Emma's Adventures

Hello Every1 - Well what can i say about China! Simply amazing what a great country!!! Started my adventures in Beijing which is a buzzing metropolis!  Great sights from Olympic park, Summer Palace, forbidden city, took a rickshaw around the city to catch the old town of Beijing and the houtongs. Food SIMPLY DELICIOUS duck is a speciality in the area so definately a must try for anyone travelling over there!  The weather was freezing so a winter coat was a must purchase for this time of year, a big shock to the system from SE Asia anyways.  Next stop on the adventure was the great wall of China and it very much lives up to its name, stayed in a small township near the wall so i got to try some good home cooked food and local hospitality. Amazing. 

From the great wall i went to Xian which is also a city but no where near the size of Beijing, from here you can visit the Terracotta warriors one of the many wonders of the chinese world! However a little dissapointing for me as they are encased in akind of factory :( did not really give me the wow that i was expecting, however definately worthwhile a viewing if your in the area. A hightlight in Xian for me was a cycle ride i did on a tandem bike along Xian city wall which covers the entire central part of the city. Took a tandem for the first time. good chance to see the city and the sun was out in its glory on this day!!! Yipee  In Xian i also experienced my first Chinese Karaoke, fun fun, you go the supermarket pick up your booze and then lock you and your mates in a room and sing a way all night if you desire!!

In China transport is mostly done by buses and overnight trains and i experienced a lot of both, the overnight trains were basic but comfortable and reasonabally price and i would recommend doing these when you travel long distances. :) Buses are very much like SE Asia your not sure if you will make it to the end of the journey, nailbiteing is how i would describe it.  Be wary English is not widely spoken across most of mainland china so picking up a wee phrasebook is certainly worth it.

Shanghai was by far my favourite city in China, it has a great mix of European and Chinese culture and architecture which works really well :) All the people i came across where so friendly the French Concession is a definate must do and also if you are feeling like splashing out wisit the Cloud 9 bar to watch the sunset over the city sky line!! 

Yangshou was a very chilled out backbacker haven. When you are travelling through China, a definate stop if you have the time, you will be greeted by lots of awesome little bars and cafes and i must say it is a rock climbers dream!  i took a bike around the area which are cheap to hire and the best mode of transport if the weather is good some beautiful rice fields to ogle over.  Took a Chinese cooking class here to learnt how to make yummy dunplings which are a Chinese speciality which i ate on more than a few occasions :)  also managed to whip up some lovely Kong Po Chicken and some Aubergine with brown sauce which again is traditional chinese cuisine and all scrumptous!!

Longji Rice Terraces are breathtaking, unfortunately the rain did not stop for the entire time in Longji so was pretty hard to get a full view of this amazing district! But the villages are delightful and only a small trek away you really do get to experience the real China :)

Hong Kong - Huge city, must visit the Peak on the tram, has to be the steepest tram eva! Brillian skyline :)

Sorry folks have to run as at the airport and my flight has just been called!! Ciao for now speak to every1 again in India

Hi Every1

Well i am currently in Vietnam, enjoying the buzz of 10000's of motorbikes wizzing down the street as i write this, now i can see why SE Asia all ride motorbikes.  My story continued after leaving Thailand i headed onwards towards Cambodia :) Headed through the border at Poipet which was more like going through a road closure, as no bags were checked or health checks completed made it nice and quick and even gave the guard a passport control a little laugh by looking at my passport picture.   First stop on the list was Angkor (Siem reap) to visit the great buddhist temples, including the very temple Tomb Raider was filmed ( Ta Phrohm)!!!   Got a great start at 4.30am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat which i have to say is definately worth a visit if you get chance!!  Went up the Bayon temple for sunrise which was awesome if you could get through the thousands of other tourists visiting at the same time :(.   

