Current Mood: Tired

I’m not overly looking forward to Fiji, I don’t really know why, maybe because we have been living in a lap of luxury in the camper this past month, eating whenever we wanted, going wherever we pleased knowing that we have a place to eat, sleep and be merry even in the worst of conditions.

But we crunched, grinded and creaked the beloved campervan back (via a charity shop to dump the clothes that we would no longer need) to www.wildernessmotorhomes.co.nz and made our way to check in.  The flight was easy enough, we were all sitting together and no one was pushing us in the back which was an altogether more pleasant experience than previous attempts.

After landing in Nadi we were met by a Fijian rep who greeted us with a garland and a huge smile, the hostel was a 10 minute drive away, I wasn’t looking forward to this night as we were in an 8 bed dorm…  Luckily we were the only ones there – result!  I caught 40 winks while the girls read, then went downstairs for a meal which was lovely (and cheap, hurrah!).

We asked the crazy waiter to book us a taxi and we head off into town, unbeknownst to us there was a fiesta on and we couldn’t get anywhere near anything of value, be it a pub, bar, shop, restaurant, so we caught another taxi straight back to the hostel…  The room is stifling hot so sleeping was a nightmare, but I managed to get a little bit of sleep – next stop Robinson Crusoe Island!

Current Mood: Mischievous & Surprised

Next stop Rotorua, home of the stinky egg like thermal pools and pits of boiling mud.  We could tell we were approaching it as it smelt like Sarah hadn’t stopped farting for about 2 miles, the smell was over whelming and we didn’t know whether we were going to be able to hold out.  We’d had a lot of practice at smells, but nothing was as bad as this – not even Lucys pink sandals which was saying something .

We checked into our Top 10 Caravan park and set ourselves up for a few days, then it was time to check out what Rotorua had to offer.  Firstly Maui night, then some Thermal Spa and finally a bit of adrenaline – yep that was about right for us. The girl at reception was really helpful and give us some idea on which Maui night we wanted to go and see, so with that all booked and paid for we went and had a look around Rotorua, the first night was all ours to chill out and relax on so we setup camp and went for a wander into town.  Bit deserted that time of night – 8pm – se we head over to one of the pubs – now this was a cracking find.  We went in and ordered ourselves some food, I had Ribs, Lucy had steak, Em had ploughmans and Sarah had a salad.  It was all incredible and I could not get through all the ribs which tells you how many there were.  It was such a cool, chilled out evening where we all kept laughing and talking about what we had done so far.  Didn’t want it to end.

The next morning we all woke refreshed, but thought it needed taking to the next level so after brekkie we head to the Polynesian Spa which is a main attraction of Rotorua, pools heated to a certain temperature via the thermal heat of the earth.  Ranging in heat from 37 to 41 degrees – we made the choice to go straight in the hottest and like when you walk into the sea, the boys had to take care when lowering a part of their anatomy into the water.  Phew…  With them in the water I relaxed, laid back against the side of the pool and just chilled, everything we have been upto was rushing around my head and even though Oz wasn’t my fave place in the world, I did actually miss it – I actually felt quite sad…  So I told Sarah that the pool had healing properties, what does she do – dunk her face in the water – I was happy again.  Bless her heart!  We stayed in this pool for about 10 mins and thought we should get out of this one soon else we’ll look too fresh and people will ask us for id everywhere!

The other pools were just the same, but cooler.  We sat in these and watched a couple of Chinese ladies on their photoshoot, not an official one of course, they just had a compact but they wanted pictures taken of themselves everywhere in pretty much every pose going!  I struggled not to laugh at them – they looked bloody ridiculous!

That night was Maui night and we got changed and ready for the bus to come and pick us up.  It was slightly late but we got there before a lot of people and were sat on a table with a couple old people from Cali, a couple from Oz and 2 German kiddies.  We got ourselves some wine and awaitied the beginning of the show.

Emma and I went to see ‘28 Weeks Later’ and the girls went to watch another flick (the name escapes me at the minute).  The movie was great (for me anyway) and we walked back to the Camper to chill for the evening and await our brush with the Maoris…

(to be continued.)

Current Mood: Esctatic

Jumping straight to Taupo, it was time for me to once again face my fear and hurl myself from a ‘really’ high ledge, but this time, with no safety ropes to stop me making a huge mess on the floor, just a piece of rather large cloth and a guy who knows what he is doing (hopefully!).

