Owen's Travel Journal

The End Of The Road

obonini — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:34:00 GMT

Or maybe I should say; the end of one road and the start of many new ones.

The end because my two months of traveling is now over. I can honestly say that I have had the time of my life, as cliche as that may be, but it's very very true. I'm so glad that I chose to take a year out and do this and it has been well well worth it. I've done some absolutely amazing things, met some amazing people and enjoyed every moment of it; in Hong Kong, LA and obviously in New Zealand. NZ is such and amazing country and I will be back there one day for sure.

The start of new, because during my time away I have realised and learned so much. To name a few things; I have realised I absolutley love traveling. My trip has made me realise it's something I will definitely continue, there are so many places I want to visit now. Hopefully I'll be able to save myself enough money over the coming years to be able to get out and see some of them. The world is such a big place and there are too many places that I'll never get to see.

As I've said before, my time away has made me realise and really appriciate how awesome my friends, my family and my girlfriend back home are. I have missed you all so so much and I cant wait to spend more time with you all when I get home, and in the future. They say that you don't realise how much something means to you until it's not there, and thats proven very true while I've been away.

I've discovered that I really like writing. Mostly down to the entries I've made on here during my time away, and also the writing I've been doing in my personal journal I have with me. I've really enjoyed writing in both, and it makes me really happy that I've had so many people say they've enjoyed reading what I've written. I hope to keep up writing in my personal journal atleast when I'm back. As for any traveling I do in the future, I'll deinfitely be keeping a log of what I get up to on here again.

It has been the beginning of a lot of new friendships for me. Traveling in the way that I did, you meet a whole bunch of people. Some are nothing special but I have met a fair few that I got to know pretty well and that I will hopefully manage to stay in touch with. In particular the BUNAC group that I went over with. I got to know most of them really well and they were such a cool bunch. We've all said we're going to have a meet up once everyones back home in the UK. I look forward to it.

Having a lot of time by yourself gives you plenty of oppertunity to think and reflect on things. While I've been away I have decided that I'm going to change my University course from Physics and Music to Engineering. It's not something I had thought about before I left but it seems to me a wise choice to make. I would never have though that two months away from home could have such an impact on a persons life, but it would seem that it has.

Like I say, that's just to name a few, there are so many other little things I've learned and realised, it really is insane. With that said, I think it's time for me to make my things ready for leaving in the morning and head to bed. Hopefully I'll have a safe and comfortable journey back home and I cannot wait to see everyone very very soon!!!

Los Angeles; As Seen On TV

obonini — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:44:00 GMT

Probably the longest I've waited between entries since I've been away but for good reason; I hadn't done... anything really, until today. The past few days I just spend wandering around Santa Monica, where I'm staying, and yesterday I checked out Venice Beach. It was really disapointing. It was probably made worse by the overcast weather we had all day but the place was so "touristized" it's rediculous. All the buildings are really scruffy too. I did see some pretty good street shows though which was cool.

Today I was signed up for a day of sightseeing with an LA Tour company. After filling myself up with bagels and cereal, I headed out to the bus and met my guide for the day. She was a Cuban woman with a very hard to understand South American accent - not ideal. The tour didnt have many stops, since LA is huge and there's quite a lot to cram into 6 hours, so for a lot of the sights we just slowed the bus down in the middle of the road.

Our first route took us through Pacific Palaces, atleast I think thats what Mrs Cuba said it was called. Basically just a lot of expensive houses, some owned by celebrities. Afterwards we did some more celebrity house spotting in Bel-Air. I've now seen houses belonging to Adam Sandler, Britney Spears, Arnold Swartzenegger, Jack Nicollsen (it was rediculously huge) and Shaquille O'Neil, to name a few. I decided not to bother taking many pictures since alot of them were kind of covered up by gates and trees.

From Bel-Air we drove through Westwood. I've kind of forgotten what the attraction was here, possibly the university, UCLA, which was pretty impressive wherever it was. Cruising on past Westwood we arrived at our first stop; Beverly Hills. It was actually really cool walking around and looking at the super super expensive shops and resturaunts. It's exactly how you imagine the place to be, with all it's white buildings and palm trees. There's also a hotel where they filmed some of Pretty Woman apparently.

After a wander round it was back onto the bus and time to head to what was probably the higlight of the trip; Hollywood. First we passed through West Hollywood where we saw, nothing very much special and then we pulled up in Hollywood where were given an hour to look around. I made my way along to Mann's Chinese theathre, where most big movies premiere and where they have the paving stones with actors hand and feetprints in. After a few snaps I moved on to the Kodak Theatre, where they hold the oscars, and then I took a wander round the wax musuem. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked otherwise I would've also went to Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the Guiness World Records museum. If I find myself bored in the next few days I might take a local bus back up. There was also a viewing point for the Hollywood sign so I made sure I took plenty of photos of that. The whole time I was in Hollywood I was walking along The Walk of Fame. All of the paving stones have stars on with actors, directors and musicians names. The whole Walk of Fame is like 12 blocks or something stupid so I only seen part of it. I was hoping I'd find Keifer Sutherland, but I didnt :(

I had a quick bit of lunch, bought some tatty Hollywood souvineers and then headed back to the bus. We now made our way to Downtown LA, the centeral part of the whole city. I was hoping the bus would go here as I wanted to check it out but Downtown isn't the safest place, espcially at night. Driving through didn't really give much of a feel for it, the bus kind of limited my view, but it was pretty cool. We then headed to Chinatown, which is also in Downtown. I was very much reminded of Hong Kong. The area is much more Chinese than I had expected, all of the road signs and stuff have Chinese on them as well as English.

After Chinatown, we drove past the Disney Concert Theatre, or something like that, which was a bit of a crazy buidling, the LA Cathederal, and then made one more stop at a place I forgot the name of. It's basically the Mexican version of Chinatown though. I watched a streetshow here for a bit and then headed back onto the bus.

Our last stop was Universal Walkway, by Universal Studios; basically loads of shops. I had a wander about for a bit but didn't fancy spending much more money. It brought back memories of being at Universal Stuidos in Florida with my dad when I was wee. I jumped back on the bus and we headed along the freeway yo, back to Santa Monica.

Definitely my best day in LA so far, but still nothing compared to New Zealand, not that I expected it to be, I should really stop comparing the two. Tonight I'll just be taking it easy, maybe watching a bit of TV or a film, or doing a crossword if I feel up to the challenge.

With only 3 days left before my flight home my travels are almost over which stirs mixed emotions in me. I really really really am looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back. I hear that my Nana Moira's going to have some pasta made for when I get home which fills me with so much joy. But on the otherhand I'm gutted that my travels are over. But more about that when I make my final entry!

Am I In Baywatch?

obonini — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:33:00 GMT

Last night I discovered the only supermarket close enough to walk to from my hostel happens to be Whole Foods; selling only the finest expensive organic products. They actually arn't that pricey, I compared when I was in another supermarket today, but I still don't have the option of "saver" or "value" stuff. Anyway, I spent half an hour looking for decent quality veg, grabbed a few other things and headed back to the hostel to make tea. Hopefully I can live of off what I have for the rest of the week to save money. I'm sure it would be possible, I might get sick of boiled and fried veg though. The rest of the night I spent doing crosswords, from my flashy new crossword book, in bed. How old woman of me.

I rose from sleep this morning and headed downstairs to see what the hostels free breakfast was like. All you can eat buffet breakfasts can never go wrong really. A bagel, some toast and a bowl of bran flakes later, and it was about time for the tour of Malibu I had signed up for the following day. There were are a fair few people doing it so it was a nice chance to meet some of the pople staying at my hostel. We got aquainted and met our guide for the day, a German guy who also was a backpacker but had a job guiding for now. He also did a spot on Arnold Swchartzeneger impression which was hillarious. I didn't realise that we would be walking for so much of the tour, but well, turns out we were.

