We left Fiji on the 10:00pm flight on Thursday, 29th May, and arrived in LA, at 1:00pm on the 29th May - strange or what?! The flight was good, but I fell asleep for a lot of it, so it seemed a lot quicker. We landed just before 1pm actually, but it took 2 hours to get through customs!! We got a taxi to Santa Monica after that, and went to inquire about our much desired 'All you can eat' buffet. To our dismay, the only one near us was a fish restaurant, so we gave up on the idea. We went to explore the area, and took a walk on the beach, which is about 300 metres wide! And then went to 3rd Street for a bite to eat. We went to a place called Fatburger, which does the 'Triple King Burger Challenge' for only $8, so Alex and I tried it. It is a 3 burger meal, that has 24oz of beef, with salad as well If you finish it, you get a certificate, a t-shirt and your photo on the wall! Both of us found it easy, so we got our photos taken, and then we left. We got back to the hostel at about 8pm, but not before we checked out Macy's. It wasn't anything special, but everyone I know has been to the one in New York, so maybe its just that one is amazing. We watched a couple of films in the evening; the first one was called Teeth, which has the worst storyline ever, and I would never recommend it to ANYONE!!! Its too disgusting to describe as well, so its up to you to search for it in Google! The second one was 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Al Gore, which was really interesting, but it was on too late to enjoy it properly.
We got up at about 8:30am Today, and went down for the free breakfast, which had cereal, bagels, eggs, orange juice, fruit... the list goes on. I can only say that I wasn't hungry until a lot later on in the day!! We checked out by 11am, and got the bus into Hollywood. We managed to find our hostel, but only a about 5pm! We bumped into a friend from the plane (Olivia) and she came along with us. The hostel is on Hollywood Boulevard, but I never realised how long it was! It took us ages to walk to it, but we made it in the end. We passed the Kodak Theatre, the Avenue of Stars, and a few other tourist sights. We also managed to get in on a free BBQ at another hostel, so we made full us of it. We only got a lift there though, so we had to walk back from about 5 miles away (which is far in America!!). We stopped off in the Virgin Mega store though, and found loads of bargains, but we sadly didn't buy anything. We got back to the hostel at about 12:30am, and I am about to go to bed. I really like LA so far, but we've hardly seen any of it. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the one and only Tijuana in Mexico!! I'll let you know how it goes when we get back.
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Fiji - The Second Half!
After spending the afternoon in Rakiraki, we got the boat back with Filo, who was in town shopping. It meant we got it for free, as she was with us, so we saved $15! We got back, and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling by the sea, reading etc. We splashed out for dinner in the evening, and we all had pizza, apart from Stu, who ordered a tiny burger. We started to chatting to the other guests staying at McDonald's (our place), and we found out about one of the best dive sites in the world. Its at the south of the main island, and it involves going down to about 25m and watching the sharks get fed! Its not just reef sharks either! Some include bull sharks and tiger sharks! We intended to change all of our plans for it but it all depended on the availability. We spent the rest of the evening drinking a couple of beers, and we even managed to get a crab to smoke! It all started with Stu catching a crab, and we wanted to see how powerful its claws were, so we put a leaf in one, and then Phillip (one half of the other guests!) put his cigarette in the other claw! We got a few photos, and then let it go, but it took the cigarette when it ran off!
On Sunday, we got early and said goodbye to Stu, who was leaving. It was strange to think that the next time we'll see him, will be in England, in just under a months time! Shortly after that, Pola (the correct spelling this time) ame and picked up Alex and Mike, and they found they were actually going diving again! I couldn't be bothered by that time, so I was left all on my own in the room, so I caught up on some reading, went for a snorkel and waited for them to come back. They got back about 1pm, which was when we called the Shark Dive company. To our annoyance, they were fully booked until Thursday, so we couldn't do it, but at least it gives us the chance to come back! In the afternoon, we collected a few coconuts, as we wanted to try baking them. We tried baked coconut with sweet chilli sauce when we went to Volivoli (the Fiji Bus hostel) and we loved it, so with the amount of free coconuts around, we thought it would be stupid not to try it! We spent most of the afternoon taking all of the different layers off, until we were left with strips of the coconut. We put them in the oven for about an hour, and the strips came out a nice golden brown colour. We smothered them in sweet chili, and took them for everyone else to try. They were quite nice, but not as good as at Volivoli. We did 2 coconuts worth, but there seemed to be so much more. We ate loads, and were still left with a lot, so we had to chuck the rest. We had a beer with Phillip & Elka and then went for an early night.
On Monday, we checked out nice and early, said our goodbyes, and got our boat transfer over to Volivoli! There was a lot more life there, and it was only 10:30am, so we knew we were in the right place! We checked into our room, which we were sharing with a guy called John, who was a DiveMaster, so we all talked about diving most of the time! Just before lunch, we went for a kayak, which turned out to be huge! We joked about going to the island on the other side of the bay, but in the end, we actually did! It took just over an hour for both journies, but we felt that we achieved something after doing it! We cooked some noodles to get our energy back, and then went to play a game of volleyball. We were joined by all of the dive staff at about 3pm, and we had a really long game, that took about 2 hours! We were all really tired by that time, but the Fiji Bus had just arrived so we knew we had to be ready for some partying! I had my first hot shower since Nadi that evening, as Nananu-I-Ra doesn't have hot water, so I made the most of it, and then went to join the games. They lasted until about 10:30pm, and then we went to the bach for a bonfire. It was a really clear evening, so all the stars were visible, which was cool. I also started talking to someone that had just finished doing Physical Geography at Sheffield, so it was good to get an opinion on it! We went to bed at about midnight (which was late for us!)