Learnt some Cambodian history about the French Colonial period and about the Pol Pot regime which saddened me alot to learn that over 50% of the population of the country is 19 years and under due to the Khymer Rouge regime that Pol Pot started!! Definately worth visiting the killing fields at Phnom Penh if your heading through Cambodia thats for sure.  Great cheap shopping in Cambodia to there is the Russian Market in Phnon Penh thats worth a visit for sure :) Talk about small world when i was in Angkor Wat and then later in my trip in Sihanoukville i meet two Irish guys Paddy and Colin who i used to live with in the hostel in New Zealand,crazy right!! Had a good session with those guys at the lovely beach resort of Sihanoukville but beware of the mosquitos they are every where.  From there i headed over to Vietnam to where i currently write from my fist stop therre was at the border town of Chao Doc a small town where i got a chance to go on a motorbike tour up a mountain overlooking the town at sunset!! Also got a chance to see the floating villages on the Meekong River which was amazing to see i saw fish farms, homemade clothing and also pigs that were kept on a boat, really a sight to be seen with your own eyes, unbelievable. Was still a great experience even it was terrential rain for most of my days in Vietnam.

 I then made a swift move over to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) a huge cosmopolitan place with huge street markets and thousands of street sellers  i would say it was to be more or on par with Bangkok, but the sellers in Vietnam seem that lttle more desperate to make that sale to you.  Unfortunately Saigon seems to be rife with petty thieves as one of my friends had a bag snatched on the street and this appears to a common  occurence.  Highlights of Saigon has to be the Cu Chi tunnels that begun in the 1940's whic was used in the war in Vietnam between North and South the tunnels were used by the Viet Cong to control a large area just outside the city even had a veteran from the war take me around the sight giving his personal encounters of his time there.  Really an amzing but sad place. 

Now i am getting ready to head back to Bangkok where i will take my onward flight over to China first stop Ghanzou.  Until then....

Hello All

Since my last post i have travelled along the west coast of Malaysia which i have to say was awesome. Started my trip in Singapore and then went over to Melaka - There i saw lots of hindu temples, took my first trishaw ride! Eat some amazing food. From there i went on to Kuala Lumpar - I visited the Petronas tomwers which are now the highest twin towers in the world, went to an amazing bird park for the day which was fab, lots of cool pics to come. Visited the Batu Caves where i experienced my  first encounter with 100's of monkeys soo weird.  In Kuala Lumpar i experienced great night life at a regaee bar where i was driven around the city  and shown all the sights and had my drinks bought for me by a local bar owner!!!! Drinks are super expensive in Malaysia so was pleased.  From KL i then went on to Taping a cute little place a few hours north of KL, there i stayed with a malay family in Bukit Gantang at a homestay where i tried traditional malay food and experienced traditional malay hospitality :).   The family were super nice the entire time. From there i went visiting a Mangrove forest, i went to see how Charcoal is made at a local factory. Sampled some local fruits at a nearby orchard fruit tasting, yummy.  At the end of the homestay even experienced a mock malaysian wedding where my friend ruth got married! So we all wore the traditional muslim dress. Pics to follow.
From Taiping i took the bus and ferry over to the little island of Penang, what a great place probably my favourite spot in Malaysia that i visted, quaint streets, awesome china town area and i was there for Deepavali so got to try some awesome indian cuisine.  Had a great foot massage in Penang, my first one, now i know how tickly my feet really are!!!  Saw one of te biggest temples in SE Asia Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang whic hwas stunning again pics to follow.

From there i headed to the borders of Thailand and stayed in the border town of Nakorn Sri Thammarat - There  i watched one of the worlds most famous shadow puppet masters at work, which was a great cultural experience :) just amazing, would highly reommend.  From therer i jumped on a ferry to Koh Sumai :) unfortunately though i went in monsoon season so the island was flooded :( luckily the rain let off for a few hours and gave me the opportunity to go snorkelling in Kao Tao and Koh Nyungen, both beautiful islands.  I took advantage of the bad weather and treated myself to a spa treatment, and then i got stranded at the resort :) but hey it was 5 star it was awesome.   Got a glimse of a ladyboy show on the island!!! Brilliant is all i can say!!!!  Now i am awaiting my overnight train through to Bangkok...... until the next time xxxx