We were given day passes for the bus and headed down to the bus stop to catch it. A rather long bus ride later, we arrived at Malibu Peir, unknown to me before now but apparently famous. It was ok to see but really nothing special. Was alright checking out the expensive looking houses over the road and also a huge live crab that the mad old Hong Kong lady from our group kept feeling the need to pick up.

From the peir we went back to the bus stop, waited for the next bus and headed on over to Malibu Beach. Again, nothing compared to the beaches in NZ but I'm not going to see any that are over here. We had a walk along it, seen some lifeguards, complete with red shorts and floating-thingys.

It was lunch time, and time to catch the bus to a supermarket. I, being on a budget like a few others in my group, had brought sandwiches with me. We then took the bus again to a further away beach called Dume Beach (I Think). It was actually pretty nice. It was really empty and their were a few vollyball nets. The sun had gotten it's self out properly now so I slapped on the suncream and had a bit of a sunbathe. Walking across the sand was near impossibly it was so hot.

We lay around on the beach for about an hour until it was time for our last stop, Malibu shopping plaza. Our guide told us that it wasn't uncommon to see celebrities around the place. I kept my eyes peeled but didn't have much luck. I had a look at some of the pricey shops and then it was back onto the bus to where we had started. On the way our guide pointed out one of Sylvester Stilones beach houses. It was blue.

Tonight its more of the usual nothingness. I'm really really tired for some reason so I think I'll be having an early night. I finished my book before so I might live on the edge and do some more crosswords. In someways I kind of cant be bothered with LA and just want to get home to see everyone but I shouldn't wish it away, it's not like I have long left.

Tomorrow I'm going to book a proper bus tour that shows me round pretty much all of LA. It's not the cheapest but it seems one of the better value ones and I get a discount with my hostel. Hopefully by then I'll have seen most of the important sights. If there are any that I want to spend more time at I feel confident enough to take local buses there now. I'm also considering spending a day at Universal Stuidos.

Highways And Sidewalks: Hello Los Angeles

obonini — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:17:00 GMT

My time in New Zealand finaly came to an end. I had my last flat white at the airport before checking in, waiting waaay to long for my flight to be ready and then got on the plane. The flight was pretty ok. Plenty of movies to choose from, I went for In Bruges, Seven Pounds and Valkyre. Pretty disapointed with the first two but the last was good. I managed to get some sleep too so I don't feel quite as jetlagged as I might have. Sleeping in the same position for about 6 hours gives you a sore bumbum though. There was really bad turbulance aswell, the worst I've ever flown through. The plane shook pretty badly for quite a long time, my coffee spilled everywhere. Scary stuff.

Tweleve hours after departing New Zealand, and I had arrived in Los Angeles, California. My view out of the plane window was limited but I could confirm the rumors I had heard, LA is absolutely massively hugely big. I made my way off of the plane and into the terminal to be greeted by LAX's super secure customs. After having all of my fingerprints and my retina scanned, they let me collect my bag. From there I headed outside the terminal. I was quite releived when atleast 3 very helpful ariport staff asked me if I knew where I was going and needed any help. I was directed towards a member of the Super Shuttle staff. Super Shuttle are like a shared taxi/bus that take you right to the door of your hostel.

Forty minutes later, after a drive along textbook LA style highways, I arrived outside my hostel, in Santa Monica. I proceded to pay $20 to the bus driver using one $10 note and one $100 note. Thankfully he was an honest man and pointed out my mistake, he wasn't getting that much of a tip.

The hostel I'm staying in is really nice, kind of like the Base chain in NZ but much quieter and cleaner. Everything I could need for the next week. They organise tours and stuff too, tomorrow I'm signed up for a bus trip to Malibu.

I got myself settled in, had a bit of a shower and gave my maw a call to let her know I was here safe and sound. After, I decided to take a look around the area and see what I could find. The hostel is about 5 minutes walk from the beach. I took a walk along it, or the atleast along the road beside it and breathed in the not so fresh sea air. The street again was typical how I imagine LA in my mind, with palm trees lining eitherside of the sidewalk. The beach it's self really wasn't anything special after having seen what NZ has to offer, but it'll be perfect for sunbathing once the sun peaks out just a little bit more.

After checking out the beach I headed inland towards the shops and cafes of 3rd Street Prominad. Again, all the streets are lined with trees and there are the kind of people you expect to see in LA, walking along on their cell with their shades on talking in a nippy as hell voice. I sat and had a coffee and a bit of a read, and took in my surroundings. It's amazing how many homeless people I've seen already, and I hear other areas of LA are worse. I'm going to have to get used to ignoring them, backpackers cant afford to donate!

Tonight I just plan on chilling out, and I plan on doing that for most of the next week to be honest. New Zealand was my time for adventure and exploring. LA is going to be for relaxing, I'm going to be a typical tourist. I've already signed up for one tour and I have a couple of others in mind. I'll do them, see the sights, hopefully get myself a bit of a tan and, before long, I'll be on my way back to the UK.

The End Draws Near

obonini — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:59:00 GMT

Today was my last full day in New Zealand. I never thought that 8 weeks could fly by so fast, but they have. I'll not sum up my time in New Zealand quite yet, I'll save that until after LA when I make my last entry, but it has been just absolutely amazing.

Today I took it pretty easy in the morning. I got up at like 10.30, the latest in a very long time, and had a wee banter online with Stephen and Duncan which was nice, made some plans for when I get home. I also booked my hostel in LA, up until the 20th, just incase its really busy when I get over there and I have nowhere to stay. The weather outside was pretty attrocious, there was so much rain. It did make the sea really rough though which looked pretty cool.

Alberto and Berend were both heading out for the day so I was left to fend for myself, all alone in Piha. They'd recommended some walks I could do though so I decided that if the weather cleared up, I would go out for a bit of a look around. Before Berend left he said that if I wanted I could take Meg, their friends dog.

After some lunch it was beginning to look pretty clear. I stuck on a raincoat just incase, stuck the dog on her lead and headed out. I had directions written on the back of an envelope with me to make sure I didnt get lost.

The walk was really really nice. I walked along the beach a little, then through the village and then up a reallly long street, past some pretty expensive looking houses, until I was at the beginning of the track to Kitekite Falls. I let the dog off for a run around and followed the track through some rainforest, along side the river, until I reached a lookout opposite the waterfall. Because of all the rain latley it was in pretty heavy flow and it looked awesome. I took a few pictures then followed another track down to the base of the waterfall and took some more. After a bit of a run around with the dog, we headed back to the house for a coffee. It kind of made me miss having a dog and being able to take it for walks; dont think my cats would take to being put on a lead.

Tonight I'll probably just start to get my bags ready for the plane tomorrow and watch some TV. Berends making a veggie stir fry specialy for me too. Hopefully I'll be able to make one last NZ entry tomorrow before I leave the country.

Between Two Uncles

obonini — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:40:00 GMT

Yesterday I finaly got to have a bit of a long lie. I really didnt want to get out of my warm bed into the absolute freezing cold of my room but I thought I had better give my mum and Ashley a call. I had a catch up, got myself ready and then Paul took me into Dunedin, where I had flown into a few days before, about an hour from Kaka point. Since he had no work he had a chance to show me around himself so we went and seen the sights, joined by his friend Amy since she was bored.

First we headed into "the octagon", the kind of central area, and went to a Scottish pub that Paul knew of. Had myself an Irn Bru which was awesome, it had been way too long. Next we headed up a massive hill to a viewpoint over Dunedin and the surrounding area, it totaly reminded me of the Millars back home, but on a bigger scale. There were some awesome views to be had up top, lessened a little by the mist that was everywhere but still quite impressive. After some photos we headed back into the city and toward the University campus. The buildings are all really old and stuff, kind of like Chirstchurch so it was cool to check out. We then headed over to what is apparently the steepest street in the world. It was crazy steep and we decided to give driving up a shot which might not have been the best of ideas. Half way up the car in front of us stopped and we had a bit wheelspin trying to get away from it. We managed to get to the top though. We felt accomplished.