On Tuesday, we got up at about 8am, as we were planning on going diving. We went down to the dive shop, loaded up the boat and got on our way. There were 13 people on the small dive boat, so it was a squeeze, but we made it to the first site. We dropped off 3 snorkellers, and then let the intro. divers go down. Pola said we would have to go last, as they didn't have enough equipment for us to go down with the main group, which we didn't mind about at all. We sat on the deck, talking to the people that had just come up or were about to go down, but the time went on. Pola came up at about 11:30am, and said we had to go back, as the Fiji Bus was leaving at 12, and there were people on the boat that needed to be on it! We were annoyed, but as we hadn't paid anything it wasn't so bad. He said he was going to give it to us for only $30 a dive as well, which is why we wanted to go in the first place, but the boat journey had been good all the same. We made a massive lunch when we got back, which consisted of 8 packs of noodles and a few slices of toast, so after that, we couldn't really move very far! We waited about an hour, and then went to the beach. Mike and I rented out kayaks, and went for an explore towards the main part of the island. It was quite rough, but it made it easier when we went back to the hostel! We got back to shore, and started playing another game of volleyball. The staff soon joined in, and we had a laugh, but they all went home at about 4pm, so we were left on our own. We stayed by the sea until the sunset, which was the best I have ever seen! And then we went up for showers. We thought, as it was our last night, we might as well buy our food from the bar, so we spent more money on the Backpackers special, of burger and chips! Steve, the owner also gave us a free beer, as we helped him move a crate of beer each earlier on in the day, so we were really happy. We played a few games of cards with John, and then went to bed at about 10pm.
We got up at about 8am again Today, and said goodbye to John and the rest of the dive team, as they were going out a bit earlier. We wanted to buy a dive T-shirt each, but they had just sold out, so we were a bit annoyed, but they did say they'd send them to our homes, and all we'd have to do is pay when we receive them! We ordered a taxi for 9:15, so we could catch the bus at 10am, but like all taxis, it was late, and turned up at 9:35. We made it just in time, and got on the bus back to Nadi, which arrived shorlty after 1pm. We went straight to Nando's for lucnh, and then came to use the Internet!
We're all happy to be going to America, but Fiji is an amazing country and is full of amazing people. I know I'll definitely come back, and I'm definitely going back to the places we've already been to. We've been so lucky with the places we've stayed at, as the staff have all been so welcoming. But for now, bring on the US!
On Sunday, we got early and said goodbye to Stu, who was leaving. It was strange to think that the next time we'll see him, will be in England, in just under a months time! Shortly after that, Pola (the correct spelling this time) ame and picked up Alex and Mike, and they found they were actually going diving again! I couldn't be bothered by that time, so I was left all on my own in the room, so I caught up on some reading, went for a snorkel and waited for them to come back. They got back about 1pm, which was when we called the Shark Dive company. To our annoyance, they were fully booked until Thursday, so we couldn't do it, but at least it gives us the chance to come back! In the afternoon, we collected a few coconuts, as we wanted to try baking them. We tried baked coconut with sweet chilli sauce when we went to Volivoli (the Fiji Bus hostel) and we loved it, so with the amount of free coconuts around, we thought it would be stupid not to try it! We spent most of the afternoon taking all of the different layers off, until we were left with strips of the coconut. We put them in the oven for about an hour, and the strips came out a nice golden brown colour. We smothered them in sweet chili, and took them for everyone else to try. They were quite nice, but not as good as at Volivoli. We did 2 coconuts worth, but there seemed to be so much more. We ate loads, and were still left with a lot, so we had to chuck the rest. We had a beer with Phillip & Elka and then went for an early night.
On Monday, we checked out nice and early, said our goodbyes, and got our boat transfer over to Volivoli! There was a lot more life there, and it was only 10:30am, so we knew we were in the right place! We checked into our room, which we were sharing with a guy called John, who was a DiveMaster, so we all talked about diving most of the time! Just before lunch, we went for a kayak, which turned out to be huge! We joked about going to the island on the other side of the bay, but in the end, we actually did! It took just over an hour for both journies, but we felt that we achieved something after doing it! We cooked some noodles to get our energy back, and then went to play a game of volleyball. We were joined by all of the dive staff at about 3pm, and we had a really long game, that took about 2 hours! We were all really tired by that time, but the Fiji Bus had just arrived so we knew we had to be ready for some partying! I had my first hot shower since Nadi that evening, as Nananu-I-Ra doesn't have hot water, so I made the most of it, and then went to join the games. They lasted until about 10:30pm, and then we went to the bach for a bonfire. It was a really clear evening, so all the stars were visible, which was cool. I also started talking to someone that had just finished doing Physical Geography at Sheffield, so it was good to get an opinion on it! We went to bed at about midnight (which was late for us!)
On Tuesday, we got up at about 8am, as we were planning on going diving. We went down to the dive shop, loaded up the boat and got on our way. There were 13 people on the small dive boat, so it was a squeeze, but we made it to the first site. We dropped off 3 snorkellers, and then let the intro. divers go down. Pola said we would have to go last, as they didn't have enough equipment for us to go down with the main group, which we didn't mind about at all. We sat on the deck, talking to the people that had just come up or were about to go down, but the time went on. Pola came up at about 11:30am, and said we had to go back, as the Fiji Bus was leaving at 12, and there were people on the boat that needed to be on it! We were annoyed, but as we hadn't paid anything it wasn't so bad. He said he was going to give it to us for only $30 a dive as well, which is why we wanted to go in the first place, but the boat journey had been good all the same. We made a massive lunch when we got back, which consisted of 8 packs of noodles and a few slices of toast, so after that, we couldn't really move very far! We waited about an hour, and then went to the beach. Mike and I rented out kayaks, and went for an explore towards the main part of the island. It was quite rough, but it made it easier when we went back to the hostel! We got back to shore, and started playing another game of volleyball. The staff soon joined in, and we had a laugh, but they all went home at about 4pm, so we were left on our own. We stayed by the sea until the sunset, which was the best I have ever seen! And then we went up for showers. We thought, as it was our last night, we might as well buy our food from the bar, so we spent more money on the Backpackers special, of burger and chips! Steve, the owner also gave us a free beer, as we helped him move a crate of beer each earlier on in the day, so we were really happy. We played a few games of cards with John, and then went to bed at about 10pm.
