Lake Wanaka - SKYDIVE!!!

Wednesday 11th January 2012

Once on the bus and heading for Lake Wanaka Josh, our driver, handed round a sheet for you to put your name on if you wanted to skydive at Lake Wanaka….. I knew I wanted to do one and Josh advised me that when the weather is good I should bite the bullet and do it then as if I wait for the next spot the weather could change and I could miss my chance!! So, the weather is perfect and Lake Wanaka is apparently a great place to do it, therefore all make good reasons for me to put my name down!!!

Kate also puts her name down along with a couple of lads I have met on the bus so there is a group of us all skydiving which definitely helps with the nerves and the build-up as we make our way to Lake Wanaka.

The bus journey is a few hours and Josh informs us we are doing our skydive at 4pm, so that gives us a good 6 hours to build on the nerves!

4pm arrives and before I know it I am in my boiler suit and being harnessed up! I could not believe I was actually going to do this – I have paid a little more and jumping from 15,000ft, because let’s be honest if I am doing it I might as well go as high as possible….?

Once we get to 12,000ft two people jump out and at this point the nerves really kick in, as they don’t so much jump, but get sucked out of the plane!!  We carry on to 15,000ft and we have to put oxygen masks on as the cabin isn’t pressurised.  James goes first, then Roel and I am the last one to jump!!

The freefalling is definitely the scariest bit as I just couldn’t get my breath and felt like I couldn’t breathe but as soon as the parachute opens and you are just flying above the earth, it is just the most amazing feeling, that combined with the views – it is by far one of the best experiences of my life and I felt very proud of myself for having the nerves to do it!!

Once back at the hostel we just caught up with everyone and had a few drinks to celebrate our achievement.

Up early in the morning as we head to Queenstown J

Franz Josef - Glacier Hike

Monday 9th January - Tuesday 10th January

We are up early and head for Franz Josef where I have booked to do the Glacier Hike on Tuesday.  En route to Franz Josef we stop off at some lovely view spots.  We are just surrounded by lakes and spectacular mountains, so calming when looking out the window J

I have made a friend called Kate, so I have a bus buddy and someone to enjoy the scenery with!

Takes just a few hours on the bus which is refreshing after Australia’s epic bus journey’s!  We check in a really nice hostel in Franz Josef and we then have the afternoon to just enjoy the little town.  The hostel has a hot tub which feels very luxurious for a backpacker!  After a little soak we go to get ready for dinner and the hostel has but signs up everywhere saying that the town has run out of water due to the lack of rain!! Crazy really, and the first time I have wanted it to rain since I have been on my adventure…. Backpackers need showers, haha!

Early night for me as been nearly a week since I have had a proper night’s sleep and I want to be full of energy for the hike!

Glacier Hike

After being given all our gear at the hiking centre we head to the Glacier about 10am.  We are spilt into groups and off we go on the hike!

There was a lot of ground to cover before we hit the ice, but when we did it was a strange feeling to be surrounded by such vast amounts of ice.  We had to walk through some really narrow crevasses that you could only walk sideways through, little bit claustrophobic but all add’s to the experience.   Once we got to the top we stopped for some lunch and then had the 3 hour walk back down, which was pretty tough going on our feet!

The hike was so much more than I ever expected and the guide told us that by June this year if more of the ice melts at the bottom they may have to stop the tours, so yet again one lucky Ruthy!

When we got back to the hostel we had free passes to enjoy the hot pools in the town centre – perfect ending to our days hiking!

Another fairly early night as we were getting picked up at 7:30am to head to our next destination, Lake Wanaka where I think I am going to do my Skydive……!!

New Zealand

Sunday 8th January

I catch my Tranz Alpine train at 8:15am from Christchurch train station.  I didn’t really think about this leg of my journey and just wanted to treat it as a chance to try catch up on some of my lost sleep for the next four hours. 

However, this soon changed as we pulled away from the platform…..  The views were just unbelievable and I was fixated to the window the whole four hours!!!  I had no idea what to expect from New Zealand, I knew it had some amazing scenery, but this was just stunning!  What a great start to my next adventure!