Worn out by all the sight seeing we drove over to see Gabby, another of Paul's mates, who was working. Turned out she didnt finish for another hour so we found ourselves a pub or two and had some beers. Gabby came over, we had a few more beers and then we set off to get some tea before our big night on the town. On the way we stopped at some weird Korean place and I tried a feijoa, a fruit that they seem to have lots of over here. It was pretty tastey.

Pizza was on the cards for tea, Hell's Pizza. Its a chain pizza place (I think) thats kind of weird and gothic themed, but they had gooooood pizza. I had some form of veggie pizza, what was on it I really cant remember, and then afterwards we had a dessert pizza; pizza base with berry coulis, banana and chocolate, yum yum yum yum yum.

We drove to Gabbys flat, where we would be staying for the night to save time in the morning, ate tea, I had a bit hair straighten, a few more beers and then we headed out. To kick off our night we were going for a game of Lazer Quest (or NZs equivelent). We met up with some of Gabby's mates from Uni and there were a few girls already at the place so we had decent team sizes. We watched some lame video that explained the rules, stuck on our lazer vests, picked up our lazer guns and were taken around the "arena" so we knew what we were doing. Basically each team had a "generator" that needed to be shot 3 times in a row to score. When you shot someone on the other team their gun became disabled for like 4 seconds or something.

We were taken to our starting points and the game began. The arena had 2 floors so we had people above our generator at a window, defending. I was being a hero and attacking. It was so so so so much fun and I will definitely be doing it again when I get home. I came 2nd on the scoreboard too, aw yeah.

It was time to go out for a drink. Paul was desegnated driver for the night so he took us over into the city center. The rest of the night was spent in a couple of clubs in the city, having some pretty amusing conversation and getting very drunk. It was a properly awesome night out, best I've had in a long time! Dunedin is where it's at.

At one point a few of us decided it would be a good idea to go to a nearby Chinese which did deep fried milk as a speciality. We went in and ordered some and then somehow ended up sitting down at a table and ordering a full meal. It was pretty good but the milk was terrible, it was like snot.

As the early hours of the morning were drawing in, we headed home and I slept like a wee baby on the couch.

A few hours later I was woken by the sound of my alarm. I had a horrible hang over, was knackered, scruffy as hell and I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave for the airport. I got up, grabbed my stuff and Paul took me over to the airport. My flight wasn't too bad, I sat and tried to sleep for most of it, hoping that the people next to me didnt notice how bad I smelled.

An hour an a bit later and I touched down in Auckland where my uncle Alberto was waiting for me. We got into has car and headed over to Piha, about an hour north of Auckland, where he lives. He's having work done to his house right now so they're staying at a friends house. It is very very nice though. Piha is stunning for a start, it has a really nice beach and a big rock thats pretty famous. The house they're staying at is pretty much right by the beach. It has a lot of glass so you get amazing amazing views out over the sea. Sunset before was very impressive.

I cleaned myself up once I'd arrived, which I was definately in need of. Later Alberto took me over to their house, where the work is being done, and showed me all of it. It too is such a nice house. It's in a bit of a state right now because of all the work going on everywhere (they had a 3rd floor put ontop of the house), but when it's finished it will be absolutely amazing.

Tonight we met up with a friend of Alberto and Berend's and had tea at the local bowling club, where I witnessed a pretty heated discussion about the local communities politics. It seems that everyone definitely knows everyone elses buisness here, and they're not affraid to have a wee bitch about it.

Tomorrow I'm thinking I might just chill in Piha, maybe take a walk around if its nice enough. All in all, I've had an awesome few days with both of my Uncles and met some really cool people. I so cannot believe that I only have 1 full day left in the country. As I'm sure I've said before; I will be very sad to leave, but I cant wait to see everyone back home.

Road Trippin' Around The Catlins: Day 2

obonini — Fri, 8 May 2009 04:32:00 GMT

I set out to the south west, down into the norhern part of The Catlins and towards a waterfall called Purakaunui Falls. I had been having a read through some books about the area the night before and it sounded, and from the pictures looked, pretty impressive. Paul told me it would take about 2 hours to drive there. He was obviousely expecting me to drive like an old woman.

Apart from the road works, which seem to be everywhere around here, I had no delays and arrived at Purakaunui Falls after about a 45 minute drive. I passed through the town of Owaka on the way which isn't impressive atall but it is the biggest town in the area. From the car park at the falls, there was a path leading into the forest and after a short walk I was at the base of the waterfall. I have to admit it wasn't as impressive as the pictures I had seen, as it wasn't in full flood, but it was really nice. It has like 3 teirs which looks really unnatural but it was cool.

After a photo or 2 i headed back to the car and set out for another near by waterfall called Matai Falls. It too was closer than I had expected and I was there in no time. When I arrived in the car park it started to rain pretty heavy so I decided to have my packed lunch and give the waterfall a bit time to see if the rain would make it more impressive. The weather had been really odd the whole day, bright and sunny one minute and then chucking it down the next. Conveniently the rain had stopped after my sandwich so I set down the track. This was a slightly longer walk, a bit of uphill too, but nothing my now seasoned walking legs couldn't handle. Matai Falls, although the least popular of the 2 waterfalls, was actually in my opinnion the most impressive. It didn't need to be quite as flooded to look good which was nice.

I enjoyed the sight for a minute or two and then noticed a sign directing me along another path for 5 minutes to Horse Shoe Falls. Out of the 3 it was my favoirite. It was much smaller than the other 2 and there was much less water. It was basically a horseshoe shaped ledge and loads of little streams of water kind of delicately trickled over the edge. Snappy snappy went my camera finger and then it was back to the car.

Seeing how it was much earlier than I had planned to be finished exploring I decided to make one more stop. On the way back I would pass by the road leading to Jack's Blowhole so I decided to check it out. The road out went around the Catline Lake which was pretty nice however it wasn't the best to drive over, being made of gravel. I carefully navagated along it untill I arrived at a beach, known as Jacks Bay. From here there was a walking track which lead to the blowhole.

I hiked along the track, with sheep and farmland on my right and the cliff edge and sea on my left, for half an hour. It felt kind of good having a decent walk again and the scenery was so so nice. It's really amazing how diverse the scenery in New Zealand is. In one day in just a small area I seen rainforest, waterfalls, farmland, lakes, cliffs and the sea. It's one of the things I like most about this country and, from what I gather, so do lots of other people.

Eventually I reached the blowhole. There was a path around it whith a fence incase I wandered too close. All around it were trees so I had to walk round to the otherside to ctually see into it. It wasn a pretty amazing sight, much better than the blowhole I had seen up north. It's basically a huge cavern without a roof. Everytime a big wave comes in from the sea it rushes into the cavern and is blown up the the sides of thbe walls. I stood for a while and then headed back to the car and drove myself back home.

Back at Paul's I've just been chilling out as usual. I managed to get the fire going which I was pretty chuffed at and did a bit more washing. I need to head into Balclutha to pick up Paul soon, apparently were going for some drinks with his work colleauges since its Friday. Tomorrow. since Paul has no work, he'll probably show me around the place a bit himself. At night were supposed to be going to Lazer Quest with some of his mates and then out afterwards. Should be pretty damn fun.

**For some reason I cant put the photos from my camera onto this computer which is rather annoying cos I have some good ones. I'll look into it.

Road Trippin' Around The Catlins: Day 1

obonini — Thu, 7 May 2009 22:47:00 GMT

The region of NZ where Paul lives is called The Catlins. It's in the south east corner and is home to lots of beaches, waterfalls and birds it would seem. While I'm here and I have access to the car, I figured it makes sense to drive around and check out all the sites. And so began my road trip.

Yesterday I took a drive out towards Nugget Point, which Paul had reccommended to me. It was a fairly easy drive taking me along a costal road, with nice enough views out over the sea. I made my first stop at Roaring Bay. It's a little beach known for it's yellow penguins. I followed a wee track down towards a hut they have and peeked out of one of the slits in the wall, feeling very birdwatcher-like. Unfortunately for me there were no penguins to be seen so I continued on my way.

