Hi everyone,
It feels like ages since I last wrote an update and in fact it has been over a week and a half. Anyway, once again so much has happened and this time I have even less credit on the internet so it’ll have to be brief (She says).
So I left you as I’d just gotten into Queenstown. I spent 5 nights there and I really do love that town. They were 5 quite relaxed days as it was the first time I’d stayed still that long in a very long time. While in Queenstown Jon did a further two bungy jumps, all part of the thrillogy made up of a 43m bridge, a 47m ledge and the absurdly high 134m Nevis. I still can’t watch the video for that one, it’s just insane. I also did the Luge which takes place at the top of the hill overlooking Queenstown and is a concrete track about 4m wide and you ride down it on a go-cart type thing which can reach ridiculous speeds. I went with the curlies (two girls from the bus) and George. And it was so much fun, even with the really bad hangovers we were nursing. Queenstown was the first stop in a while that had a nightlife and we took advantage of that. Buffalo bar did double shots and a mixer for $3.50 about 1 pound 40 from 10 til 12, so that was dangerous. There was also a very cute bar – the world bar which served its cocktails in teapots. Another highlight of being in Queenstown was being able to do some washing. It’s still hard to believe what a novelty that is. To actually have clean and non-creased clothes (at least for the first day) is a source of huge joy. While staying in Queenstown we took a day trip down to Milford sound (which as they kept telling us, isn’t actually a sound it a fjord).
The Mirror Lakes on the way to Milford Sound
The Milford Sound national park is absolutely astounding and most people have probably seen it on an advert or postcard. We took a 2 hour cruise on the sound which included the boat being driven right up and under the waterfalls so that all the little kids at the front would scream as they got wet. A really good day but having gotten up at 6am we were very tired by the time we got back at gone 8. So of course we went out. It was Amy (one of the curlies) birthdays and we had a really fun night which included being taught French by our new French roommates.
One last thing I did in Queenstown was to visit the British Lolly Shop to see all the sweets and chocolates I couldn’t afford to buy. I did however find some money for a packet of Monster Munch and a Yorkie which I ate on the bus the next day along with a cheese and pickle sandwich. It felt like home.
After we left Queenstown it was a long drive to Christchurch (yes, I was in Christchurch again) and we stopped on the way to see the beautifully clear view of Mount Cook (The highest peak in Australasia). This really annoyed my mum when I told her as when we’d been down this way last time the weather had been awful and cloud completely covered all the mountains. I decided to stay just the one night in Christchurch since I’ve seen a lot of it and had no real desire to stay any longer.
Mount Cook
Also Jon and I had decided to travel up to Auckland together, so now I have a travel buddy. He flies out of Auckland to Fiji on the 15th May so is moving up that bit faster, but now that I’ve changed my flights to Hawaii to be a week earlier I need to be up north around the same time. All we did in CHCH was to enjoy Base’s really good movie room with loads of bean bags and a wide screen. We got to see Notting Hill and Pleasantville.
Another early morning saw us heading up to Kaikoura. I can’t get over how beautiful this place is. Since I’d already done the whale watching we just went for a walk along the shore marvelling at the scenery. Again only one night in Kaikoura as we were getting on up to the North Island. The Hostel we stayed at was really nice and run by a couple who had a house on the same land. They even had a record player in the living room with a box full of records that we amused ourselves to play.
After Kaikoura it was up to Picton to get back on the Ferry across to the North Island. On the way we stopped and saw a seal colony which was actually quite impressive. On the boat we watched the movie, Hitch with Will Smith which I really liked.
We’ve been in Wellington four days now and although the first few bought vile, English-like weather today has been really nice. The money situation is preventing us doing too much but we made a trip to the free museum and went for the cheap session at the Embassy cinema (where Lord of the Rings was premiered) to see Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Our hostel here is ridiculously nice though as it’s also a hotel. The bathrooms are all marble and we got a cooked breakfast for $3 this morning. Tomorrow it’s once again on the bus, this time up to Lake Taupo. I am not looking forward to the 7:30 start but I am looking forward to getting to see some more of the north island.
I hope everyone’s well,
Love Sarah xxx
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