We got up at about 8am again Today, and said goodbye to John and the rest of the dive team, as they were going out a bit earlier. We wanted to buy a dive T-shirt each, but they had just sold out, so we were a bit annoyed, but they did say they'd send them to our homes, and all we'd have to do is pay when we receive them! We ordered a taxi for 9:15, so we could catch the bus at 10am, but like all taxis, it was late, and turned up at 9:35. We made it just in time, and got on the bus back to Nadi, which arrived shorlty after 1pm. We went straight to Nando's for lucnh, and then came to use the Internet!
We're all happy to be going to America, but Fiji is an amazing country and is full of amazing people. I know I'll definitely come back, and I'm definitely going back to the places we've already been to. We've been so lucky with the places we've stayed at, as the staff have all been so welcoming. But for now, bring on the US!
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Fiji
We were all really sad to leave NZ, as I think its my favourite country so far. Everyone was so friendly, and the landscape really is amazing. I know I'm definitely going to go back, as I still need to do the North Island! There are also so many more things left to do in the Southern Island as well. I think you need to spend much more than 3 weeks there, but it is hard when your living out of a glorified car!
We left the airport, and got our free transfer to the hostel. We chose to stay 1 night at Nomdads Skylodge, as it was close to everything. We checked in, and found we were only paying about 4/5 pounds for a night! We then went for a much needed swim in the pool, which was sooo cold! Stu managed to bang his head on the bottom of the pool, while trying to do a handstand, so now he has a big graze on the middle of his forehead! We got some curry for dinner, and then played a few games of poker, before going to bed at about 1am.
We got up at about 11am, and decided to stay 1 more day, as we hadn't had a chance to organise anything. We're planning on going to one of the smaller islands for the majority of the time, but we have no idea where to go! We got the bus into the town (Nadi), and from the moment we got on the bus, people were talking to us. Its hard to tell whether they're being friendly, or just trying to get money out of you, so to be safe, we're going to act as though everyones trying to con us! We had some lunch at Nando's (very Fijian, I think not!) and then took a look around the town. After the internet, we went back to hostel, and watched the rain come down for most of the evening, and we played a few games of pool and cards, and then went to bed relatively early.
On Tuesday, we got up at about 9am, and walked to the bakery in some of the heaviest rain I've ever been in! We then checked out, and got picked up in a minubus that took us to Lautoka (the next big town). We were a bit apprehensive about getting in it, especially after our bags fell out of it about 10 metres down the road! We waited in Lautoka, to find out bus was cancelled due to flooding, so we negotiated a price with our original driver to take us all the way to Rakiraki (the town closest to the island we were going to!). We drove for about 2 hours, and finally made it to the wharf, where the boat was ready to pick us up. We got in it, and chugged along to the island of Nananu-I-Ra. It was tiny! We were met by one of the workers, who took us to our dorm (better than the usual dorm, as it had a kitchen and was en-suite! We spent most of the afternoon in our room, as it was still raining outside, but we went for dinner at the restaurant at about 6pm. I ordered a burger and a BLT, but the others all went for the fish. We met another couple staying there, who were realy nice (Tim & Alison, or Pineapple, as he liked to call her!). We played a few games of poker, and then went to bed at about 10pm, which is when the power goes off everyday.
On Wednesday, Alex & Mike started their PADI Open Water Dive Course, while Stu and I played a bit of rugby, went snorkelling, and did other realxing in the most welcomed sun! We tried to distract them as much as we could. It seemed to work, as they joined us in the canoes later on in the afternoon! We cooked our own dinner than night, which was spaghetti and sauce, and then we went to the restaurant, to experience a local 'Kava Ceremony'. It was really fun, as you all join in, and drink lots of Kava, which is a drink made from the crushed root of the Kava plant and water. We had 13 bowls each, and it gives you the same feeling as eating a lot of Strepsils! We did it with Tim, Pineapple and a German family, so we had a lot of fun.
We got up at about 11am on Thursday, and still felt tired (must have been the Kava!). It was just Stu and I, as Alex and Mike had gone off to watch a DVD at the dive shop. We went snorkelling on the other side on the island, and saw loads of fish, and I almost stepped on a big pufferfish, but it moved just before I put my foot down (luckily!). We then had some lunch, and and were joined by Alex and Mike later on in the day, which is when we managed to crack open a couple of coconuts, and have the milk and flesh - how tropical! They didn't go out in the water, as they didn't read far enough in the book (lol!), but it meant they could do more the next day. We spent most of the evening with Tim, Pinapple, Filo and Lewa (two workers at the resort) and stayed up really late (until about 10:30pm!!!!!!) and then went to bed.
I got up with Alex and Mike at about 8am, and went and said goodbye to Tim & Pineapple. We saw a mongoose as well, and made a bet with Filo, who said she would give us 10 bags of Kava, if we could catch one! The first attempt went badly, but we vowed to catch one later on in the day! I went to say goodbye to Alex and Mike, who were going on their first dive, and got roped in on going on the boat with them! We went to a nearby beach, and I watched them go in, and went for a snorkel around them. I saw so much! There were loads of different fish swimming around, and I saw so many clown fish around the anemones. They came out after about 20 minutes, and we were given a coconut each, which was opened by Paule (pronounced Paula), the dive instructor, and we chatted about the cool underwater feeling. They went back in about 45 minutes later, and I went for another snorkel, which had some of the best coral I've ever seen! We then waited for the boat, and I went back to the resort to see Stu, as thought I had just gone to say goodbye to Tim ang Pineapple! We had some lunch, and then read our books a bit (Cell by Stephen King). Mike and Alex met us about 2 hours later, after having lunch, and we both went with them as they did their first Open Water Dive. We went out about 2-3 miles, and watched them roll off the boat. The water was really still, and they were down for about 30 minutes, but they both enjoyed it a lot! We then went to the mainland to visit another hostel, which was where the Fiji Experience bus stops. We played a couple of games of volleyball, before the bus turned up, which was where the fun began! We had some food, and the realised there were a couple of people that we knew! We'd met them in Christchurch, so we caught up with them and then played some games, which invovled the losing team (Mike & Alex's) dancing on the table, to the Spicegirls, while swapping clothes! It was all good fun, but we had to get our boat back to our island, so we missed the big bonfire.
