i have been here around 3 weeks now and i love this country! me and sarah have rented a campervan and we have been travelling around this beautiful country for the last two weeks. It has something to offer everyone. from adrenaline junkies I want to do a skydive but because i've had a really bad ear infection (did you know green stuff can come out of your ears too?) i havent been able too. I shall be doing one in Queenstown a little later on tho. you can fling yourself off everytging anyway possible. Only kiwis would come up with the idea of puttiong someone in a great big plastic ball fill it with water and shove you down a slope! i didn't partake in this fateful activity but i did witness quite a few people do this.

next you have your culture and the maiori past of this country. Very intresting. We have been to a few museams (most of which sarah has hated) which have contained alot about the history. Here in Wellington they have an amazing museam Te Papa massive and very interactive. We stopped on the way in the middle of the kauri forest to see this really old tree. I bet your thinking whats the big deal, but its so big you can't comprahend and its about 2000 years old.

We have been so lucky with the weather here. Its been beautiful for early spring. In Napier, a very odd place or as sarah would say 'up its own arse' on the east cost, it was 25c blazing sunshine. There we went wine tasting at five different places. I have never tasted that many wines we rolled into our campsite so pissed we got a take away and because we were in the middle of nowhere the only thing we could do was fall asleep! we went on a trip and these two americans so fucking up there own arse they didn't even want to speak to us but thats a whole other story.

Then there is the most spectactular scenery. from the bay of island and ninety mile beach in the north to the Rotoura thermal mud pools and lake taupo in the middles and wine country in the east. Me and sarah have camoped right on the beach in one place in the most gorgeous bright blue sea. We have both said that this country is so beautiful its how we have imagined fiji not new zealand.

There is so much more to say about a kiwi encounter, huka prawn park where we went prawn fishing, bathing in a mud pools and mineral pools, eating cheese until i felt sick, playing with a frisby at sunset on bailyes beach, spectaclar camping spots, russell, but i will leave you with a couple of great quotes

rachel ' how much petrol do we have left'
sarah ' emmmm..... around 2 1/2 / 5 of a tank'
rachel ' so half a tank then???????'

sarah ' why are you standing right outside the door (of our campervan)'
rachel 'well i'm not gunna stand the other side of the cliff am i'

well i've done some stupid stuff too i nearly got run over today after falling over a hump in the road. camping is so much fun and the freedom is amazing. We both are losing weight too from doing so much stuff. sarah has never looked as happy and i have never felt so happy or relaxed its great. Anyway i have to go i'm on a timed computer. someone needs to ban these things!

get in touch with me peeps i'd like to know what the summer had brought for you
R xxx