Having left Ireland on Jan 23rd 2001, after 36 hours of flying and 2 days later we finally arrived in Auckland, via London, Singapore and finally Sydney. For the first 4 days in Auckland Gráinne was feeling the effects of all the travelling and spent most of her time cooped up in bed. Once she was feeling better we rented a car for 6 days, which worked out at about 40 quid each, which is very good. It's an automatic Mazda, so i have really been burning it on the roads out here. In the first 2 days we covered over 650 miles checking out different sights. 

We went very far North to the Bay Of Islands to go on a cruise around the Islands and hopefully get up close to some dolphins. The cruise was nice but unfortunately the dolphins were nowhere to be seen. 
When we get down to the South Island of NZ we hope to go swimming with dolphins and also whale watching to make up for it. Hope to catch it all on the camcorder. 

One of the nights during the week we went to a Maori village for the evening. It was one of the highlights of the trip so far. For some reason i thought you mightn't be allowed to record them so i didn't bring the camcorder. That was a big mistake. To see them doing the Haka right in front of you is very intimidating. I am really pissed off that i don't have it on tape.  

Also visited a live volcanic region, saw boiling mud pools, hot springs, geysers, lots of steam coming out of the ground etc etc. Visited the world famous Waitomo caves, full of thousands of glow worms which light up in the dark. Just like looking up at the stars in the sky. 

Today we are just after doing a 12,000 feet tandem parachute jump. We got a short video made of the jump, which i am going to send home over the next few days. There was a freefall for 45 secs before gliding down. All in all it took about 5/6 mins. The best part was when you were sitting on the edge of the plane waiting to go, and then you were gone. As i was taller than my instructor i had to negotiate the landing myself. 

I won't be doing my bungee jump until next week as i want to wait until i get to the South Island. They have the highest one in the world there - over 400 feet high. Will let ye know how that went later. 

The day after the skydive we went to this place called Rock-n-Ropes. It is an adventure park
which consists of these huge ESB type poles (ask ur old man Spock) standing 30/40 feet in the air. They are all connected by either narrow beams, rickety bridges or just high wires. Anyway the idea is for you to climb the pole and then walk across the wire, or whatever is there to the other side. Note: you have nothing to hold on to. You have a person on the ground supporting you in case you fall. In my case it was Grainne and vice versa. I suppose we did well seeing as we are both alive and well. It sounds like nothing but it was pretty scary if you are in any way afraid of heights. There was one where you climbed up the pole and then had to try and stand on top of it (with nothing to hold on to) and then jump to try and catch a trapeze. Needless to say i caught the trapeze, Grainne being so small didn't even get close. Hopefully the camcorder will explain the whole Rock-n-Ropes things a bit better than i have here.

After that we really did take it easy and went for a hike in Abel Tasman National Park. Here you could find some secluded beaches which you could have to yourselves !!! After the hike we were both knackered, so then after a 3 hour drive we arrived at our next hostel. We had already booked a room in advance a few days previously. When we arrived to check in we were told they had screwed up the bookings and that they had kept a tent out in the back garden for us. I actually thought she was messing but soon discovered she was serious. Needless to say we took the tent (at least they put mattresses in there for us). Worst nights sleep i've had yet. We are now true backpackers !!

During the week we went to a place called Franz Josef. It is a glacial valley and has one of the largest
existing glaciers in the world. We went for a half days hike up that glacier. I don't think i need to
tell you that that was awesome (sound like a Yank, i know) and that the views were spectacular. We even did a bit of caving on the glacier. Cave was very small and narrow, not too much room to manouveur. Don't know how i made it with my belly !!! Johnny would still be stuck up there. You wouldn't want to be too claustorphobic though.

After Franz Josef we hit mecca.....Queenstown. Here was where The Nevis Highwire bungy jump could be found. 430 feet above the river Nevis. Woke up that morning as nervous as hell. Grainne definetely wouldn't do it and wore sandals just in case anyone out there tried to persuade her (can't do it in sandals). I knew the pressure was on, because if i chickened out, Grainne was going to have it on camcorder. Anyway we went out to the middle of nowhere. Got harnessed up. We then had to hop into a cable car which brought us out to another bigger cable car hanging over the canyon. I have never been so nervous of something. The 3 people before me jumped without hesitation so there was no way i was gonna be the first. Shuffled out to the ledge, thumbs up to the camera and jumped. A freefall of 8 secs........unbelievable. Would only do a bungy again if there was a higher one again. I got 3 professional photos taken plus a video. They messed the video up a bit in that they forgot to record me as i was being harnessed up. Not to worry i got the video for half price. This takes over as highlight of the trip so far.

How could ye follow this up. Well we drove for 4 hours to Milford Sound to go on a cruise around the fiords. Fell asleep for a bit during the cruise but i heard it was good. It is meant to rain everyday of the year there......we weren't disappointed. It lashed. Made the views better though with loads of waterfalls to see. Grainne punctured the car on the way down.

Forgot to tell ye about this hole in one golf challenge. The hole is 111yards out in a lake. You tee off from the bank. The green is very small, virtually impossible to get a hole in one u would think. But apparently only 334 people have done it. It would really need to go directly into the hole without bouncing, as the green is really just astro turf and if it bounces u can forget about it. 

I stepped up, asked for 20 balls and asked what club he recommends. He said everyone uses a 9, sometimes and 8. I said gimme a 6 !!!. Bounced one off the green for which i got a free golf ball, which i then buried into the lake a few yards in front of me. That was the best i could do, although it was very windy. Would have been interesting to see how ye boys would have fared, esp. you Scandy (or should that be Porkie, now that he has hammered u twice!!) Hole in one gets u 5 grand.

Next week we are hoping to go swimming with dolphins. So far we are having trouble booking it as they are booked out weeks in advance. If we can't get this i am giving serious consideration to shark watching. You go out into the Pacific and go down into a shark cage just like in Jaws. The sharks are swimming all around you and bash the cage, as in the film. Bit scary i know, but if the dolphins let me down again, then it will just have to be Jaws. I think it would be a great way to spend Valentine's day !!! Next stop Sydney

To see a selection of these photos, click here or here for Sydney

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