We got up at about 8am today and Mike, Alex and I went diving! We did two dives, and saw loads of fish, including pufferfish, a moray eel, angelfish, clownfish and even a turtle! It was a really good dive, and an even better one for Mike and Alex to do! We got back to the island at about 11:30, and got a boat to the mainland, so we could get to some civilisation! We got some money out, and we're about to get some lunch at a local cafe.
Sadly, its Stu's last day with us, as he's going to the Yasawas with other friends, so the next time we'll see him is in England, in a months time!
We're going to the mainland on Monday, to stay at the Fiji Exp. resort, and then moving to Nadi on Wednesday, so we make it in time for our flight on Thursday. Expect the next post from Nadi!
We left the airport, and got our free transfer to the hostel. We chose to stay 1 night at Nomdads Skylodge, as it was close to everything. We checked in, and found we were only paying about 4/5 pounds for a night! We then went for a much needed swim in the pool, which was sooo cold! Stu managed to bang his head on the bottom of the pool, while trying to do a handstand, so now he has a big graze on the middle of his forehead! We got some curry for dinner, and then played a few games of poker, before going to bed at about 1am.
We got up at about 11am, and decided to stay 1 more day, as we hadn't had a chance to organise anything. We're planning on going to one of the smaller islands for the majority of the time, but we have no idea where to go! We got the bus into the town (Nadi), and from the moment we got on the bus, people were talking to us. Its hard to tell whether they're being friendly, or just trying to get money out of you, so to be safe, we're going to act as though everyones trying to con us! We had some lunch at Nando's (very Fijian, I think not!) and then took a look around the town. After the internet, we went back to hostel, and watched the rain come down for most of the evening, and we played a few games of pool and cards, and then went to bed relatively early.
On Tuesday, we got up at about 9am, and walked to the bakery in some of the heaviest rain I've ever been in! We then checked out, and got picked up in a minubus that took us to Lautoka (the next big town). We were a bit apprehensive about getting in it, especially after our bags fell out of it about 10 metres down the road! We waited in Lautoka, to find out bus was cancelled due to flooding, so we negotiated a price with our original driver to take us all the way to Rakiraki (the town closest to the island we were going to!). We drove for about 2 hours, and finally made it to the wharf, where the boat was ready to pick us up. We got in it, and chugged along to the island of Nananu-I-Ra. It was tiny! We were met by one of the workers, who took us to our dorm (better than the usual dorm, as it had a kitchen and was en-suite! We spent most of the afternoon in our room, as it was still raining outside, but we went for dinner at the restaurant at about 6pm. I ordered a burger and a BLT, but the others all went for the fish. We met another couple staying there, who were realy nice (Tim & Alison, or Pineapple, as he liked to call her!). We played a few games of poker, and then went to bed at about 10pm, which is when the power goes off everyday.
On Wednesday, Alex & Mike started their PADI Open Water Dive Course, while Stu and I played a bit of rugby, went snorkelling, and did other realxing in the most welcomed sun! We tried to distract them as much as we could. It seemed to work, as they joined us in the canoes later on in the afternoon! We cooked our own dinner than night, which was spaghetti and sauce, and then we went to the restaurant, to experience a local 'Kava Ceremony'. It was really fun, as you all join in, and drink lots of Kava, which is a drink made from the crushed root of the Kava plant and water. We had 13 bowls each, and it gives you the same feeling as eating a lot of Strepsils! We did it with Tim, Pineapple and a German family, so we had a lot of fun.
We got up at about 11am on Thursday, and still felt tired (must have been the Kava!). It was just Stu and I, as Alex and Mike had gone off to watch a DVD at the dive shop. We went snorkelling on the other side on the island, and saw loads of fish, and I almost stepped on a big pufferfish, but it moved just before I put my foot down (luckily!). We then had some lunch, and and were joined by Alex and Mike later on in the day, which is when we managed to crack open a couple of coconuts, and have the milk and flesh - how tropical! They didn't go out in the water, as they didn't read far enough in the book (lol!), but it meant they could do more the next day. We spent most of the evening with Tim, Pinapple, Filo and Lewa (two workers at the resort) and stayed up really late (until about 10:30pm!!!!!!) and then went to bed.
I got up with Alex and Mike at about 8am, and went and said goodbye to Tim & Pineapple. We saw a mongoose as well, and made a bet with Filo, who said she would give us 10 bags of Kava, if we could catch one! The first attempt went badly, but we vowed to catch one later on in the day! I went to say goodbye to Alex and Mike, who were going on their first dive, and got roped in on going on the boat with them! We went to a nearby beach, and I watched them go in, and went for a snorkel around them. I saw so much! There were loads of different fish swimming around, and I saw so many clown fish around the anemones. They came out after about 20 minutes, and we were given a coconut each, which was opened by Paule (pronounced Paula), the dive instructor, and we chatted about the cool underwater feeling. They went back in about 45 minutes later, and I went for another snorkel, which had some of the best coral I've ever seen! We then waited for the boat, and I went back to the resort to see Stu, as thought I had just gone to say goodbye to Tim ang Pineapple! We had some lunch, and then read our books a bit (Cell by Stephen King). Mike and Alex met us about 2 hours later, after having lunch, and we both went with them as they did their first Open Water Dive. We went out about 2-3 miles, and watched them roll off the boat. The water was really still, and they were down for about 30 minutes, but they both enjoyed it a lot! We then went to the mainland to visit another hostel, which was where the Fiji Experience bus stops. We played a couple of games of volleyball, before the bus turned up, which was where the fun began! We had some food, and the realised there were a couple of people that we knew! We'd met them in Christchurch, so we caught up with them and then played some games, which invovled the losing team (Mike & Alex's) dancing on the table, to the Spicegirls, while swapping clothes! It was all good fun, but we had to get our boat back to our island, so we missed the big bonfire.
