How It Should Be

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but my daily wake-up call came from the housekeeper. I understand some of you might be shocked. Yes, daily housekeeping! I’m in the Sanctuary now so I have towels to be changed and pillows to be turned.

After my first night, I did manage to wake up before the housekeeper came round, but I was still in my room and half-dressed so it’s not that much better. My laziness became a running joke. I was happy doing nothing and spending my days researching and booking things for my future travels as well as catching up on my writing.

I ventured out for some fresh air every now and then but I used the cold as an excuse to stay in and nestle in my duvet. I’ve not had a duvet day since travelling. I guess this was the closest I could get to having one.

Another Stray bus pulled up outside which came as a welcome distraction. I already knew that Jonny and Sapphire were on this bus and I recognised a couple of faces when I came down to the hostel bar. It was Battle of the Buses round two.

Despite winning the quiz, the dance and coming second in the karaoke…we lost. What’s the point? I’m competitive and hate losing but I don’t even feel like I can be mad at a situation like this as we never had a fighting chance in the first place.

At least the Kiwi bus didn’t win, that came as somewhat of a consolation. They only had two guys representing them. These guys were awful thuggish ignorant excuses for males. They kept starting fights with us and with the driver of Magic. Idiots. They didn’t have a brain between them.

I carried on drinking until it was just me and Jonny left in the bar. Lightweights. Everyone seems to opt for an early night in New Zealand. It’s usually me that does that so I should feel comforted that I’m not the only one anymore!

Witnesses would have been helpful as I beat Jonny at pool and I wasn’t even trying. Jonny had potted most of his balls straight away so I played defensively snookering him when I could and catching up that way. Before I knew it, we were both fighting over the black. To be fair, Jonny did fluff a couple of shots on the black. My final shot was magnificent. It wasn’t setup perfectly so I needed to angle it correctly. I did a little lap of honour as Jonny bowed to my brilliance.

*****

I skipped out on visiting Puzzling World with my last bus but decided to join in this time. I’m not sure how I managed to crawl out of bed and make it to reception but I did.

Puzzling World is a small building full of illusions and odd creations set to confuse and irritate. It was quite fun and the maze was surprisingly tricky. It took me longer to get out than it did making it to the four coloured towers!

Even though I got on with a lot of people on this bus, I decided to see out my stay in Wanaka.

*****

It was business as usual when the housekeeper came in to find me sat watching TV in my pyjamas. I was waiting until they’d come in and do what they needed to do before I showered. I’ve had a few close calls beforehand!

We had something in common at least as we were both planning on walking up Mt Iron that day. Instead of going it alone, I took up the offer of going up with the housekeeper and her friends.

At 1:30pm I made my way down to reception. The housekeeper (I can’t for the life of me remember her name!) chickened out saying it was too windy, but introduced me to her two friends who were going up. After an initial awkwardness, I got chatting to Suki (Hong Kong) and Natsco (Japan) who were friendly and didn’t tell me to get lost.

Suki and Natsco were also meeting friends to climb Mt Iron but not for another hour. With time to burn, we walked around Lake Wanaka, played on a slide and sat on comfy sofas looking out across the lake.

Dino-slide wheeey!

Lake Wanaka

Along the way, we all shared our stories and journeys. It was great to hear that Suki and Nat both want to work and travel as long as possible. It’s not something I hear a lot when travelling. Most people are students taking gap years, people on holiday or on a working visa. All these people have the same thing in common, they have lives back home that they intend to get back to. I have no such thing. Although I’m on a year-long RTW adventure, I don’t feel like stopping anytime soon nor do I have a career waiting for me when I get home.

Speaking to these girls is exactly what I needed. Having felt a bit down over the past couple of days, it made me wake up to the fact that what I want to do is ok. There is no right or wrong way to live your life. Just because most people choose to settle in one place and/or focus on their careers and family doesn’t mean that it’s right for everyone. That’s a natural progression for many but it’s not a path I see myself going down anytime soon. What’s more, it meant that I didn’t have to shrug and make excuses as I don’t have a definite answer to the question, “What are you going to do when you get back home?”

As we made our way to meet Nat and Suki’s friends, we walked into a friendly stranger…

The fattest cat in Wanaka

Many winding streets later, and we finally arrived. We were greeted by Simon (British), Ema (Korean) and Sophie (British). It was only when I introduced myself and was asked how I knew Nat and Suki that I felt like a bit of an imposter. Despite my random reasons for knowing them, everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We’re all seasoned travellers and know exactly how it feels to be the new person in unfamiliar surroundings.

Simon, Ema and Sophie are in Wanaka for the winter to work in Treble Cone Ski Resort. I was so jealous. What’s more, Simon is learning Japanese as he’s heading to Japan to work a ski season in Hokkaido. Part of me wanted to just drop everything right at that moment and stay in Wanaka with these guys.

Now it was time to embarrass myself at how unfit I had become. I was a sweaty wheezy mess as we dismissed the winding pathway and headed directly uphill to the viewpoint. I needed the exercise but damn! Things became a bit better when we got past the steepest of inclines and used the pathway.

What astounds me about New Zealand is how quiet it is. You don’t have to trek up a mountain to experience this, although Mt Iron did provide a perfect example. It was a lovely day and the view was fantastic. Other than the odd dog walker and jogger, the place was deserted. It’s one of many places that would make a perfect reading/writing spot or generally a place to be alone with your thoughts.

