Day 29-December 1st

Our final day in New Zealand! Our shuttle for the airport wasn't leaving until just after 12 so we had the morning to just wonder around, window shopping. Emma and I also went to a spin class at 6.15 which was a bit early, but the instructor actually turned off the lights and just had two torches to light up the room, which was much nicer than glaring strip lighting at that time in the morning. The instructor was such a sweet old guy who helped us set up our bikes, but as soon as his eclectic mix of rock and clubbing tunes started blasting out the speakers, he switched into military bootcamp mode, which was quite amusing. The nice thing about spin classes is that you can adjust the tension dial to make the class as intense as you like, and judging from the amount we were sweating by the end, I'd say Em and I made it fairly intense!
We had two flights to catch that day- Christchurch to Auckland and then Auckland to Cairns, arriving at 10pm.
                     
Cairns is two hours behind New Zealand, so we arrived at our spacious, 3-bed hostel room around midnight, feeling like 2am, and pretty much went straight to bed (not forgetting to spray with 50% Deet!)

Day 28- November 30th

The most interesting thing I learned about today was the Wizard of New Zealand. Apparently, there is a guy who gets paid by the New Zealand government to be a wizard. The Wizard is a man who gets up on a ladder and speaks for an hour a day on week days, usually in Cathedral square in Christchurch, dressed up in his costume with his pointy wizard hat.

He does not have a house. He does not have insurance or a job. He avoids participating in the compulsory New Zealand census by getting in a boat every year on census day, and sailing out into the sea, out of New Zealand waters. He has two apprentices who just turned up one day, dressed as wizards, and started following him around. Apparently, there is a film called The Wizard of New Zealand QSM, which is an award-winning documentary that follows his life as the first man in the modern world to be appointed by a government as an Official Wizard, if you are interested in finding out more!

Click here to find out more!
We learnt all this from our knowledgable and interesting guide on our free walking tour that morning, which turned out to be not so free, as 'donations' were expected.

Day 27- November 29

Travel day, yay yay. There was a duck outside our door this morning. It was a glass door and it kept tapping its beak on the glass as if it was trying to come in. I opened the door but it just stuck it's head in and kept quacking. I tried to take a photo off it, but it just ran off. Must have been a bit camera shy.

Couldn't photograph the duck so here's a nice photo of the surroundings

It was a fairly brief bus journey (thank god), and our last one with kiwi experience too! I have mixed feeling about the kiwi experience bus. I think it's a good option if you want a very low fuss trip with everything sorted out for you, but if you want a little bit more flexibility, independence and less of a 'school-trip' feeling, I think buying a car would be the best option from what I've gathered. We've spoken to a few people who have done this, selling the car on at the end of the trip, and they all say they wouldn't do it any other way.

Blue skies all round- the bus was so hot it felt like a sauna!

We arrived in Christchurch around lunch time and it was boiling! The kiwi bus we were on had no air conditioning, which was typical, since every other kiwi bus cranked the air conditioning up so high your fingers went numb! It was like a nasty, sweaty sauna on there. Very unpleasant. We were glad to change into shorts and flip-flops on arrival at our hostel- YHA Christchurch.
I have found the YHA chain to be very reliable, clean and comfy hostels and this one was no exception. Built in what looked to be an old home before hand, it's twisted corridors and scattered staircases gave it a very homely feel.
We headed out to explore the area. Christchurch is a very interesting city. The first thing you notice is that it's very quiet. Everything is very spread out, and there didn't seem to be a city centre, or not one that we could find. We were walking for a while when we came across some brightly coloured boarding. Intrigued, we headed over to look inside, and stumbled upon Re:Start, Christchurch's shipping container mall.

After the devastating earthquake of February 22 2011, Christchurch was on its knees and many businesses had lost their shop buildings with no money to rebuild or repair them. Re:Start was the brainchild of the city’s Property and Building Owners group, who knew that the wait for new buildings would be too long and that people needed to be encouraged back into the CBD as soon as possible.

Buildings made out of shipping containers- extra earthquake resilient!

It was a very fun and lively area, with interesting, quirky artwork and entertaining signs. We browsed some independent shops and stumbled across an awesome smoothie stand, which was just what we needed on a hot day! They had a menu, but were really friendly and allowed us to swap in and out ingredients to our hearts' content.

