Black Water Rafting

We've done it. Possibly the highlight of my trip so far, and something I've been looking forward to since a lovely STA lady told me about it waaaaaaaaaay back before we set off; Black Water Rafting!

Its nothing like white water rafting except the fact that you're in the water... instead its a mix of abseiling, caving and floating around on a small black rubber ring... ACE! We opted for the black abyss trip although it was a little more expensive.

The trip started out with an abseil into the cave; not quite what I was expecting from abseiling as there wasn't really anywhere to put your feet, instead you just slowly lowered yourself through the hole in the ground and down in to a massive cave about 30ft underground. Because I've never done anything like that (neither had most of the group) everyone began their trip feeling really good, specially those that were quite afraid of heights. Our 2 guides made everyone feel relaxed and confident about what they were doing, taking time to help anyone who needed it.

After the abseil down it was time to start making our way through the cave system, balancing precariously over metal walk ways (with nothing below them.. scary stuff!) before finally coming to a harness. The poor lass who went first was strapped in then we were all ordered to turn our lights out. As he was checking her harness was all connected properly he just pushed her off the side; she screamed, then there was a loud bang... and everyone was a little bit less confident about the caving!! As it turns out it was just another guide at the bottom of the zip line banging a rubber ring on the rocks... shit everyone up though, making everyone a little bit more nervous about the trip.

Next up was a huge leap into the water from a cliff into our rubber rings below; followed by a bit of paddling up through the caves looking at various rock formations, once we reached the end we were instructed to turn off our lamps for a gentle float back through the caves. Above were hundreds of glow worms making it look like a starry night sky, absolutely amazing (the dream was shattered a little after we were told that glow worms are basically maggots and its their shit that makes them glow... beautiful!!)!

After the gentle floating the adventure really began with with a slide down a waterfall,a danger wee (trying to go to the toilet under the ground while wearing a wetsuit is fu*king hard work!) an introduction to a resident Eel (Hello Cecil!) and some serious climbing up and around underground waterfalls. It was a wicked trip which finished at around 9 when we finally emerged from underground after 5 hours of exploring the underground caves. A nice little bonus at the end was presented to us... bagels and hot soup! It was very welcome after being in the freezing waters for so long!

Heading down South!

Thats me... jumping off Mt Eden!

After another brief stay in Auckland we got back on the Kiwi bus to begin out journey south through the north Island. We first had a quick trip up Mt. Eden which over looks the whole of Auckland, its pretty breathtaking, and really shows you some scale of the city (seems A LOT smaller when you're actually there).

We then began our main journey down to Mercury Bay via the beautiful 'Cathedral Cove'. 'Cathedral Cove' is the place that took the Pevensie children on there second trip to Narnia in the film version of Prince Caspian. It was an amazing beach with beautiful scenery, something that New Zealand seems to do VERY well! After we'd had a swim in the sea it was time to hike back up the cliff to the bus and on to Mercury Bay; named because Captain Cook took his boat there to watch the transit of Mercury. We stayed in a nice little homely hostel called Turtle Cove where we met a couple of lasses from the Uk - Beth and Helen, as well as got to know some of the other guys from the bus. After an evening of drinking, playing pool and winning some games of poker it was time to go to bed ready for the journey to Rotarua (or Rottenrura as some of the locals call it!). Ady mentionned most of the stuff we did here but suffice to say it was brilliant! Racing driving, sledging (with wheels...) and relaxing in one of the top 5 Spas in the World.. can't get any better than that!

Kia Ora!

Or rather... Hello (in Maori, and that tasty tropical fruit drink of course..yum!).

As Ady said we're now in New Zealand - the 3rd leg of our trip! We're travelling with the Kiwi Experience which is kind of like a cross between Trek America and National Express from home. The company basically takes you from one location to another in a big group of travellers - but rather than staying with the same gang from start to finish you can hop off one if you want to stay somewhere longer and just catch the next bus that comes (pretty much 7 days a week depending on location). So far everything seems pretty good with informative (and funny) drivers and a nice bunch of people. If you wait a while to book they always seems to be having some sort of offers as well so don't rush - we managed 20% off ours!