We were going to book the skydive for another day, but once we heard the weather was coming in the following day and it was going to be cloudy (and Cold) we jumped into the Motorhome and hot foot it to the aircraft hanger at Taupo Tandem Skydiving to get a jump in while the weather was good.  We signed in with a lady who weighed us and wrote our weight on our hands – you’re not allowed to be 100kg’s or over with all your clothes etc on!  Lucky I didn’t do it at the start of the trip. 

Lucy was going to do some horse riding while we were throwing ourselves out of a plane, so jumped in the Motorhome and sped off towards Taupo town centre.  We meanwhile had to sit and endure wave after wave of people going up in the plane.  Some came down elated, while others looked scared to death, I pictured myself as a scared to death… 

2 and a half hours we had to wait, our bellys rumbling and our heads telling us we’re bonkers.  Then we were called and it was time for suiting up, now I was fine until I read the warning on the back of the harness we have to put on, telling me that – this harness is not to be assumed to be safe, in fact think of it the exact opposite and then if you do die your family won’t have a leg to stand on should the worst happen – lovely!

We had to do a number of stupid things for the DVD that they take of you, mainly waving like a mad man, pulling a stupid face and then smiling from ear to ear like you’re not frightened at all!  Then with a quick helo, you meet your tandem master and its into the plane.  Lucy had just missed her horse riding, so had come back to join us at the skydive centre – so she took charge of the photos. 

The plane was absoloutely tiny inside and you could feel every single bump down the runway.  You’re that close to your instructors that you can feel them breathing down your neck (in a non perverse way!).  They were winding us up a treat – similar to the canyon swing, telling us our harnesses weren’t on correctly, that we were too heavy to jump with, that they hadn’t done this many jumps in a day – ever, that some of the holding clasps had broken.  I had heard it at the canyon swing, so although petrified, it wasn’t because of that.  Em was as cool as a cucumber and didn’t look fazed at all, in fact she answered back with a few quips of her own.  Scatt on the otherhand, I could see they were really getting to her, she was silent and looked so scared – I felt sorry for her. 

12,000 feet and we lose two of our passengers – door opens, a bit of go go go and they’re gone.  Once they leave the ledge of the plane you lose sight of them almost instantly, you drop like a stone!  F*CK!

3,000 feet later and we are at our target height – 15,000 feet!  First to the exit was Emma, she gave a quick smile at the camera and she was gone.  Holding her breathe for a good 10 seconds of the freefall.  She loved it though, her instructor was the joker of the bunch so really played it up.  Then it was Scatt’s time to go, they inched to the edge, he pushed her head round for the camera and then they were gone.  At the end of their jump, he said that noone had ever managed to scream from the exit of the plane, to the point they were on the ground before – Scatt was a first!  Made me laugh…  Then it was my turn, up until the point I was sitting on the ledge I was really quite scared, then it all just became good.  We said our goodbyes to the camera and then jumped.  The first couple of seconds I had no idea of my ups from my downs, it was just a big blur, then we levelled out and I had the biggest adrenaline rush of my life.  From that height you can see the East AND the West coast of New Zealand, plus my guy pointed out a load of other cool places – mount doom, Tongariro, Rotorua, loads to see! 

When we landed I wished I could do it again, I said thanks to my instructor and went into watch the DVD of us all.  It was brilliant fun and I hope to get the video on here soon to share it with everyone…  Anyone going travelling, I recommend this place for your skydive fun – amazing location, professional team and a brilliant experience.

Current Mood: Playful

So we leave Christchurch and begin our journey upto the north island.  We skip Hanmer Springs and head straight to Kaikoura where we have an appointment with the Whale Watch boat, the journey there was short but as we were on limited time we nailed it…  The Whale Watch headquarters was really nice and had plasma screens everywhere showing you short clips of the whales you expected to see.  First thing to do was brunch and we tucked into a Panini and a drink, thought about it sensibly when it was locked into our stomachs that it probably wasn’t a good idea, the weather plasma screen showed large sea swells!

The party bus pulled up outside the building and we all jumped aboard, we were being taken to the marina where we would board the boat but first had to sit through some more of the videos etc that had been produced for the whale watch company.  My suspicions of the company being extremely well off was further upped by the fact they had paid National Geographic to come and make a documentary on the canyon, showing what would happen if you took all the water out and what fish live down there.

