Before you read this have you checked out my sky diving pics?? there in the last entry!!
anyway we took the ferry across to picton early on sunday morning to begin our travel through the south. First stop Abel tasmin. Now i know that i've been saying that everything has been absolutely beautiful but this seriously was the most breath taking place i've been to so far.

At abel Tasmin maria and i took a aqua taxi to a seal colony and from there a 4 hour trek, stoping at the beaches on the way. This was one of the views i got which i thought you could only see in bronchures etc.


One of the beaches we stopped at we obviously didn't read the guide to well- sand fly bay- and guess what we got eaten alive!!

we stayed at the old mcdonalds for a few nights wish i could stay for weeks!! dispite the fact that our room was no more than a shed it was the best few nights sleep for a while. here's our shed and the view from our room.

However my best stop off so far was definately still to come and i wouldn't of thought it would be in the hidden away town of Barry town.

The drive was amazing, with views of the dramatic coastline of the 'wild' west coast. Aparently we were really lucky because the coastline is called the wild west beacuse the weather can be very stormy, however we were able to stop off on the way and watch the sunset in beautiful sunshine.

Anway we arrive at barry town (population around 20??!!) at about 7 that evening. Our hostel was also the local pub, had a roast dinner!!! beats beans on toast anyday!!. At Barry town is recommended to go knife making which is held at a local couples' house. I was umming and arring about it, but i'm so glad i did. Steve the knife maker is such a character, it was a really funny day. Steve basically takes you though the stages of knife making which he's calls Miracles. You start of which this shuddy bit of steal, here's me in action View image and finishes which these very impressive knifes (if i do say so myself). View image The 4th miracle is a taste (or maybe 3/4 drinks) of steves home brew White lightening- and no it's not that scummy cider that 15 year olds sit around parks drinking. It's a spirit of 97%, watered down for us however!! I also had a go at playing a diderido (i don't think that's spelt right!) except on a vacuum cleaner! Here's a pic of my knife making crew- which aparently is going to be used for the brochure!!!

That evening i got speaking to the locals Shaun, Erin, Grahame and Heith and i was promised that if i stayed longer that they would take me in a plane, go jet boating etc , etc. I was unsure whether this would all happen but thought i'd stay anyway. I'm so glad i did, i don't think you would believe me if i told you about the day i had. hence i took pictures!! well they all kept to their promises, Early sunday morning i was taken up on a mircolight by erin and flow around the wild west coast and above barry town. For those who don't know what i mircolight looks like i took this picture.

I'd never seen a one before it was so small couldn't quite believe it could fly. We flew around for about 10 mins, this is a picture of barry town from the air
how tiny !!!! We swooped down and flew by the beach too.

And that was just the start of the day!!! When i got back i was the taken to the beach on a beach bugggie by grahem got absolutely covered in sand doing handbrake style turns great fun!! View image Then straight on the back of a motor bike and driven to the nearest town about 15 minutes away driving by the dramatic coast line- what i rush!!!

When i got back shaun and his family had made me lunch, and not long after that had settled i was driven to local river and went jet boating and fishing. At one point i wasn't holding on properly and got literally thrown around the boat (much to the amusement of shaun!). View image

Again you'd think i'd had enough excitement for one day however it still didn't end there! After a home cooked dinner we went shooting for possom's. Yes i know most of you are thinking how could you, but possom's are actually pests in new zealand as they destroy the bush here, new zealanders actually get paid to kill them. I was a little hestitant at first but then i though that if you can eat meat of an animal then you should be able to kill an animal. Anyway so we went out that evening with a 22 automatic gun. oh my god i'd never fired a gun before!!!! Possom's come out in the evening, so you shine a spotlight into the bush and you can see their red eyes! aim and shoot!!! First shoot right on target. I'd also borrowed one of shauns' army jackets, GI jane in the making!! Would you ever of thought i'd be able to do that! i ended up shooting 5 possoms. As i said i wanted to have proof that i'd done all these things, orginally wanting a picture of just me and the gun, however shaun insisted in taking a photo of me holding my catch- all my god i didn't like that i you can see in the photo!! for those who are veggies i,m sorry don;t open the link!! View image

That that was the end of my crazy adrenalin filled sunday, most mad experience of my life and all for free. We worked out that i did 7 'firsts' in one day:
1. flew in a mircolight
2. Driven in a beach buggie
3. Riden on the back of a motorbike
4. Jet boating
5. Fishing (however i didn't catch anything!!)
6. held and fired a gun
7. Shot and killed an animal

All this for free, however i did by the family a big bottle of gin, i don't think money could of paid for the day i had- Heres to Barry town ( the most happening little village in new zealand) and shaun's and his families outback experience. Thankyou so much!!

When i met up with maria (as she didn't do knife making) in Franz Josef i couldn't quite describe the day i had, so glad i had a digital camera!! Anyway i travelled down to franz josef early morning first stoping off at the magnificant views of the pancakes rocks as the sun rose (they are called that because of the layers etc.)