We got up at about 8am today and Mike, Alex and I went diving! We did two dives, and saw loads of fish, including pufferfish, a moray eel, angelfish, clownfish and even a turtle! It was a really good dive, and an even better one for Mike and Alex to do! We got back to the island at about 11:30, and got a boat to the mainland, so we could get to some civilisation! We got some money out, and we're about to get some lunch at a local cafe.
Sadly, its Stu's last day with us, as he's going to the Yasawas with other friends, so the next time we'll see him is in England, in a months time!
We're going to the mainland on Monday, to stay at the Fiji Exp. resort, and then moving to Nadi on Wednesday, so we make it in time for our flight on Thursday. Expect the next post from Nadi!
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Queenstown - The Catlins - Dunedin - Christchurch
We were supposed to leave Quenstown on Sunday, but as usual, our plans changed. Stu wanted to meet some friends from school, but we couldn't get hold of them, even though we tried for most of the day. Mike stayed in bed for the whole day, as he had a really bad cough/cold, but luckily, Alex and I seemed to have missed out on it. We were about to get in the car and leave, but we thought we'd go and check in Fergburger one last time, and guess what? We saw them! Sitting down, eating burgers & chips were Derek, Steve, Sam and Lawrence (friends from school). So that changed our plans completely! We went to the supermarket, bought some beers, and took them back to our usual spot. We made a small fire by the lake, and joked about all of the things that had happened to us over the past 3 months. I know one thing for sure - I definitely want to visit Bolivia on my next world trip!! We got to bed at around 12, and hoped that we wouldn't get woken up by Dave again!
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.
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!
Friday, 9 May 2008
Queenstown
After using the internet last, we met up with Kathleen & Lauren again, and managed to sneak into their hostel for showers! We were happy about this, as we'd needed one for ages! We then stayed with them for the rest of the evening, and went to the Altitude bar, followed by the World Bar, which serves cocktails out of teapots! We stayed there until about 2am, and played a few games of pool, and Alex was lucky enough to win a free Nevis Bungy Jump!! (the 134 metre one, that usually costs $220!!). After that, we went to try an infamous Fergburger. Its a place that sells really big burgers, and everyone raves about them. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't bother, but everyone else got one, and they looked really nice. We went to the car when they'd finished eating, and found a layby, about 5km out of the town centre. Alex and I were upstairs, so we put it up, and went straight to sleep.
On Thursday, we didn't have a long sleep, as we were woken up by Dave from the council at 8:30, telling us we were in a "no camping" area, and that he'd fine us $400 if we didn't leave straight away. We chose the best option, and parked up in town, and fell asleep there. We got up at about 11am, and had some breakfast, and then went into the centre to look around. We bumped into Chloe & Nicki (more Oz friends) who were in Fergburger, and they told us to try out the indoor Crazy Golf, as it was really good. We didn't have anything else planned, so we walked up to the centre and went in. It was definitely the best place I'd ever played crazy golf at, and we got a free lolly on completing the course, and also a free drink!! How could it be any better???? We also bumped into some people that we'd met in Magnetic Island as well! I'm never surprised to see people now, as we've bumped into so many random people! We went to the supermarket after the round of crazy golf, and bought some extra cheap sausages for dinner. We then cooked sausage korma in a carpark, and then went to the Altitude bar for a few drinks. Stu had talked to his cousin, and found out that one of his friends worked for AJ Hackett (the bungy company), and he said that they could rig a competition for us to wion to free Nevis jumps!! So we got there for 9.30, and waited for the competition, but found out we were too late to enter! We were gutted, but they gave us loads of free drink vouchers though. From there, it was onto the World Bar again, where we played pool and said goodbye to all of the Oz bus friends. They were all leaving to go up north, so we had a mini party, and then bid them farewell. We left the bar at about 1am, and found a safe spot to camp, but it was about 20 miles out of town!
On Friday, we went to the Kawarau Bridge (the first commercial bungy site in the world) where Stu and Alex did a tandem jump. Stu managed to get it for free, as his cousin is friends with one of the workers, so he was happy, and as Alex saved $220 on his free Nevis jump, he thought he may as well! Mike and I took loads of photos, and watched them fall 43m to the water below. After they did it, we booked our Nevis for the following day, and I started to get nervous! We went back to Queenstown, and thought that we'd better save some money, so we went to the gardens, and started to play a round of Frisbee Golf! Its like golf, but, as the name suggests, with a Frisbee! It was a lot harder than we first thought, and only got halfway through the 18 hole course, before we admitted defeat, and went to Starbucks for a coffee. As we walked towards Starbucks, we saw Arron & Amy (the Magnetic Island couple), so we told them about the day's events, and that was when I realised they're from Crawley - I'd known them for quite a while, and I only found it out then!?! They went off to have a curry while we had our coffee, and then to add to the money spending spree, I went and bought a 'Big Al' for dinner. It was the biggest burger I'd ever had! It had 2 burgers, 2 eggs, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and more! All I can say is that I was really full after eating it! We went to Altitude after eating, and used our free drinks vouchers, and were surprised we could have drinks like JD! So we had 4 each (Mike was driving, so he couldn't have any), and went to the World Bar. We did what we usually did, and had a few games of pool, and then went back to our previous nights spot to sleep.
