Firstly, let us introduce the Bunac group, top left to right: Chris G, Chris W, Jillian, Mark, Caroline, Sally, Ryan, and Bryan. Bottom left to right: Dan (Kiwi Experience driver), Liam, Fraser, Laura, Nazema, and Samantha is at the front. 
On the 2nd of March we boarded our flight and left London for Hong Kong where we would spend 3 days sightseeing, eating, battling jet-lag and getting to know our other 11 travelling companions. The time flew and before we knew it we were touching down in New Zealand with a little turbulence to see us on our way.
After a week of exploring, bungy jump spectating, and drinking in a bar made from ice, we left Auckland...
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and set off North to the seaside town of Pahia. Ah!...the sun, sand, clear ocean water, and general laid back attitude in the Bay of Islands consumed us for a full week. The week's activities included viewing the Huka Falls, a Dolphin watching trip won in a pub game, and a trip to the tip of the North Island where we saw the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting (very informal it was....no handshakes at all!).
Soon after that we threw ourselves down a 20ft sand dune on a very small board - fantastic! That little dot below, on the left, is Fraser hurtling down the dune. The wipping wind didn't help the uphill climb, nor did it aid in the battle to keep the sand off our sun-tan lotioned faces - sand beards galore!
We then made our way back on the Kiwi Experience coach to Auckland where we stayed with Jenny (Fred's family friend) for a couple of days which was bliss. However, this stop was a short one as we hitched on our rucksacks again, heading for the east coast and Whitianga. 3 days of glorious hostel company (crazy but fun woman from New York - horrendous snorer though!), cycle treks, and the best chocolate fudge brownie in the world!
Next was a 2 day stopover in Tauranga which was nice, but given the number of spiders that were in our hostel room (12!) I (Laura) was not settled one bit. We hear that Mt Maunganui is beautiful though, so will be making a return journey.
Rotorua was next on our list and although the town smelled of eggs (Fred seriously struggled!) it was a great week well spent! We relaxed in a Polynesian Spa, visited a Kiwi bird sanctuary, walked around the geothermal pools in the park, and on our final evening we attended a 'hangi' (a feast cooked in the ground) in a Maori village. It was a fantastic night filled with entertainment, haka's and food! There we were joined by Caroline, Sally, Gilly and Suzie (Gilly is our friend from Aberdeen, she was travelling round NZ with her chum Suzie).
Just a short coach ride to Taupo for our next stop; 
Taupo was beautiful and it was here that Fred and I threw ourselves out of a small plane. We had Caz and Sally to keep us company in the little sardine tin-can, and there's no need to tell you how amazing it was as you've all had lengthy emails covering the topic! Here we are before (looking slightly nervous):
And that's Laura to the right and Fraser to the left, plunging ever southward.....woooooohooooooo!!!
The day was only made more special when Chris W. came up with the genius idea of making our way to the hot springs for a midnight dip...so we did, with beer, wine, and crisps in tow. It was probably one of the best days of our whole adventure so far! But the highs came with the lows when it was soon time to say a farewell to Gilly and Suzie as they made their way back to Bonnie Scotland. It was so great to have you out here Gilly and we missed you the minute you left!
Wellington was calling us, so after a great week in Taupo we were headed off on the Inter City again, destination: South. After Auckland, Wellington came as a refreshing and quirky change. Lots of character and filled with friendly people. We were both shocked that for the Capital city there were hardly any people and that you can walk from the CBD to a beautiful harbourside walkway in about 5 mins. If you wanted to, you could lose yourself in the suburbs within a matter of mins - what a gem of a city! On this short visit we met up with Kt and Sally (friends from Aberdeen too, who had been out here for about 3 months) and they took us under their wing and showed us around. The Lord of the Rings exhibition was in town and we managed to spend a few hours engrossed in the displays, for fans of the film it's a must see.
After a few days in Welli we were due to start our house-sitting stint for Jenny, just outside of Auckland, so we boarded the Inter City again for what would be the worst coach ride of our lives! 11 hours overnight...need I say more? Jenny was so good to us though and really made us feel at home, so for that we are very grateful to her. Being back in Auckland allowed us to meet up again with some of the Bunac crew (Caroline, Sally, Bryan, Ryan and Nazema) who had their own travelling tales to share.
After 2 weeks of luxury we hitched on our trusty rucksacks again (wince!) and hot-footed it to Wellington just in time for Kt's birthday - fab! Since then we've been going out and having fun, registering with temping agencies and getting work, doing a little sightseeing of Welli and the surrounding area, and having crazy fun some more! Its great to have Sally and Caz in Wellington too, they've got themselves a flat in Roseneath which isn't too far from ours. Also Kt is still here! Sadly Sally is on her way back home after her big adventure - toodles Eddie old chum, we'll miss you! We've made other friends out here too, some locals, and some imports like us. But on the whole we're having the best time.
There....phew!....thank you for accompanying Fraser and Laura on their whistle stop tour, we hope you enjoyed the ride, y'all come back now ye hear!