'No flexing of egos'

With smoothies in our hands (and Lily got an iced coffee) we headed over to the botanical gardens. They were extensive and seriously impressive- there was a whole 400m3 or so dedicated to a rose
garden, displaying over 100 different kinds of rose which, as you can imagine, smelled delicious. It was nice just ambling through the gardens. We even got lost, they were so vast! There was even a river with punts floating down, which gave it a distinctly Cambridge-feel.

 

That evening, I took advantage of the YMCA building next door to the hostel, which had a cheap gym. I did some interval sprints on the treadmill, a push session on the weights (chest, shoulders, triceps), and finished with some ab work.It felt good to do some exercise and work hard again!
Dinner tonight was veggie bolonaise with rice as we had no spaghetti.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 can brown lentils
6 tomatoes
1 courgette
1 red bell pepper
1 large carrot
1 large sweet potato (peel if you want- hostel potato peeler was blunt!)
Around 8 button mushrooms
Spinach (maybe 100-200g)
Curry powder
Cinnamon

Method
- Dice tomatoes and finely chop courgette, carrot, bell pepper and sweet potato.
- Add all to a large saucepan with a splash of water, a heaped teaspoon of curry powder and teaspoon of cinnamon, then cover with a lid to cook. (You can add onion and garlic as aromatics beforehand, but the girls don't like these!)
- Cook for around 15-20 mins, or until veg is soft and has started to release water. Stir often to avoid sticking to pan.
- When soft, add drained can of brown lentils and continue simmering until liquid has reduced and sweet potato has broken down (you may need to mash it with wooden spoon).
- When the sauce is beginning to thicken up, add chopped spinach and stir in (I used pak choi as I still had half a bag left but spinach would have been nicer).
- When spinach is wilted, and sauce has thickened up and reduce, it's ready to serve! Add more curry powder, chilli flakes and black pepper to taste.

Day 26-November 28th

Primarily another travel day. I definitely won't be sad to be saying goodbye to all these long bus journeys when we leave New Zealand. In Australia, the plan is to see fewer places but stay longer in each once, hence less travel days.

On the road again

We left Queenstown at 9 and arrived at lake Tekapo at like 3 ish. The original plan was to stay there for 2 nights, however upon seeing the village, or lack of it, we called up Kiwi Experience and asked them to change our bus to leave the next morning!
On the way we stopped at lake Pulaski for photos of its picturesque blue waters. The area is famous for its Merino sheep, hence the statue.

What a majestic sheep

There wasn't a lot to do when we got to Lake Tekapo except a small mountain to climb, so I went on a nice run to the top and back. There were wild rabbits everywhere ! But I had to watch out for rabbit holes though, as there was no one around and if I had twisted my ankle and fallen I could have been in a bit of trouble!

Beautiful views running beside the lake

When I got to the top, I discovered some observatory. It was a bit strange though, because there was no one around, except from a café, which was empty. I went in looking for loos and some silly man  pointed me off down the hill and basically sent me on a wild goose chase! There was no toilet in sight.

I ran back down the hill and along the lake side as big grey clouds started rolling in. I got back to the hostel around the same time as the others, who had been to the hotsprings. They had three large pools which varied in temperature from 29 to 39 degrees. Kiwi bus passengers also had free access to the steam and sauna rooms which was a nice way to end the day!

Flowers by the lake

Day 25- November 27

So Emma and I were supposed to be doing the Via Ferrata this morning- Lily is afraid of heights and didn't fancy it! It's essentially rock climbing, but outside on cliff faces. However, we woke up and it was pouring with rain. Fearing the worst, we called their office to check if they were still running the trip, and sure enough they had cancelled the morning session. However, they said they could book us in for the 1pm session if the weather cleared up.
So, with a free morning and nothing to do, we did what we always do when we have no plans: went for a little wander around. It felt very odd seeing Christmas trees with baubles all around us, as it really doesn't feel Christmassy over here- even though the weather hasn't been particularly pleasant lately, it's no where near as cold as England as it's actually the beginning of summer herein the Southern Hemisphere. We window shopped and even got our eyebrows dyed as we had discount coupons, which is not an experience I think I'm likely to repeat.

Getting Festive

We went for an early lunch before climbing, to an AMAZING eatery that I had found on TripAdvisor (yes I am taking all the credit), called Bespoke kitchen. It wasn't a veggie café but it happened to serve amazing dishes, in particular desserts, many of them being vegan! I can personally recommend for the salted caramel truffles and the choc-raspberry slice. They had a menu, and also a deli counter with a range of different sandwiches, salads and baked goods. It was the kind of place you could go to and order anything, and feel confident that you were going to love it.