We got up on Saturday, and we were all really nervous. We had some breakfast, and then made it into town for about 1:45pm, and to the AJ Hackett shop. We checked in and were weighed, and then waited for the bus to take us to the jump site. Arron & Amy were there, and also a girl called Lauren, who Alex and I met on the Whitsundays! We caught up, and all talked about how nervous we were feeling, until the bus came. It was a 45 minute ride to the site, and no one really talked much, especially Stu, who was especially scared. We had to take the AJ Hackett bus there, as its on private land, and when we arrived, they harnessed us up, and we got the ride to the gondola. I was the first person to jump out of us 4, which made it much scarier. I had my ankle straps put on, and bounced to the edge - it seemed soooo high!!!! I made sure I looked over before I jumped, and the operator did the countdown. On 1, I jumped forward, and the first thought I had was "why the **** am I doing this!?!?!?!" The freefall lasted for 8.5 seconds (it felt like 2 or 3!) and I continued to bounce after the big fall. There's a starp that was on my leg, that I had to pull, so my feet could be released (to stop you hanging up-side down for too long), but mine had got tangled, so I had the joy of being taken back up to the gondola while hanging up-side down! When I got back to the top, everyone was looking to see how I'd found it, and I immediately broke into a smile, and said it was the best thing I'd done!!! It was soooo good - the feeling of the freefall seemed so much better than the skydive, but its hard to believe, as that was also really good! Alex went after me, followed by Mike and Stu, who both looked like they were going to be sick before doing it, but came back up with huge smiles! Its such a strange thing to do - to throw yourself out of something, just to bounce around at the bottom for a while, but I will never forget that first feeling of adrenaline! We watched the rest of the group go, including Amy, who was last, and who also took the longest to jump, and then we went back to shop, where we watched our videos. We got the bus back to the shop, and went for yet another coffee (I think I'm even more addicted than I was before I came away!!!), and got some food, before we thought about leaving to go south. But by that time, none of us could be bothered, so we went back to our usual spot, and watched a film, after one of the best days so far!
After about 12 hours of sleep, we got up at 12pm and had some breakfast, and then went down to the water's edge to try out some fishing. Stu had been given a small kit by Natalie, so we used some sweetcorn and waited... and waited, but nothing happened. We decided that it was because the water was so clear, the fish could see us and were scared, so we gave up. We then drove to town for (yet another) coffee and then came here. I think we'll be leaving Queenstown tonight, as we need to make it back to Christchurch for Alex's Birthday (Thursday) and we still have quite a bit to see! If anyone is wandering where all of my photos are, I'm going to upload them all when we make it back to a real hostel (!), which will be on Friday/Saturday.
Oh, and here's the link of the Bungy we did:
http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/29
Its quite high!
On Thursday, we didn't have a long sleep, as we were woken up by Dave from the council at 8:30, telling us we were in a "no camping" area, and that he'd fine us $400 if we didn't leave straight away. We chose the best option, and parked up in town, and fell asleep there. We got up at about 11am, and had some breakfast, and then went into the centre to look around. We bumped into Chloe & Nicki (more Oz friends) who were in Fergburger, and they told us to try out the indoor Crazy Golf, as it was really good. We didn't have anything else planned, so we walked up to the centre and went in. It was definitely the best place I'd ever played crazy golf at, and we got a free lolly on completing the course, and also a free drink!! How could it be any better???? We also bumped into some people that we'd met in Magnetic Island as well! I'm never surprised to see people now, as we've bumped into so many random people! We went to the supermarket after the round of crazy golf, and bought some extra cheap sausages for dinner. We then cooked sausage korma in a carpark, and then went to the Altitude bar for a few drinks. Stu had talked to his cousin, and found out that one of his friends worked for AJ Hackett (the bungy company), and he said that they could rig a competition for us to wion to free Nevis jumps!! So we got there for 9.30, and waited for the competition, but found out we were too late to enter! We were gutted, but they gave us loads of free drink vouchers though. From there, it was onto the World Bar again, where we played pool and said goodbye to all of the Oz bus friends. They were all leaving to go up north, so we had a mini party, and then bid them farewell. We left the bar at about 1am, and found a safe spot to camp, but it was about 20 miles out of town!
On Friday, we went to the Kawarau Bridge (the first commercial bungy site in the world) where Stu and Alex did a tandem jump. Stu managed to get it for free, as his cousin is friends with one of the workers, so he was happy, and as Alex saved $220 on his free Nevis jump, he thought he may as well! Mike and I took loads of photos, and watched them fall 43m to the water below. After they did it, we booked our Nevis for the following day, and I started to get nervous! We went back to Queenstown, and thought that we'd better save some money, so we went to the gardens, and started to play a round of Frisbee Golf! Its like golf, but, as the name suggests, with a Frisbee! It was a lot harder than we first thought, and only got halfway through the 18 hole course, before we admitted defeat, and went to Starbucks for a coffee. As we walked towards Starbucks, we saw Arron & Amy (the Magnetic Island couple), so we told them about the day's events, and that was when I realised they're from Crawley - I'd known them for quite a while, and I only found it out then!?! They went off to have a curry while we had our coffee, and then to add to the money spending spree, I went and bought a 'Big Al' for dinner. It was the biggest burger I'd ever had! It had 2 burgers, 2 eggs, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and more! All I can say is that I was really full after eating it! We went to Altitude after eating, and used our free drinks vouchers, and were surprised we could have drinks like JD! So we had 4 each (Mike was driving, so he couldn't have any), and went to the World Bar. We did what we usually did, and had a few games of pool, and then went back to our previous nights spot to sleep.
