Gills adventures

Ummm where was I last time? I think we had just arrived in Dunedin.
In Dunedin we were staying at the holiday park - we had a unit just for us with a full kitchen and like 10 rooms - it was absolutely perfect. It was a little ways from the downtown and since it was tuesday and wednesday nights we stayed together and did group activities for much of the time which was great! I introduced everyone to the best movie ever SNL- best of Will Ferrel (thank you Lex!) We toured the Speights brewery on our first night in town - it was pretty cool seeing how beer is made and then getting to sample the different kinds. Then we had a big fancy meal at the Speights ale house - it was so fun. Whenever we have a meal out there is always tonnes of drinking, drinking songs in different languages, singing and dancing, just general craziness. I was sitting at a table with many German trainees for this meal and I was learning to sing the song for The Warehouse commercial which is like Walmart in German. Von zie ein schleptchen cririct or something. After the meal we went out to a pub where a guy was playing acoustic guitar and singing - he was brilliant, it was such a good way to spend the evening. The next day we toured the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in the morning, had a bit of free time in town then went out to the Otaga Penninsula where some people went on a nature cruise, some went to watch penguins, and some including myself went and learned all about the Albatross. Really they are fascinating birds. Ask me about them sometime, I will enlighten you!
After this we went back to the holiday park and made supper then rented out the ice arena and went skating and curling! A truly Canadian thing to do! It was so funny seeing some of my friends try to skate - they just can't do it! One of the French girls asked me why all the Canadians were so good (because we were miles better than everyone else!), they don't realize how much hockey is really in Canada. So that was a really fun night together - then of course we stayed up till about 3 playing cards.
The next morning we had our biggest bus day. Luckily I was so tired that I slept the entire way! We went to Te Anua and all the way down to Bluff - the most southern point in NZ. So now I have been to the most Northern point and the most Southern point of this country. In Te Anua we were staying at another holiday park, it was valentines day and we cooked a romantic dinner of chili (Pauline's recipe was from Sue Dow!) and got a bit sorted out for the next couple days...... An opportunity presented itself to me to do a 32km hike - the Routeburn trail, and so I jumped on it. There were to be 10 of us doing it but there was all of a sudden a few more spots, so I was able to get in on it. From our holiday park we had to walk over to the Department of Conservation office to get our tickets for the hike and so everyone who was interested went over together after dinner, and as we were walking we decided to all join hands so there was a line of like 15 20 something year old people holding hands in a line walking behind Pauline, giggling at our own maturity. Just simple little things like that can be so fun.
So we got sorted and had spent some time at the grocery store getting everything we need for the hike and the next day heading out to Milford Sound! We actually spent the night on Milford sound on a ship called the Milford Wanderer. We kayaked and went swimming ang ate good food, and saw absolutely beautiful scenery and seals and a pod of dolphins - it was amazing!!
When we got back to shore the next day it was straight to the hike for us! We took 2 days to complete it. It wasn't really terribly difficult - but challenging enough that it was so satisfying when we were done! It was so lovely - right in the heart of the mountains. Gorgeous! I have lots of pics. We were so sweaty when we got to our sleeping spot the first night that we went for a swim.....in a mountain lake...... I will never be the same again - cold cold cold. We slept in the Mackenzie Lake Hut. Actually we didn't sleep. There was a room with a few bunk beds but they all were taken so we had to sleep in a line with 20 matresses just laying one beside the other. No sleep because of all the friggin mountain climbers and their heavy breathing. And Evonne's snoring.
So we (7 of us hiked together)finished this hike just a few hours ago and I am so tired! But tonight we are in Queenstown and will have to go to the pub because our friend Fredrick from France is playing his guitar in a pub here! We stay in Queenstown till tuesday and I don't know where after that. But what I do know is that tomorrow I will do the bungy.............
goodbye.........