Hello Everybody!
Sorry I haven't updated this for absolutley ages! We've been pretty busy these past few months what with working in Dunedin and then touring around with Sarah, Katie and Steve these past few weeks (I know, it's a hard life!).
So, after working in Dunedin for 2 months and saving up all our money, we then went and blew it all on an amazing three weeks travelling with Sarah, Katie and Steve! After their arrival late on a Friday evening, there wasn't much time for jet-lag recovery as we were picking up our campervan (named 'Big Bertha') first thing Saturday morning and hitting the open road to the sound of some pretty rubbish CD's bought by Tom!
Our first stop off was Lake Tekapo - a small village on the edge of a lake and surrounded by the snowy mountains of the Southern Alps. During our stay here, we visited the 'Church of the Good Shepherd', a tiny little picturesque church on the lakeside that overlooks the surrounding mountains. Also, had lots of fun ice-skating (even Tom, who managed to find skates in his size!) then spent the evening soaking in the village's hot pools, which were extra impressive in the snow.
Next up, headed for the Wanaka/Queenstown region where we splashed out on a fantastic day's skiing. Tom, Katie and Steve hadn't been before, so they had a couple of lessons and picked it up pretty quickly. Meanwhile, me, Sarah and Anna decided to just brave the slopes alone! Stuck to the beginner runs and managed ok (just about!). The biggest difficulty I had was vacating the chairlift! Ended up falling over twice and had to have the operator come drag me out of the way, much to Sarah and Anna's ammusement of course!
From Queenstown, headed South West to one of New Zealand's most isolated regions - the Fiordlands. Here, we did a fantastic boat trip on the Milford Sound, which was absolutely stunning. It is miles away from any civilistaion, and can only be reached by travelling through the famous 'Homer Tunnel', which runs right underneath an otherwise impassable mountain. From the boat we saw dolphins, seals, penguins, keas (a New Zealand parrot) and also managed to get up close to some awesome waterfalls, one of which would have soaked us if it wasn't for the very flattering red waterproofs we'd decided to wear for a laugh!
From Milford, made our way back along the South Coast, through Dunedin (where we saw sea-lions and a very close-up view of some yellow-eyed penguins), then back up to Christchurch to complete our circular trip of the South Island. In Christchurch, celebrated my birthday and all went out for a lovely meal in a mexican resteraunt. Was a fantastic night and so nice to have everybody there to spend it with.
Next up, flew up to Auckland (although sadly without Anna as she has stayed in Christchurch to work) to begin our final week of travels on the Northland. Stopped in Rotorua where we visited more hot spas and had lots of fun riding the luge. The others all had a go at zorbing (basically being rolled down a hill in a big inflatable ball) which looked like lots of fun, if not a little scary! Next visited the bay of Islands for a few good nights out in 'The Salty' and a few not so good days feeling hungover! Tom and Steve were crowned Kareoke Kings whilst Sarah got to know some of the local fisherman!
Finished our trip in Auckland with a trip up the sky tower to mark our final evening together. Had dinner at the top in a revolving resteraunt that gives you 360 degree views of the city whilst you eat. On the following evening had to say our goodbyes which was very sad after having such a nice time together. There was a few tears shed by most!
Now, me and Tom have returned to the Bay of Islands where we have work in a hostel. We basically clean for a couple of hours every morning in exchange for free accommodation. It will be a good way of saving money until Doug and Sharon's arrival in September.
Hope all is good back home. Thankyou for all the birthday cards and messages you sent out...they were really nice to read :-). Miss you all, and only 12 weeks till I'll be seeing you all agin! Time is flying by!
Lots of love,
Clarexxxx
