New Zealand

Well scary fact for you, a few days ago it was my 2 month travelling anniversary, its funny as part of me can't believe that it has only been two months as I have just experienced so much and another feels that it has flown by so quickly.

So anyway following the theme of my previous mails I'm going to share my impressions of New Zealand so far. Its very easy to make the quick comparison that its just like the uk, and it is. So much of the landscape and flora are the same as in the UK, just bunched together in a much smaller surface area. One minute you are walking through alpine forest, then across moors and then you stumble upon another mountain or waterfall (or more usually both at the same time) which just takes your breath away, I'm suprised I have managed to draw breath at all.

But then you start to look a little deeper and you realise that the reason it looks like the UK is because we made it that way with the introduction of non native species. If you actually find a bit of native forest it really is like walking into a prehistoric jungle, the first time I was expecting half a dozen velociraptors to jump me. Luckily for me my imagination is far more vivid than the reality ofthe situation and it was just a few Tui's and Weta's that mugged me so its all good (and if you want to know what they are look them up nature fans, who said learning wasn't fun?).

It truly is a beautiful place and so diverse, around every corner is a new epic and wonderful sight, a particular favorite place of mine was Rotorua which is quite literally a hotbed of thermal activity. The whole town is enveloped in a sulphurous smog that smells somewhere betwen boiled eggs and baked beans, and not too bad once you get used to it. Even the local park has steam vents, sulphur lakes and bubbling mud which I have a real soft spot for, if anyone can invent a tabletop bubbling mud pool I would never ever leave the house again.

My camera has been in overdrive for the entire trip and I think that I wore it out as it broke a few day ago so back on the good old camera and film. Sorry but I'm going to talk some more about the scenery, we stayed in the National Park in Whakapapa (and in Maori you pronounce WH as F so do the math!). There were some amazing walks there and it was within the shadow of Mount Doom so I kept an eye out for hobbits but sadly missed them I think they have all left for the grey shores now : -(

I don't know if its the LOTR connection but the whole place feels so ancient and magical, walking along by yourself and just taking in the sheer beauty of the place is really just mind blowing. Anyway thats enough of scenery what have I been up to...

Well lets see, seeing as its the Extreme Sports Capital of the World(tm) I had to try my hand at a few life threatening/affirming challenges. My big three so far are Zorbing, for those of you who don\'t know what it is, its rolling down a hill in a giant hamsterball. Short but sweet, it only lasts around a minute but is the most fun you can have in a big wet hamsterball (that I know anyway!).

Then came the Skydive, strangely enough I wasn't that worried about it and really enjoyed the experience. The feeling is just amazing...well what I can remember of it anyway. It was a whole 60 seconds of freefall (15,000ft) but I can only remember fragments of seconds of it. I think your mind is literally blown the first time you do it. And my biggest achievement so far...a bungy jump.Far far far harder than the skydive. Even paying for the thing I nearly had a panic attack and spend about 10 minutes looking at the form mentally wrestling with my sense of impending doom/selfpreservation!

Managed to win out over that little voice and paid for the jump and then started to hyperventilate and felt my face start to tingle...which is never a good sign! Several visits to the toilet later and I felt pretty calm and even started to look forward to it. I was even ok as they wrapped the towel round my legs and connected the rope, althought I was a bit dubious about the makeshift nature of the equipement! It wasn't until the girl in front of me jumped that the reality came crashing in and if I hadn't been trussled up like a chicken would have sprinted as fast as I could into the sunset, if I had tried it would have been more of very slow waddle!

Then it was my turn and as I walked out onto the plank and he counteddown from 5 my mind was just paralysed with fear and I though I can never do this...but he reached one and I just went for it with the worst dive ever. I look like that little green man from the Mousetrapgame, real praying man stylee! Strange the things that go through your head as you plummet towards a river below, mine was "Come on bladder,don't fail me now!", which funnily enough was exactly the same thought I had on my skydive.

So ywill be pleased to know my dignity remained intact on both occassions. Now with my biggest fear overcome, thats heights and not peeing myself I wonder whats next, perhaps I have peaked too early and the rest of my life is going to be one long steady descent into more and more extreme sports! Jackass beckons...If anyone has any suggstions of what I should try next to let me know and I will try to make it happen, kind of like Jim\'ll fix it inreverse!

Yes I know I have been rambling on for ages now but I have had so manyamazing experiences in NZ and there is so much more I could tell youabout, a quick rundown being Knife making in Barrytown, Caving in Waitomo, Abel Tasmin, Sailing with Dolphins, Wellingtons Embassy Cinema, Sandboarding at Cape Reinga, watching the sunrise up MountVictoria, Possum pies, Glacier walking. The list could go on and on. Its just been a whole life time of experiences in a month. Finally I must mention all the wonderful people I have met, I have made so many really good friends while I have been away and its just amazing how friendly and generous everyone I have met is, both locals and travellers. So many happy memories to take with me through life.

p.s. Fact for you Possum fans out there, there is currently estimatedto be around 75 million possums in NZ, thats a whole lot of tastypies!