South to North Island

It's done, I am back at the North Island (has been a 13hours journey today) and tomorrow is my last day in New Zealand before I fly out to Melbourne and finally get some heat, which I am desperate for.

Yesterday was the most horrible day of the whole trip so far. I was booked on the white water rafting and it has been colder than at the Tongariro. It already started raining on the two hours drive to the Rangitata Lodge, where we got lunch and afterwards instructions and the wet suits. So we were not only looking like ..., but as well really really cold after the first hour. It has been 9 degrees outside temperature, pouring down and the water in the river was below zero (that's at least what it felt like).

Anyways, the raft would have been heaps of fun, if the weather wouldn't completly been like shit all day long. We had a hot long shower afterwards and an inside BBQ at the lodge and than headed back to town. All in all, the most expensive tour I did, was the worst thing I have done so far.

As it didn't stop raining all night long we ended up in the Hostel, watching one movie after the other. Have finally seen "Hotel Rwanda" and met a girl I have spent a day with in Rotorua, so it was alright.

Today I had to catch the TranzCoastal train up to Picton at 7am and as soon as we left Christchurch the sun came out and I could spent time at the viewing carriage and have seen sea lions (or whatever they are called). Try to find them in the picture. And the views have been absolutly stunning all the way up. We had an hour delay because of maintenance problems and so it would have been to late for the ferry, but they couldn't take off because of heavy weather. And it turned out to be more fun than the raft. I have never seen this many greenish looking people in my whole life. Fortunatly I don't have any problems with seesickness, but we weren't allowed on deck, as the water was all over the place so I had to face it.

Now back in Wellington I am in the largest and most impersonal hostel I could find, just because it is the closest to the railway station and I couldn't be asked to move any further today. But we have a bathroom ensuite, so there are only 4 people using it. And it's just for one night, as I will get a hotel room tomorrow night, because my flight is before 6am and I do need to sleep.