Everything in New Zealand is kind of like home with an American twist. Its green, hilly and forest-y; best of all the temperature is like home. Getting off the plane was incredible; for around 7 weeks I've been uncomfortably hot in America and Fiji so it was pure relief stepping in to temperatures of below 20C - and finally time to make use of those 2 jumpers I've been carrying around for no reason what so ever!

Our first couple of days were spent in Auckland - the biggest city in the whole of the country. I'll be honest, its a bit shit. Apparently it is close to the top of the top 55 'best quality of life' cities in the World but I don't see it myself. It has everything you need (if what you need is Internet cafes, pharmacies and Chinese takeaways) for a short stay but we just made use of the cinema and a few shops to get stocked up for the rest of the New Zealand trip. The best thing about the city was possibly the ACB hostel where we stayed. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays have what is called 'the big eat' where you pay $10 for a beer and as much pizza as you can eat - Ady and myself both managed 2 whole ones before we couldn't eat anymore - they then brought out about another 30 pizzas; for the cost you can't go wrong!

After 2 nights there we took our first Kiwi experience bus up to the Bay of Islands at the northern tip of the Island. Stunning scenery and loads of activities on offer; but rather than the usual speed boat trips around the islands etc we decided to do some sea fishing - It was amazing!! We went out with Spot-X fishing; they use high speed boats so that you get to the fishing spots quicker so the ride out was pretty cool in itself. Once out there I managed to catch 2 Snappers and 1 HUGE Barracuda!

Barracudas are unfortunately full of worms which makes them crap for eating so we had to make do with 2 Snappers for dinner... but they were bloody lovely! So some advice for the Bay of Islands... if you're going to do a cruise around the islands do something on that cruise as we've heard from quite a few people it can be a bit dull - so go sailing, fishing or kayaking then you get to see the islands and be entertained... perfect!

North to the Bay of Islands then back down...

Hi,

So we are currently in a place called Rotorua just south of Auckland. The Kiwi bus so far has been really cool. The staff are friendly and offer you a load of stuff to do on the bus (altho its pretty costly to say yes to everything, so we are trying to be pretty careful about what we book). At the bay of islands we did the fishing trip. 8.30 at the docks we set off into the sea getting a pretty good tour of the scenery. My bad luck at fishing continued and I didn't catch a sausage but Steve caught 2 snapper fish and a barracuda. The barracuda was huge! But we had to throw it back as you cant eat them. Steve has some good photos of that trip so check out his next post. The fish made a really nice lunch with some local chip shop chips!

That afternoon Steve went for a wander. I took part in the poker tournament at the hostel which was pretty cool. Came 4th out of 10 so missed out on a prize but it was a nice was to spend the afternoon. Then a few drinks at the bar in the evening time. And some UNO!!

The day after we headed back onto the Kiwi bus and headed back south to Auckland. We had planned to stay there for 2 nights so we could hop on the free tour bus of the city but it turned out it was full up. We still stayed for the extra night tho and just used the next day to shop for a few essential bits. My toothpaste exploded in my bag so I will have to replace that, but it does make things smell minty fresh so its not all bad!

The trip carried on south to Rotorua, an area which is quite famous here for its volcanic activity. The volcanoes are extinct but there is alot of thermal activity in the area so there are hot pools all over the place. The smell is pretty bad when you get close to them, kind of eggy. They look pretty cool tho.

On our way down to Rotorua we stopped at some caves which had previously been used for mining. The caves were pitch black and we had no torches so that was pretty hard work getting through. Fun tho and some cool scenery.

