Now with less than a month travelling left I feel I am on the final stretch but still have two more countries to see. I've now been in New Zealand for just over a week and been to quite a few places. On my second full day in Christchurch I went to a full day rafting trip 2 hours out of the city which was ace. The glacier filled river was quite literally freezing and the rainy grey weather was really not ideal to spend all day out on the water but I had a fantastic time and even the bad weather couldn't get me down. As it was my first time white water rafting I didn't quite know what to expect but loved being able to surf over grade 5 rapids with ease after careful instruction from our raft instructor. I am very keen to do it again for longer rapids and hopefully better weather. The next morning I started the kiwi expereince bus that I amt ravellign around the country with, I was the only one starting from Christchurch going straight to Westport on the other coast so had my own pruivate 3 hour mini van where my friendly driver explained all about the surroundings and company itself (which is totally different from Oz experience). This bus compared to Oz expereince seems much more tour like as we genereally follow the bus day to day and make many more stops for free activites such as walks various tourist sights. When I met the coach nearer to the evenings destination I totally coincidentally bumped into two of my frineds who I had beent ravelling with in Oz, although I knew they were also on the same our bus we never expected to be at the same place at the same time, so it was very nice to see friendly faces. My first stop for only a night was Westport a small mining town whose only pupose for us to stop was a break up between a long journey but nice anyway.
The following day we headed to the Poo Pub which is also in the middle of nowhere but serves the purpose of kiwi exerieince party pub. The 83 year excentric owner Les owns a pub with attached backpacker accomodation which only opens when the kiwi bus is in town to cook us a gorgeous steak and venison stew dinner and then give us free reign of his pub for a themed fancy dress party. Our theme chosen from a list the bus gave by our driver was blacka nd white so I decided to dress as Michael Jackson cause of the song in a trillby, aviators and a red neckerchief. The night was so much fun and totally unique to our tour bus, Les has been hosting these parties since 1999 and has a photo of every group that comes throgh around 5 a week and loves them all, great fun.
The next day with a slightly sore head we left for Franz Joseph a town on the edge of the Franz Joseph glacier where we, the following day, attempted a full 8 hour hike up to and into the glacier. I t was quite spectacular with blue ice crevices we had to squeeze through and ice cold waterfalls we had to dunk under, it was also glorious weather so we had a fantastic day. After the hike a few us went to the hot pools near the hostel, where there were 3 pools outdoors of different temperatures, 36, 38 and 40 degrees celcius to relax in and loosen sore muscles, this then led onto the hostel bar where I had another great night with my fellow bus people and all over one of the best days of my travels.
The next morning, again with sore heads we were on our way to Wanaka taking in a few casual walks and photo taking along the way, I particularly enjoyed a very tasty breakfast in glorious sunshine looking out to snow capped mount cook (NZ's highest peak) and a mirror lake filled with blue glacier water. Wanaka is a ski town which during winter I can imagine to be alot of fun but even is summer I really like it. Especially as this is where I did my 15,000 foot skydive. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! I had booked a time and date for my dive back in CHristchurch but it wasn't until that day that I strated to get nervous. Myself and 6 others from my bus did the jump at the same time and every one of us loved it. When you get to the take-off and landing site there is no time to get scared, I was suited booted and shoved on a plane where I sat in the crotch of my tandem dive instructor, it took 20 minutes to reach 15,000 in the small plane and then one by one people started to fall out of the side door. I was second to last and by the time you have quickly slid to the edge and had you head pulled back on to your instructors should, told to hold my straps I was off falling very quickly to the ground t around 200km per hour. It was an amzing experience very surreal and totally anew feeling not a falling feeling at all then when the parachute is puleed at 5000 feet you float slowly being told what you cans ee around you and smilling for the camera.
AMAZING!!! I would have done another there and then.
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