Hi All

Flew out of NZ this week not before taking a last little adventure of the North Island taking in the Bay of Islands - A really beautiful spot located north of Auckland.  Stayed in Paihia a beautiful wee town located right next to Waitangi :) Got to see the place where the treaty of Waitangi was signed between the british and the Kiwis!! a great cultural experience.  Squeezed in a wee trip to the Coramandel located east of Auckland again a lovely coastal township with a great coast line that i travelled along on the bus!! Stayed in the township in a small backpacker, where i took advantage of some amazing coastal walks and a great boat ride back to Auckland and the weather wasfor want of a better word lush.

Now i start my Asia adventure i have been in Singapore now for a couple of days, what a city its huge and very western languages spoken are Maly and mandarin and english is commonly spoken as you would expect. Walking along the street you can find M&S, topshop and a zillion other places where you can spend, spend, spend this is really a shoppers haven but not for my budget :(  Eating out on the other hand is sooo cheap spending around $3 singaporean dollars a day on food and you can try it all. Visited the older parts of the city Little India where there are lots of really cheap markets selling everything from fruit and veg to electronics and clothing.  China Town is cool too lots of great eateries to choose from.

Visited Sentosa island which is Singapore's equivalent to Disneyland, i returned to a 9 year old Emma running wild around the park visiting Underwater world and taking a ride on the luge and riding the skyride :) Oh yeah def worth a visit.  Took in a beautiful Sunset of the city at the Swissotel Stamford coutesy of some friends with local knowledge thanks Atik and Kamie you guys rock. 

The hotels here are amazing had to pop into Raffles not for a singapore sling at $28.00!!!! but to use the toilet!! but hey got a good luck around. Popped into the Marriott where Antony my old boss from Melbourne is now general manager, heading out for beers with him before i leave Singapore tomorrow night which will be nice. 

Next stop Malaysia........

Until Then Big Hugs to you all

Emma xx

Hello All

Well its been a while i know!!! Have been keeping my head down and working hard to save for my trip in Asia, not going too well at the moment however......  I celebrated turning of age last week :) which consisted of lots of free alcohol and awesome backpackers, great night had by all.

I handed my resignation into work yesterday and got a little sad as i will definately miss the place and all the people who work there, they have been simply great. Highly recommend anyone who comes to NZ to visit the M-Horn for drinks and dinner, awesome place, awesome people.

The hostel where i am living remains steady with an influx of people in and out all the time, only a few more weeks of shared dorms and then some freedom travelling here i come.

Received my passport back this week, alot fuller than last time i saw it, complete with Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese visas, how exciting :)

Posted a parcel home to the UK with my work suits enclosed and some paperwork that i will not need in Asia, its starting to hit me that i am coming nearer to the end of my OE trip which in fact makes me a little sad :( .  Don't get me wrong i will be happy to see my family and friends but sad to loose the freedom of travelling around when i want wherever i want.  I have however started to look into the possibility of gaining a Canadian working holiday visa for next year which would be amazing!! Fingers crossed i will have a chance.

Anyway will keep you posted on my travels around Asia very very soon.

Take Care every1 Emma xx

Hi All,

Been a while since last time we spoke, you'll be happy to hear i have found a great pool in the city called Freyburg where i have started  swimming a couple times a week!!!! Also found a cool rock wall where i can go climbing for some fun too. 

So i went to see the All Blacks play this week in the Tri Nations game against the Springboks, what a game! Superb :)  Was lucky enough to get a seat on the front row behind the goal due to booking the tickets two months in advance.

Managed to get in lots of action from the Football world cup, some good matches!!

Have also managed to sampled some awesome night life in the CBD of Wellington including San Francisco Bath House, Mighty Mighty and found a really cute old style Welsh pub where there are lots of regulars and friendly faces.

A sad week too as some of the hostel long termers are heading away to Hawaii, England and Austria we have all been living together for the last two months so i will be sad to see them leave :( but hey when i get to there countrys i will surely be paying a visit.

