1. clear blue sea
2. white sand
3. coral
4.snorkelling
5. relaxing
6. bula singing/dancing. Hellos. Goodbyes
7. Kayaking
8. MSG laced pasta/veg/super noodles
9. drums
10. SUN

We keep you posted on our fijian adventure xoxo

Fi and I decided our bank balances were not looking to flush, so we decided to create a “free day” in auckland. This consisted of:

A. An hour and an half walk to the muesum (up several steep hills) to see a maori show – however on arrival, we found the show cost $25 so decided against it. However the muesum was free, although there was a voluntary $10 donation – we read the words “voluntary” and “donation” and translated them to mean free. So off we went but within 2 minutes security had caught with us and asked to go back to the ticket office (so the voluntary dontation actually meant required payment). So we opted to explore the muesum shop instead!

B. Secondly we discovered the botanic gardens – who knew that a greenhouse filled with plants could be so much fun when you have a camera!!!!

C. We found a real fernery!!!! A real piece of NZ culture lol!

D. we walked around “lovers walk” and finally came to rest at the duck pond – how romantic – and also we noted that ducks are definately overfed here, we now understand where the waddle orginated from!

E. We once again walked an hour half back all the way round the city to the habour side and explored. We did later discover that this hour and an half walk was needless and we could of simply cut across the city centre as opposed to walking the whole way round!!!!

So that was the beginning of our free day. In evening we managed to crash a uni student halls party (not intentionally and we were invited in a roundabouts way, we were told it was our friends flat????) and sip free sangria, only to do a runner later when we couldn’t handle another awkie convo! The last we heard of the hosts was “that not the way to the toilet”.

After we headed back to Globe Bar – the bar at our hostel (Base Auckland – where we managed to get a bargain room, a 4 bed dorm for only $19 – however WINDOWS ARE NOT INCLUDED)!

On Saturday, a friend we had met in Vietnam had organised us a day out, as he was from here. This consisted of seeing our first Rugby match. The team we were supporting was the Air Forces very own team and the other side was slightly rounder local team! The match was great and a good laugh but tres cold and rainy!

After we headed back to the air force base where we somehow stumble upon a free bar and free food – AMAZING!!! So we sipped champagne and tasted fine NZ Lamb. After we boarded the party bus into town and check out the local bars!

Yesterday we decided to enquire in the theatre how much it would cost to see Grease on stage. There was an hour to the performance and as we had students cards we were able to get cheap tickets – so we managed to get seats 6 rows from the front in the centre for $25 when normally those seats cost $120 – so if you are looking for something to do, just pop along to the theatre with your student card an hour before the show begins! The show itself was Awesome!!!

Today we explored the city shops and our just planning our evening! But we will keep you posted on our antics xoxoxo

Christchurch was interesting t o say the least – we opted to stay at Base which is centrally located opposite the Cathedral. You are able to get a 4 bed dorm with your own en suite for only $27. Although the hostel itself is a little dated, it is spacious and cosy!

We arrived mid afternoon so decided to explore the town. The town itself resembled a northern city in England and although there were some quirky vintage shops and some interesting bars, restaurants and coffee shops – it was largely filled with subways and MacDonalds and very few people (but lots of kids having dramas on the street corners)! There was a weird vibe to the city, as if everyone had deserted it and it use to be an happening place but has been forgotten now!

We headed back to the hostel and decided to head back out for a bite to eat at 9.30pm but our trip was unsuccessful – every where was shut – it really was a ghost town!

The next morning, we ventured down to the botanic gardens – it was much prettier here and you could see the charm of the city appearing. Around the botanic gardens there is also an art gallery and museum to explore.

In the evening we took our next plane to Wellington – where we were staying with Charlie’s Aunt.

The next day we planned a day walking around Wellington, however we woke to pouring rain, which just got worse and worse. So instead we had a laundry day and watch the Swedish film version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – definitely recommend it, if you have read the books, especially as they are soon making a Hollywood version, so it was good to see the original.

At night we hit the town – we first headed out to the library which is actually an old library, your bill comes in a book, you can take books off the shelf and there is even a bath in one corner. However now they serve up classy but cheap cocktails as opposed to a novel! After we headed on to Mish mosh and then ended up at the Base Club. Wellington has some really cool and funky bars so a night out on the town is recommended.

However at 3am we decided it was time to go home – but where was home????? We had forgotten where we lived!?

Luckily we were able to get access to the internet, and we desperately googled mapped the whole of Wellington until we recognized a street name and then double checked it was the right place by getting a satellite picture of it – LUCKY!