Walking down, the group made plans for the evening. Sophie’s friends were performing at a bar that night and invited me along. I said yes of course as I had no other plans. Sophie went back to her place and the rest of us settled down for a cup of tea and a lesson in Japanese. 

Unfortunately I couldn’t hang around for long as I really needed to head back to have something to eat before the night began.

My friend I made in Bangkok, Paul, had messaged me and we arranged to meet at the same bar I was heading to that night. It was a good job we agreed on a late time as I managed to take a wrong turning. It took me twice as long as it should have done to get there. I didn’t actually know where I was going anyway. The bar was hidden behind a bakery down a residential street.

It therefore didn’t surprise me that Paul failed to find the place and we didn’t end up meeting. Without a phone, there wasn’t a lot I could do unfortunately. I didn’t find this out until I got back to my room so, at this moment in time, I still thought Paul was around somewhere. I scanned the bar and tables but could only find groups of people and nobody who looked like my friend.

Suddenly, I clocked this one guy at the bar who I thought looked a little bit like my friend. I’d not seen him in six months, it was dark and this guy had a hat on. I had to go to the bar to get a closer look but I opened my mouth before I could stop myself. It wasn’t him and I knew that as soon as I walked up to him but my mouth was running. I spouted off some lame excuse, bought a drink and left. Ah well, I’m never going to see him again.

Sophie’s mates were awesome. One guy played Misirlou (Pulp Fiction soundtrack or Black Eyed Peas sample on Pump It) on his guitar which was impressive. All their song choices were pretty good. I love acoustic sessions and it was just these two guys and their guitars. 

I spent most of the evening with Simon, Ema, Nat and Suki but once they left I got to know Sophie’s friends a lot more. Ben stood out for me, not just because of his red hair, but he was also the friendliest. We had a great laugh swapping stories and generally messing around.

Left to right: Simon, Ema, Suki, Me, Nat

Me, Sophie and Ben

We moved on to a bar just outside the hostel where I was staying. Sophie brought along an additional friend from the bar…

Pinecone friiiiiend

It was a lovely night and exactly what I needed. It was a shame I didn’t get to meet Paul though. 

A Touch Of Luxury

Unlike other places I’ve visited in New Zealand, I left Franz Josef satisfied. I did what I went there to do and had a great time. I was also looking forward to hopping off the bus and having a break in Wanaka.

Before we reached our final destination, we stopped off at Lake Matheson for a walk. It was a three hour trail but Hannah, Kerry and I were certain that it could be done in two. We briskly walked through the winding route taking photos along the way.

At one point we noticed a camera lens cover abandoned on a wooden bench. We felt bad for whoever had left it as it’s not something that’s easily replaced whilst travelling. It was at our next viewpoint where we met a guy (later to be nicknamed Hannah’s Future Husband) who it belonged to. After hovering for a little too long, we moved on. HFH had split apart from his group and had positioned his tripod on higher grounds. With a crushed flapjack in one hand, HFH took photos of the stunning view. Hannah became flustered with her camera but not to worry as her future husband helped her capture a great image. HFH was a hot topic as we power walked the rest of the way. Apparently a guy who squishes a flapjack in his hand without a care in the world whilst taking photographs is a great turn on for some.

Conversations with the girls on the bus tended to transcend in to Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus…literally as one of the girls is reading that book (I won’t name names, it’s not me!). I detest books that tell women how they should act around men. Surely both parties should learn how to compromise and work together without manipulation and game playing. I can never be arsed with all that rubbish as it’s too much hard work!

We were the first ones back and decided to treat ourselves to some lovely grub at the café. I had an epic sausage, egg and crispy bacon sandwich with tomato relish. It was that good that I groaned with almost every mouthful. I didn’t have room for my raspberry and white chocolate muffin so kept it for the bus journey.

I was the only one hopping off at Wanaka which astonished some. I wasn’t sure if it was the fear of missing out, but a lot of people kept asking me why I wasn’t leaving the next day like everyone else. I’d heard from a friend back home that Wanaka is beautiful, I was hoping to meet a friend I made in Bangkok and I couldn’t wait to part ways with the bus. Obviously I didn’t say the last part. I did get on with a few people on the bus but those lovely people were lost within the awful mass of annoyingness that was taking over. I’d not had a break from Stray since Rotorua and I felt like I was overdue.

The whole bus stayed at Base hostel that night. I’d pre-booked my room online for a knock-down price. I was very happy with myself for doing this. Even though Stray get a certain amount of rooms blocked off for passengers only, it didn’t faze me that I would be staying elsewhere.

Kerry, who recommended I book online, had done the same and we asked if it was possible to stay in the same room. Unfortunately the rooms are randomly allocated so that was not possible. My disappointment soon transformed into dizzying excitement as I was told I’d be staying in the Sanctuary. I had no idea what that meant but it sounded good.

The receptionist handed me a white fluffy towel. It was a nice touch. I asked if anyone else was booked in the room and was told I’d have it to myself for three nights. Happy days!

I entered my room and my jaw dropped. My eyes lit up at the sight of a ridiculously large room, a table with chairs, a kettle, tea and coffee. Attached to the wall was a flat screen TV. I actually jumped up and down on the spot and squealed. You may laugh but try travelling for over nine months and see how you react to fresh linen, open space and a room to yourself!