Got an India Lonely planet this week, so i can read up on all the whats hot and whats not places to visit for my big trip.

Will try to get some pics up soon for you all.......Hope all is well 

Em x

Hey Guys,

Well starting to get settled in Welly! Made a few friends in the hostel where i am staying which is nice, lots of South Americans, north americans, poms and frenchies :) so all good fun. The hostel big night out is Wednesday which is awesome as i have thursdays off work!! Perfect :)
I got the job at the M-horn in Wellington :) really nice bar/restaurant it won restaurant of the year in NZ two years ago and is again nominated this year :) scary times. The people working there are really cool though so i hope i will have a great time there.  We have a work party on Sunday night for a new bar that is opening on the wharf with free drinks and food which is a great start to a new job and a good way to get aquainted with everyone over a few sherbets.

Going to try and locate a cheap swimming pool in the city so i can try and get fit, i have bee nreally lazy since i arrived in Welly and lets just say my diet is not ideal!!!!

Well a quick post this time folks :) hope all is well.

Hello Every1

Since last time i spoke i visited Nelson a wonderful cute town :) at the top of the south island, unfortunately i had terrential rain for my long weekend there.   What the heck i made the most of it, hired a car and drove to the most northern point on the south island to Cape Farewell and visited an amazing beach called Wharariki Beach, and was lucky and watched the baby seals play in the ocean :).  Stopped at Waikoropupu (Pu Pu Springs) australasias largest springs and the the worlds clearest fresh water amazing.  Stopped off at a very famous pub called the Mussell in where they brew all there own beers so i sampled  the Golden Goose Larger and the Freckled Frog Fejoia Cider yummy :) definate worth a visit if anyone is ever heading that way.

The whole way along the drive on the Abel Tasman was awesome especially the Golden Bay area very very pretty even with alot of rain. Did a small walk in Kaiteriteri and also on the farewell spit.

Such a small world i met Evan and Shannon a couple of couchsurfers i met in CHCH in January overin Nelson in the visitors centre was really nice to see them again they travelled around the islands on there bikes :)

Met a really nice group of people in the Abel Tasman - Terry ( American) Rachel (English) Vicky and Rick ( Scottish) we took a car together and did some exploring of the park had a great time and i got them all into playing Monopoly deal ( they even went and bought a packet) awesome!!!!!

So after leaving the Abel Tasman i headed on the ferry over to Wellington :) what a great city :) i was lucky enough to have 3 job interviews on my second day i arrived and was offered two of them to which i have excepted. One at the M-horn in the city a really cool, trendy bar and restaurant and one at a luxury 5* hotel with just 13 bedrooms working on reception and in F&B : ). Went to a couchsurfing meeting in the city a few nights ago which was great got to meet some of the local couchsurfers and enjoy some stories etc:) Then headed out into the Wellington night life and enjoyed a wonderful night out at $4.00 drinks, pulled a very nice english chef on the night which made my arrival to Wellington even better :)  I talk about small world again but i walked into a bar in wellington and there in the bar is Justin a guy i worked with 8 years ago in Scotland i think he was just as shocked to see me as i was to see him, good times.

I am currently staying at the Wellywood Backpackers in the city and this is where i have decided i will stay until i leave Wellington, it works out to be cheaper than a flat and alot more convenient for work etc.

Have  a couple of pics of my arrival, will try to get more up soon.

Take Care Folks :)

Hi All

Well finally leaving.........

Heading on a bus (intercity) courtesy of Cesar the French guy who i met in Karijini in Oz, he left the country and gave me the rest of his bus pass hours around 8 in total,  that will get me over to Blenheim and then on to Nelson where i will meet my couchsurfer and hopefully sail over to the Abel Tasman on his yacht. :).  I have booked one night at a backpacker in Nelson before i board a bus and then head onwards towards Picton and then on to Wellington on the ferry crossing.  In Wellington i am hoping to stay with some more CSers until i find work in the city. Ben my agent who got me the job in CHCH reckons he has lined up some interviews in Wellington at some rather nice places watch this space will let you know :) Flat hunting will be fun looking for another share, but i am going to be a little more picky this time around and check out the flatties before excepting :)

Hey Every1!