I reached the car park at the end of the Nugget Point road to descover that I would have to go on foot to reach the lighthouse. Nothing like a stroll in the howling wind with rain battering into your face. The view from the carpark was impressive in itsself, with the sun giving some cool lighting effects over the sea. I walked onto the track and followed it along the top of the coastal cliffs. My first stop along the way was at a viewing point above some small, eroded rocks just out a little bit form the cliff face. As it was such a windy day the wind was blowing through the huge holes, which had worn in the rocks. This created a pretty amazing sound, kind of like a blowing over the top of a bottle but much louder. It was pretty scary. I stood and absorbed it all for a while and then headed on up to the lighthouse.

The path out to the lighthouse is flanked on either side by sheer cliff face drops down into the sea below (there are fences though so I felt safe enough). The lighthouse its self isnt the most impressive ive ever seen, its quite small, but a lighthouse never the less. Walking up the path to one side was awesome views of the coast right back up north toward Kaka Point and on the other, some pretty cool rock formations. I had a walk around the lighthouse, took some pictures and set off back to the car.

At night after I had picked up Paul we just headed back to his and chilled out; watched some TV, had a nice tea and a few beers.

Today I plan on checking out some waterfalls which are fairly near by. Time to pack up some lunch and see if I can find them on the SatNav.

Felafel in Dunedin & Luxury Living at Kaka Point

obonini — Thu, 7 May 2009 01:36:00 GMT

Unfortunately my last day in Christchurch was fairly uneventful due to the rain. I had forgotten what rain was up in the north island but this isn't quite the case down south. I still managed to get myself out for a bit of breakfast in a cafe however (the best bowl of muesli I've ever had). Back at the hostel I had all of my bags in storage so I just chilled out until it was getting around time to head to the airport to catch my flight to Dunedin.

I waited in the square in Christchurch by the "$5 Airport Bus" sign for the bus that was supposed to come every 20 minutes. After waiting for about half an hour I decided it was beginning to get a bit to close for comfort to my check-in time. I headed over to look at the local bus timetable and it didn't look like they would be able to get me to the airport for another hour atleast. Just as I was about to panic a nice old man, who turned out to be the driver of the $5 bus approached me and asked if I was heading to the airport. I was saved.

I ran in, checked-in my bag and was only waiting for about 20 minutes before I was boarded onto the plane. The flight down to Dunedin was over suprisingly quickly, I was only in the air for about half an hour. After we touched down I stepped outside the plane and breathed in some lovely farmyard-smelling Dunedin air. I was greeted at the arrivals gate by a friendly and familliar face; my uncle Paul.

We grabbed my bags, headed to his car and set off into Dunedin city, catching up with each other on the way there. We had originaly been supposed to go to a vegetarian place for tea but it turned out it had closed down. Instead we opted for a bit of Turkish. We were joined by Gabby and Amy, 2 of Pauls kiwi friends, who are absolutely crazy, in the nicest possible way of course. Felafel at the turkish place was top-notch too.

After dinner we drove an hour and a bit from Dunedin to Kaka Point, where Paul lives. His house is so nice. It has loads of spacious rooms, a log fire to keep you cosy through the cold nights (and days) and an amazing view out over the beach and the sea, which is especially stunning at sunrise, and probably sunset too. As I was getting into bed I actually had a huge smile on my face. A massive, comfy double bed in my own room (!!!) was such a luxury after 2 months of hostel dorms. I had the best nights sleep in a long wile.

Unfortunately it was cut short this morning as I had to get up nice and early. I was giving Paul a lift to work so that I could use his car to explore the place in. I was pretty worried that it would take me a while to, not only get used to the size and power of his 4x4, but also to driving an automatic. It was suprisingly easy and I got on fine.

After dropping Paul at work in Balclutha, about 15 minutes from Kaka Point, I took a drive around the countryside for a while before heading back to Paul's.

This afternoon I've just been chilling out and enjoying having some of my own space. I've done all of my washing, took my time checking my emails, had a nice sit down by the fire and ate my lunch, it's been so nice. In a bit I'm thinking I might go take a drive to Nugget Point, 10 minutes away from here. Apparently theres a lighthouse out on the point there and some pretty impressive views. Seems worth checking out and taking some photos.

Forgotten In Queenstown & Sight-seeing in Chirstchurch

obonini — Tue, 5 May 2009 04:04:00 GMT

I decided to spend my last day in Queenstown just walking around and taking in the scenery. I took a walk along the lake front and around the park. It was a really nice clear, crisp, typical Autumns day so everything looked amazing. I then had possibly the best ice-cream I've ever had at a shop that makes hand-made chocolates (and ice-cream obviously). Fig and pistachio in a homemade waffel cone, very grown up and very very nice.

Kate, from the group I came over with, had got in touch with me to say that she would be in Queenstown that night. Her, and some friends she had met while traveling around the bottom of the south island, were going to the cinema and then out for a drink and I was invited to join them. We deicided to go and see Wolverine at the cinema, it was pretty damn good, better than the other X-Men films for sure. I got a nasty shock when I went to munch my popcorn and found it was salted and not sweet. I don't think they do sweet in NZ. Afterwards we headed to a pretty nice bar with a log fire and stuff for a few beers. Later we headed to another for a few more. They sold cocktails in teapots so I was drinking out of them all night, it was rediculous. I wandered back to my hostel at about 3 in the morning so that I could get a little bit of sleep before my bus at 8.

In the morning I fell out of bed and packed up my bags. I headed outside into the nippy cold of the morning to wait for my bus at my pickup point which, as I was staying at a smaller more out of the way hostel, was about a 5 minute walk away. Even though I had called Kiwi Experience the night before to confirm my pickup, and I was at the pickup point in plenty of time, as soon as I got there I had a horrible feeling that my bus wasnt going to come. After an hour of waiting, I was proven right. I called up Kiwi Experience and, 3rd time lucky (1st time I ran out of mobile credit, 2nd time my pay phone card ran out of credit), they told me that the driver had made "an error" (forgotten about me), and that they would sort something out and phone me back. I was called back and told that they had booked me onto a shuttle bus which would leave that afternoon. I now had half a day to kill.

It didn't turn out too bad as, on my way down into town, I bumped into Kate again so atleast had some company. I watched my bingy and sky-diving DVDs again on her laptop for the first time since I got them which was pretty cool. We went for another ice cream from the shop from the day before then I said bye and headed back to my hostel to get my bags.

The shuttle bus wasnt too bad but it felt like it took forever. I departed at 3pm and arrived in Christchurch at 9.45, with only one stop in between. It was pretty hard going but atleast it got me to Christchurch that night, where I already had my accommodation booked. After being dropped off in the main square I set about the task of finding the hostel I was staying at. I hadnt even looked up the address of it yet so I had to find an internet cafe and find out where it was first.

Having done that, I spent about half an hour wandering the empty night time streets of Christchurch looking for the hostel, with a +-20kg bag on my back, my day pack in one hand and my food bags in the other. It was pretty painful but eventually I found it. The hostel is pretty nice, its quite big, not crowded and has everything I'll need for the next day and a bit. I had a shower (which I was in dire need of) and got into bed.

This morning I got myself up fairly early to try and make the most of my free day in Christchurch. After a phone call to the mother, I headed out into the city armed with my guide book. My first stop, after breakfast in a cafe, was Christchurch Cathederal. It's pretty big and... cathederal like, fairly nice inside. I spent some time reading stuff in here and then headed towards Victoria Square. Its like a little park with statues and stuff and fountains. From there I follwed the river through Christchurch. It was a really nice walk, plenty of green grass, Autumn leaves and Willow trees hanging over the river.

I arrived at the Botanical Gardens, had a little walk around and then went into the Museum which was right next to it. It had the typical NZ museum stuff; maori history, stuff about volcanoes, but then it had some different more interesting stuff too about Egypt and Antarctica, so it was better than I expected.

The city it's self is really nice. It's very very very English and reminds me a lot of back home, which is kind of nice. There are a lot of old kind of gothic style buildings and there are loads of shops and cafes and stuff. Everything you could want in a city.

