"Home of inappropriately placed benches"

Our next stop was Wanaka where we stayed for three days at a backpackers about 10mins walk form the main town and lake front. Wanaka is a cool little town still very suburban although there is some tourism there but mainly for the winter in the snowboarding season. The lake was great and we did some great walks around it but it was nothing like lake Tekapo and wherever we would walk we would stop and sit down to a bench to find it facing the opposite way from the view or there was a big bush infront, crazy but hilariuos.

We did go to the Paradismo Cinema during my stay which is one of my best kiwi experiences so far. It was basically made by a guy that sayed "we need a cinema in this town" so he made one. You go in and sit down or lie on old sofas, airiplane seats, bean bags or even an old car. Then one of the staff shuts the door and yells "is everyone warm enough cause I can change the air con if you want?" (only in New Zealand) Then after everyone dicsusses the heat she runs to the back and starts the film, Which watched RED which is a good film but tripled in standards because of the confort of feeling like your at home in your lounge. In the middle of the film there is an intervle where we get to go and buy freshly made cookies and ice cream, so good. So much fun and would recomend Padismo Cinema to anyone whois going through Wanaka.

Milford Sound

That Monday we got a bus early from Queenstown that took us to Milford Sound. We had a really hot week in Queenstown so Beth and I automatically put on shorts and T-shirts didn't even contemplate taking a rain coat! Surprisingly it was a horrible wet cold day, but we decided early on that we would both make the most of it despite the weather. To embrace this Beth bought some socks to wear with her jandals to take the chill of things, kinds.

The bus ride was very touristy with around five other buses all taking the same route to get to Milford, our driver was hilarious, but you got to a point were you didn't believe a word he said because of his jokey, kiwi personality. We would stop of at some touristy places on the way with all other five buses and bustle around the bush walks with all the other foreigners taking photos of every leaf and twig. Hilarious attitude people were literally queueing up to get this one picture of a bridge. At this point we decided to take lots of random photos to take the mick! Really great fun and made our time, being herded around like cattle, much more enjoyable.

Once we got to Milford we hopped on our boat thinking it would be just like the previous description to find the absolute opposite there were only twenty of us on this hundred passenger boat, quite small compared to the other boats. Beth and I borrowed some coats from the boat and spent the whole of the cruise out on the front deck. We had so much fun and despite the weather the scenery was so spectacular and there were some great waterfalls that apparently you can't see unless its raining. On waterfall our captain took us right under and we stayed there for ages! Beth was the only one left out there by the end we all went it because we were so wet. 

It was quite late when we got back to Queenstown and Beth felt quite ill so went back to Emily and Jonny's, and i went to the backpackers where all our stuff was.

Queenstown

So the following day Tuesday 7th we arrived in Queenstown! We first went to Emily (Carolyn's daughter) and Jonny's house in Kelvin Heights, where we had dinner and also met happy Abby (18 months). After dinner Emily took us into Queenstown where we went to a church called "on the Rock' Vineyard. Very small service of eight and quite intense, but it was a real blessing of God we went, because we met a guy named Greg, from Reading. We all went out for a drink after the service and found out he'd gone to church with cousin Anna and also visited our Auntie and Uncles orphanage in Zambia, Just CRAZY! 

The next morning in Queenstown, everything was very expensive and obviously really touristy! So that afternoon we went back to Emily and Jonny's. We caught the bus half way and walked the rest, it was super hot and we had our packs on so it was a very tiring, sweaty walk. At the end I jumped in the lake, but that was all because it was so cold!



Fergburger



During the next few days we mainly helped Emily in the garden and maxed out in the sun. Queenstown is really weird in that the bad (rainy) weather seems to go either side so we got some blistering hot days! We also looked after Abby who is hilarious and gave us loads of laughs!

One day we borrowed some mountain bikes and cycled round the Kelvin Peninsular really cool way to see the lake especially in the sun.


On the Thursday we met up with some girls that we met in YWAM in Oxford. We played Frisbee golf in the park, ate at padagonia's ice craem and had a Fergburger for lunch and dinner ("little lamby" and "the cod father")



Friends from YWAM



On the Friday Beth and I walked up Ben Loman, the big mountain behind Queenstown.



Sunday we went to Emily and Jonny's church, afterward we had dinner at "Winnies" the most hilarious Irish waitress, she had us in stitches. That evening we went to a youth church called Freedom, just amazing worship and people.

All in all Queenstown was amazing but mainly because of the people we could never of stayed there for a week and enjoyed it so much without them!

Is there more to life than this?

Lake Tekapo

Saturday 6th October Beth and I got our first Intercity bus, to Lake Tekapo. We walked up to the hill next to the lake, to the observatries and saw some amazing views over the lake and the snowy southern alps. The lakes especially Tekapo are this crazy blue, that changes all the time. They reflect the mountains and is was just awesome and it was deffinatly an experience that I could never dream of being able to capture on camera (I tried my best, really).