Although I had my white fluffy towel, I could not for the life of me find where the showers and toilets were on my floor. I was too embarrassed to ask the staff so grabbed Kerry who is a seasoned sleeper at Base. Kerry followed me to my room and shared my excitement. Kerry had stayed in a Sanctuary room on the north island so knew exactly how I felt. Within seconds, Kerry found the showers and toilets…in my room! I bypassed the mirror which happened to be fixed onto a door. Behind this door were two spotless showers and two floral-smelling toilet cubicles. Ohhhhh yeeeeeah.

Now if THAT wasn’t enough, Kerry told me that there should be some hair straighteners around somewhere. It turns out you can put a bond down for a pair at reception. I’d not straightened my hair in a long time as my GHDs broke in Australia.

I felt no shame in bragging about my room and invited some of the girls over. Hannah and Sam came over and ate their dinner whilst I pranced around to random music off of my laptop. I offered my facilities to Kerry as I owe my little luxury pad to her.

As it was my last night with this bus…well mainly because I had hair straighteners, I decided to glam up for the night. I knew exactly what I was going to wear.

One wonderful shower later and I was ready to don my short blue dress I bought from Australia and first wore to see Laura Marling. My smile dropped when I saw my legs. Shit, I forgot about my bruise collection. My left knee was a patchwork of blues and greens accompanied by a scab thanks to my fall at Blue Duck lodge. On the back of my leg sat a huge red-veined nastiness from my tanking adventures. Dammit. I knew it was going to be dark in the bar, but no amount of soft lighting could hide those monstrosities.

Kerry suggested I wore leggings with it but it wouldn’t look as good. I wanted to look all girly and human again rather than the frizzy mess I’ve become since leaving Australia. I settled for my maxi dress in the end and hoped that I looked just as nice.

The answer to that question came in a form of a compliment as soon as I left the room. One of the guys from the bus said I looked really nice. It’s been a while since I’ve had a seemingly genuine compliment from a guy. I felt really good.

That feeling grew throughout the night. I managed to get in on a game of pool and potted three balls in a row which caught us up to the opposing team who only had the black to pot. Nobody had seemed to notice what I’d done. I had one more shot which I should have just fluffed. Instead, I potted the black. Everyone certainly noticed that! I felt like an idiot. Jim, my pool partner, hugged me although I'm sure he'd rather of kicked me.

Battle of the buses was my chance to make up for this loss. Kiwi Experience, Magic and Stray in one room. Only one would be hailed champion. I wanted that title.

My competitiveness subsided as the quiz was so long-winded. Most of the questions were about the Queen’s Jubilee. I now know that Buckingham Palace holds 775 rooms, Elizabeth was 25 when she took the throne and she has 5 dogs.

At one point we were in the lead but the Kiwi bus had a smart phone and were cheating their way to victory (boooo hissss!). We faired ok at the karaoke but didn’t stand a chance in the dance off. Kiwi had a guy who could back flip and do the splits as well as a girl who could breakdance. I got up all the same as the first challenge was to copy the dance moves to Eric Prydz Call On Me. Everyone must remember the crotch thrusts right? I tried in vain but my maxi dress kept getting in the way when it came to the kicks and rolling around on the floor.

Never mind. We left Kiwi to their victory and $100 bar tab. A couple of people from our bus sneakily went to the bar to claim a free drink. They didn’t even check! I wasn’t that fussed and sat down beside the pool table. I got chatting to a couple of people from the bus who I’d not spoken to before. Seana from Chicago was especially lovely. We spoke about our travels and plans for the future. I gave her my email address for a possible meet-up when I reach Chicago. Seana even offered me her couch to sleep on. I’ve not couchsurfed in a while but I might have to in America depending on how much money I have left!

I also spoke to another American for a while before spending the rest of the night chatting away to Jim and Chris (both British). This surprised me as they weren’t as chatty when I first met them. It turns out, Jim’s first impression of me wasn’t a good one. After the pool table orgy at Franz Josef, I didn’t really approach the guys as I thought the territory had been marked by the girls. Jim especially, was always with one particular girl from the bus so I left them to it. Jim mistook my avoidance as a dislike towards him and his mate. It also turns out that my pre-judgement of Jim was also off. So I went back to kicking myself again!

Having talked Jim’s ear off earlier in the night, I thought his brain had switched off for the most part. I do have a habit of going off on a tangent regardless of whether a person is actually interested in hearing what I have to say. When we spoke again, it turned out he was listening (a rare trait in a guy). It annoyed me slightly how well I got on with some of the people on the bus that I originally avoided. It wasn’t so much of a regret that I’d change my mind and hop back on the bus though. I’d need a bit more than a few random conversations with people for me to do that!

For once, I was one of the last people out that night. Everyone departed pretty quickly after the battle ended. It was quite sad saying goodbye to some people from the bus. Perhaps I might see some of them in Queenstown but others I may never see again.

It was this thought that shifted my mood slightly. Although travelling has made me the happiest I’ve ever been, I do have my down days and this was one of them. I missed my friends back home and started to think about all the people I’ve had to say goodbye to whilst travelling. I offloaded onto poor Jim who had no idea what to say to me. I think he thought I was going to cry or something! Only an hour or so beforehand I was wittering on about how wonderful travelling is, the changes that I’ve seen in myself and how great it’s been to meet so many people. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde!