Tonight I probably wont be up to too much, just relaxing at my hostel. Tomorrow I fly from here down to Dunedin to meet up with my Uncle Paul which I'm looking forward to. Apparently we're going out to a veggie place for tea, aw yeah.

An Icey Drink & Views Over Queenstown

obonini — Sat, 2 May 2009 05:50:00 GMT

Last night I did indeed end up going to the ice bar - Minus 5. It was quite different from what I expected. We were give a huge coat and stuff to keep us warm and the group, about 8 of us, were taken across to the bar by the guy who was to be our bartender for the next half hour. You pay for you drinks before you go into the bar, you can have a maximum of 2 vodka cocktails and 1 vodka shot, and they don't sell any other drink.

Our bar tender took us to the door and told us some stuff about it and then we were let in to the -8 degrees room. Inside was much smaller than I had expected. There were huge ice walls, the bar was completley made of ice, the seats were all ice and there were ice sculptures all over the place. It was really cool, and the cocktails were very nice, but it was much more of a tourist attraction than a bar, good for taking photos in, shame I forgot my camera!

Leaving the bar was weird, we were so cold that being outside felt really warm, which it was not. We stopped for a few drinks in a few more pubs and then headed home. The Irish ones needed an early night, they were leaving this morning for Christchurch so I had to say byebye to them.

Today I decided I should go and check out Queenstown and take some photos so everyone can see how pretty it is. I took the gondola, a cable car thing that goes up a hill, to the top of a huge hill and walked around the viewing platform, taking in the views. It made Queenstown look twice as amazing as from the ground. I had a sit in the cafe and a look around the gift shop and then made my way back down the gondola.

Down at the bottom is the Kiwi Birdlife Park so I figured I would go and kill some time in there. They have 2 "kiwi houses"; dark rooms where they keep the 4 kiwis (as in the birds) that they have, since they're nocturnal. It was pretty cool getting to see them. Theyre very hard to spot in the wild so seeing them here was my best bet. I took a walk around the park, with my stuipd headset thing on that they give you; it tells you information about everything which was cool but it makes you look like an ass, and seen some of the other birds from around New Zealand. Was a fairly interesting and educational walk.

Tonight I have no plans as of yet, other than to change out of my shorts because it is bloody freezing.

Swinging Over Shotover Canyon

obonini — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:09:00 GMT

I dragged myself out of bed (how many of my entries start with me getting out of bed early; too many...) and down to the canyon swing base in Queenstown. Here I filled in some forms and then was made to watch a DVD of loads of people doing the swing that I was about to do. I wasn't nervous at all after having done the Nevis bungy, just really looking forward to it. By half 8 I was the only person in the place and I was starting to wonder if I was going to be up there by myself. Thankfully a couple came in who were also doing it.

We jumped into their van and were taken on a 10 minute ride up to their base at the top of the canyon. The driver stuck on a DVD on the wya up that showed all the different ways you can jump off, or all the most popular, your allowed to jump off any way you choose. I spent some time thinking them over and decided I would go for a backwards one, since I had jumped forwards off of Nevis. The bus felt strangely like being back at home; the driver was from Peebles and one of the couple was from Glasgow but had went to college in Gala.

We arrived up top and took a look at the amazing view over the canyon. It was a really nice place to be jumping off of. We emptied our pockets and were harnessed up. I was now very nervous, probably more so than when I bungied, which was unexpected. I was brave though and volunteered to go first. The guys who were running it all, the driver from Peebles and another Kiwi guy, were really cool. So so layed back and just had a bit of a laugh about it all. I was given a quick run down of what I was to do, was attatched to the rope and then hung over the edge for a picture.

Then I prepared for my jump. I had to lean back slightly, do a little jump and then I would just fall. I did and it was amazing. It was a completley different sensation from bungy, especially jumping backwards. I let out a bit of an involuntry scream which was slightly embarassing. Unlike bungy where you slow down, you continue to pick up speed with the canyon swing which was really scary, you feel yourself moving so fast. After I arced into my swing I sat and took in the view while I was wenched up. I decided that, as it was so cheap to have another go, I had to do it.

The 2nd time I went for a jump that they call "Gimp Boy Goes To Hollywood". Basically they swing you out so your hanging by the rope over the ledge, then you have to swing your legs up around the rope, let your hands dangle toward the ground, and arch your back so that your hanging completley upside down. This time they would pull a strap that let me fall. They were nice enough to take my by suprise and let me go just after they asked me a question and I was about to answer. This swing was equally as scary, not slowing down atall as you plummet towards the ground really gets adrenaline pumping.

I don't think it was QUITE as good as my bungy, possibly because I did the bungy first, but it was still so so amazing and so worth it, I'll definitely do it again if I come back to Queenstown.

I was going to save all my dvd's until I got home but since it was already in the right format and stuff I've uploaded the first swing I did on youtube. I'll save the 2nd one for when I come home!

Today if it gets a bit warmer I think I'm going to head up the gondola (cable car type thing) and get some cool views over Queenstown and see whats all up there. Or I might be keen and walk up. Later a few of us are supposed to be going to Minus 5; a bar where everything is made of ice, I look forward to it.

Sounds Like Milford Sounds...

obonini — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:47:00 GMT

I made it a nice early half 6 start this morning so that I could have a good breakfast, get ready in plent of time and be set for my long day exploring Milford Sounds. I was picked up by my bus at 8 and we set off on our way. We drove out of Queenstown for 2 hours until we arrived at the town of Te Anau. Not much happening here, just some boats going about and a nice cafe for breakfast muffins.

We stepped back onto the bus and made our way towards the Fiordland National Park, the biggest national park in New Zealand. For about an hour we drove past loads of open farmland with mountains in the background which was impressive enough in its self. The driver of the bus was really good, he obviousley knew a lot about the area and told us loads.

The open farmland changed to dense vegetation and we now knew we had entered the national park. The next 2 hours was spent driving through some of the most amazing scenery I've ever seen. Windy mountain roads took us past PROPER mountains, the kind I wanted to see since I've been in New Zealand. Big grey ones capped with snow. They were absolutley amazing. We stopped off a couple of times for picture stops over and between some impressive valleys and also at a place known as "The Chasm" where the rock has been eroded by the river and has holes all over. It was so cool. We continued on, still absolutley amazed by the stunning landscape, untill we reached the boat terminal at Milford Sounds.

We borded and started the our cruise with an all you can eat buffet. To be fair, it was rubbish, and they had not tried atall to cater for vegetarians, lucky for me I had a big breakfast. I still helped myself to a load of rice, veg and noodles though. Half way through eating the captian of the boat, who was giving occassional commentary, told us there were dolphins in the water. I ran out to have a look and was so so chuffed when I caught them. I hadn't expected to see any but it was absolutley amazing. They didnt make it easy for me to take a picture though. We also saw some seals on the rocks which was cool.

After I we had eaten we headed up top and took in the amazing views. Milford Sounds is much like the Queen Charlotte Sounds that I had cruised through on the ferry to the south island, excpet Milford is better. The mountains are greyer and snowier, the water is bluer and there are loads of amazing waterfalls. I stood and filled up my camera with pictures untill we were dropped off at the Underwater Observatory.

Here we were given a bit introduction and then taken down loads of steps into the observatory below. It was pretty amazing looking out and seeing all the fish in their natural habitat. After a while checking the fish and reading some stuff about them we were stuck onto another boat and taken back through the sounds to the terminal.

It was such an amazing day and well worth what I payed for it. I had thought the photos I had seen of it before hadn were impressive but, even on a fairly dull day, they were nothing compared to seeing it with my own eyes. Definitely one of the most stunning, if not the most stunning place I've seen in New Zealand so far. If/When I come back here, I definitely want to spend a while down south by Fiordland, doing some hikes and whatever and seeing what it all has to offer.