Well today we are hopefully going to check out wellington by the day xoxox

We opted to stay in the Nomads hostel in the Queenstown – it is brand new and as far as hostels goes is pretty good – clean, modern and has a sauna, ensuite dorms and cosy fire places! A six bed dorm will set you back $32 a night!

We have quickly discovered there are two thinks to do in Queenstown – adrendaline activites or partying. And there are two type of travellers – The rich, who cannot understand why you cannot afford to ski, bungee, skydive everyday and the poor at the end of their travels who you can hear discussing how many times they have wondered around the town centre and looked in that shop! Even a butcher shop can become interesting lol!!!!

So after our action filled week in Queenstown we swapped the action in for a week of chilling and checking out the night life!

We quickly learned World bar was the place to go if you stay at Nomads, as they offer all guests cheaper drinks. The bar itself is quirky and offers drinks in teapots which you pour out into shot glasses – oooo how very english!!!!!

On friday we opted to do the $30 bar crawl which included entry into the minus 5 bar which is the absolut vodka ice bar! We quickly learnt that the crawl wasn’t that organised and you could of easily got away without paying for it – so if you stay at nomads – just tag along and don’t pay, you get 5 free shots and entry into the ice bar which itself is worth $31!!! The bars you go to are all quirky and its worth doing just to see what is about town. The ice bar is really cool and you get to sport a pair of uggs and a floor length bomber jacket inside and sip your drinks out of ice glasses!

There is also alot of walks around queenstown which are worth exploring if you are looking for something cheap to do – the walks around the lake is mostly flat if hills are not your things or you can climb the surrounding mountains and there are some great mountains bikes routes and parks up there too! Also on the lake you can play frisbee golf – replacing the golf ball and club with a frisbee!!!! Or if it raining there is also a cinema and hundreds of cute cafes around!!!!!

We are off to Christchurch in the morning for a night – we have opted to fly as we were able to pick up cheap flights (20pounds with jetstar) so it was cheaper then the bus!!! well we will keep you posted xoxox
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We have been staying in Queenstown at Charlie’s auntie house and have experienced the other side of life. The chalet was amazing and was at the bottom of the valley so you were surrounded by mountains and basically the most breathtaking views we had seen for a while.

Queenstowns and the surrounding area itself is an adventure playground. There is so much to do here from skiing to mountain biking to bungees, sky dives and quad bike adventures.

The first day we explored the really cute town of Arrowtown – it was something out of an 1900s movie set – looking exactly like a gold mining village a 100 years ago. In the summer you can go gold-panning and you are guranteed to find a lump of gold (which would be much needed now).

The next day we went skiing on Coronet – the view were stunning and the runs were suitable for all levels. We hired ski equipment and a half day ski pass for $100 nzd which is roughly 50 pounds! There were a few falls but nothing major. However around 4pm the winds picked up to 90kph and we were literally blown off the mountain – I even managed to ski uphill! So we were forced to leave and retreat to the hot tub back at the chalet!

The next day we went on a wine tasting tour. We drove around 5 different winehouses and tasted a selection of different wines – in one we were even treated to an 20 minute video which featured some amazing acting! Fi is now a pro red wine conisseur and I could recommend a few good whites! We also stopped by the the first commerical bungee in New Zealand and watched a few people jump – although due to the lack of funds and the cold weather we decided not to do it ourselves (or that is what we say!!!). The bungee itself was set over an amzing blue river and the setting was spectacular – I would defiantely recommend doing it here if its your first time!

Yesterday we headed up the gondala in queenstown and went luging for $30. The views from the top are amazing – I don’t think any of us were prepared for how pretty NZ was going to be!!!! Luging was great fun too!

In the afternoon I went for a long bike ride – there are plently of running , walking and cycle routes around and it is amazing way to see the stunning countryside (and very cheap)!

Today we have been brought back to reality and have booked into NOMADS hostel in Queenstown for the weekend – so we keep you posted on our latest antics xxxxxx

So what were are final thoughts of Oz?

1. It is expensive – accomodation starts from at $20 for a large dorm and4 bed dorms will set you back about $30. In the summer these prices will inflate and camping is no cheaper – you can pay $70 a night for a pitch!

2. Be prepared to drink GOON and a lot of it – alcohol is expensive, even beers but goon is dirt cheap!

3. Look around before you book your trips – don’t do it in sydney you are liekly to get a better deal as you go up the coast and plus you can ask people what they have paid to insure you get the best deal.