Lily's meal- smoked salmon on toast, pancakes and banana bread

We headed over to the Via Ferrata centre to get kitted up, and yet again me and Ems were the only ones doing it! We seem to have a knack for choosing the most unpopular activities. Despite this, we actually had a great afternoon, made all the more fun by our lovely guides who were young, and a good mix of knowledgeable and funny.

'Strike a pose'

 The climb wasn't too challenging for the most part, but the weather held up and the sun came out so we saw some beautiful views, which made for a lovely trip.

Group photo with our guides- Brody and Will

That evening we were fairly tired so headed straight to the supermarket to buy groceries for dinner. We planned on having a fairly early night, however our talkative room mate had other plans- he wouldn't stop talking. He was a man in his early 30s from Columbia, who was nice enough but had some fairly extreme views. Most of them I agreed with, some of them I didn't, so that provided a lot of fuel for conversation. I also got to speak Spanish which felt great to practice!
Apparently he snored really loudly that night, and Lils and Emma didn't get any sleep, but somehow I slept right through it!!

Day 24- November 26

I woke up this morning and I have to admit, it was the first time that I was actually feeling nervous about my bungee jump. I distinctly remember questioning why I had decided on the Nevis jump instead of just settling for the Kawarau bridge like most people. I guess my logic was that if I was going to do a bungee, I was going to go all and really do a bungee, as it might be the only time I would.
I decided to go to a yoga class in the morning as I didn't have to go to the bungee pick up centre until quarter to 11. The instructor overslept and was 15 minutes late for class, but that seems to be the general attitude of Queenstown to be honest!

The studio was fantastic! There were big glass windows, revealing views of the snow capped Southern alps in the distance, and the decor was very Swiss chalet-esque, which a nice spiritual touches like the delicate stain-glass chakra mobile dangling in the window. There was only 4 or 5 in the class and it was a vinyasa flow which was perfect for me, so I had a great class.

I headed back to the hostel to shower and change before heading out to the bungee centre to check in.
Check in was a bit of an unnecessarily lengthy process to be honest. Maybe it's just to seem more professional so people feel like they're in safe hands. You had to check in at the desk, then check in using some iPads in the corner, then go back over to the desk and get weighed and given your jump ID number. When this process was completed, we were told to go and sit on the beanbags in the corner and watch verge videos of people bungee jumping, which seems a bit cruel to be honest! I was waiting to be called up for the shuttle to take me to the bungee location, when a woman came along and said that due to high speed winds, the Nevis jump had been cancelled due to high speed winds, and we would be offered a full refund. The Nevis jump is actually from a cable car, instead of a bridge like the smaller one, which makes is much more unstable and susceptible to cancellation due to bad weather.

Blimey

I went up to the desk, about to get my refund, but then I suddenly changed my mind and asked whether then had any spots left on the Kawarau bungee. I got lucky and managed to take the final spot on for the shuttle bus that was leaving in just under an hour.
We drove up to the Kawarau bridge bungee centre and after being given our tickets we were told we could jump right away. It was blowing an absolute gale, which was really slowing down the number of jumps that they could do, as they were trying jump people between gusts. I was up on the bridge for ages waiting to jump and it was absolutely freezing! I was shivering, but it was definitely down to the wind chill rather than nerves!:P
When it was my turn, I crawled out into the platform, and one of the crew attached the bungee cord to my feet really tightly. I then shuffled with difficulty to the edge of the platform, as obviously my feet were tied together, smiled for the cameras that were filming for the tape I would have the opportunity to buy later on in the gift shop, waited for the countdown and then jumped.

I think that split second when you leave the platform and you realise you are free falling is the scariest. I was speechless. I only started screaming when I hit the bottom and bounced back up- I knew I was safe. It was all over too quickly. I wish I could do it again but higher! I didn't look down when I was standing on the platform so I honestly didn't find it that scary! It's probably because I was so hyped up to do the Nevis jump that this one seemed so tame in comparison!

What I should have been doing!!

I got back to Queenstown late afternoon, with my GoPro video and survivors' t-shirt as proof of my jump, to tell Lily and Emma all about it. They had been luging whilst I was away which sounded like a lot of fun; they took the gondola up Mt. Ben Lomond, and then helter-skeltered down in vehicles a bit like toboggans but with wheels.