Tonight I watched Wedding Crashers on the bus back since the driver put it on for us. Decent film. Then we stopped in at Queenstowns answer to Burger Fuel - Fergburger. Kind of simmilar to Burger Fuel but different. I had a "Bun Laden"; falafel patties on a massive bun with tomato, lettuce, red onion, avacado, lemon yogurt and sweet chilli sauce. It was pretty damn good, definitely on par with Burger Fuel.

Tomorrow I have yet another early start for my canyon swing. Im not all that nervous about it after doing a bungy but I'm sure that'll change once I get down there in the morning.

Conquering Nevis

obonini — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:39:00 GMT

This morning I got up and I felt very very nervous. This afternoon at I would be doing my bungy jump. I had some breakfast to try and settle my stomach and gave my mum a call to tell her that I'd had a nice life and that I loved her. I got myself ready and headed down to the bungy jump center in Queenstown.

After I was all checked in I had to sit and wait for the bus to come and pick us up. I was a little bit shakey but much less than I imagined that I would have been. I think everyone else that was waiting felt the same.

The bus came and we all jumped on for the 40 minute ride out to the bungy platform. As time passed and we got closer my nerves got worse and worse. Everyone on the bus was just like "oh..my god" as we drove up the hill towards the platform. Looking over the side, as the ground grew further and further away, it was a long way down.

At the top we emptied our pockets, were strapped into our harnesses and weighed up. From there we headed out in small groups to the jumping platform, by means of a tiny cable car type thing. As we moved out along the wire I looked down. I was more than a little bit shakey now anyway. On the way over I could see the group that were ahead of me jumping down, knowing that I was about to do the same.

Inside the jumping platform I coudnt keep still. I paced back and forwards, watching others jump until I was called up. I sat on a ledge and had 2 nice flourecent yellow things put on my legs, for the bungy to be attatched to. I was sat on a chair right and attached to the bungy cord. By now all of my nerves had changed into excitement and I just couldn't wait to jump off.

After a quick pre-jump photo I shuffled up to the edge and looked down. I could not believe I was about to do this. I was counted down from 5 and I umped off without hesitation. It was such an amazing amazing amazing experience. Freefalling through the air is unreal, I felt so so scared and so so happy at the same time, and my stomach completley came up into my mouth. It's much different to sky diving since your closer to the ground so you can tell that your falling towards it.

The bungy cord reached it's full length and I slowed just in time to miss the ground. As I bounced back up I said to myself aloud "that was amazing". I had to fiddle with a seperate cord for ages to pull myself into a sitting position and I was wound back up to the top.

I cant decide which I liked better, bungy or skydive, but my jump today was so so so amazing, and I'm so glad I done it. Im still pretty pumped with adrenaline right now. I will definately do another one in the future, hopefully bigger!

I don't care what I do tonight cos it's not going to be better than what I just did today!

Chillin' in Queenstown

obonini — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:12:00 GMT

This morning, after a quick phonecall to catch up with Ashley, I got back onto my beloved Kiwi Experience bus. Today we were headed to Queenstown, "adventure capital" and the furthest south that the bus would be taking me. Thankfully the weather was looking much better today, just a slight drizzle. Since Wanaka is fairly close to Queenstown we only had one stop off; Puzzling World just outside of Wanaka.

Basically it was just a big center dedicated to puzzles. It had the worlds only 2 story 3D maze or something like that, which was hard. We gave up half way through and went out one of the emergency exits. There was also a load of illusion rooms. Some of them just had simple stuff, like pictures you look at and the jump out at you or follow you but there were some really ones.

One room looked normal when you stood and looked in through the windows, but when you stepped in one of the doors it either made you look huge or really small. There was another room that was all at funny angles and made it seem as if water was running uphill by its self and as if a pool ball could roll up hill.

We came out of the rooms, with slightly sore heads and twisted stomachs, and sat in the cafe where they have loads of puzzles sitting on the tables. I spent for ever failing to make a cube out of wooden shapes and then it was back onto the bus.

The drive to Queenstown was fairly nice, and I was happy when the rain dryed up and the sun came out. The scenery around as we drove into the town was amazing, it is a really really nice place, with some amazing mountains and lakes around it. If im lucky I might find time to do some walks around them. We were dropped at our hostel, Bungi Backpackers, which we (me and my irish mates) arranged ourselves. Its really nice and quite cosy and relaxed, a nice break from all the people that I've had to share hostels with for the past week.

This afternoon I took a walk into town and booked my bungy jump and my canyon swing. Tomorrow at 12.30pm Ill be heading out the Nevis bungy site and on Friday at 8.30am I'll be on my way to the Shotover canyon swing. With my Milford Sounds trip right in the middle of the, on Thursday, I have a busy few days coming up. I cannot wait, but I'm pretty nervous for tomorrow.

Tonight I'm probably just going to relax in the hostel, have some of their free vegetable soup, watch some tv and prepare myself for tomorrow.

Wanakakakaka...

obonini — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:44:00 GMT

Still gutted about missing out on the glacier, I woke this morning to the sound of pouring rain. It still hadn't stopped. In the night I was woken by the whole room flashing with light followed by the loudest thunder I've ever heard. Then the rain chucked it down even harder. It hasn't exactly been the nicest weather for outdoor activities. Apparantly rain is usual in that part of New Zealand but our bus driver told us that it is the worst just now was he has seen it in a long time. How unfortunate for me.

Anyhow, I ran onto the bus, got a bit soaked and sat uncomfortably in my seat. We had quite a long journey today so I was hoping that I dried of quick. We made our way out of rainy Franz Josef and down towards Fox Glacier Villiage, the 2nd main glacier in New Zealand. Normally Kiwi Experience buses stop here to check out the reflection of Mount Cook on Lake Matherson but it definatly wasn't happening today. We stopped in at the cafe there for breakfast while the driver went and refuled the bus. I had a bagel with cream cheese and jam for the first time in my life, it was so good.

We were picked back up and headed on through the rain, which got worse and worse. We were supposed to make another stop at Thunder Falls or something but our driver decided he just wanted to get us out of the area as fast as he could. The road was getting pretty dangerous, there were debris falling from cliffsides onto it and rivers were very high. The 2nd Kiwi Bus that's travelling with us had stopped before us for lunch. They ended up getting stuck behind for about 4 hours because the road was blocked. Luckily for us, we had the more experienced driver and he was on a mission to get us past the worst areas.

We made our lunch stop after we had past the worst and were entering the Otago region. After that we headed straight on to Wanaka. The drive up to the town and the town its self are really really nice. Theres the massive lake next to it and the whole place is surounded by really stunning mountains. It's a shame it was so dreary outside and raining. Hopefully the weather will clear up tomorrow and most definitely when I head down toward Queenstown (which it should do).

The hostel im staying at is suprisingly nice for one of the Base chain, which I now hate so much. It's all really shiny and new since it opened up recently but I'll probably not be liking it so much when it gets busy and messy later on. Me and my new Irish pals booked accommodation at a smaller hostel for tomorrow in Queenstown so it'll be nice to have a break from the mass crowds again. I need to book my bungy and my canyon swing too so I'll speak to my bus driver about it tomorrow, he should be able to get me spots on both of them in the next few days. I'm very scared for them now, especially the bungy.

Tonight we're heading down to the cinema here. Its really small and only has one screen but it's quite unique by the sounds of it. It's all reaally old fashioned style inside, you sit on sofas and stuff and there's a car you can sit in too, and at half time they stop and come round selling apple pie and icecream and stuff. Im quite looking forward to it. I forgot the name of the film were going to see, I've not really heard much about it, but it'll be something to watch if nothing else!

My Uncle Paul got back in touch with me, unfortunatley and so bloody inconveniently; the week I planned on visiting him is the only weekend of the year that everyone has to work, it's stock taking weekend or something. This will mean that yet again I have to change my plans but it shouldn't be too bad. he says he can arrange flights for me down and up to Auckland. The only downside is that I would miss stopping in Kaikoura on the Kiwi Bus but I wasn't all that fussed about stopping there anyway. Once I've decided what I'm doing and sorted it out, I'll let everyone know.