I’ll add that to the scrapbook of embarrassment to open up at a later date for self-torture! To be fair, I have done and said far worse in front of guys so this is nothing really.

I will say this though, I am extremely grateful for the people that I have met. For once in my life I’ve felt completely at ease with who I am. I have been myself and not only have I been accepted, but I’ve made some wonderful friends who like me for me. Throughout my life I’ve always tried to please everyone else to my own detriment. It’s meant that I’ve never really known whether I’m being me or if I’m just being someone that I think everyone would like. I always found it hard saying no which sometimes people took advantage of. It’s so refreshing to find people who are on the same wavelength as me.

In regards to guys, it’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, I’m meeting guys that I’ll probably never see again so if I do make an arse of myself I don’t need to worry too much. However, if it turns out that I like a guy then…well it’s just plain rubbish. Most travellers are randy and are only out for whatever they can get. I’m not one to normally generalise but it’s a heavy percentage that are this way. So any guy that I do meet and is friendlier than normal, I often wonder whether they are being nice to me because they like me or whether they just want a quick fumble in a crowded dorm room to satisfy their cravings. Some men can say the right things at the right time and it confuses me. Guys say that they never know what women are thinking and that we talk in riddles. Sometimes guys can be just as cryptic.

I've not really thought about a future with a guy too much whilst I've been travelling as I never saw it as a plausible outcome. I really want to travel more and work where I can. It just makes me wonder whether I’d ever be able to make a true connection that way.

When I’m home and things go wrong with a guy, there is no quick exit like there is with travelling. But then when it does go right, the likelihood is that it isn’t transitory and I may get my happily ever after.

Most of you know by now that I am a hopeless romantic. I watch far too many movies and have read numerous books where women can be completely ridiculous yet still have a guy chasing after them. Now wouldn’t that be a perfect world to live in?

I would like to meet someone one day who likes me for me and isn’t afraid to show that. Nevertheless, I’m not willing to shape my life around something that’s not there so I will follow my heart to wherever in the world it takes me. Having someone there next to me can be the icing on the cake.

Fox Glacier

My morning was greeted with heavy rain. I hoped it would settle before the hike. I’d be wearing waterproofs but still, who likes walking in the rain?

I felt sorry for those that woke up early to find that it was raining. It meant that they definitely wouldn’t be doing the heli-hike.

That feeling soon sank to the back of my mind when I saw that my cooler bag had been vandalised. Someone had cut the zip, removed my padlock and rummaged through my stuff. I didn’t find anything missing.

All the other girls had their stuff tampered with. I found my padlock in the bin for some odd reason. What was even stranger is that they took one of the girl’s lamb shanks left over from the night before. Tia had warned us previously that this would happen but I thought she was exaggerating.

Once I discovered that nothing was missing and my padlock was found, my anger subsided. My shuttle pulled up outside just as I made my way across to the reception. There was nobody else that was being picked up so I tried my best to hold conversation but I’m not a morning person whatsoever.

Fox Glacier Guides had a café which supplied the perfect pick-me-up. Their hazelnut lattes are heavenly. If I could afford a second one, I would have got it. I certainly needed the caffeine boost.

My mood lifted even further when it came to paying. I received a discount with my YHA card. Instead of paying $159, I only paid $104. That’s less than what people pay for the half day hike.

Now it was time to get out there and do it. I was kitted out with thick socks, boots, waterproof trousers, jacket, mittens, a backpack and crampons. It sounds like a simple process but everyone had to queue to get the right sized boots and have someone measure and set the crampons correctly. There was around 20 of us all together so it took a while until we were all sorted and ready to go.

There was a good mixture of nationalities and I even managed to seek out some Yorkies. I spotted the accent straight away and tried to make eye contact with this guy to introduce myself. No, not because he’s a guy, but I rarely see or hear anybody from Yorkshire. The accent makes me feel like I’m home.

Thankfully he didn’t see me as a weirdo, or at least he didn’t treat me as such. Both him and his girlfriend are from Beverley and are working in Christchurch.

On the bus ride over to the glacier, one of the guides sat next to me and we chatted for a bit. He seemed quite friendly so when it came to splitting the group between two guides, I went with him. The Yorkshire couple also sided with Dan which was a bonus.

It took a 40 minute gentle walk until we made it to the face of the glacier.

Here, we strapped on our crampons (spiky metal things that clip onto the bottom of your boots) and received a lesson on how to walk in them. It was a case of putting more effort into each step and making sure that all of the spikes dig into the ice for extra balance.

It was serious work but I couldn’t help but laugh as I felt like a sulky teenager stomping around. I guess it’s one way to take out all your anger and frustrations. I didn’t really have any at that point in time as the rain had eased off and turned into a glorious day. I was happy.

As we started our slow ascent, our group passed a girl who had slipped over on the rocks. First aiders surrounded her as she cradled her limp arm. The poor girl was in tears. Injuries were the theme of the day as Dan recounted all the different ways you can die on a glacier. Lovely.

I was already a bit unsteady to begin with but Dan reassured us that it’s all about being confident. Don’t think that you’re going to fall, and you won’t.