We were looking for something to do that afternoon, but our purses were feeling a bit light after the morning's activities (just under 200$ for the bungee) so we decided to borrow frisbees from the hostel and go to play frisbee golf in Queenstown park. The aim was to throw the frisbee into the little metal baskets in as few throws as possible. Either we were rubbish, or the frisbees were rubbish, and the strong winds certainly didn't help, but we were scoring 7, 8, 9 plus on par 3 courses! Nevertheless, it was good fun and a cheap way to spend the afternoon.

We went out for dinner that night to a Thai restaurant which was delicious but not really that authentic. It was nice having such flavourful food though, after cooking with no spices for so long!

Day 23- November 25th

We left Wanaka for Queenstown this morning at around 9 which was not too bad. On the way we stopped and Wanaka Puzzling World, a tourist attraction which started out as a single maze, but has now expanded to add 5 illusions rooms, a cafe full of frustratingly difficult puzzles on the tables to solve, and some funky toilets.

So lifelike! (Mural of roman bathrooms in the toilets)

The optical illusion rooms include a set of rooms built at a 15 degree angle, which completely throws off your sense of balance, as there are no windows so you can't see the horizon to gain perspective.
My favourite room of all though was a perspectively confusing room, where people could stand at in different places and appear different sizes. It would be easier to show a photo, as it's very difficult to explain!

Roles reversed

We did have an attempt of the Puzzling World's famous maze, but with the knowledge that the record time is still over half an hour, we weren't filled with confidence. With every twist and turn and dead end, we became increasingly frustrated.

So happy before we got lost

In the end we gave up and left to have a go and the café puzzles instead, which were possibly even more frustrating.

Concentration faces

We got back in the bus and drove for another half an hour or so before stopping at Mrs Jone's fruit shop in Cromwell, a town well-known for its fruit production, which it celebrates by a huge sculpture of fruit, proudly displayed in its town-centre. I didn't like our driver anyway as he was sexist and sarcastic, but when he said we only had 5-10 minutes in this amazing fruit shop I liked him even less.

Fruit heaven

Our final stop before Queenstown was the AJ Hackett bungy centre. Queenstown is known for its extreme sports, but I didn't really have plans to do any. However, it was a gorgeous day and after seeing the promotion video that the centre showed us, I had the sudden urge to throw my self off a bridge. Which a bungee attached though, of course. I'm not sure what was quite going through my head, but for some reason I transitioned from having no interest in bungee jump, to booking myself into the Nevis jump, the highest bungee jump in New Zealand at 134m, 90m higher than the next one down offered by the centre. I had, however, just eaten lunch, and so decided to book in for the next day to be on the safe side.

Looking all inviting...

We finally arrived in Queenstown at lunch time and checked into our hostel. We actually didn't stay in the kiwi recommended hostel this time. When we were in Taupo, we were recommended the Adventure Queenstown hostel by our room mate. Adventure Queenstown was fully booked for the first 2 nights, but we managed to get rooms in her sister hostel- Adventure Queenstown 2- and then would spend the third night in Adventure Queenstown as AQ2 was fully booked for then. Safe to say all the faffing around with bookings was completely worth it. This was by far the nicest hostel we
have stayed at to date, and it was even cheaper than what we have been paying for the base and Nomads hostels- only 28$ per night!

Where's Wally? in the hostel toilets! How thoughtful...,

There were free towels, wifi, computers, Netflix and PlayStation in the living room, hi-tech kitchens, an iPad on the wall to choose your own music while cooking, and much, much more. And don't get me started on the beds. Even though we all were on top bunks in or 6 person dorm, each bed was in its own little pod with a little curtain to draw across, a little shelf with a power socket, and the softest mattress- even more comfortable than my bed at home!

So cozy

We went for a little explore around town, and then I decided to hike up Queenstown hill, as it's the top rated activity on trip advisor, but the others didn't come with me as they wanted to get ready for the bar crawl. It was sunny and surprisingly hot, and I got very hot carrying my heavy rucksack up the steep pathways, twisting up through the pine forest. Pine trees are actually an invader here in New Zealand. Brought over by the British colonists in an attempt to make the country feel more like home turf, they were planted here in Queenstown to give the place the feel of an alpine ski town, however the plants soon stifled native plant life by making the soil too acidic to grow anything else other than pine easily.
The views from the top were impressive- the surrounding mountain ranges, lake and Queenstown itself. Hikers here were very friendly and willing to chat as well.

I think I should end this post here as it's getting quite long. Goodnight!:)