Well i have finally decided that i will move to the North Island without a job or a place to stay as otherwise i will end up staying in CHCH the entire year until October comes around. I will be sad to leave the S Island as i have had lots of fun here and met some wonderful people, and the scenery woo hoo stunning mountains and lakes, natural beauty is awesome :)  However i am excited for a new adventure and a new challenge over in the North Island, i understand there is alot more of maori culture there too :)

I will be leaving the hotel where i have been working in the next couple of weeks for a trip up the coast to Kaikoura, over to Nelson, Abel Tasman, Picton, Golden Bay and then head on the boat over to the North Island :) From there i will visit the Tongariro crossing and head towards Wellington :). In Wellington i will try and find a job to keep me going until i leave for Asia, however if jobs aren't looking promising i will work my way up to Rotaroua and onwards and upwards towards Auckland i would like to make sure i go to the Coramandel and would like to spend a weekend on Great Barrier Island if i can, i hear the natural beauty on the island is intense :)
Auckland will be the other work option if Wellington does not work :) 

This morning i went to the ANZAC day dawn parade this is a day that Australians and Kiwis remember those men and women who faught for there country 95 years ago in Gallipoli at dawn :) a very emotional service and good to listen to.

Had an amazing week in NZ this week, managed to grab a weeks leave from the hotel and headed out on my freebie bus ticket that i won when i arrived in Christchurch :) Kiwi Experience - i know but what fun i had though!!! Travelled with an awesome group of Swedish, German, French and American peeps what wonderful fun we all had :) Thanks Guys

Started the adventure in Westport, which i have to say was nothing special a small town with nothing much around :( same for Greymouth.....however......

Quickly moved down the coast to the glorious destinations of the Pancake Rocks - Punakaiki where i watched seals swimming, beautiful rock formations and awesome coast lines :) Lake Manihipu awesome lake and water sports :) Frans Josef - wonderful glacier experience and superb walking treks around this area. Really lucky with the weather too, great hostel have to say i loved FJ and would highly recommend as a must see destination while in NZ :) Headed through the Haast pass through to Wanaka, great little town where skydiving is a common activity and a must do while in NZ!!!

Queenstown is a superb town which is on the list to return to before i leave NZ, stunning beuaty with the lake and the Remarkables (mountain range in the southern alps). Great party town also, plenty of good bars and restaurants. Awesome trek called the Ben Lomand trek gives you 360 views over Queenstown awesome!!!!

As a group we spent plenty of time partying in the different bars along the west coast including a fancy dress party, bar crawl, vertical bungy and much much more.   On the bus we had an official trip song by Ddub a kiwi band and the name of the track is Hesitate No defiantely worth a listen if you have not heard them before :)

This trip has really got me in the travel mood :)  and gets me more and more excited about my trip in Asia :))

Other news - Heard from my agent when i was on my trip and he told me about a vacancy at the treetops resort in Rotorua voted in the top three hotels in NZ, if i able to grab this job i may have a chance of live in accomodation at the resort which would be amazing, so keeping my fingers crossed :)

Had another busy week in CHCH had a canadian traveller who i met in Oz stay with me. I met Bree in Melbourne back in October last year. She had a couple of friends with her Casper from Holland and Kane from Scotland :) had a good week eating some home cooked food from Bree yummy tortillas they stayed for a week :) I love having fellow travellers over, but then i always get a strong desire to start travelling again and take a break from work :)

Celebrated St Patricks day with a big night out at Micky Finns Irish bar with some work friends and a couple of Couch Surfers :)

Had another week unicycling and juggling at the University which was good fun, actually managed to ride alone on the unicycle about half way across the hall which i was sooooo happy about.

We have a new flatmate arriving in the next couple of days so will be excited to see how that goes i believe his name is Musab?? from ??