 The boat was really well equipped and had plasma screens and computers aboard ready for them to show you the names of the whales we saw.  We were straight out to a reported sighting though, engines working overtime to get us there before she dove.  I don’t think I was really ready for how big they actually are, we pulled up alongside her in the boat and she was easily the length of it – around 16 – 18 metres in length and one of the biggest they see around.  My camera clicked like crazy when the tail came up out the water and with one sweep, she was gone – going down to the 1500metre depth that they often feed at!  Scary thought really when you are sitting in a large swell above this abyss…

Lucy and Sarah felt a little sea sick, but managed to stay just above the hurl threshold, someone on the boat didn’t though as the inside stunk all of a sudden and I was quite happy to take my chances standing on the outside of the boat as we flew towards the next sighting (not allowed to get up while the boat is in motion though – how sucky is that).  Everytime I saw these whales though, I was amazed, really gob smacked, thinking that the giant head you can see in the water in front of you is going to dive down under millions of tons of water just to catch a few fish – taking around 45 mins to get down there, have a swim around and get back, they can’t even see down there!  Crazy…

All in all though, I loved it, such an amazing experience and one I would definately suggest to people visiting the South island.  Next stop Picton and the crossing to the North Island.

Current Mood: Esctatic & Tired

We drove all the way to Christchurch and checked into the Top 10 Camp site to top up our electricity, batteries and just to get a decent shower.  Then the following day it was time to go to see some of Emmas relatives – Tony, Annette and Eloise.  Thier house is lovely, a single storey with large spacious rooms and really close to the beach.  After only being there for 6 months it’s quite incredible that they let us in, let alone stay with them!

It was a lovely treat though, sleeping in a real bed in a real home for the first time since the beginning of the trip.  We had lovely showers and really pampered ourselves.  That evening Annette cooked us a slap up meal with steak, potatos and veg – yum yum.  Then it was on with the garms and Tony took us to meet Eloise at the Belgium Bar she works in.  The bar was really nice and the beer was bloody lovely (although quite expensive!), had a few pints of Leffe, Hoegarden and a load of other Belgium Beer (apart from Stella).  Lucy got us drinking shots of Schnapps and Baileys which tastes better than it actually sounds.  Then it was onto a few bars (free to get into here!) some of which was Drum’n'Bass, not my fave type of music I must admit, but hey ho, it was a fun evening.

The next day I woke up tired but without a hangover.  We spent most of the day with Tony – he was showing us around Christchurch and the various sites it has to offer.  For a city it is actually really nice and with a 15 minute drive you can get to some really quiet and picturesque areas.  We went to the summit of the volcano and looked down at the city!

The highlight here for me was the Rugby, Emma and I went to watch the Crusaders take on the Chiefs.  Both teams needed a win, but the Chiefs moreso.  With Dan Carters being rested for the All Blacks we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see him play, but with the upcoming Brett Stephens on the pitch, there was still a lot of All Black and upcoming talent to watch.  The match was hard fought, but the Chiefs seem to want it more.  Plenty of hard tackles and hits later the cheifs win the game 30/24…  Brilliant…

Album: rugby

Current Mood: Bored & Tired

We decided that we would drive up the west coast of the South Island to take in it’s ‘beauty’.  So we left the glaciers and headed up towards Hokitiki, where there is apparently some really nice sights – it’s know for its supply of Jade which is one of New Zealands exclusive stones (apparently).  Trouble is that the weather was terrible, peeing down with rain and making everything seem really dull and drab.  In fact, the only reason we stopped here was to grab some supplies from the ‘New World’ Supermarket.

We decided to move on and see what else the west coast has to offer, this turned out to be not alot in the weather we had been granted.  We had low cloud meaning that any drive up into the mountains was slow and cumbersome, navigating some of the bendy roads was hard work and the views were non-existent.  So we just cracked on…  The Gates of Haast was pretty impressive, with a huge waterfall pushing water over giant boulders.  But that was truly about it.

We were looking forward to Arthurs Pass National Park, for some incredible walks…  Again waking up we were greeted with some terrible weather - walks were off the menu for the time being.  So again, we just cracked on, Em in the Cab the whole time keeping me company.  We stopped briefly at the ‘Chalet’ where we grabbed a lovely hot chocolate before jumping back into the van and moving on.  Eventually, we got to Christchurch, a bit of a dissapointment after not seeing anything of the West Coast, nor the Arthurs Pass Track.

Current Mood: Tired & Cool

So after leaving Wanaka we start the long journey to the glaciers, arriving in the evening and finding a parking spot high up the Fox Glacier road.  Apparently had we parked here in 1780 we would of been inside the glacier, but luckily over the years its retreated. 

