Week 39 - Crossing to the South Island

FACT - Nelson is New Zealand's sunniest city

Day 11. Wellington-Nelson

Having to get up that early requires a lot more organisation. You're in a 6 -bed dorm, getting up at 6.30am (a real non time for backpackers), it's still dark outside, and also in the dorm and I'm not thoughtless enough to just whack the light on (like alot of other backpackers). So before going out the previous night I'd made sure that all my stuff was ready and packed and my clothes I wanted to wear were sat neatly on my backpack. New Zealand had made me more minimal with what I wore actually. I generally just stuck to two t-shirts, my shorts and my leggings in the evenings. It was just easier to keep those things on the top and then I didn't have to do my daily routine of unpacking everything to find something different to wear. So, up early and out the door without much fuss. I did have a shower. The bathrooms were usually down the hallway and there were a few loos and a few showers in each. Vaulable information for anyone reading this. It was rather tricky getting dry enough to dress when in the cubicle. A bit like when you go swimming. You do get used to it, even with my little flannel towel (and I mean little) but I was looking forward to that home comfort of having a nice big fluffy towel greeting me after a shower. So. Early. Door. No fuss. I still had David's cardigan which I'd borrowed the previous evening and got it to reception and went and emailed him so he knew it was there. Didn't want give him anymore material to write about another stolen cardigan and I didn't know when I might see him again.
So, the bus picked us up (and by 'us' I mean a whole new bunch of people. Oh except for those young 'whatsanames'. No, they were still on my bus. Of course they were) and took us to the ferry port. There were actually three other familiar faces from the other bus. Three welsh girls; Beca, Rebecca, and Hollie. So we got a seat with a view on the boat and off it went. I do like being up early and the sky was worth it. Really nice picture. I did actually fall asleep for a while but woke up in time for an amazing sail through just such a picturesque set of mountains. I could have been on just a boat trip or something, and not just getting from A to B. The crossing took 3 hours. Once we got to the South Island we waited around and before we knew it were back on the bus with Rich. As we drove he talked about how the Maori had lived in that particular area for generations and told us about folklores and legends. We drove through the rather scenic Marlborough Valley which is world famous for it's Sauvignon Blanc. Rich also explained that the South Island was the most picturesque. Anyone who was lucky enough to bag the front seats were not allowed to read or sleep as they head the best seats in the house. The young lot bagged them, and then in true ignorant style left jackets or sunglasses or books on the seats each day so that they could bag them once again in the morning.
We stopped for some lunch at the Pelorus Reserve and the girls got an icecream, which was really quite huge. We went for a little walk down to a gorgeous water hole there, but it was well cold so no one attempted to get in! As we chatted I learnt that all three girls were in a gap year from their A-levels. It was moments like these that made me feel olllllld. That was so long ago for me. But it make me feel a little better that they were just as shocked when I told them my age, thinking I was 22, at the most. Good. After our stop off we headed straight to Nelson and got checked in to our pub hostel - Fern Lodge. There wasn't much in Nelson itself but was the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park where people went and camped and spent quite a few days. Again, I was more keen to carry on. My main reason was that I was staying with a friend in Queenstown and hadn't seen her for quite a long time so was excited to get there. Me and the girls wandered in to the town. They were camera shopping, which I was going to half do as well, seeing as my camera was losing all my pictures. It wasn't really an expense I wanted to add on but I couldn't be missing out on pictures from the NZ South Island. As we were in the camera shop I explained what had happened to my pictures. The guy asked to see my memory card with the malfunctioned pics so he could see what I was talking about. But they weren't malfunctioned! They were there! All of them! Obviously I was really rather confused. Why had the other place told me I'd lost them? But I was so so happy. And happy that I didn't have to get a new camera. So happy that I went and bought some jeans... later on me we had dinner together and then I went off for a walk to find the very centre of New Zealand. I figured that as I wasn't staying there I wanted to have something to remember Nelson by (apart from my lovely jeans!). Noone else wanted to come, so I set off with my map (uh oh) and headed towards the 'hill' I'd been told to get to. Now I would call it 'hill' or a mountain. But something in between. I did really enjoy the walk to the top, but it was hard work. Round and round and through foresty bits, and up and round and up, through more forest. The views were getting better as I went up. There was a slight hairy moment when the path thinned somewhat and I had to edge my way round a corner and ensure I didn't slip down the hillside. But one last steep hill bit and I was at the top!! Along with three Japanese people who were taking some pics. I joined in the picture taking, and just sat for a while, admiring the view and being at the very centre of New Zealand. I soon snapped out of my distant reverie (I'm trying to sound like a proper writer now, ok!) when I realised just how dark it had become. It had taken about 45 minutes to walk to the top so I began my walk back down. But it really was dark. An even hairier moment getting past that thin bit of path but I talked myself through it trying to shun the image of me falling and breaking my leg and no one being able to hear me right out of my head. But the real fear factor came when I was walking back through the foresty parts. It was actually pitch black as no light at all could get through the huge trees. And no I didn't have a torch with me I hadn't thought that far ahead. All I could do was tread really carefully and ignore the sounds around me which was sending my imagination to extreme horridness. I was pretty certain that someone was following me at one point. I wouldn't have known though as I couldn't see a thing. I did have my phone on me which I hope would create some light from the screen but it didn't do too much. And being such a basic phone it didn't have a SOS light on it! AND even if I did have credit, which I didn't, there was no signal. So all was set up for a beginning of a horror film. But a rather rubbish horror film because I did eventually make it to the bottom... and back to the hostel... in to a hot shower, and then over to the tv room to catch the last of 'Fools Gold', which i'm glad I only had to sit through the end bit. Me and the girls then watched our skydive videos and swapped stories etc. I was a little envious that they had done theirs in NZ as the views were really fantastic. But I'd done mine, which I was still proud of. After the evening's dramas I was pretty tired, and had to be up early, so headed to bed.