Will keep you posted on how that one goes :)

Had a great week in Christchurch this week. Had Cesar the french backpacker i met in WA and his girlfriend Pam come to stay with me, we had a fun couple of days in Christchurch including a night out unicycling and a night at the Chinese Lantern Festival. We also had a fab night out in Christchurch where i met Dan Carter who plays for the All Blacks New Zealand rugby team.  Spent a day in Lytlleton with the guys and a fellow couch surfer Thomas. We walked the Bridal Path to the cit which had some awesome views.

Had a Korean/Japanese banquet cooked at the flat this week which was great cooked by one of the Japanese chefs. 

The International Flower Show is in Christchurch this week but unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worst and the rain hasn't stopped pouring the last couple of days. :(

Paid some more money on my asia trip today which leaves me with just $600.00 left to pay which is awesome!! Sooooo excited :) 

The hottest week in Christchurch this week, with an average of 30degrees every day :) Visited Taylors Mistake with a few friends from work and a couple of flatmates to enjoy the beach.  Went cycling to some nice cycle tracks around Christchurch which was great. Also enjoyed lots of summer beverages including a house party in a mansion house with 16 rooms! It was massive :) lots of tequila, wine and party games :) 

Eriko our last Japanese flatmate leaves the house next week so again we will have a spot for a lucky girl/guy to enjoy 464 Manchester Street. :)  Still trying to get a long weekend out of work to go to the Caitlins/ Dunedin/Invarcargill areas.

Mapped out some of my trip through Malaysia and have decided i will take most of my trip by train through the country as it seems the safest and quickest method of seeing all the good places around. I will try to do some couchsurfing around the area as well as stay at some backpackers :) 

Still working hard at the hotel with the international flower festival starting at the beginning of March we will be full full full, so the shifts will keep coming for the next few weeks :)

Hello All,

Finished the amazing novel known as Shantaram a few days ago and it was fab fab fab!!  Makes me even more excited to go to India than i already was and that was difficult.

Have found the 7th flatmate in the form of Meredith a local from Christchurch who is studying teaching at a local university. It would seem the dynamics in our house are getting better, went out for a few beers together on Saturday night which was refreshing to have the bulk of the house out together :)

Went to see a local rugby game this week Crusaders v Highlanders! Was good to see another game of rugby and to experience the local tradiitions such as horses coming on to the pitch before the game as mascots, random!!!

Paid more money to my travel agents  for some more of my travel in Asia so nearly completed with the travel expenses for my 3 month vacation. Yipeee

Have been out for coffee with a variety of differentcouch surfers this week which has been fun to meet with new people, not hosting people for the moment as one of my flatmates is a little grouchy about people staying over so giving him a break for the next couple of days at least.

Visisted Willowbank on a freebie trip which was cool, got to see the Hakka traditional Maori dance being performed along with watching the native Kiwi bird do its thing! They are soooooo cute but they make a really funny sound :) But definately worth a watch if you ever get the opportunity.

reckon the kiwi summer is nearly over :( bring on Asia :)

This week i feel all i have been doing is eating!! :) Probably one of the busiest weeks i have had in NZ since i arrived. Went to the biggest BBQ i have ever seen, in honour of John one of the chefs at the George who is leaving us!! :( We had every type of meat you can imagine with prawns, green lip mussels, every type of salad you could wish for. Just simply amazing!!

Sampled some of the local music at a festival known as Sounday here in Christchurch located in Hagley Park!! Some great acts performed including the Phoneix Foundation well worth a listen :)  Enjoyed a picnic consisting of brie, crakcers, tomato and advocado perfect!!!

Also had the opportunity to stay the George my place of work, 5* city centre hotel. Got a free nights stay with dinner in Pescatore our fine dining restaurant, got my flatmate Christian to join me at dinner where we eat 5 courses of delicious food i ate: Salmon Salad to start, followed by venison carpaccio, red snapper, raspberry souffle, followed by valhrona choc fondant an absolute delight really yummy thanks to Tom :)
also had brekkie the following morning consisting of a hearty serve of porridge and an omelette with the lot!! 