I arrive in Greymouth just after midday and the Kiwi Experience bus is picking me up at 2pm.  So I just grab some food bits from the shop and explore Greymouth’s little town.

The big green bus pulls up and I am feeling a little nervous about having to meet new people and make new friends again.  As soon as I get on the bus, the driver informs me of how the Kiwi Experience works.  They basically book you on your trips as you go along and they also book you in your hostels too – sounded good to me!

My first stop is at Lake Mahinapua and we stayed at a little old mans pub/hotel where we had a fancy dress party with a theme of “shock your mother” – we stopped at a shop so we could get some bits and I went as a pregnant nun……

The hotel/pub was a little random but the party was a good way for me to meet everyone and make some new friends.   It is a mixed bunch on the bus but I soon found a group of really lovely people. So, I am now all relaxed and ready for what New Zealand has to offer me over the next 20 days J

Last Day in Australia

Saturday 7th January

Last Day in Australia

I arrived in Sydney at 8am after my epic coach trip.  Said bye to my coach friend and headed to Base Hostel (where I had stayed last week) and they let me check my bag in and use the bathroom and facilities as my flight to New Zealand wasn’t until 7pm.

After living it up in a campervan for the last four days it was good to chill out at the hostel and freshen up and getting some washing done so I was all ready for adventure to New Zealand.

I then headed into Sydney and just enjoyed walking around the city for the last time.   Was nice just relaxing and soaking up the sun, I still really love this city I definitely would love to come back again.

I then met up with Claire who I met on the Whitsunday trip and sat in Hyde Park with her for a bit as there was a music festival going on.

It was then time for me to head to the airport for my New Zealand flight.

I was feeling very emotional as I flew out of Australia, was sad to be saying bye to life down under! I have really really loved my time here and met some lovely people and made great friends along the way.

My adventure in Australia has been so much more than I thought it would be – a very lucky, relaxed and happy Ruthy J

I didn’t arrive at my hostel in Christchurch until 2am (the hostel is a converted prison, very strange place and had quite eerie feel to it!) and I was getting picked up at 7am to catch the Tranz Alpine train to Greymouth where I start my Kiwi Experience.  I am majorly lacking in sleep, but feeling very excited about New Zealand!

Great Ocean Road - Wicked Road Trip

3rd January - 6th January 2012

We were up early, met Ross and headed to the Wicked office just outside of Sydney to collect our campervan.

I was so excited that I could fit this road trip in with the girls and also what a great way to spend my last week in Oz!

The campervan wasn’t exactly the best one I had seen and not what we had been sold by the travel agent!! But, we piled in and hit the road heading for Melbourne, which apparently when you ask an Oz for directions, is just straight – one straight road…….!

This one straight road took us 14 hours! We headed to the start of the Great Ocean Road and by the time we arrived there is was 2am and we had no idea where to park up for the night, so we just parked in a hostel car park and tried to get some sleep.  Sleeping was quite a squeeze - the next four nights were definitely going to be cosy!

Once we woke up we headed to a little lake in Torquay and had some breakfast.  The sun was shining and the view was just beautiful, this was definitely a good start to the trip.

I hadn’t driven yet so I got behind the wheel! This was so exciting just cruising down Australia’s most stunning coastal road in a campervan and with such great peeps – loved it!!

From there we hit the road (which was just one long straight road!) and visited a number of stops and when we reached Apollo Bay we found a campsite where we could park up for the night, felt much safer than the side of the road the previous night that’s for sure.  We had a little wander around the town then it was back to the campervan to cook dinner (well eggs, beans and noodles….!) then we tucked up in the campervan and played few games of cards.

We set off in the morning and visited a rainforest, saw koalas in the wild just chilling in the trees along the roadside and when we reached Princetown we parked up at a campsite.  This one was a little strange but again, better than the side of the road.  This campsite was right next to our final stop which was the Twelve Apostles.

