before 12, and drove all the way down to Invercargill. Some of the scenery was, yet again, stunning. We stopped off at Lake Wakatipu and took some photos, before going all the way. We got there at about 3pm, and went and got the usual for lunch - Subway! By that time, we realised that we needed to have showers, so we looked around town for a swimming pool (none of the towns ever seem to have one!) and thankfully, there was one! We went there for the rest of the afternoon and had a much needed shower, and then went to the supermarket. Our plan was to drive down to the edge of the Catlins, and park up for the night, which was surprisingly easy. We parked on the edge and then went to bed.
On Tuesday, we got and went and explored Curio Bay, which is where there is the fossilised forest just off the coast. The tide was out at the time, so we managed to walk around all of the tree stumps and some of the fossilised logs - really strange! We spent about 20 minutes there, and then went to Porpoise Bay and actually saw a couple of Hectors Dolphins, which are the world's rarest! They were cruising around the bay, and we spoke to a local who said there were 8 earlier on in the morning! But we were still happy with the 2! From there, we drove to Mclean's falls, where we did the 40 minute walk (we do try and do some exercise!) and then took a few photos by the falls. After there, we drove to Nugget Point, and had some lunch. We went there to see seals and sea lions, but we sadly didn't see any. However, we did see about 7 or 8 yellow eyed penguins! They have a special hide near the beach, which is where you can watch them coming out of the sea and up to their nests! It felt like we were watching a nature programme it was so good! They are the world's rarest penguins as well, so seeing them the same day as the dolphins made it even better! We left the Catlins at about 4pm, and drove up to Dunedin, where we met Stu's cousin. He works at the uni there, and he said we could stay in his drive! We cooked some food in his kitchen, and all had a beer together before we went to bed. It was so nice to have somewhere to cook properly, and also to have a shower!
On Wednesday, we tried to get up early, but yet again, we failed. When we finally got up (about 12pm) we cooked some breakfast, and had showers, and then went out. We drove to the surf beach, where Alex and Mike hired boards. Stu and I couldn't be bothered, as it didn't look to appealing, and it looked soooo cold! We left them and went to the shops to by some things, and then went on the internet. We got back to them at about 5pm, and they said it was really good. I was a bit annoyed that I didn't take up the chance to go surfing, but they looked freezing when they came out, so I was a bit happier. After they dried off, we started the big drive up to Christchurch. It took about 5 hours, but we did stop off for some pizza along the way. We made it to the outskirts by about 11:30, which is when we parked up for the night.
We got up really early on Thursday, as it was Alex's Birthday. He chose to go paintballing, so we got to the site, and were surprised by what it was. It looked like someone's house with a few barrels around it, but we couldn't wait to get started. We were kitted up, and then the man showed us the areas. He let us run around for a couple of hours, shooting each other! The rules were practically non-existant, which is completely different to England! But we had loads of fun all the same. We drove into the town centre for about 3pm, and decided to drop our Spaceship back a day early. We spent ages clearing all of the rubbish out, and were surprised to see how much stuff we'd accumlated over the 3 weeks! We checked it back in, and luckily didn't have to pay any money for damages, fines etc. We then checked into the hostel (Base) and started the evening's activities! We went for a curry to celebrate Alex's birthday, and then went for a few drinks at our hostel. We were all really shocked to see a girl from our school there (Lottie) as well, as we didn't even know she had gone travelling!! We left her for a couple of hours, which was when we went to play pool, and came back to find her really drunk (lol!). We got to bed at about 1am, and it felt so good to have a real bed!
We got up on Friday at about 11am, and went and played pool for a couple of hours, as it was a lot cheaper then. We also upgraded our room to the Penthouse room, which was only $4 extra, and we got given a PS2, a TV with Sky, our own private kitchen and... wait for it... clean towels!! It seem stupid not to do! We then spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, and we bought a few beers from the shop, so we could enjoy a cheaper evening. We got to bed at about 1am again, (all with very painful thumbs!) and went straight to sleep.
On Saturday, we spent most of the day doing all of our much needed laundry, and also playing on the Play Station. We did manage to do something in the evening though - we went to the last rugby match of the season. It was the Crusaiders vs the Highlanders, and it was expected to be a whitewash by the Crusaiders, but the Highlanders actually beat them 26-14!! So it was a really good match. We were also surprised to see that some of the NZ national players were playing as well (Dan Carter!). The match finished just after 9pm, which is when we went back to the hostel for some goodbye drinks, and then finished off in a bar called the Rockpool. It was a bar that played Drum & Bass, and had loads of pool tables! We got back at about 2am, which was just in time for the F.A Cup final! I only watched the first half, and then went to bed, but Mike stayed up, and said it was a boring match, so I was pleased I took advantage of the best bed one last time!
I got up at about 8am on Sunday, as I needed to do loads of things on the computer. I wrote this blog, as saved it, but for some reason it logged me into Alex's account, so it didn't save any of it! I wasted over an hour on it!! Oh well, this chapter should be even better!
We went to McCafe for one last time, and got on the shuttle to the airport. We checked in really quickly and got through customs easily. Apart from me, who was 'randomly' selected to have an explosives test. I got the inside of my bag swabbed, and all the clothes I was wearing as well. Luckily I didn't have any on me at that time!! Another thing I was surprised about, was the fact that Stu was allowed to take his penknife on in his hand luggage!!!!!! He had it in his pocket before the screening, so he though he'd have to throw it away, but the secruity guard said it might be alright. He had it scanned, and that was it! Its hard to believe that they let people on planes with knives!! The flight was really good - we watched The Bucket List, and made the most of the complimetary drinks (especially Stu!) and we landed at about 5pm.
Here is the link to something very cool, which is to do with the Bungy jump we did!! Check it out!
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