On the bus trip south we got to choose two activities, zorbing or downhill luge, which the bus group get discounts on. We chose to do the luge. It was pretty cheap and definitely alot of fun. We took a kind of ski lift up to the top of a mountain and rode go-kart type racers down the hill. There were three courses, a scenic one, intermediate and advance. We did all three and the advanced one was great. Even got a bit of air at one point! At the finish there are conveyor belts to put the carts on. Being clever I rode right to the edge of one. Steve came in fast behind me and shunted me onto the belt. So I had to clamber out of the kart whilst I was getting sucked up the conveyor belt. Fun times! In the evening we went for a kebab, and found a local kids park. Being children we spent a good hour there and managed to catch a good sunset.

We chose to stay in Rotorua an extra day which means we pick up the trip with the next bus coming along tomorrow. Since we had a free day today we decided to organise some more activities ourselves, so this morning we arranged to get picked up to go Zorbing. I did the dry zorb where you get harnessed in and pushed down the hill solo. It was a really great experience rolling down the hill. It went surprisingly fast as well, would definitely do it again. Then from there we were picked up and taken to whats called off road NZ. I chose to do the speed circuit and raced around a time-trial track with Steve riding shotgun. On the journey up there were some pretty heavy showers so the track was very wet. The lap time's were not going to break any records (I blame the water!), but we got some pretty cool aqua-planing and skids. To finish off the day we went to a local hot-pool/spa place which we were told was pretty good. It was fun sitting in the different pools, some were really hot! Some were acidic and some alkaline. They're suppose to all have different healing properties and that kind of thing.

We have some new Irish lads who have just checked into our hostel room. They seem pretty cool. They're on the trip so we will probably have a few drinks tonight with them. Next stop is a place called Waitomo which is famous for black water rafting. We either get to do that tomorrow afternoon or the day after. Will try and upload some photo's of that once its done.

Very hungry now, so going to look for some dinner in a while. Hope everyone is well.

Will post again soon. :)

New Zealand - Kiwi Experience

Hi,

We have just begun the Kiwi Experience which is a kind of hop-on hop-off tour bus which takes you around the north and south islands in NZ. We had to be on the bus this morning for 7.10am so another pretty early start. Still recovering from our night out on Tuesday in Auckland but we had a chilled out day yesterday. They were giving out free Domino's pizza in the hostel which was pretty cool.

Still havent mastered the art of early starts in hostels. I was pretty sure I'd packed my bags properly the night before but come 6am I was still looking around for stuff and packing in the dark! Don't think I've left anything so far!

The trip today was to the northernmost area of NZ, called Waitomo. It was about 3 hours drive. Our hostel is pretty cool, and we're sharing with some guys, Jamie and Luke who we met in Fiji. Seem to have been following them around a bit, and they're on the same bus tour as us so might bump into them a bit more.

The drive was cool. The weather and the scenery looks very similar to the UK. Its around 16C today and raining on and off, so reminds me of home. NZ is a really green place, and the city Auckland, which is supposidly their most populated city (around 25% population), is pretty small. So I expect the other places we are visiting are going to be pretty quiet. This place is by the sea and is very nice.

No real plans for this afternoon. I spotted a sign for a poker game at the hostel so might check that out. Tomorrow we have booked in to do some fishing in the sea. Hopefully catch some good fish. We will probably leave for the next town in 2 days.

New Zealand is a great place for activities. We are probably going to do a hike as well here. In the next few weeks we want to try Zorbing, a bit of mountain-biking and we are booked in to do Black Water rafting soon as well. Also, there is an area called Franz-Joseph where we will check out the glacier and maybe hike around that a bit. I might have to put off doing my parachute jump until Australia just to make sure my shoulder is up to it. Looking forward to all the stuff in NZ thought! Will try not to do any damage again, I think I've had my fair share.

Well that's all for now, will post more soon.

Take it easy

Bula - Welcome to Fiji!

Although the photo is stolen the view above is our view from our final accom in Fiji - beautiful!

Evenin' everyone! Hope you're all well!

We've just arrived in New Zealand fully refreshed after a nice week long escape in Fiji! It really was / is a beautiful place. Crystal clear blue seas, sunny skies and cheap beer!