Anyway off to franz joez, home of the franz joez glacier. Apparently it is the most unique glacier in the world mainly because it's surrounded my rain forest. Trees and ice don't usually go well together? however because of the bizarre varied weather conditions which i won't go in to!, new zealand hosts this magnificant site. Which some how we were climbing the next day so early night for me!!

We were up at 6 the next morning, a litte bit apprehensive about the climb because i'd seen Maria and some other people on the stray bus that did the glacier hike the day before and they had a real tough time due to adverse weather conditions. But as jammy as i had been other the last few days, the sky was totally clear, bright sun shine! I could see right to the top of the mounatins from just outside our hostel!

After we were kitted out we were driven to the base of the glacier. I couldn't beleive that we were even going to attempt to climb it! We were given these special spikes to grip the ice and a ice pick and off we set. The guides basically hacked steps (if you could call them that!!!) and you had to stamp you feet down to grip into the ice. At some points it was quite hairy with shere drops either sides of you. I couldn't of imagined what it was like for maria the day before. The hard work paid off the sites were incredible, at some points were climbing through little crevis' and the ice was bright blue! we started the climb at about 8 that that morning at got back ready to get back on the bus at about 4, absolultey shattered!!!

We stopped off over night at a place called haast, on the way to Queenstown, was really looking forward to getting there as i'd geard it's adrenilin capital!! and i have to say it certainly was!

OUr first night maria and i decided to treat oursides to a good meal or should i say large meal, all you can eat pizza hut with the icecream factory!! umm but we both eat far to much and ended up feelin very sick!

Our first exciting activity was white water rafting, which i was quite relaxed about, should be good fun. However on the way to the river to get kitted up with all the right equipment, our guide i think though it would be funny to scare us with comments like 'some people haven't come back form white water rafting', and what to do if the raft tips up and you fall out. Maria was quite shocked as it was the most scared she'd ever seen me. I think it was the thought of falling into the icey cold water on a cold day, and the chances of meeting a few rocks were quite high. Dispite all the scary stories it wasn't that 'rapid' all of the time and just good fun with a few occasions were i thought i was going in!!

Of course you can't go to new zealand and go through queenstown without doing a bungy jump, it's just wrong!! So i thought i'd just do the Kawarua bridge, 43 metres high over the Kawarua river (the river featured in lord of the rings). It's the world's first bungy site. I have to say it looked alot higher when your shuffling yourself to the edge cos your feet are tied up. Maria went first (i thought if she see me even slightly hestitate she wouldn't do it). So i watched as a very nervous (but very brave) Maria shuffled herself to the edge and one point looking back at me shouting Nicky! Nicky! i can't do it!! I'm not sure waht i was going to so but a few words of encouragement and a little shove (only kidding) she leapt off and on the count of 3!! I was desperately trying to see if Marai was ok as you will see on my dvd and all was good with Maria- looks like she enjoyed it. So my turn- and really once your off that legde then it's all enjoyable, i would say it's much scarier than sky diving, beacuase you have to chuck your self off and you can see the ground rushing towards you. But what i feeling- i liked it so much!! i went and booked the thrillogy- my second jump being that day!!

The secong jump was the ledge, to get there you have to take a gondala 400m above queenstown, and we we had a bit of time to kill so we went luging (go kart type thing) which was wuite good fun, especailly doing it 400m above wueentown the views were amazing. Anyway i think i was on a high from the jump that morning because i wasn't that nervous this time and actually asked to do summersults! this time you were only attached at the waist and to do summersults you had to hold the cord out to the side and use it as a pivot. This jump you also had a run up to throw yourself out. No problem!! i was actually suprised when i bounced back up i thought it was going to be longer but the jump was only 4metres higher than the bridge.

All that was left of my thrillogy was the nervis. New zealands highest land based bungy- a massive 134m (three times as big as the brigde). People have told me that if you do one bungy then it's just the same as any. well you are so wrong!! The nervis was completely different!! You have to wear a harnis even to watch.

I booked to do it the same time as Jesper - i needed someone else i knew doing it, and we also has our supporters Anni (jespers girlfriend) and Maria. You take this long drive that seems to keep going up and up until you reach this gorge. The legde is actually situated on a kind of cable cart the the middle of the gorge and you have to be harnessed to a cable car with a (seethrought bottom!) to even get there. The cable cart itself is slightly swinging and you have to wait you r turn, all in weight order, i was about 4th from last out of about 10 people- prelonging the nerves even longer- one girl was even in tears but came back all smiles- phew. Jesper was before me and he came back saying it was an amazing feeling so that was a bit of a relief.

My turn was up- oh my god the jumps that i did yesterday couldn't prepare me for this. My plan to be all cocky and smily on my video went out the window.
if your wondering what the sweet as signs are on my hands- it's because kiwi's say this after nearly every sentance!

Can you see my supergirl pose!!!

For those of you back home or those i'll hopefully meet up wih in oz you can check out the DVD it's really funny.