4. The greyhound pass was an awesome investment and easy to use.

5. If you want to fly book your flights well in advance!

6. Beware the shops are good – so steer clear if you are on a budget. lol!!!!

LEAVING OZ!

Our flight was from Brisbane so after 26 hours of being homeless we checked into Banana Bender Backpackers in Brisbane at 9am – we had pre-booked a 3 bed dorm for $30, knowing we would have not slept in a while. From the airport we got a taxi which between us cost $40 which was cheaper then 3 bus tickets ($45).

Bananas claimed to be the “friendliness hostel in Brisbane” and we quickly found this to be true – the owner even put a keep quiet and do not disturb note on our door!

We were spent most of the day sleeping but in the evening had the most amazing thai meal at Caxton Thai on caxton street (the main strip) and the prices were very reasonable.

In the morning our flight to new zealand was at 9am, so we pre-booked a taxi to take us to the airport at 7am.

We arrived in New Zealand to sunshine at 3pm. We had decided to stay with Charlie’s Granparents in New Plymouth on the West coast and had booked a flight to New Plymouth for 50 pounds which was cheaper then hiring a car or going via bus. We had researched the bus and decided we will also buy a naked passport where you can either buy a 5 journey pass or 10 or 15, from 70 pounds and the passes cover the whole of NZ and it appears to be the cheapest way to travel.

We arrived at Charlie’s granparents at half 8, after experiencing the smallest airport ever – it made a BP garage look big and the luggage came into the terminal on the back of a tractor and you went up and grabbed it!

Charlie’s Grandparents house was a taste of home and paradise – exactly what we needed after 5 months of travelling. We were served up home cooked grub (and haven’t stopped being fed amazing food since we got here), we were able to sit on a sofa, our beds are soft and we even have two pillows – I never want to leave.

New Plymouth is situated on the west coast and is one of the best surf spots in new zealnd. The beaches are black sand and are an amazing site.

Today we went to Gill cousin’s farm and we learnt where milk really comes from!

Firstly we were taken on an hilly 4 x4 drive which ended by being driven up a steep hill and left on an edge with a view of the whole of the valley, sea and the backdrop was a mountain.

After we were taken to see two three day old calves and try our hand at milking cows!!!

Then we were able to drive quad bikes around the farm.

Before finshing of the day on the black sand beaches.

A whole new experience and an awesome day out!

So we are off to the shops tomorrow as we need to invest in some winter boots as Charlie auntie is taking us to her luxxury ski chalet on the south island (queentowns) on Sunday – we are definatley liveing the high life now!!!! xoxoxo
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Cairns turned out to be the party town of Oz. The city itself is relatively small and the streets are lined with cafes and souvenir shops which shut at 5pm and don’t open on a Sunday, so quite a tame city in comparison to surfers and Sydney. Although the nightlife goes until 5am!

Although cairns has a small beachfront you cannot swim or lay on the beach due to crocidiles! But fortunately Gilligan’s (where we were staying) had its own pool/man made beach. So when the weather permitted we lazed by the pool, topping up the tan and soaking in the heat after 3 cold weeks and the knowledge that icy New Zealand was around the corner.

By night people dress to the nines and head out to either Gilligans main bar or Woolshed. We spent most of the nights in Gilligans because if you stay at the hotel you get free entry. Plus they do drinks deal every night. On Thursday night this consisted of power hour for ladies where you were given 6 free glasses of champagne – we arrived with 20mins to go so queued in one queue to get our first drink before downing it whilst stood in the second queue. We did this circuit within ten minutes – officially alcoholics!

Each night the bars also run competitions where you can win a selection of prizes – these competition generally involve some form of nakedness and we were lucky enough to see Carins very own answer to the full monty!!!!!!!

On Friday night we decided to book onto the bar crawl, as it was $15 and you got 6 free drinks and free entry into all the clubs (so worked out cheaper then going on our own night). Whilst on the crawl Fiona and I participated in some of the competitions. The first was a dance off, Fi to shake your tail feather, me to bass in the place London!!!! Mortified at the thought, we got up and danced to a crowd of 50! Fi winning the competition. However our own embarassment was soon forgotten when a girl who was not even in the competition decided to get on stage and strip – the club literally went quiet!!!

The second competition I took part in involved finding certain items in the club like foreign currency and then was topped off by downing a pint through a dirty sock – nice!!!!

However on the bright side I won, and Fi and I received our prizes – a 45 metre bungy swing!!!!