We got up on Saturday, and we were all really nervous. We had some breakfast, and then made it into town for about 1:45pm, and to the AJ Hackett shop. We checked in and were weighed, and then waited for the bus to take us to the jump site. Arron & Amy were there, and also a girl called Lauren, who Alex and I met on the Whitsundays! We caught up, and all talked about how nervous we were feeling, until the bus came. It was a 45 minute ride to the site, and no one really talked much, especially Stu, who was especially scared. We had to take the AJ Hackett bus there, as its on private land, and when we arrived, they harnessed us up, and we got the ride to the gondola. I was the first person to jump out of us 4, which made it much scarier. I had my ankle straps put on, and bounced to the edge - it seemed soooo high!!!! I made sure I looked over before I jumped, and the operator did the countdown. On 1, I jumped forward, and the first thought I had was "why the **** am I doing this!?!?!?!" The freefall lasted for 8.5 seconds (it felt like 2 or 3!) and I continued to bounce after the big fall. There's a starp that was on my leg, that I had to pull, so my feet could be released (to stop you hanging up-side down for too long), but mine had got tangled, so I had the joy of being taken back up to the gondola while hanging up-side down! When I got back to the top, everyone was looking to see how I'd found it, and I immediately broke into a smile, and said it was the best thing I'd done!!! It was soooo good - the feeling of the freefall seemed so much better than the skydive, but its hard to believe, as that was also really good! Alex went after me, followed by Mike and Stu, who both looked like they were going to be sick before doing it, but came back up with huge smiles! Its such a strange thing to do - to throw yourself out of something, just to bounce around at the bottom for a while, but I will never forget that first feeling of adrenaline! We watched the rest of the group go, including Amy, who was last, and who also took the longest to jump, and then we went back to shop, where we watched our videos. We got the bus back to the shop, and went for yet another coffee (I think I'm even more addicted than I was before I came away!!!), and got some food, before we thought about leaving to go south. But by that time, none of us could be bothered, so we went back to our usual spot, and watched a film, after one of the best days so far!
After about 12 hours of sleep, we got up at 12pm and had some breakfast, and then went down to the water's edge to try out some fishing. Stu had been given a small kit by Natalie, so we used some sweetcorn and waited... and waited, but nothing happened. We decided that it was because the water was so clear, the fish could see us and were scared, so we gave up. We then drove to town for (yet another) coffee and then came here. I think we'll be leaving Queenstown tonight, as we need to make it back to Christchurch for Alex's Birthday (Thursday) and we still have quite a bit to see! If anyone is wandering where all of my photos are, I'm going to upload them all when we make it back to a real hostel (!), which will be on Friday/Saturday.
Oh, and here's the link of the Bungy we did:
http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/29
Its quite high!
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Franz Josef to Queenstown
So, after the glacier walk, we cooked some dinner, as the door had been fixed!!! And then went to Top 10 Holiday Park again, so we could all have showers, and to fill up our water. After doing that, we went to one of the hostels in the town, to say goodbye to Lauren & Kathleen (friends from the Oz Bus). From there, it was on to Wanaka! Stu and I slept in the back, while Mike and Alex drove. It was quite a long journey, but we managed to get there by about 1am.
Stu and I were woken up at about 10am, by Alex and Mike, who had decided to drive while we slept (instead of trying to force us out of bed!). We drove for about 20 minutes before reaching the outskirts of the town, and saw somewhere that loads of people had told us to go to - Puzzling World!! We stopped off there, cooked some breakfast, and then went in. There were 4 rooms with different illusions in: the first had loads of different holograms in, the second had strange paintings (the ones with faces hidden in then), the third was a slanted room (the floor was sloped at an angle, so where everything seemed flat, it was also slanted, which made it look like water could go uphill etc) and the last had an Ames room. This was where one side of the room was much bigger than the other, which made one person look huge, and the other really small. Its the same thing they used in the Lord of the Rings to make normal sized people look really big/small. Then we went in the maze outside, which took about an hour. After doing that, we had some lunch and went into the town centre to do some shopping, and to have a look around It was another stunning area - Lake Wanaka glistened in the sunlight, and even more snow-capped mountains filled the horizon. We went to the internet for about an hour, so Alex could upload some photos, and then went and met Kathleen and Lauren at a cafe. We had a couple of beers and had a good laugh, before we got back in the campervan, and drove to our sleeping spot, overlooking Lake Hawea. We cooked some dinner, and had an early night.
We woke up early yesterday (Tuesday) as we were going SKYDIVING!!!!! I was pretty nervous, but a good breakfast made me feel better. We woke up to another harsh frost, but I was nice and warm, so I didn't really mind. We drove to the airfield for about 10am, and called ahead to make sure the weather was good enough (but we knew it would be - clear blue sky all around!). We checked in and paid the $480 for the 15,000ft jump. They gave us our suits and asked us to fill out a declaration (saying that if we died, we couldn't sue!) I was then introduced to my instructor (Geoff) who interviewed me for the camera. We walked out to the waiting plane and boarded! It was as simple as that! All we did was watch a 5 minute video, that explained what we had to do!!! The plane took off with Mike and I (Alex was in the one after us) and it started to climb. Geoff pointed out all of the sights - Lake Wanaka and Hawea, the Southern Alps etc. They looked unbelieveable in the morning sunlight! We circled higher and higher for about 10 minutes, before 2 other passengers jumped out at 9,000ft. They just seemed to tumble out of the door, and they were gone! We climbed for a bit longer, and then it was our turn. The door opened, and I felt the cold air hit me (the temperature falls 2C for every 1000 feet, and the ground temperature can't have been much higher than 5!) Mike slid towards the open door, while his instructor did the final checks. He then put his head back, grabbed onto his straps, and they were gone. We edged towards the door as soon as they had disappeared. I sat my legs outside, and felt the air seem to burn my face. Geoff pulled my head back, and I tucked my legs under, and he pushed off. The first feeling was the one that you get on drop rides, but that was only while we did the first tumble. We levelled out, and continued to fall. It really was amazing. I tried to look around, but by that point I was crying because the wind was so strong, even though I had goggles on! The freefall lasted about 60 seconds, before the chute was pulled. When we had settled out, I looked around and could see for miles! The mountains seemed to surround us, as the sun glistened on the waters of Lake Wanaka. He congratulated me as we descended and then turned into land. Mike was already down, and w ecouldn't shut up about what we had just experienced. I thanked Geoff again, and then watched Alex go up in the plane. They had big TVs that showed the DVDs, so we all had a laugh about our expressions as we fell. Alex came down about 20 minutes later, and had the same look on his face. I think Stu was annoyed he couldn't do it with us, but I suppose he has already done one! We got back in the van, and drove to town for some lunch.