Found what i believe to be the best wee cafe in Christchurch so far which is C1 expresso awesome brekkie and good value tea at least 4 cups from the pot!! woop woop.  A girl at work Janafer formerly from NYC created  an awesome website which uncovers some of christchurches underground/alternative scene you should check it out. http://www.localvanguard.com/

Enjoyed the International Buskers festival in Christchurch this week where i went to two nights of stand up comedy and numerous street performances!! Christchurch was buzzing with travellers this week from all over the globe here to enjoy the busker shows. A really nice vibe around the city which i really loved.

Got some free cinema tickets from work so went to see Sherlock Holmes and Avator over the last few days, both good movies and would recommend either to watch on a rainy day.

Flat BBQ again this week probably Thursday or Friday this week which will be nice, we are still however waiting on the 7th housemate to move in, would appear that the room may be a little expensive for some people so the room remains vacant.

p.s reading an awesome book at the moment, a recommendation before i head to India! Shantaram is the title and i would highly suggest this for a read an outstanding story of a wanted man from Australia on the run, a story about his experiences of freedom in  Bombay, India described as a masterpiece a thing of exceptional beauty totally agree

After receiving my suoerannuation pay out from the Australian governement! I booked my travel back to Europe!

The plan is something like this Auckland to Singapore and then overland through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam. Fly out from Bangkok to Beijing and then join a tour group with Intrepid to travel trough China to Hong Kong. Flying from Hong Kong to Delhi and then join a tour group from Delhi towards Mumbai. Allowing 3 months of travel ahead which will be super! Trying desperately to save some money for the rest of my travels as this will not be a cheap adventure i am planning.

Will start looking at the work options in Auckland that i could possibly do to earn quick cash.

Christian is our newest addition to 464 Manchester Street a graduate from outside Zurich and what turns out to be a good cook and a good conversationalist. I am enjoying having someone else around the house and i am waiting anxiously to see who our new flatmate will be joining the team.

Received an e-mail from the Canadian guy i hooked up with a few months ago which was nice was not expecting much contact with him so a pleasent suprise.

Met up with a couple of couchsurfers for coffee this week which was awesome they were from Ohio and Spain had a great day with them at the International Buskers Festival here in Christchurch and we checked out the late night comedy acts which were awesome. The festival runs throughout the next two weeks and is definately worth a visit.

Spent 4 fabulous days travelling around Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook National Park and what a wonderful time i had! Enjoyed tramping around both areas, when the sun was out and the clouds moved away to reveal Mt Cook in all its glory it was magnifique!

Was lucky enough to get industry discounts on a jet boat ride around lake tasman amongst all the icebergs and to actually get a close look at the glacier face which i must say was AWESOME!  Went on an argo for the first time in my like, it has eight wheels and the kiwis imported them from Canada! Bascially these things move on any kind of terrain you but them on! Even got to drive it which was sooo much fun! 

Walks i did: Glencoe River, Governers Bush, Hooker Valley, Red Tarns (my favourite), Mt John, half was up Mt Sebastapol, tasman lake, views from all were fab!

Mt Cook - Aroaki (which means cloud piercer in Maori) measures 3754 in height and was phenomenal to view! To get any where near this mountain you have to be an experienced climber i had the pleasure of talking to a couple of guys from Canada who attempted the peak on the same day i was there but had to return due to heavy snow. They stayed in the mountain hut for 6 days waiting for the weather to improve! thats determination right there!!!

I spent a couple of nights at the YHA in Tekapo and Mt Cook and it was better than i expected with a free sauna, fully equipped facilities including a guitar and a piano!  A real mixed crowd at the hostel and got chatting to some swiss, german, canadian, english, korean, and brazilian peeps! A couple of which will come and stay with me in Christchurch when they pass through :) couchsurfing.

Was really impressed i got to see a Thar on the mountains which is a Himalayan Mountain Goat and also Alpine Lillies which are only found in a few places in NZ!!

I would highly recommend this trip to everyone! But make sure you check out the weather before you visit as this could make or break the trip.