So Sunday morning, feeling extremely hungover we headed to the jungle for the tallest bungy in Oz. We were doing the Minjin swing -where you are strapped in horizontially as if you are flying and then hoisted 45metres in the air, there it is up to you to release the cord where you drop vertically for 44 metres in 3.5 seconds before swinging back up the other side and repeating the ordeal backwards.

Charlie left the jungle bird free after screaming for England. I froze up and looked dead when we suspended over the jungle at 45 metres and Fiona was unable to move to pull the release cord – so we hung there for quite a while. However all in all it was amazing – scary but so worth downing a pint through a sock for!!!!!!

So tonight we leave for Brisbane, and then catch our flight to New Zealand tomorrow – so we will keep you posted xoxox

Charlie, Fi and I have become pround sailors of a 63ft yacht!!!!lol!

We boarded the Freight Train a 63ft Yacht with 14 other people and 3 crew members on Sunday morning and the sun shone for the first time in many days!!!

The boat was not exactly luxurious – the main cabin had bunk beds running down each side and the bow of the boat had several double bunks beds ( a large single bed in reality). The shower was cold and the loo weren’t quite screwed down!!! But all in all the yacht was spacious and exactly what we needed!

The first day we went for a four hour sail before mooring up just before dark in a bay. However the bay wasn’t shealthered so most of us look a little green by the end of the night and kept having to run upstairs for breathes of fresh air to avoid sea sickness.

The second day we woke up and sail for a hour to whitehaven beach. Here we were let lose on the island and even in the mist and the rain the view was amazing – it has been the first site that has truly shocked us since Asia – it is stunning – the whiteness sand I have ever seen! The sand is Silicon so is so fine that you can clean your jewellery with it and pamper your body with a scrub down!!!

People oopted to go for a mornign swim, which we decided against after overhearing one tour guide saying it was the perfect p[lace to spot sharks – instead we got to grip with beach gymnastics and I proved that I was not a pro at cartwheels lol!

In the afternoon we were taken to the great barrier reef to do a spot of snorkelling – we saw an array of fish and coral plus we all got to sport some lovely body tight wet suits to protect us from stingers!

The evening involved some games and an amazing dinner – all the food was included and it was delicious! however the trip itself was very chill – exactly what we needed after 3 weeks of hard partying in Oz – cold weather definately drives people to drink lol!

The last day you can opt to go for a snorkel at 7am – if not you simply sail back to the port which takes roughly 3 hours!

Once back on shore (rocking still) we booked an afternoon bus to Cairns (as we are all desperate for sun and warmth) – we arrived at 2 am this morning and checked into Gilligans – a resort style hostel with a pool, gym, kitchen on every floor – very pimped!

So we will keep you posted on Carins xoxox

So we arrived late afternoon in Hervey Bay via a 4 hour greyhound bus! With the package we had booked through Wicked we had free accomodation in the Nomads hostel. The hostel was homely but the kitchen facilities weren’t that great – although free dinner was included in our package which tended to be pasta!

We were due to leave for Fraser in the morning and so that evening we were spilt into groups of 6 – these were the people you would be sharing your 4 x 4 with. If you are over 21 and have a driver permit you can opt to drive the 4 x 4 too, which Fi and I did! In total there was 4 cars and 29 people!

The next morning bright and early we departed for Fraser, upon a blustery and cold barge, dressed in hoodies and winter socks – not quite the 32 degrees the UK is seeing!

On arrival on the island, we started to carve up the white sands with what can only be described as the oldest 4 x 4 slash camper van in history (the window didn’t even do up)!!!! However it was wicked to drive and added to the experience. The trip itself predominantly consists of driving – you follow a lead guard who takes you to all the sites like the clear water lakes and the view points! You can swim in champagne pools and sunbathe on white sands! However in the pouring rain and strong winds this was less than appealing and only for the very brave!

In the evening you stay in tents at Nomads campsite. In your group the previous night you are able to organise a group shop where you buy food to cook with for the next two days. There is a small shop on the island but we only were taken when we discovered our cheese had be forgotten and the supposively chicken slices didn’t look to edible!!!!! So get everything you think you may need before hand! The facilites at the campsite were not that great – there was only a small area to cook with little cover and when the rained started to pur – 29 on us looked on the neighbouring camp with it enclosed cooking area with envy!!!!! Bring on the goon was the answer! And 20 litres later rain is not so problematic until the 7am wake up call!!!!

