Ok so we arrive safely amid the sniffer dogs and body search process exiting Oz to arrive at a haunted hostel called Cokers in Christchurch. At this point we didn't know it was haunted I might add. The weather is cold and it's raining. Oh goody always a winner. On this dark and dingy night we walk around the town to investigate the nightlife and talent. Hmmm to our dismay we were at a bit of a loss with both and within an hour of arriving in a bar (are you surprised) we get approached by some pissed old boy that is celebrating his birthday - alone I might add - go figure. After tolerating him for sometime I verbally abused him (he did deserve it with his rudeness) and he leaves. I do hope things improve ha. Later that night after walking around town, we met some lovely Scotty guys from Inverness. They reminded us so much of our girls from Inverness they said the same ole crap they did too ha. But seriously, there was laughter all the way with Terry, James and Scott. A real crazy bunch who lick toads and wear kilts to a footy match - you know like you do. Oh and did I mention that when they first came over they were so drunk (James and Scott anyway) that they made up all these stories and poor Terry had to sit and listen to them and cringe. We obviously were none the wiser so believed what they said you know like you do ha. We then headed back to our hostel bar to check out the situ to find that there was some local singing group there having some rendition of "He's got the whole world in his hands." We obviously then had to drown this out with alcohol and in the process got to meet some of the bar staff and colleagues. Dave the Rave, James, Steve, Adrian and Cullum, who I might add, also confirmed, as did James, Scott and Terry that the hostel was in fact haunted. Nice - ahhhhhhhhhh. Luckily for us it was not in our block - result. The next day we walked around town, went on the Tram tour (yawnnnnn) then looked into the possibility of the Magic Bus tour around the South and North Islands. We didn't really hit the town much here as it was cold and we were tired but it was still quite a nice place to be.
The next day we began our 12 day tour of the islands:
Greymouth - we took the Trans Scenic Train to Greymouth. The views were fantastic and we met two really lovely Ozzie women on the train which made the journey much nicer. They were visiting from Sydney so we had lots to talk about and share. In the town itself we stayed at Noahs Ark, would you believe in the "Pigs Room." This was a quite new hostel very clean and in a good location. Since only being there for one night we managed to walk around the town, which was very quiet and wet then had a really nice BBQ locally. All in all ok. The best thing about this hostel was that they forgot to ask us to pay for our room so we celebrated with a nice McDonalds for brekky instead ha.
Franz Josef - This was the first day on the Magic Bus tour. Our driver Mungi arrived with full dreads delicately tucked into a floral bandanna - a good start I thought. The journey was fine and luckily there were many stops on route although an ideal way to get indigestion I must say. By this time we had met a nice chap called Stewart from Cornwall who seemed to be our new recruit bless him. The hostel we stayed in here was really nice called Chateau Franz and the views were amazing. Us 3 Musketeers then set off to do the Glacier walks and as you will see from the pics it was quite spectacular. Although not braving the elements of the Glacier climb, we felt happy that we had made an effort to at least reach the bottom. Since we both were still recovering from foot injuries we didn't feel the urge to spike up readily with pick axe and climb to the top - boring I know but I can definately live with the decision. We then updated the blog in the Internet Bus and had cocktails till the wee hours. Not a bad night at all and plus we were all tired bears after our little Glacier expedition.
Queenstown - The next day Mungi was back to collect us all. By this time my new case was weighing over 25kg so he knew who I was for sure. We set off with Stewpot in tow for our 10 hour trip. It was cold here but very beautiful with scenic views of the town and mountains. It reminded me of a postcard. The next day we took a day trip to Milford Sound which was out of this world. It was a very long day but we made some lovely stops and got wonderful scenic views from the boat trip we did. Pinewood Lodge was a bit out of the way but once we found the shotcut was happy to go into the town to explore. With our new mate in the lead we went for a nice steak meal and a few beverages to follow. So visited the Casino for a few cheeky games on the Pokies, checked out all the local bars and then on our final night went up in the cable car to the top of the mountain and had a lovely meal at the restaurant, whilst watching complete fools bungy off the side. Certainly not for the faint hearted. The views as you will see were amazing and it was definately one of my highlights. Unfortunately out stay was out of season so it was relatively quiet there although lots to do and see.
Dunedin - On Top Backpackers was very central. It was a very quiet town but another compulsory stop which we simply made the most of. So that afternoon (under protest on my behalf I might add) we visited the Cadburys Chocolate Factory to do the tour. To my absolute horror we had to remove jewellery and wear hair nets which is so not a good look, especially for me as I don't do hats ha. We then went for a nice meal and a few beers back in our hostel bar - all very tame really.
Lake Tekapo - what can I say. This was another highlight. The water on this Lake is pure aqua blue and stunning with the mountain backdrops. It was obviously such a lovely place that the Magic Bus decided to breakdown there. We then had to be rescued by shuttle and taken to our hostels which luckily were only 1/2 an hour away. That night Magic bought us all drinks in the pub to apologise for any inconvenience. However, we all managed to get totally off our heads and had a real laugh and that is when we really all bonded you might say. Cuddles (Dave) the bus driver, Irish girls, Aisling, Phillippa and Catrina, Manchester Laura, Somerset Lisa etc etc. What a lovely bunch. The next day and most feeling rather worst for wear, we again set off for Christchurch. We stayed at Base this time (not the haunted hostel). Karen was not well this night so was only out for a short while but I ended up out and about with the bus gang and got totally ruined. Luckily I just managed to make the bus the next morning ready for all the stories of my madness the night before. Apparently at one point I was trying to do the crab in the pub, but being under the influence, collapsed and landed on my head - still I think most of you will agree that happened at birth anyway ha. One lovely German girl we met had a piercing on her lip which I thought (for some weird reason) was a piece of plastic so I tried to flick it off. She flinched and told me that it was actually a lip piercing ha. Kellie strikes again. She also had several piercings around her neck which luckily Karen had warned me about before trying to remove those too. Ha I don't change.