We only stayed there for a night which was plenty of time because apart from the lakes there isn't much else to there!

Shakey Christchurch

On Wednesday 27th October Beth and I packed up and flew down to Christchurch to start our South Island adventure. Ingus picked us up from the airport and took us back to Living Springs, which is on the other side of the hill to Christchurch and looking over onto Lytelton. An Awesome view to wake up to although, the picture does not do it justice.

The next day we borrowed Lina and Ingus's car and went into Christchurch and met up Carolyn, who showed us around the city, crazy to see the damage from the earthquake. We found Hereford St and walked round some really nice art centre's, The weather was awesome just perfect for sitting out with a drink and chatting!

Went back to the lodge that night and just sat round after dinner and talked, there are five German volunteers staying at the lodge as well, all are hilarious and very lovely to us! I felt my first aftershock! Was really weird, just felt like someone was jumping up and down in the room next door, it was over before I even realised it was an aftershock.

Just awesome to be staying at Living Springs, its like a holiday park for kids, it has a swimming pool, tennis courts, climbing wall, etc. which we can use for free!

Lina showed us a new found interest in garage sailing, was great fun on the Saturday, found lot of really cool bargains!

On the Sunday we went to Grace vineyard church with Lina and Ingus, We all went to Carolyn's daughters house for lunch with lots of Guys from YWAM, lots of fun stories and eye opening testimonies. In the evening we went to another of Carolyn's daughters house to celebrate  Carolyn's birthday. Awesome fun, really reminded us of family re-unions.

The next day we spent the day at YWAM in Oxford. Went top Jo Seagers posh cafe and had fun talking to more YWAMers. Stayed the night there and the next day went tramping with Carolyn and a freind.

During the next week we did several thing like go to Akoroa in the pouring rain (couldn't see much!), Beth and and Ingus went surfing and generally hung out at Living Springs. By the end of our stay we were both very tierd of the after shocks waking you up at stupid o'clock in the morning. 

Pet Day



Shay's lamb not really following order!



One of the things my dad said to me before I left to come here was that whatever I did I had to go see pet day. So last week on the 22nd October Beth and I went to the local Wikaretu school Pet day and i am so glad I went.





To explain each countryside school has a pet or agricultural day, in which they have to bring in a pet and complete various competitions, but your normal city pets are not allowed, you have to bring a pet lamb, calf, duck etc.



Shay's lamb given up!



The competitions the kids have to complete are 'the calling' where the lamb is placed at one side of the pen and child at the other and the child has to call the pet to him or her. In this competition it is very obvious to see which children have put the most time and effort into there lambs. There is also an obstacle course and a mass calling where all the kids and lambs are put into the pen together. It was the most fun i have had in ages and awesome just to see kids having so much fun without the stupid English safety rules. I had the great pleasure of being a calf judge which was awesome fun but quite tricky due to local politics and bossy mums!



There is also indoor judging which Beth helped in and we also had the opportunity to go help the day before with the kids creating there flower creations to be judged. Hilarious seeing the kids that make a big effort in everything and others that just stab the flowers into the oasis.

Wouldn't miss pet day for the world!

OSPA Challenge

Not sure how it happened but for the last seven weeks i have been involved in the OSPA challenge along with several other guys from Wiakeratu. The challenge is put on by the theatre called OSPA in Onewhero 45mins from the Cafe.

The challenge is for a group of five to be given a play brief and to write, learn and preform the brief in six weeks. The team is given several props, sound effects and a line to be included in the 10-15min production. After we have preformed the first brief we are given another one to write, learn and preform in only six days. It has been awesome fun to be involved. My team "they came from a far fields" consisted of Emily Welch, Catherine Tafto, Tom Mandano, Kent Wright and myself. Our first brief was that a syndicate of four buys a lotto ticket but one member does not want to give the ticket up.

 We had to include the line "I'm your mother and i know what happened" and it had to be a comedy. So we came up with "no fool like an old fool" in which three batty old ladies (Tom, Kent and I) win the lotto but the nurse(Catherine) has the ticket and we persist to get it from her till the dinner bell rings and we forget all about it! We were quite gutted not to get the judges vote but won the audience vote which put us through to the following Saturday and the best of the best final, which was quite exciting!

For the next week our brief was "what happened on the 1st April 1999" and we had to do a drama including the line "its only because i love you". So we produced "hand gun wedding" which is set the morning of Emily's wedding with nervous preparations especially because the useless mother has not turned up, to top it all, I Emily's best friend has been in love with her since forever and now that Emily is getting married to some one else, i have to kill her because I'm crazy and if i can't have her no one else can.

So anyway we worked really hard and i felt we pulled of some very good performances but sad to say that we can show no award for our efforts because we didn't win. But it was awesome fun and definitely unforgettable.
Hopefully a video coming soon!!