Week 38 - Time for a rest...

Day 9. Taupo-River Valley

The next day was time to leave Taupo. It started off fairly sunny but as we left the area is became damp and miserable again. I use the word 'miserable' but everything we did, even when raining, was actually far from miserable. It was another disappointent though, as most of the day we were meant to be hopping off the bus for various walks. But we didn't. We did, however manage to go and see another waterfall. They didn't get boring, each one was so different. And some crazies amongst the bus load decided to get in to their swimmers and go jump off the waterfall. It was freeeeezing. I'd say that I don't think I could have done it, but of course I could have. But it may have taken me a few hours to psyche myself up for it, and I just plain didn't want to anyway. So I took pics with a few of the others. Afterwards Rich, our bus driver told us a story about when he had just started the job and took the group to the same waterfall and watched as a girl jumped in and didn't re-appear. Rich shat himself and jumped in after her but couldn't find her. She was fine though, she'd just managed to pop up somewhere completely away from the group. Didn't put him off taking people there though!

We also stopped at a museum linked to the national park, which was quite interesting. And then we headed right to River Valley. It was really raining by now. So once again, it kind of felt like brownie camp. It was a cute little place in the absolute middle of nowhere. With huge mountains around us and a river beside there was lots of scope for lovely walks. If it hadn't have been raining. The sleeping arrangements were a bit different too. The real cheapy one was a dorm for about 20 people. Basically it was one huge bed where everyone just bunked on. Luckily I bagged the next one up which was a normal, and extremely cosy dorm, for just 6 people. There was lots of offers of roasts, massages etc on the go. Me and a couple of girls - Lynssey and Clare booked ourselves for the roast and then went for a little walk around and then sat in the hot tub for an hour, which the 'spa' boasted. It was hot though. I mean Lynssey couldn't sit in it for the first 20 minutes because she went so red. And I have to say that when I popped back to the lodge to get us a drink, I did nearly pass out from being rather hot! But once you got used to it, it was lovely. And it had stopped raining by then and the view out in the open was gorgeous. After our burning soak and gossip about life at home, we settled for an evening of the best roast. Well not as good as home roast but it was still 'well nice'. And a quick update on the young shits of the bus... Rollo (the one who thought it fun to have a bag of wine under his arm the whole time) had run out of money. So much so that he even had to audacity to walk amongst the tables of people eating roasts requesting that we maybe give him any scraps. I might have almost felt sorry for him but he was pissed and still holding a rather full bag of wine under his stupid arm, so I really didn't. But the evening was pleasant and I had a brilliant long sleep.

Day 10. River Valley-Wellington

FACT - Wellington is located directly on a major earthquake fault line. The biggest earthquake was recorded in 1855 and measured 8 on the Richteer scale.

We didn't have to leave until midday the next day as there were a number of activities going on. Some of the group went horse riding and others did some white water rafting. This particular river was actually a grade 5 for rafting in NZ, which means it had lots of dangerous rapids I think! On the way to our next stop of Wellington, we drove through and stopped in a town called 'Bulls'. And what the town had cleverly done was play on the name and named a few shops after it e.g. 'Consta-Bull' (the town's police station) and other such names. It was quite a drive so we were told to ensure we had 'supplies' as we wouldn't be stopping until dinner time. This, as usual brought people in to a food buying panic like there was going to be a 7 year famin or something, and so we'd run to the nearest store and buy a week's worth of shopping just in case we went hungry... and I got used to this, but it still didn't change anything when Rich told us to make sure we had enough to eat. So quite a few hours later, and quite a few bellies full later, we arrived in windy Wellington, as it is known for. I was feeling quite 'hormotional' actually. Time of the month. I think it was a mixture of that and also it being the last night with most the people i'd made friends with. Wellington being the capital, most people stayed on as there's a few bits and bobs to see and do. But I still wanted to get on. I'd been to museums and botanical gardens and actually I preferred the non city stops so I didn't really want to stick around there even if it was the capital city. When I checked in I paid just $1 extra and got to go in the 'santuary' dorm. Basically it's just a dorm for girls. But you get a towel and some beauty products wrapped in it, along with a voucher for a free glass of champagne. Sold. The beauty products were actually from Aveda, which made me smile as that's where Mirella works. I'd arranged to meet up with David that evening as he was arriving there as well. He was staying on for another day though. I met him in my hostel and he immediately picked up on my hormotional mood which I was pretty impressed by. We went had some dinner in the hostel's rather clean kitchen and caught up on past day's activities. We also were very amused by someone's dinner of a carrot which looked rather lonely on the plate, waiting for it's probably hungry and skint owner to come and eat it. The rest of the evening was spent with some of my friends down in the hostel bar. The difference between my bus and David's bus was that my lot were all up dancing, laughing and being generally silly, and David's lot were sat down having rather conservative-looking chats. It was like someting you may see in a comedy sketch. Granted, an averagely funny comedy sketch. We'd had enough of hostel bars so me and David (I'm starting to feel like Posh spice saying that) went off to explore a bit of Wellington. Afterall I was up very early the next day so wanted to see a bit of it at least. We found a place putting on a gig and went and had a boogie until we decided to go for falaffel. I mean alot of time had passed since dinner. And I'd given up smoking so I think my need to eat increased by 500%. Can you get 500%? Anyway David has an amusing/embarrassing picture of me eating a falafel, which he's threatened to put on Facebook. It won't be going on here. But it was a fun night anyway.