Kakoura - This was a small town but our Dusky Lodge hostel was a nice location. That afternoon we went Whale Watching with Aisling and another guy Andrew. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite capture the essence on film as they move so quickly but you will see from the snaps that it was very real. That night we partied locally and would you believe, out of the blue James and Terry appeared in the bar (the Inverness chaps) they were there for the weekend doing quad biking (so nicknamed them George and Mildred as James the ginger one had to ride in the side car) ha nice look. So as usual ended up drinking with them till the wee hours - bless it was so nice to see them again the lying toads. During this rendezvous we discovered to our dismay that James had told us porkies on our first meeting. It was so funny we all roared with laughter as he couldn't even remember what he had said, so when we reminded him of his stories he was cringing with embarassment which was highly amusing for us.
Nelson - The Paradiso Backpackers had good elements but the room we had was minimal and a bit cramped, but we managed. We then went into town to buy Karen a new suitcase as her bag had split that morning. We then saw the final of American Pop Idol then collected Aisling one of the lovely Irish lasses we had met on the bus and took her to the pub. We then went on the party bus at the bottom of our hostel garden for a night cap where I played the guitar and they all covered their ears. By 2am we were tucked up in our uncomfortable beds again. The next day Aisling nearly missed her bus the dozy mare and we had to part company as we were heading to the North Islands. We got the bus to Picton then boarded the ferry for 3 hours but it was like a big cruiseliner so the bar was grand.
Wellington - We arrived at our hostel in the pooring rain. Lodge in the City wasn't the best but it was ideally located so we managed. Molly Malones was our new home for two days nearly, plus we did manage to have a great Indian meal at an award winning restaurant, which made a nice change. It was so strange as just up the road was a large bungy swing right in the middle of the main road - how odd. The next morning the lock on our door broke so we had to change rooms, but luckily only had to move a few doors away. We headed off to the local museum which was very strange but interesting. Then onto the cable car up the mountain, went to the Planetarium, walked around the Botanical Gardens, then back down the mountain to Queens Wharf for a few beers. It was a really nice day and this time the weather held out nicely. That night we had a big meal in Molly's and drank the night away.
Napier - Archies Backpackers was really nice and luckily we were on the ground floor- Our cases weighed a ton. We walked around the town then along the waterfront, had a nice meal then saw the The Poseidon - a really good action packed film with a real hunk in.
Rotorua - this was a really nice town with quite a few places of interest to visit. We stayed at a fairly new backpackers - luckily on the ground floor which was really central to the town. It was called Treks and for once the driver had recommended somewhere sensible. We wandered around to see Lake Rotorua then that evening went on the Maori Experience. Nuta (our mental bus driver) collected us and was amusing all the way. We then had a presentatation and a quick video of the owners who were both motorbike fanatics would you believe. We then reboarded the bus onto the Maori Village. On route Nuta had us learning the local greetings, telling us that our bus was a canoe and we were his warriors. We then had to appoint a chief who would receive a leaf from the Chief Warrior. At no time were we allowed to smile, poke our tongue our or laugh whilst the warrior ceremony was taking place as we would have been killed - nice evening out I thought. Once the war dance was over we were taken into the village to meet and greet the other Maori people. We were shown how to weave skirts and make spears (always handy) then we proceeded on to watch their show. They danced and sang songs (they had very good voices too) then more war dances followed. We then went inside for a lovely hungi meal (this is cooked for hours in the ground) which is very traditional. Following the meal, we were graced with the Huka dance (very well know at rugby matches). Both Chiefs of each bus had to join in and it was hilarious let me tell you. We then left on the bus where Nuta remembered everyone's name, sang songs from every country, told jokes about us all and said different sayings in every language. It was so funny. He then made us all sing "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes" and literally drove around the roundabout 5 times whilst we all sang it. Highly amusing and a really fun evening. The next day we went to the mud pools and Lady Constance Know Geyser. The Geyser was originally discovered by inmates (formally a prison ground). Whilst washing their clothes one morning the Geyser erupted so they built around it to make it a local landmark. After years of experimentation they discovered that by adding a small tablet of detergent, they could make the Geyser foam and then erupt. This is now a daily ritual that is performed at 10.15 each day for all to see. It was really quite strange as you will see from the photos. From here we then visited the Thermal Wonderland. This was a number of craters and thermal pools of all shapes, sizes and colours of which were all spectacular. Another exceptional trip well worth seeing.
Mount Monganui - By the time we arrived here there was not much time to do anything so once we checked into our hostel, Pacific Coast, we headed into town for some nice food. We had the best meal then popped into a few bars along route. The seafront was quite nice but again got there a bit later unfortunately. Apparently this is the most popular spot to buy or rent a place in New Zealand and at least 12 families are relocating or moving there each week. Some people are able to rent their place out for up to $1000 a day, quite impressive I think you will agree. You can climb Mount Monganui in about 45 minutes (should you feel the urge) but luckily it was dark and we didn't have time ha. Nice but not somewhere I thought was that impressive.
Auckland - Unfortunately on arrival in Auckland to our hostel the Fat Camel (don't stay there ever) we were still trying to secure our accomodation in Fiji so spent most of the day on the net trying to get organised. We then went for a nice meal, watched the All Blacks win the ruggers then met some mad people in the pub, Rennie (dreadlock man), Dean, Taffy and Becks. How crazy were they. We had a right laugh with them though and stayed with them to watch England beat Paraguay. Since our flight was at 7am we then went straigt to the airport. How tired were we. Fiji here we come.