To add to the drama of the trip , Charlie had been bitten by a spider in Noosa. The bite had got infected and her foot swelled. Our guide told us there was no way of the island and Charlie was forced to suffer through the pain until we made it back to main land on the island where she was taken to A &E and had her foot amputated!!!! Well maybe it wasn’t that extreme but she has been given a course of antibiotics and was told she could of got off the island which left her fuming!

The island itself is beautiful and is weather was better it would of been amazing but with constant rain it was trying however the people made it!!!!!

We are now in Airlie Beach about to board a yacht for a few days to explore the great barrier reef, so we will keep you posted xxxxxxxxxxx

We decided to head to Surfers Paradise for a night which is a cross between Blackpool, vegas and Altantic city but for one night it is definately worth a visit.

Surfers in a man made city on the beach – think fast food and swanky clubs plus a beautiful beach where you can do some surfing!

We stayed in Backpackers in Paradise for $21 a night for a private bathroom and room for 4 people. However it wasn’t the nicest and the sign in toilet which stated “HIV crosses all borders” summed it up but for one night it was central and cheap!

The minute we arrive in Surfers we got hounded by people trying to sell bar crawls – for $30 dollars you got 12 free drinks and entrance into 5 of the top nightclubs in surfers. Entrance to these clubs cost around $15 and drink start at $8 so we decided to book on, especially as it meant we would get the most out our one night!!!!!

The night itself was random – the crowd on the bar crawl included ‘Mclovin’ from ‘Superbad’ the movie (literally) whose dance moves rivalled a robotised version of Michael Jackson and a selection of other “movers and shakers!!!!” The clubs themselves were really good – the first few were relatively empty but definately had the feel of a swanky london club but the last club Sin City was full and played good music all night. All in all the bar crawl was worth doing just as a guide to where to go and to make your night substanially cheaper!!!!

After Surfers we headed to Noosa Heads. We stayed in the YHA Halse Lodge. This hostel was really cute and had an AMerican country house feel to it. It was $29 each (and apparently that was off peak rates) but it came with duvets, nice showers and a veranda. After 4 days drinking we decided to have a night off and went to bed at 10pm. Despite the fact we were being lame it sounded like the hostel was really sociable. Although, we noticed they had organised drinking games with “water” as they weren’t actually allowed to condone drinking games!!

The next day we got up for our 3 day Gagaju Bush camping/canoeing trip! Personally I was dreading it and I think Charlie felt the same way however, as a kayacking connoisseur Suzanna was excited about our ‘free’ trip! The reason free is in inverted commas is becuase this trip was thrown in with out Fraser island booking but when we arrived we did have to pay a $50 “park fee” on arrival! Having stocked up on Goon (cheap carton wine) and food we arrived at what I could only describe as the set of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre set. We drove through the equivalent of a gypsy camp and were politely advised by the hillbilly driving us (he had no teeth) not too wander around the campsite as we might see things we wished we hadn’t (WHAT does that mean?!?) Luckily our camping ground wasn’t too shabby and despite wanting to antibac everything in sight it did have a 42″ TV which was a a bonus!

The day we arrived there wasn’t too much to do except “bond” with the camp. Luckily we met 6 guys and a couple who were a really good laugh and at 4.15pm we decided there was nothing to do except get pissed..so we did.Later we thought it would be a good idea to watch Wolf Creek – a horror movie about backpackers going missing in Australia starring a psyco killer with an uncanny resemblence to the “owner” of our campsite.

The next day we awoke at 8am to go canoeing (yes I was grumpy) and 2 and a half hours later the only thing keeping me going was the thought of the pub lunch I was about to get!!! We arrived home about 4.30pm after canoeing SIXTEEN Km and the first thing I did was pour myself a glass a wine. We spent yet another afternoon/evening drinking with the group and then all three of us squeezed in a 2 man tent so as not to freeze to death or be eaten by crocodiles!!!

The next day was very similar. We woke, we canoed, we laid on a very windy but beautiful beach and then we returned to the camp to eat and drink until bedtime. Despite thinking I was going to hate it I ended up having a really good time, meeting some amazing people and had the satisfaction of knowing I’d survived a 3 day camping trip in “the bush”. The only downfall was the next morning. We we told the bus would be taking us at 9.30 back to civilisation but we ended up waiting until 1 before it showed up. Thats what you get when you take up something “free” I guess – you can’t complain!

Our only saving grace was finding the worlds most luxury hostel in Noosa that day – Flashpackers Noosa – comes with rain shower heads and TWO pillows!!!!
Write soon! Fi Charlie and Suze