I was really excited to be leaving Wellington and then when the time came I felt rather sad. The lovely people at Meridian Energy gave me a good-bye morning tea with danishes and scones, it was so sweet of them considering I was just a temp!!

A coupld of nights before I left Brenda, the receptionist invited me out for dinner. She picked me up and took me on a nickle and dime tour of wellington first. We drove by Peter Jackson's house and it's just as modest as you can imagine. It's sitting on an amazing location overlooking the water, but when we drove by they had drying racks set up in the living room, and kids drawings on the walls. They seem like really cool down-to-earth people. We had a lovely dinner and watched The Apprentice at her place. She is such a lovely lady.

Friday night I met up with Angelique and we hit the town for our last night in Wellington with some other friends. We then took the three- hour ferry over to picton on the follwing Saturday, which wasn't a rough trip by NZ standards but I still had to take a gravol for good measure. That night we stayed in Picton which was lovley and the next day Angelique and I were off to Able Tasman National Park.

Two days into our adventure, that we planned together might I add, she met a bloke and took up with him, deciding to travel on his schedule instead of ours. Meaning that once again I was left to my own devices for the most part. I was very impressed as you can imagine, and of course if you know me, I told her so.

The South Island was really lovely and very remote. I didn't have cell capabilities for 90% of the time I was there and stayed in some dumps in some really small towns as there was no choice but to do so.

Went through Barrytown, had a party in our room at the hostel, then headed to Franz Joseph Glacier where I went Kayaking on the Mirror Lake, which was really really cool.

Left there to head straight to Queenstown which was LOVELY, I'd have to say my favourite NZ city right up there with Napier. Stayed there for 5 days and we had remarkable weather, went mountain biking and hiking. When I say we I refer to people I met along the way. Queenstown reminds me of a skiing town, say Whistler but less perfect and less man-made. It's a lot more quaint, way more personality and set right on the water, with the Remarkables as their backdrop. The Remarkables make up this incredible mountain range. It's just captivating you can't stop staring at them.

Left Queenstown for Milford Sound which isn't a sound at all but sounds better than Milford Fjord I guess. After that I took the ferry to Stewart Island which really reminded me of the Aran Islands in Ireland - kind of small town feeling. We then took a water taxi over to a bird sanctuary on Ulva Island. We only saw 4 different types of birds but it was a fun day.

After that, off to Dunedin. Kind of an uninteresting University town. But I met up with another Canadian girl and two german girls who are FABULOUS and we had a ball together staying in this hostel/hotel that could have been straight out of The Shining.

Finally got to Christchurch and it is really lovely here but I am SO EXCITED to be flying to Australia. I could have done the South Isand in around 16 days instead of 21 but whatever. I fly to Melbourne on Mon Feb 7, via Sydney, arriving in the early afternoon. I've already closed out my Kiwi bank account, ordered some Aussie cash and travellers cheques. I got my flight from Sydney to Melbourne for a song - $87 AUS through a seat sale on Jet Star. I've decided that I will travel through Australia first to see if I like it or not. I kinda wish I had done this with New Zealand so I will try it this way this time around.

From Melbourne I think I will do the East coast of Oz, Cairns to Brisbane and everything of interest in between. Then shoot back to Melbourne to meet up with the German girls and do the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adeliade then up to Alice Springs and the Ayres Rock, then to Darwin, fly to Sydney and re-assess whether I want to work in Oz or head home. Since Matthew's project got extended he won't be able to come out here in April and I don't think I can do without him until July or August... :)

Talk to you all in Australia!!