Piece of cake

Despite being on a glacier, I was heating up. All this stomping around had made me sweat. To cool off I took a drink of fresh glacier water. It was refreshing and the nicest water I’ve ever tasted. I wish I had a bottle with me to fill up but instead I had to settle with a few sips from Dan’s plastic cup.

It probably wasn’t the wisest of moves as I needed the toilet ever since I got off the bus. I went what felt like a million times beforehand knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to go on the glacier. My body hates me. The giant waterfall to our left as well as the constant trickling streams of water running at numerous points on the glacier did not help my cause. I needed to stay strong!

Mmm, tasty. Not minty though.

Having had a few wobbly moments, Dan felt like I always needed a hand. This frustrated me as he didn’t help anyone else from our group, just me. I wanted to do this myself. I didn’t fall over and was doing just as well as everyone else. I’d get no satisfaction from this trip if I was holding someone else’s hand the whole way!

It was my stubbornness at being independent that helped me boost my confidence and I started to believe. I had a vision of Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix. I then thought of Glee’s version of Don’t Stop Believing and shuddered.

At one point each of us climbed down a hole with the guidance of a rope. It looked harder than it actually was. I was the last person to go and wanted to be filmed. I passed my camera to one of the girls and started to make my way across to the opening. Dan followed me and grabbed my hand. He started climbing down with me! Even though the camera was still rolling, I told him that I wanted to do it myself. He looked a bit shocked.

From then on, I tried to be semi-annoying so he’d leave me alone. I felt a bit mean but I’m the kind of person that’s conscious of the space around them and holding hands with someone I don’t really know is a bit weird.

To make my point clearer I nailed the climb down and it was clear I didn’t need anyone to hold my hand. He left me alone after that.

We stopped for lunch but I only managed one sandwich and a piece of fruit. I’m not sure where my appetite went. I wasn’t even that tired either. I was hoping we’d be doing some crazy Spiderman stuff but scaling the glacier is a different trip. This was more gentle and scenic.

Dan could see that I was slightly cold and offered me a hat. I accepted but then realised that it was a knitted possum hat. It might have been cute if I was a child, but on me, I’d look like a wally. I kindly accepted and hoped that I wouldn’t get cold enough to have to use it.

As the day rolled forward, I got chatting to a few people from the group. As I mentioned before, there was Laura and Steve from Yorkshire. Steve is an Engineer and has been recruited to aid the rebuild in Christchurch. Laura is teaching there. There was also a group of four from Ireland but I only spoke to one of them who happened to have worked in America so we had plenty to talk about.

After taking many photos and ducking in and out of the glacier crevasses, it was time to turn around and head back to base.

It was easier and quicker to get back down. I had a go at hacking the glacier with an axe.

At the bottom of the glacier, I saw a few people from the Stray bus. They decided to do the Fox Glacier half day hike. Even though the rain had eased off, all heli-hike tours had been called off. I definitely didn’t have any regrets with my choice.

Back at base, I handed over all the kit, including the unused possum hat, and received a certificate in return. It was kind of cute but I couldn't help but feel like I was back at school again.

Laura and Steve invited me for a drink at the pub across the road. Laura and I happily sipped our mulled wines in front of the log fire. Time flew by and it was time for me to catch my bus. I was running a few minutes late but I couldn’t see the bus anywhere. It was quite dark so I went to the reception at Fox Guides for more information.

Due to a mix up with times, the bus had left. It was due to leave at 5:30pm but I was told 5:45pm. I wasn’t too worried to begin with as the staff there were so nice. One of them offered to take me back. Thankfully, the shuttle driver agreed to take me back and I only lost an hour of my life.

I was slightly confused when the receptionist told me that the people on the bus spent 20 minutes looking for me. Seen as there’s only a café, a convenience store and a pub on that road, I did wonder what they did for all that time.

When I returned, nobody even knew that I was missing. Those from the bus explained why they left without me but I really wasn’t that bothered. I was back at the hostel and nothing bad had happened. I’m just glad Fox Glacier Guides was still open or I’d have been sleeping in the pub that night! Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad…

Outnumbered

Today was going to be a big day as we travelled from Punakaiki to Franz Josef. Our small bus group trebled as we picked up 14 people at Greymouth. Fresh faces are always a good thing when travelling.

My excitement soon turned to angst as some rude Americans took to the bus. Instead of introducing themselves they grilled me about New Zealand but not in a friendly way. I felt like I was on trial. Question after question, interspersed with ignorant observations. They sneered at me when I told them I was doing a full day hike in Fox rather than the Franz Josef heli-hike. It was at that point that I tried my very best to avoid them. I’ve met so many lovely Americans so my negativity isn’t aimed towards the country, just those awful people!

Each person on the bus introduced themselves and I could see there were some interesting people on the bus. The hostel that we stayed at had a bar/restaurant which provided the perfect opportunity to get to know people.

Being lazy, I decided to eat out. I didn’t have anything interesting to eat and the food at the bar looked delicious. A group of us sat down next to two guys who turned out to be Franz Josef guides. They said that the heli-hike the next day would definitely not happen. I wasn’t sure if the weather would affect my hike but I was worried.

Outside and within the dorm areas people from the Kiwi and Contiki bus were partying hard yet the bar was rather laid back. The music was mellow enough to carry a conversation at a normal volume. Everyone was eating, drinking and having a good time.