No Glacier For Me

obonini — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:18:00 GMT

I was absolutely devistated today. We headed down to the glacier center, got kitted out with all our waterproof gear and boots and gloves, cramed onto the bus, journeyed to the bottom of the glacier, and then we were told that a group that had went ahead of us had deemed it unsafe and the trip was cancelled. It had been raining all through the night and even as I type it hasn't stopped. The glacier has loads of streams and stuff around it that need to be crossed so obviously this isnt possible in heavy rain. The now unhappy and very wet busload cramed back onto the bus and were taken back to the center.

Thankfully we were fully refunded. I would be tempted to stay in Franz Josef a little bit longer to try and do the hike another day but apparently the weather is set to be heavy rain for the next few days, so I'm not going to be able to do it. Im really gutted; I had been looking forward to doing this since I came to New Zealand. Looking on the brightside, I did get to walk through some really cool rainforest and see some impressive waterfalls at the bottom of the glacier. I also now have even more of a reason to come back to New Zealand.

Instead of hiking, me and my Irish pals headed over to the Glacier Hot Pools, right across the road from my hostel. I walked across in my swimming shorts and a tshirt, with no shoes. It killed my feet so much and I got absolutley drenched. The pools were basically outdoor heated swimming pools. There were 36, 38 and 40 degrees pools, with canopies over the top so that the rain didnt get in and flood it. The next 3 hours more or less we just spent chilling out in the pools. They were very very relaxing and nice after the freezing rain. Every so often I would have to get out and stand in the rain to cool down though, but it made getting back into the warm water so much better.

After killing most of the afternoon in the pools, we walked back across the road to our hostel and decided to jump in the free outdoor hot tub there. It was pretty nice, it had jets and stuff.

Tonight we've just been sitting in the bar thats next to the hostel. It's still chucking it down with rain, I cant wait to get out of this dreary place! I decided that since I had such a relaxing day so far I couldnt be bothered to make tea, so I ordered a nice burger from the bar.

Tomorrow our bus leaves at half 7 for Wanaka. It's my last stop before Queenstown (and before my bungy jump and canyon swing). Im almost as far south as I'll be traveling, its crazy how much of the country I've seen already.

Partying at Lake Mahinapua

obonini — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:48:00 GMT

We headed off from Wesport after a fairly long lie. We were continuing our way down the "wild west coast", known for its bad weather and rough seas. The whole bus journey more or less was along the coastline, with amazing views of the sea to the right and mountains to the left. New Zealand has so many mountains...

Our first stop was for a 1 hour walk along the top of some cliffs by the sea. It was a pretty nice walk, and would have been good for clearing your head but as there was about 90 of us (there are 2 bus loads traveling together), it wasn't so good. Half way along there was a lookout point over some rocks. There were so many seals down there, i took plenty of pictures although its a bit hard to distinguish them from the rocks. I have a video too that I'll try and put up at somepoint.

We set off on our way down the coast again until we reached a town famous for its "pancake rocks". There are loads of these rocks that look like layers of pancakes, really quite impressive. We did a walk around there, checked out the rock formations and then headed back to the cafe for some lunch. It was a really clear day so there was also an amazing view of Mt. Cook and the mountains surrounding it, over in the distance, capped with snow.

We made one last stop in Greymouth to collect tea supplies and then carried on to the Mahniapua Hotel where we were staying and where our beach themed party was to be.

The hotel is basically in the middle of nowhere, and doesn't recieve much buisness other than Kiwi Experience buses. It's run by a guy called Les Lisle, New Zealands oldest publician, who is a bit of a legened really. Hes 82 year old but he's really sharp for his ages, he made a few cheeky we jokes when he got on our bus to welcome us. It seems that there are a lot of "characters" like him down the west coast, very friendly people though.

The hotel is about 3 mintues walk away from a deserted, but really nice beach so a group of us got ourselves some beers and headed down. We sat on a log, sipped our beers and watched the sunset, it was amazing. Afterwards we headed back for our tea. There was a huge BBQ type meal being cooked by our bus drivers, being a veggie I missed out on the steak and venicine stew and had quiche (for the first time). There was pasta bake and corn on the cob and potatoes and stuff too so it was all good.

After the meal everyone headed back to their cabins to get ready for the beach party. Like many, i didnt want to spend money on a costume so I was just in my shorts in tshirt, how original. It was a pretty good night though, there were some interesting costumes and everyone seemed to have fun. I got knackered very early on though and had to retire to bed.

This morning I set off on my way to Franz Josef. Tomorrow I'll be doing a full day glacier hike there, weather permitting. I really hope that the weather is ok, I'm really looking forward to it and it's something I've wanted to do since I decided to come to New Zealand.

I've also kind of planned out the rest of my trip in New Zealand now so I'll list where I plan to be on what dates.

April 25th - Arrive in Franz Joseph
April 26th - Glacier Hike
April 27th - Arrive in Wanaka
April 28th/29th - Arrive in Queenstown/Do Bungy Jump/Do Canyon Swing
April 30th - Day trip around Milford Sounds
May 4th - Arrive in Christchurch
May 5th - Arrive in Kaikoura
May 6th - Arrive in Wellington
May 7th - Arrive in Taupo
May 8th - Arrive in Rotorua
May 9th - Arrive in Auckland

That's where I plan to be on those dates but obviousley some may change. The days I havn't listed in Queenstown, and the days in between arriving in Auckland and my departure (May 12th), hopefully can be spent visiting Paul and Alberto. I really dont have too long left in New Zealand now atall.

**I had to type the last 2 entries really quickly so theyre a bit vauge in places and probably have terrible spelling. I also only had time to stick all my pictures in the one album, theyre not actually all from Nelson. Ill sort it out when I have better computer access and more time!

Jetting Down Westport

obonini — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:49:00 GMT

I've struggled to get on the internet latley, hence the lack of entries. Ill try and upload some photos but it might have to wait untill I get access to a better computer. I have some good pictures though.

I decided that I would spend my last day in Nelson at the beach. I took what was supposed to be an hour walk, but got lost in some random docks so it took a bit longer. The walk took me right along the waterfront (after i escaped the docks) and the view was pretty awesome, escpecially since the sun was kind of lighting it up nicely. I only spent about an hour at the beach, had a drink at the cafe, a bit read and walked along the sandy beach. It was really nice. At night I went to the hostel right across the road from mines and caught up with Polly and Amy from the original BUNAC group I came across with.

In the morning I got myself up nice and early for the Kiwi Experience bus. I was pretty tired; a load of guys had ended up staying in my nice quite hostel and making it not so quiet, they came in pretty drunk. They were also on my bus in the morning, as were a couple of guys I had spoken to at the hostel across the road the night before so I saw some faces I knew which was nice.

We set off on our way down the west coast towards Westport. We stopped shortly after to get lunch supplies and then made our lunch stop at a lake, which no suprise I've forgotten the name of. It was absolutley amazing though, mountains all round it that reflect in the water. I took many a picture. There was a walk some of us did around the lake too which was pretty nice.

We set off again and our next stop was to be Bullers ADventure Tours, where I would be doing the jet boating that I signed up for. It had been pretty cheap so I wasnt expecting much but it was so good. We were all kitted out in waterproofs and lifejackets and taken in the jetboat, pulled by a tractor, down to the Buller River. The scenery around here was really nice, there were a few waterfalls and rocks and mountains all around. We spent about 40 mintues traveling down the river, picking up some impressive speed at times and pulling off some impressive manouvers. This was just a warmup for the driver though and a chance for us to take pictures. On the way back we packed our cameras into plastic bags and the driver gave it everything. He would drive towards the rocks and then swerve away at the last moment and did a load of jet spins in the water too that soaked everyone. It was really good fun, kind of like being on a roller coaster. The driver was hilariousely funny and told us some stuff about the river and how much it had flooded and stuff which was cool.

