Last few days in NZ

I said goodbye to Nat, Vic and Jess in Queenstown cos they were going south to Dunedin etc. I stayed on an extra night in Queenstown, making full use of the hostel's hot spa and the physio and madical centre across the road (Asia vaccines). Marty and I left Queenstown together the next morning, and as we were walking to the bus I noticed some rubgy-looking guys in black tracksuits cross the road in front of us. It was the Sharks! And although they're NOT my favourite side, I did greet them in Afrikaans which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy from some random backpacker at 7 in the morning!

Marty and I did very well by stopping off at Lake Tekapo for a night while everyone else went straight on to Christchurch. Our Lakeside Lodge was just that, but this lake was probably the bluest out of all of the lakes, and NZ's lakes are BLUE BLUE! We hired bikes and cruised around the town, checked out the church where a wedding was taking place and Marty was asked to take photos for them! Then we had a sundowner picnic on the lake's edge and chatted about adult stuff like jobs and mortgages which funnily enough I really enjoyed, cos I hadn't been able to talk to the others about that cos I was so much older than everyone!! After 3 bottles of wine and a game of Pigs with 2 random builders, we passed out on the couch trying to watch "Missing".





The next day we met up with a new busload onto Christchurch. My friend Shannon (who toured Europe in the Turd with me and some more kiwis) came to pick me up and I stayed at her place for the next 4 nights in her spare room with a DOUBLE BED! No more bottom bunks! I felt really spoilt! Plus there was TV, and a bathroom and kitchen in the very close vicinity!
St Paddys Day started off with yummy Irish coffees, followed by sushi and shopping, then Guinness and bourbon and coke! There was a cool Irish band playing with some random drunk people dancing, and just a general festive, happy vibe all around! I was quite sad to leave at 5 to go to the rugby, but also happy to go see Joe and Paul (more kiwis from the Turd) and of course my mate Dan (Carter) but he was too busy thrashing the Cats to spot me in the crowd and say hi... I was quite pissed off cos the taxi was 20 mins late so we missed the Crusdaders horsemen - one of which aparrently got thrown off his horse and had to go to hospital?? Maybe I should apply for that job!!


Sat was very chilled with lots of Commonwealth Games watching followed by a bbq at Shannon's - Marty, Brother Joe, the 3 Swedes (Mattheus, Andreas and Daniel) plus 2 Swedish girls they'd met all came over and we cooked up a storm.



Sunday Shannon and I did a day trip to Akaroa which was beautiful, but a day trip was enough! We got bored! Then Monday it was back onto a plane to Brisbane, in time for U2 on Tuesday... Touchy subject.