The week went really fast and was spent hopping between the main land and 3 main islands. We booked 'The Ultimate Lei' with Awesome Adventures Fiji and STA travel. Island visits vary with each booking but we were shown the delights of Coral View, Manta Ray, Kuata and finally Bounty Island (where they filmed Celebrity Love Island if thats your thing!).

Each island had varying levels accommodation / food standards but the whole thing works around the fact it is for alternative travellers (its pretty much hostel standards). One thing they all did have in common was plenty of other travellers who were more than willing to party! For the majority of the week we just relaxed to the max (much needed after the 3 weeks of intensive drinking and travelling throughout the US!), including us carrying out breath taking activities such as reading, sleeping, playing UNO and listening to music. There was plenty to do on the islands and we took part in a few of the available activities.

First up was Coral View. The accommodation here was really nice. We had a private Bure with its own bathroom which was cool. The only problem was the food on the island was a bit scarce. Pretty much everyone was in agreement that anymore than 2 nights here and we might have all turned to cannibalism in a fit of pure starvation. On this Island we went to Blue Lagoon (where the movie of the same name was filmed); Once there we did a bit of reef snorkeling which was amazing - found Nemo and a few of his good mates. After the snorkeling we sat on the beach with a lass we met called Zoe (Alreet!), cracked open a coconut and chatted until it was time to go back to the Island.

Next up was Fiji day on Manta Ray island (named after the Manta Rays who inhabit the waters around the island). Accom wasn't en suite but still pretty nice (except we only had a double bed when we first got there!). Had a huge feast in honour of the special day with a few beers and chatted to some Canadians we had first met on Coral View.

Next day we went to Kuata for 2 nights. This island was completely different; not as touristic which made it feel much more like the real Fiji. The accom seemed to be mixed in with the local village and worked as a big community. The accom was really basic but did include a family, or flock, of birds which was a nice added extra (!). We swam with sharks on this island which was pretty exciting except for the fact there were about 40 os us in the ocean at once. Shark swimming isn't half as exciting when you have someones flipper wedged in your face; but thats Fiji, its no worries - Fiji time! The food was pretty basic here, but came in big portions and big varieties which is always welcome!

Finally we spent our last night on Bounty Island. This was deffo the most luxurious of all the islands - it looked like it was used as an actual holiday resort with all inclusive customers etc. We had a fridge, air con and a beautiful breakfast. Sadly only for one night which meant we didn't really have time for the activities but we enjoyed our last day of peace anyway!

Just arrived in New Zealand today... its like a lovely little taste of home - Finally some cold weather! Going out drinking with some guys we met in Fiji so if we survive... MORE SOON!

Missin' you all x

Fiji

Hi, first time we have had access to the internet in around a week! I think that's the longest time, makes you realise how much you rely on it!

We are in New Zealand now, flew in this afternoon around 1pm local time. We are now exactly 12 hours ahead (behind??) you guys at home. Just posting to update about our adventures in Fiji.

The hotel we posted from last time was pretty decent for the price, nice room and good food. The bus to the sea port arrived at 7.30 am and we had to be on the boat to the islands for 8.30. As we got outside we saw the bus had a flat (good start!). But in their typically relaxed mode the organisers got another one soon enough. Everyone is so chilled out here! Most schedules run on 'Fiji time', i.e when they can be arsed, haha.

We got to the port, checked in our luggage and got on the catamaran which was to take us 5 hours into the ocean to the furthest island in the Yasawas (a group of islands). The first two nights at coral view island were good. Good party atmosphere but we chilled out a bit to keep it cheap. Not too many drinks. Lots and lots of songs and crazy dances the locals either perform or make you take part in. On this island we went to a place called the blue lagoon, to snorkel. The sea is so crystal clear its amazing and the coral and fish were good to look at.