We were taken back to their base to dry off and then into town and to our hostel. It was really strange, all old inside, kind of like a haunted mansion or something. I shared a room with 2 girls and a guy from Ireland. They were going into town for a pizza for tea and asked me if I wanted to join. We've kind of stuck together since then which has been nicem, some new friends! The pizza i had was so so so good aswell, best I've had in a long time.

The hostel had an amazing living room type thing with comfy armchairs, a log fire and a tv so for the rest of the night we sat in there watching a bit teli. NZ TV is so cheesy, their adverts are terrible. The F Word was on though so I was happy.

Coasting Around Abel Tasman

obonini — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:17:00 GMT

I havn't had the chance to make an entry recently, hence the shortage, but I've been a busy boy. Last time I posted one I was staying in a hostel called The Bug, which was awesome and I would have been happy to spend the rest of my time in Nelson staying there. Unfortunatley when I went to ask for an extra night in the morning they had no room left. However, the owner, being the kind kind guy that he is, found me another hostel to stay in AND gave me a lift over. It's another nice quiet one too, he must have been paying attention when I told him I prefered them. I'm now staying at Honeysuckle House. Basically it's a big house, it has a 6 bed dorm, a twin room and a double room. The house is run by an old couple, Robin and I forget his wives name, and they are so so so bloody nice. It's just like staying over with some friends, I was told to make myself at home. The kitchen is just like being in someones house, free tea and coffee and biscuits, and free herbs from the garden and stuff. The garden outside is really nice, although I havn't had the chance to sit in it yet. The couples house is attached to the lower part where the guests stay and guests are invited to come up into the owners house and use their internet for free, and have free icecream. It's such a cool place, really strange though since like I say, its like staying over with people I don't know. There are only a couple of other guests here, a Swedish girl, a Dutch guy and a Swiss, all who are very nice and I've been chatting to.

After I had set my stuff in to the hostel I decided I should actually do something since I had just been relaxing the few days before. I took a a nearby walk up a load of hills, conveniently close to my hostel, that lead to the center of New Zealand. Up there there was good views over Nelson and Richmond and other surrounding areas, mountains in the distance and stuff which was cool. I can also now say that I've stood right in the middle of NZ. I had a sit took some photos and then headed down to the supermarket to get myself some supplies for the kayak and hike I had booked for the next day. At night my new buddies from the hostel and I went out for a drink. Nelson nightlife on a Saturday night is so so terrible, I have better nights out in Hawick. Although we were quite early in homing home.

But early home for a good reason, the next morning I was picked up by a bus which was taking me over to Abel Tasman National Park. The first day we were to do kayaking. The small group of us headed down to their base and got our gear on, I got to wear a nice "skirt" again, and then I learned how to kayak, again. I didn't know anyone else on the trip before hand but I was partnered up with a Dutch girl called Caroline, who turned out to be pretty cool. Our guide was awesome too, he was called Alfie and he was loving the fact that I was Scottish. A tractor took us down to the beach and we moved our kayaks into the water. Unlike last time where we just sat in the kayak and our guide puished us in, this time we had to do it ourselves. I was sitting in the back again so I got pretty soaked. Being in the back, I also had to steer again, but I was expert at it by now, plus these kayaks had way better foot pedals.

We set off around the coastline that is part of Abel Tasman. The area we were kayaking was much more open than the water I had kayaked before, Islands were much further apart so there was alot of long distance paddling over open water, was pretty scary stuff. It was also quite a bit more windy this time so their were some pretty big waves, nothing I couldn't handle though. We made our way up the coast which was pretty stuning, high cliffsides covered with forest. Every so often we made off for a smaller island. We checked out an island known as Bird Song Island because of all the birds living on there. We sat for a while and just listned to them all singing which was cool.

A couple of islands had fur seals on, probably one of the highlights of the kayaking trip. We saw two pups and then a huge one later on, lazing about on some rocks. The area is supposed to be famous for having seals but a few people who had already done the kayaking before me told me that they hadn't seen any. I was well chuffed when I got to see some. We had a quick stop for lunch and coffee which was a relief, my arms were killing as we'd been kayaking for about 4 hours. Unfortunatley we didn't hang around for long though and made our way back up the coast for another hour, passing by more cliffsides, islands, and some pretty cool rock formations.

We arrived at Bark Bay, the part of the park where I would be staying for the night. I grabbed my stuff out of the kayak, including the sleeping bag and cooking set I had rented, and headed up the beach, over the estuary and toward the hut I was staying in. Originaly I was told there was no room in the hut and that I would have to take a tent but they found room. The hut was very basic but enough to keep me going for the night. There was running water, bunks with matresses, somewhere to sit, toilets, a freezing cold shower in some bushes, and that was pretty much it. At night a couple of us sat round a campfire by the tent sites. We were joined by an American couple, a Canadian couple and two Swedesh guys. Quite a mix but everyone had done a lot of traveling so there were quiet a lot of storys to be told. We sat chatting until it got dark. I seen a possum too. When the fire went out we all headed off to bed, at half 8, I felt about ten years old, but I had been up very early the morning before.

This morning I was woken by some idiot falling out of his bed as his alarm went off. I decided to make an early start to the days hike as I had to be within a certain time of low tide to do part of the walk. I chucked on the previous days clothes, the shorts I had planned to walk in I wore while I was kayaking silly silly silly me, so they were soaking. I packed my bag and I set off. The track took me up a twisty mountain path that follwed the coastline for most of the way along. I was surrounded most of the time by forest, with spaces in the trees every so often where I could look out and for some amazing amazing views of the islands off the coast, the sea with the mountains in the background and of the many many beaches that there are throught the park. The walk was very different from the Tongariro Crossing that I did when I was in Taupo. This track was much much flatter, which made for a more pleasant walk. The scenery wasn't quite as impressive as Tongariro if I'm being honest but it was still amazing.

About half way along my track I came to the estuary that I could only cross 2 hours either side of low tide. I figured that since it was about an hour before low tide the area would be mainly clear and dry. I could see a few patches of water dotted about but I didn't think it would be too much of an issue. I was wrong. Half way across I came to a river more or less. Instead of maybe putting on my shorts, taking off my shoes and walking through it, where I could have dryed off at the otherside, I took a different approach. I rolled up my jeans, took a runner and tried to jump. I almost reached the otherside but not quite, and so my shoes and socks got pretty soaked and so did the bottom of my jeans. I came to another river further up and didn't even bother jumping, my feet were drenched. The area did have some awesome rocks at the side though so I had plenty of oppertunity to take pictures of them.

I was going to continue the walk with wet feet but thankfully I changed my mind, i walked for a while barefoot to dry off and then put on my trainers. The rest of the path was pretty easy so it wasn;t too much problem. I was also really warm so I whipped out my Scottish flag shorts, waaaaaaaahheeey, tied my shoes, hoody and wet socks to my bag since I had no room inside, attempted to make my grasy tuggy hair look half decent, and plodded onward.

I only made one stop after that, at a resting place on the way, appart from that I made relativly good time, only pausing to take photos of every beach and every water feature that I passed. Almost all of the way I was completley by myself, I only saw people when I overtook them or they were coming the other way, it was so peacful and made for a really nice walk. 19km later, and after about 6 and a half hours I arrived at the cafe at the base. I still had loads of time to kill before my bus so I treated myself to a chocolate brownie and a cornetto, way to put back on all those pounds I had just burned from the past days activities. I was joined an hour later by the Dutch girl who had lost her camera on the walk, I let her know I felt her pain after my memory card. I had loads of awesome pictures this time though so I didnt really care.

The bus took me back to my hostel tonight and I had the best shower I had had in ages, it was so good to be clean again. I look forward to sleeping in a comfy bed tonight, my back kills after today. Tonight I'm going to the hostel across the road since people that came over on my flight are staying there so it'll be cool to catch up with them.

I have no idea what I'm going to do over the next few days, relax tomorrow for sure. The past couple have days have been tiring but really awesome.

I have to book myself onto a Kiwi Experience bus to take my south soon, hopefully they wont be too busy, I don't want to be stuck in Nelson forever.