NZ - 3rd and final part!

well, seems like i haven't updated this for ages - which i haven't, so here goes...

headed to te anua from queenstown, where we stayed in a very nice campsite and did the road trip to milford sound in the pouring rain! luckily it stopped as we got on the boat to go for a cruise around the fjord. the waterfalls were amazing after such heavy rain and the whole landscape was breathtaking. saw some kea birds on our return home, luckily they didn't rip our car roof off as we'd been warned about! the day after rup and fletch tryed their hand at cross-country quad biking.

from there we headed south to a little town called riverton where it rained all the time we were there apart from the day we left! was good fun though. stayed with some of ellie's family friends from the IOW who now live down there. he's the doctor so they seemed to know everyone. had a gorgeous venison stew the first night with some of their friends and got fed yummy homemade bread and banana cake all the time we were there - mmmm! took to a boat trip in the the rain on their boat one afternoon and abruptly turned back after about 10mins as the swell was too big and we got completely drenched!

headed up through the catlins to dunedin where all we really did was a speights brewery tour and a cadburys factory tour and go try see the albatross colony on the penisula but they weren't out that day - disappointment! did meet up with kristin though - our friend from the cook islands as she's studying there and she gave us a quick tour of the city and had us round for a yummy 'leftovers' lunch.

then we ended up in christchurch after a long drive up the coast. had the job of finding a house - which we found - a lovely town house in riccarton, and sorting out some work. we all ended up getting some work through temp agencies: dave - at kitchen'things being a warehouse/office person where he seems to have given a great deal to the company as they were all raving about him when i went to his work dinner with him; ellie and rup - at NZ statistics processing data for the NZ pilot census which was great fun with exercise or tea breaks every hour!; and fletch - a multitasking cinema attendent dealing with candy, tickets and cleaning, as well as watching free movies! so thats about what we've done since we got here as well as explore the chch nightlife and a couple of day trips - to hamner springs thermal reserve (to sit in a hot bath for a couple of hours) and akaroa (a small french settlement on the banks penisula where we had world famous akaroa cod and chips).

is our last week in NZ now. off to see the rugby final tomorrow the west waratahs (NSW, OZ) vs the crusaders (canterbury, NZ) which should be amusing as we dont have a clue! on monday we move on to OZ to start our travelling adventures again. Out of the comfort of our home and back to the joys of hostelling around. So we shall say a fond farewell to NZ and a goodday to australia!