We went to a cafe for a much needed coffee, and then went to the park to play a bit of Frisbee. There was a skate park next to the park, and we were all really surprised to see Adam and Christian (people we'd met in Airlie Beach and Brisbane) skating around! We caught up with them and had a bit of a kick about with the rugby ball, before they went for a beer (!). We played Frisbee for a bit longer and were joined by some Canadians, who were awesome at it!!! We felt so rubbish when we played them, but it was all good fun. After that we went back to the shops, and then back to the park for a bigger game of rugby. It lasted about an hour, and everyone was really tired after it. We did some washing, and went to meet Adam and Christian at a nearby campsite. They had a campfire going, so we stayed and cooked some food, but then thought we'd better move onto Queenstown! We drove for about an hour, and parked up in layby and fell to sleep.
This morning we cooked some breakfast, before we drove into the town centre and had a look around. Its a really nice town, with mountains surrounding it, and a big lake in the middle. We're hoping to book a Bungy Jump here, so look out for the next post!
Stu and I were woken up at about 10am, by Alex and Mike, who had decided to drive while we slept (instead of trying to force us out of bed!). We drove for about 20 minutes before reaching the outskirts of the town, and saw somewhere that loads of people had told us to go to - Puzzling World!! We stopped off there, cooked some breakfast, and then went in. There were 4 rooms with different illusions in: the first had loads of different holograms in, the second had strange paintings (the ones with faces hidden in then), the third was a slanted room (the floor was sloped at an angle, so where everything seemed flat, it was also slanted, which made it look like water could go uphill etc) and the last had an Ames room. This was where one side of the room was much bigger than the other, which made one person look huge, and the other really small. Its the same thing they used in the Lord of the Rings to make normal sized people look really big/small. Then we went in the maze outside, which took about an hour. After doing that, we had some lunch and went into the town centre to do some shopping, and to have a look around It was another stunning area - Lake Wanaka glistened in the sunlight, and even more snow-capped mountains filled the horizon. We went to the internet for about an hour, so Alex could upload some photos, and then went and met Kathleen and Lauren at a cafe. We had a couple of beers and had a good laugh, before we got back in the campervan, and drove to our sleeping spot, overlooking Lake Hawea. We cooked some dinner, and had an early night.
We woke up early yesterday (Tuesday) as we were going SKYDIVING!!!!! I was pretty nervous, but a good breakfast made me feel better. We woke up to another harsh frost, but I was nice and warm, so I didn't really mind. We drove to the airfield for about 10am, and called ahead to make sure the weather was good enough (but we knew it would be - clear blue sky all around!). We checked in and paid the $480 for the 15,000ft jump. They gave us our suits and asked us to fill out a declaration (saying that if we died, we couldn't sue!) I was then introduced to my instructor (Geoff) who interviewed me for the camera. We walked out to the waiting plane and boarded! It was as simple as that! All we did was watch a 5 minute video, that explained what we had to do!!! The plane took off with Mike and I (Alex was in the one after us) and it started to climb. Geoff pointed out all of the sights - Lake Wanaka and Hawea, the Southern Alps etc. They looked unbelieveable in the morning sunlight! We circled higher and higher for about 10 minutes, before 2 other passengers jumped out at 9,000ft. They just seemed to tumble out of the door, and they were gone! We climbed for a bit longer, and then it was our turn. The door opened, and I felt the cold air hit me (the temperature falls 2C for every 1000 feet, and the ground temperature can't have been much higher than 5!) Mike slid towards the open door, while his instructor did the final checks. He then put his head back, grabbed onto his straps, and they were gone. We edged towards the door as soon as they had disappeared. I sat my legs outside, and felt the air seem to burn my face. Geoff pulled my head back, and I tucked my legs under, and he pushed off. The first feeling was the one that you get on drop rides, but that was only while we did the first tumble. We levelled out, and continued to fall. It really was amazing. I tried to look around, but by that point I was crying because the wind was so strong, even though I had goggles on! The freefall lasted about 60 seconds, before the chute was pulled. When we had settled out, I looked around and could see for miles! The mountains seemed to surround us, as the sun glistened on the waters of Lake Wanaka. He congratulated me as we descended and then turned into land. Mike was already down, and w ecouldn't shut up about what we had just experienced. I thanked Geoff again, and then watched Alex go up in the plane. They had big TVs that showed the DVDs, so we all had a laugh about our expressions as we fell. Alex came down about 20 minutes later, and had the same look on his face. I think Stu was annoyed he couldn't do it with us, but I suppose he has already done one! We got back in the van, and drove to town for some lunch.
We went to a cafe for a much needed coffee, and then went to the park to play a bit of Frisbee. There was a skate park next to the park, and we were all really surprised to see Adam and Christian (people we'd met in Airlie Beach and Brisbane) skating around! We caught up with them and had a bit of a kick about with the rugby ball, before they went for a beer (!). We played Frisbee for a bit longer and were joined by some Canadians, who were awesome at it!!! We felt so rubbish when we played them, but it was all good fun. After that we went back to the shops, and then back to the park for a bigger game of rugby. It lasted about an hour, and everyone was really tired after it. We did some washing, and went to meet Adam and Christian at a nearby campsite. They had a campfire going, so we stayed and cooked some food, but then thought we'd better move onto Queenstown! We drove for about an hour, and parked up in layby and fell to sleep.
This morning we cooked some breakfast, before we drove into the town centre and had a look around. Its a really nice town, with mountains surrounding it, and a big lake in the middle. We're hoping to book a Bungy Jump here, so look out for the next post!
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