Every stop just got better and better on this road trip but my favourite place had to be the Twelve Apostles, a very dramatic view and they almost didn’t look real – again another “Ruth feeling very lucky” moment!

We had to make the journey back to Melbourne on Friday afternoon as I was catching the overnight Greyhound to Sydney.

I was so sad to leave Amy and Jo, really wish I could have stayed with them in Melbourne and even carried on to Asia with them!! But I have a trip to Essex planned when then get back to the UK, which quite frankly is almost as exciting as going to New Zealand (TOWIE baby!!)

I made a friend on the Greyhound which definitely helped the 14 hours pass as quickly as possible, thank goodness that was my last epic coach journey!

Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd January 2012

Sunday 1^st January and Monday 2^nd January 2012

I have had a very chilled couple of days and start to 2012 –just enjoying Sydney and also getting sorted for the road trip to Melbourne.

On New Year’s Day and we all just caught up on sleep, washing and online action and then we headed to Hyde Park to catch the afternoon sun.

We planned a last night out on New Year’s Day eve as we are parting ways with Danielle and Chelle on Tuesday morning so we wanted to make sure we saw the New Year in with some Sydney disco dancing!

Monday was a very lazy day again, as we all were surviving on 3 hours sleep so was nice to just chill out and enjoy our last day together.  I also had to check out the hostel at 10am, but was staying / hiding in the girls room for one more night for free as the hostel was fully booked so we just hibernated for the day.

I sliced my thumb on my razor this morning and if you know me and blood that was not a pleasant experience, thank god Amy is a nurse and Chelle was armed with plasters, poor me!!

It is sad to be parting ways with Danielle and Chelle, they have definitely kept me laughing none stop since I got to Sydney.  They are now heading up the East Coast.

I am very excited to be picking up the campervan in the morning and going on our road trip! We pick it up at 9am and it should take us about 12 hours to drive to Melbourne.  We then start the Great Ocean Road drive on Wednesday morning and have to be back in Melbourne on Friday evening so I can catch the Greyhound back to Sydney ready for my flight to New Zealand on Saturday 7^th January!!

Sad to be leaving Sydney as I have really loved this city – but plenty more fun times to be had!!

New Year's Eve 2011

31st December 2011

We were all up and out by 9am, picnics packed and ready to find the perfect spot to bring in 2012!  Chelle had done her research and it was decided that Bradfield Park, which was across the bridge, would be the best spot for us.

The five of us plus four others from our hostel all headed down to the park.  As we set off the heavens opened!! We had our fingers crossed that it was just a shower and the sun would shine for us, as it really wouldn’t be much fun sat in the rain for 15 hours…..!

It did clear and by the time we got set up in the most amazing spot the sunshine appeared!  I really couldn’t believe how good our spot was J we were on a slight hill and looking directly at the water, the bridge and the Opera House.  We also had the most amazing view of Sydney’s skyline – it felt pretty surreal that I would be seeing 2012 in overlooking Sydney Harbour and witnessing  some of the world’s best firework displays.

It was a long day, but the sun was shining and I was in such great company.  The conversation and banter just flows with the girls so time soon passed.  Before we knew it the 9pm fireworks were in full swing, and to be honest they were pretty impressive and got us all excited for 12 o’clock J

The park was absolutely packed out and as the evening went on people were getting little anxious and pretty much do anything to try get the best viewing spot – but after waiting 14 hrs, we were definitely not about to be moved!

I felt pretty emotional after the 9pm ones, partly because I felt so lucky to be stood there and also excited for the start of 2012 and how amazing the start of my year already was!

The countdown began 10, 9, 8…… As soon as it struck 12pm the most unbelievable firework display began!! I took pictures and videos but they simply do not do it justice!! It was so much more than I ever thought it would be and the five of us just stood there in amazement throughout the display!

After the crowds dispersed we headed back to the hostel.  January 1^st at 1:30am and I am walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge – such an amazing feeling and I am very excited for 2012!!