Tia bought everyone a shot of peach vodka. It was meant to be a synchronised downing by the Stray lot but it didn’t quite happen to the dismay of Kerry. The wine had gone straight to her head, enough for her to shout a few choice expletives at the Americans. Damn, I wish they had heard her. I was happy I did as I was in hysterics.

My intentions for the evening were to get to know the people on the bus. It was somewhat interrupted by the intentions of everyone else from the bus. The girls pounced on the guys and they loved it. I laughed from the side-lines.

Although I didn’t want to tread on anyone’s toes or interrupt someone’s game plan, I was bored. I managed to get in on a game of pool but only managed to get a fluent conversation from one friendly American guy. The rest seemed to be in a trance and all I could get was a one or two word response. This bus did not look promising. I guess I could have joined in but my hair is an untameable frizzy mess since my hair straighteners failed on me in Brisbane and I was wearing my glasses. I looked like a frumpier version of the Princess Diaries…before the makeover. So hair flicking and eye flutters were out of the question. I drank some more and called it a night. I needed to get some rest before my hike the next day.

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Last night’s uncomfortable sleep meant that I was able to snooze through most of the long journey to Punakaiki. I woke up briefly to book my hike up Fox Glacier. I managed to get the last place on the full day hike which was lucky.

Stray are affiliated with Franz Josef so I had to organise my trip and transport myself. It was easy enough as the numbers for both the transport and hiking companies were 0800 numbers.

Recently Franz Josef Guides have stopped their hikes up the glacier and now only offer the heli-hike option. Although the idea of a scenic flight above and around the glacier with a short hike at the top seemed like fun, I’ve had my heart set on hiking my way up since booking my flight. The heli-hike is nearly double the price too.

For some reason it’s a decision which baffled some on the bus. I was the only one who chose Fox over Franz Josef. It doesn’t bother me though.

Like the long bus journeys made previously, there were a couple of tourist stops for photo snapping.

Seal spotting at Cape Foulwind

Blow holes at Pancake Rocks

Pancake Rocks

As Tia pulled the bus up the driveway to where we were staying, I was nervous. It was in the middle of nowhere. We’ve stayed in some lovely remote accommodation but Old Macdonald’s was a bit of a disappointment. I had my fingers crossed that this was a good one.

A friendly worker greeted us and pointed out where we’d be staying. All I saw was a hedge.

I paid at reception and unloaded my stuff from the bus. I was in no rush so I had a look around the main common room area. It was a cute cottage-style homely cabin. There were comfy sofas and a fully equipped kitchen. The cupboards were stocked with eggs and other nik-naks for sale. Freshly baked bread and muffins were also available to purchase. As you can imagine, my eyes bulged from their sockets. They were fat muffins too. The place was so trusting to have an honesty box there for people to place their money in exchange for goods.

Kerry came in and told me I best get to the cabin and claim my bed. I doubt I’d get lucky and have a room to myself this time!

I passed the hedge and descended down a set of pebbled steps. At the bottom, to the left, was a large cabin that included a dorm room upstairs and kitchen downstairs. I claimed my bed and was happy that they were neither hammock-mattresses nor bunk beds. I can stretch out and do full sit-ups head injury free (I have to work off those muffins somehow!).

Everything was so cosy and quaint. It was the perfect surroundings for writing so I decided to catch up on my diary entries.

Those from the bus split up and made their own arrangements for dinner. I had no idea what I was going to do yet.

Sam, a maths teacher from England, came up and we had a little chat. I showed her my ridiculous videos of me falling over in the playground I visited in the North Island. Sam left to finish off making her dinner.

A few minutes later Sam returned and asked if I’d like to join her and Hannah as they had loads left over. They’d made a yummy curry that would be rude to turn down. It did the trick and set me right for the night.

Well Hello There...

Sometimes getting a good night’s sleep is impossible. At home, the only thing that would keep me up is my whirring mind ticking over numerous annoying thoughts. Dorm life has provided me with a whole host of different distractions that attack my ears and nostrils. Ear plugs aren’t enough anymore so my next line of defence is my mp3 player. I plug that in and ramp up the volume. I’d much prefer to drift off to the soothing sounds of Elbow and Laura Marling than the thumping base outside or the snorers in the room. I haven’t come up with anything to battle the varying smells just yet. Suggestions would be welcome.

The toga party spilled into the surrounding dorms and it was the loudest night I’ve experienced. I’m never that bothered unless I have an early morning. Everyday seems to be an early morning for me in New Zealand. It’s a new experience!

Liz and I got a taxi with Kerry, a fellow Brit from the bus who I hadn’t spoken to that much, to the ferry terminal. I slept most of the way and only stirred when a couple sat down behind me and violently knocked my chair. I received a feeble apology but I couldn’t understand why they chose to sit right behind me when the room was pretty deserted. I might have said something if I was more awake. I treated myself to some pancakes instead.

We got picked up shortly after arriving in Picton. To our surprise there were only five others on the bus – a couple and three other girls. I guess this will give me a good chance to test Mambo’s theory.

Passing through Picton, we stopped off in Nelson for a wine tasting session. It only cost $2.  I didn’t like any of the wines. They were too potent for me. Obviously that’s a quality that many people like in an alcoholic beverage but I prefer to enjoy what I drink. Yep, I’m definitely turning into a pensioner.