Sarah and Lucy were a little scared of the dark, so I had to follow them down to the outside loos about 15 feet into the forest to make sure they were okay, wasn’t expecting them to have a number two with the doors open though – what a lovely treat. 

We woke up in the morning to clear skies and made our way to the information centre.  We decided that we wanted to walk on the Franz Josef and not the Fox Glacier so made our stay at the Fox glacier all about the walking.  We parked up and trekked over the hills to the Terminal face of the ice.  It really is massive and the creaking that you can hear coming from the ice is spooky.  Taking pictures of it doesn’t show you how humungous it actually is, apparently a 1metre x 1metre block weighs approximately 1 tonne and here in front of us we have a mountains worth.

Album: fox-glacier

After a brisk hour and a half walk we still had the afternoon to burn to head off to a place called Lake Matheson, also known as Reflection Lake.  The walk was about 2hours in length and to begin with I didn’t think much of it, walking through forest for about 30-45 mins which really wasn’t all that interesting – then you get to a lookout and wow!  It isn’t called Reflection Lake for nothing, you can literally turn your pictures upside down and you have an image that is perfectly mirrored!  Beautiful and well worth the walk…  We finished the day with a Hot Choc and Spicy Wedges at the Lake Matheson Cafe before heading over to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Early morning and we had already booked ourselves a half day hike on the glacier, the weather was blue and we had all eaten our porridge (I get force fed by the girls, they hold my nose and everything!).  We went and signed in, recieving our Cramp-Ons (Spiky Ice Things), Leather Boots and New Zealand Wool Socks, then it was into the mini-bus for our ride to the Glacier.  Didn’t realise, but we had to walk 45 mins just to get to the face but it was quite scenic walking through the undergrowth.  Then it was on with the spiky Cramp Ons, which had us in stitches as Sarah put them on the wrong feet, even though we had all been shown how to put them on (The one with the big ‘L’ goes on your left foot and the one with the big ‘R’ goes on the right!), trust Sarah to mix that up!

Album: franz-josef

The walk was done up carved steps in the ice, every guide that goes up has to maintain them bringing out thier pick axes and swinging away.  Even walking behind the guide you can see the steps slowly crumbling and melting away!  Scary really as it’s our only way back down.  The walk was surreal and it felt like we were on another planet.  The ice reaching high into the sky around us.  When we reached the highest point we could get to on the half day hike you look around and all around you are these random shapes, little ice windows and a stunning blue tone to bits of the ice caused by refraction.  Simply out of this world.  The walk back down was actually harder as the steps were virtually non existent, as we were walking away we heard a massive creak, then a crack and we saw a huge chunk of ice fall into an ice tunnel, no one is allowed near it so all of us were safe, but to see it fall and hear the bang was crazy, sounded like a helicopter had crashed!!!  Didn’t think I was going to enjoy the hike as much as I did, but even Lucy thought it was one of the best day excursions we have done!  Wahoooo….

Current Mood: Happy & Tired

Seems like we got to Wanaka at the right time as the Festival of Colour was going on.  The stilt walkers, street entertainers and the dreaded living statue were all around to greet us and give us a bit of a show.  The stilt walkers dealt with the little children (probably because they are too high off the ground for the kids to grab for them!) while the New Zealand Army marching band were around for the adults.

With the van all parked and locked up the first thing for us to do was seek out a hot chocolate, I had only been driving for a couple of hours but was already plumb tuckered and in need of refreshment.  We found a quaint cafe and sat down to warm the cockles, next moment we hear the beat of a drum and the New Zealand Army band is busy marching down the street, keeping traffic at a standstill with the parade of spectators eagerly following them down the road.  Not to be the one to miss out I ran over and started snapping away with the ol’ camera.  They were a really good band as well and played some quality tracks! 

Album: wanaka

After polishing off the hot choc and the girls some grub we wandered down the street, using a flash restaurants facilities so as to not fill up the van and then heading down the road to the dreaded ‘Living Statue’ (if you have seen Hot Fuzz, then you’ll know what I mean).  He just stood around looking still while the local kids had great fun prodding him with sticks and crawling inbetween his feet, not sure how he managed to stay calm, if I were him I’d of ended up twatting one of the little buggers round the head with the cane I was holding, but he held his composure well (suppose you would have to if your career was just standing still!). 

All filled up and ready to go we jumped back in the Motorhome and headed off (at first in completely the wrong direction) to our next destination, the Fox Glacier.