Our next stop was Manta Ray island (no Mantas tho as it was out of season). One night here, they tried to give us a double bed in our room. We requested another (cos we paid for two!!) and I ended up with a prison bed. Fine so long as you dont move around on it. Nice island tho.

After that, two nights on an island called Kuata. Here the food was really good (Steve wasnt so keen lol), but the accom was the worst. It was an old shack which seemed to be a local's house as there were kids knocking on the door in the morning looking for people. The electricity was only on for a few hours a day so night time toilet breaks were a bit hit and miss (literally!!). The "bathroom" was open to the wild so we had birds flying around the place. And there were ants on my bed. But in a way it was my favourite island, as I imagined Fiji to be pretty basic so it seemed like an authentic experience. Our first night on this Island was a Sunday so there were no activities. We just chilled in hammocks. The Monday morning we went on a boat about 45 minutes into the ocean and when the local guy found the shark area we jumped out and went snorkelling. The sharks weren't huge (maybe 3-4ft), but it was cool to be in the water with them. There were 3. And about 40 of us, so finding space was hard! That was alot of fun.

Our last day before returning to the mainland was at Bounty Island. By far the best accom (AC, fridge and hot shower!!) Again here we pretty much just chilled out (the theme of the Fiji trip). I have never slept so much in a week before. And was really looking forward to upping the pace a bit in NZ.

As I said, all the locals are really friendly. I think it has something to do with a drink called Cava. On our first day we ventured into the local town on the mainland (Nadi). It was a really poor looking area, the type of place you might get robbed. A guy came onto the street and ushered us into his shop. He sat us down for a ritual.....(was getting concerned by this point). The ritual was apparently a Fijian tradition. We sat on a mat, he had a bowl where he made a brown looking drink and said some words. We all clapped and he handed us a cup full of brown drink. Feeling pretty adventurous we drank it and so did they. Sort of numbed my tongue a bit but it wasnt so bad. Having been on the islands we found out all Fijians do drink this Cava every day. We also found out its from a root which has hallucinagenic and calming properties, which definitely explains the relaxed attitude around Fiji. You can buy the root but its not legal in Europe so didn't get any. Was an interesting experience to see the islands perform the ceremony each time in traditional dress etc.

I think this is the longest post so far....so now as I say we are just in New Zealand, checked into our hostel which is a pretty nice one. 2 days here then we get on our bus to travel NZ. Should have lots of access to internet in the hostels so will try and keep up to date on here.

Hope everyone is well.

Speak later.

Arrived in Fiji!

After a long (10 hour) flight we made it to Fiji. We left on the 5th Oct and lost a day through time difference so were now the 7th Oct. The flight was pretty good, we both slept most of it. The entertainment system is nowhere near as good as BA (we flew with AirPacific), but not really a problem on a night flight.

So once we'd landed and got through customs its been pretty plain sailing. I heard on our transfer bus that alot of people lost baggage on the way over and it can take weeks to get it back so we were pretty lucky I think!

We have one night in a hotel in Nadi, the capital. And we get picked up at 7.30am to leave for our first island. The hotel here is pretty good, nice pool, internet access and free pool (brilliant!!). No beach yet tho so will have to wait until tomorrow for that.

I only have a few minutes of credit left here so will say goodbye. Next post will probably be in a week or so as they don't have internet access on the island. Electricity also shuts down around 7pm there (should be a good laugh!)

Bye for now

Contact info

Quick note:

My (Ady's) mobile is now disconnected so it's best to contact me either via email or facebook. My email address is on my facebook account for anyone that needs it. I will probably get a cheap Australian mobile when we are there to make it easier to get in touch.

Last day in LA

Hi,

Firstly Trek America was amazing!!! I'm going to write up here what we did when I have time but it might take a while so will need to get to a cheap internet cafe. Just thought I would try and post an update today.

So yesterday we spent about 2 hours in an internet cafe trying to dump all our photos onto an online storage site. It takes soooo long to do I only managed to get rid of a few. I think we will just have to buy new memory cards and put the best pics on Facebook since the internet cafe time would probably work out to be more expensive.