Liz hopped off just outside Abel Tasman. We hugged and wished each other luck in our future travels.

Old Macdonald’s Farm conjures up memories of primary school assembly sing-songs but it turns out Old Macdonald does have a farm and it’s in Abel Tasman. It’s where we stayed for two nights. The setup was basic and the beds were awful but it wasn’t the worst place I’ve stayed at.

I decided to have an early night in anticipation of a kayaking and bush walk trip the next day.

*****

Waking up was hard…literally. The bed was so sunken it was practically a hammock. I couldn’t simply roll out of bed. I had to swing out like Tarzan. If that wasn’t enough to wake me up, a hairy spider crawled onto my foot. My squeal woke up the other girls. I kicked it off my foot and it scurried away. My skin crawled and I couldn’t stop shuddering. It felt like it was still on me. It was that point that I decided to shake out my boots to make sure I wasn’t greeted with any more surprises that morning.

It was yet another day where my bikini saw the light of day. It feels like I’ve been in the water more in New Zealand than in Australia!

We all packed on the layers to protect ourselves from the cold. I didn’t take any photos of me in a wetsuit. I have too many already!

As Hannah, my paddling partner, and I loaded up our kayak, our eyes diverted to another group preparing to leave. I’m pretty sure a chorus of harps, violins and flutes filled the air when this one guy walked by. Our hearts sighed. He wasn’t the first nor has he been the last ridiculously good looking guy I've seen in New Zealand. I thought my first couple of days in Melbourne were something to talk about but…damn!

This vision of beauty happened to drive us to the beach where we were to set off on our kayak trip.

Hannah is a physiotherapist and is a very athletically capable person. Although I’m not as fit as I was back home, I felt like I could handle myself on the water. That was until we ended up with a duff kayak.

Each kayak has a paddle on the back which leans left or right and guides your direction. The back seat of the kayak has peddles at the bottom which control this. Pressing down the right, moves it to the right and pressing the left moves it to the left. It’s a lazy way of guiding the kayak.

Whilst everyone else paddled haphazardly and others calmly with ease, Hannah and I looked like we were competing for the Olympics, yet we weren’t moving anywhere. We kept veering off to the right.

Our guide, John, came over to help and adjusted the peddles. I knew it wasn’t my driving! It was then that I got to speak to John a bit more in depth and found out that he’d lived and worked in York for 18 months and has spent time in London. I love meeting people who have visited my hometown. John’s not accustomed to city life so retreated back to New Zealand.

Despite John’s efforts, our kayak still didn’t work. Nobody took pity on us and everyone paddled off. We couldn’t hear anything that John was saying and I was concentrating so hard on paddling and steering the kayak that I didn’t get to fully enjoy the scenery and the beautiful weather.

As always, I didn't pack for the sun and forgot my sunglasses. It was still cold yet the sun beamed down on us. New Zealand has the perfect weather in my eyes. It's cold so you have to wrap up and be all cosy yet the day is incredibly bright and clear. It deceives you into thinking it's not that cold. It's only as you rush out and feel the cold snapping at your face that you realise that it's still winter. The air is so fresh it feels like a natural decongestant and so much so that it must be the cleanest air I've ever breathed in. I'd be happy if every day was like this.

John kindly let me borrow his hat. It topped off my already superbly sexy look. An over-sized flannel cap that kept slipping over my eyes wasn't the perfect solution but it did the job.

Hannah and I had a good moan about our kayaking predicament, and then Hannah piped up that things aren’t that bad and we should just go at our own pace and enjoy ourselves. Five minutes later, Hannah caved in and cursed our kayak.

You wouldn’t believe how thankful we were when we made it to the end. I pulled myself out of the kayak, waddled over and got changed behind some rocks. By the time I finished, lunch was served. I felt like Hannah and I deserved two lunches each after that workout!

Land!

We said our goodbyes to John who was making his way back to base by boat. We, however, had a three hour bush walk to tackle.

This bush walk was a lot more enjoyable than the one I did in Fraser Island (Australia). Instead of spiders' burrow holes I was surrounded by lush greenery and fantastic views.

It was safe to say that we were all beat by the end of our walk. We all had things that we left behind at the kayak base so we walked back to collect them. This happened to be in the opposite direction to Old Macdonald’s.

Nobody seemed to know where our stuff was stored. I didn’t mind at all. It seemed that the nice driver from earlier was one of many lovely men that worked there. We all swooned like schoolgirls with a crush. Pathetic I know. One guy, who had piercing green/blue eyes, reminded me of the actor Michael Ealy. He not only found our stuff – ah, my hero! – but also agreed to give us a lift back to the farm.

Later on in the evening we made s'mores (toasted marshmallows dipped in chocolate sandwiched between two biscuits) and played Uno (card game). I can’t remember the last time I ate that much concentrated sugar. It felt like I’d face-planted a bowl of sugar. My teeth tingled in disagreement.

Sleep beckoned and I made my way across to my hammock for the last time. Roll on Punakaiki.

Good Old Fashioned Fun

Going forth to Wellington was the longest journey so far but also my shortest stay. As the buses aren’t frequent during winter, my schedule has become quite tight in order for me to fit everything in. Sacrifices have had to be made and only spending half a day in Wellington was one of them.