I've found LA is a bit of a dull place to look around. The place generally is quite dirty. Even walking up Hollywood and Sunset Blvd the area is nothing like I imagined. The order of shops along the street is generally sex shop, smoke shop, pizza place......and that's about it. So we've been to the movies quite a few times. The night life is pretty cool though, as Steve said we had a blast on Friday night.

There are also lots of crazy people here, as you might expect. There are alot of Scientology offices here. On Friday we were wandering around and saw (another) museum of death. Not the type of thing you would really want to go and see but we were curious as to what it was and so popped in. It was a very smart looking building, the staff gave us headphones and mic packs to listen to all the exhibits. We got inside and the first room was a life-sizes padded cell. Then they locked us in to watch a video. Very weird. Anyway, turns out the whole exhibit was about how Psychiatry is the root of all evil. They attributed psychiatry to the rise of Hitler and the holocaust, racism, terrorism, the list goes on. Turns out it was a Scientlolgy recruitment centre. Bad decision to go in. Their beliefs are so strange.

So today we have just packed up all our stuff to fly tonight. Flight goes around midnight. Gemma has left to meet up with another trek america girl. Wayne is staying here for a few more nights so although checkout was at 11 we managed to blag a free day with him in the same room which is a result!

Just got some lunch, its now 3.30. Just gonne chill for a bit until around 6.00pm and then head for the metro to get to LAX airport. Then onto Fiji!!!! Not looking forward to carrying my backpack. Im sure it weights alot more than it did when we arrived in LA.

We will try and message soon if there is internet access on the Fiji Islands we stay at.

Hope you are all well, bye for now

A few days in LA LA Land

Alright everyone!

Sorry these posts have been sparse... camp sites in America don't have much net access! We've finished the trek and are currently writing up everything we've been doing in the past 3 weeks... so stay tuned and it'll all be up here soon!

At the moment we're just chilling out in Los Angeles which is pretty cool. We are staying in the Banana Bungalow Hollywood, which is ACE! Chris, Beth, Wayne, Gemma, Tori and Jo (Hey guys!) from trek America stayed with us so we had a private room with bathroom and kitchen, and only $20 a night, which is really cheap. They also include free breakfast, BBQ's and parties!

The first day we got here we headed out straight down to Mann's Chinese theatre (where they hold the premiers!). We rolled up to the front to be rudely told that it was a cinema and we'd need tickets if we wanted to come in... first cinema I've been to where they sell tickets down the street instead of inside the premises but never mind. We went to see Ghost Town with Ricky Gevais. It was cool, a little bit cheesy but pretty good entertainment. It was amazing being in the cinema, its really beautiful inside, quite over the top and very opulent.

The next day we just spent wandering around the shops, checking out all the stuff we couldn't carry and deffinately couldn't afford! They don't really seem to do cheap shops here, Just loads of little boutique type places with clothes that are very over the top! In the evening we were lucky enough to get in the audience for the Jimmy Kimmel show. They have Rosario Dawson (Eagle Eye), Jamie Kennedy (Scream) and Gavin Rossdale (Bush, Gwen Stefanis husband
). It was all a bit of a set up with light up signs to tell you when to clap, and stop clapping, cheering etc but it was a wicked experience. At the end of the show we got to see a free Gavin Rossdale concert, then when we were leaving Rosario Dawson rolled up in a car and gave out free itunes music vouchers which was ace... shes a reasonably big star so atleast I can say I said hello to atleast one celeb!

The next day was pretty chilled with another shopping trip to get a shirt for a big night out in LA. We first went to a club where we queue jumped cos we had come from
England (tell everyone you see... they love it!). It seemed to be like a kids party though so we stayed for a few drinks then made our way to another club for an evening of dancing and drinking to the max. It was ace... but im gonna sign off now cos i'm currently trying to get over the hang over with frozen yoghurt and bit of web surfing!

More soon! x