Others on the bus seem to have a bit more time than me and hopped off at The Park. We passed through there to pick up some passengers and Mambo explained that the weather has improved and the chances of going on the walk the next day are high. A group had already left for the day to walk the trail which convinced a few people to hop off and stay. Ben decided to stay which was a shame as we really got on. I also found out that Jonny and a few others were hopping off in Wellington. It seems our little Stray family was splitting up and I’d have to find a new one in Picton! Hopefully I will see some of them in Queenstown.

Amongst the new passengers was Liz who decided to hop back on and travel to Abel Tasman. It was great to catch up with her.

Having set off at 7:30am, we weren’t due in Wellington until 3pm. What could have been a dull day actually turned into a weird and wonderful day thanks to Mambo. We made a series of stops at some of the most random places.

Snowman hug in Ohakune

Carrot munching in Ohakune

Giant gumboot in Taihape

Whilst in Taihape, we took part in a traditional pastime in New Zealand, gumboot throwing. Each of the girls had four throws. Both techniques I used were flawed so my final distance wasn't very good. It was the guys' turn next and everyone overtook the places where our gumboots landed. The annoying thing was, if one guy couldn't beat the longest distance thrown by a girl in the group, they'd have to remove one item of clothing. That would have been funny.

After everyone threw, I grabbed the gumboots one last time and asked someone to film me throw. I put a bit more effort into it as I was on film. Can anyone guess what happened? I managed to throw the boots a lot further than many of the guys. Damn.

Moving on, our next stop was in a town called Bulls where every building and business ended with the word bull.

What a wonder-bull sight!

Wait, there’s more. We visited an awesome playground. They had a zip wire, four seat swings, hamster wheels and other crazy stuff that us big kids can go on. We were the oldest ones there that weren’t parents but none of us cared!  I fell off everything and generally made an arse of myself but that’s the whole point right? As a child you’re completely fearless and the thought of hurting yourself doesn’t enter your thoughts at all. As an adult, you know what can go wrong and that hurting yourself is inevitable. It’s just whether you have the confidence to throw yourself into things knowing what the outcome will be.

I started off well...

I didn't last long

Getting back up was a challenge!

It wasn't at the playground where I acquired my next bruise, but an army site with life size tanks to crawl onto. I climbed up ok, but getting down was a different story. I smacked and grazed my thigh on the way down. Damn.

To calm us down after the onslaught of craziness, Mambo devised a game to gauge how many of us have done awesome stuff on our travels. Not everyone played (boooo!) but those who did each wrote a top five list of adventurous things that we’ve done that might appear on a bucket list.

My mind went completely blank. All I could think of at first was my sky dive in Taupo and that’s because I only did it a couple of days ago. I couldn’t remember anything. It’s a good job I have my blog to read over at some point to remind myself!

In the end, I listed a few other things that were mainly Japan-orientated and reluctantly placed it in a hat. We then each took one of the slips out that wasn’t ours. It started with one person reading a point out from the list they had in front of them. Whoever wrote that list told their story and then read out a point from the list they had picked out of the hat and so on until everyone had told a couple of stories.

I was a bit nervous about my top five as I always find that people have better travel tales than me. It turned out that I had a couple of good stories to tell after all although I couldn’t top having sex in a cave made of hay!

The day had ticked by nicely but I was beat. I just wanted to dump my stuff and have a nap. Instead, I was allocated a room that wasn’t fully functional. The beds were overturned and there was rubbish everywhere. A definite de ja vu given the situation me, Mel and Steff had in 1770. It was soon straightened out and, rather than have a nap, Liz and I headed to Te Papa museum. Everyone goes on about how great it is so I thought I’d see for myself.

Unfortunately my brain was still in sleep mode and I needed a nap fast. The last thing my brain needed was an overload of information. So perhaps I wasn’t in the best frame of mind to fully enjoy Te Papa but I had an ok time. I saw the colossal squid and visited the earthquake simulator. I did breeze past a lot of the exhibitions but I only had an hour.

For those who like museums, I’ve heard that the one in Auckland is better but you have to pay an entry fee. Te Papa on the other hand is free.

I eventually got my nap and awoke for food. I saw that one girl in the room had been to McDonald’s, came back and put the food on her bed, then left. It was there all night. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, girls can be messier than guys.

Liz and I went to reception and met the others from the bus, including Mambo, for a meal and final goodbye. I wouldn’t be seeing Mambo again as he’s heading back up to Auckland to finish off his tour and pretty much everyone else is staying or going elsewhere.

Mambo took us to this great little eat hidden down a backstreet. It served Malaysian-style dishes quickly and cheaply. The portions were massive and very tasty. Everyone enjoyed their meal and it served as a nice round off to the evening.

After everyone had finished, we headed back to the hostel for a drink. I think the place was almost fully booked as there were people everywhere. They were hosting a toga party that night so the hostel was teeming with drunken youngsters hyped up on the overused novelty. I feel about 80 for thinking that. Nobody else seemed to feel regret for not wearing a toga so I don’t think I was alone with that thought.

Liz and I stayed for a while but were the first ones to call it a night as we had an early start the next day. We said our goodbyes and made loose promises to meet in Queenstown. It would be nice to see them again.

Even though it was sad saying goodbye to everyone, I was excited to meet a new group of people for the south island. It’s going to be another long day travelling from Wellington to Abel Tasman so I hope there are some good people to talk to!