NEW ZEALAND CONNECTIONS 1835

SYDNEY/AUCKLAND

It's early autumn and it's starting to get a bit chilly. I grab my suitcase and from Sydney international airport I board the Air New Zealand flight. I've been alone in Sydney for six months, at this point I can say I'm used to traveling alone. In fact I'm starting to get worried because for the first time I realize that after all these months of total freedom I now find myself having to live day and night for 2 weeks with people I've never met before... Let's not despair, or at least, not yet.

After a 4-hour flight with Air New Zealand I fly over Auckland and my eyes fill with the desire to see and know everything. It's incredible, the first thing I think is: it's all marvelously green and shining! In Auckland there are many small volcanoes scattered around the city, they're very striking seen from above. I take a shuttle that takes me straight to the hotel and costs me a few New Zealand dollars. During the ride I meet a German girl who studies here and spoke very highly of "her" city. In fact she wants to try to get a visa and stay, she doesn't want to go back to Germany anymore. The tour starts the next morning and for the first night I've booked the same hotel where the tour begins. The meeting point is in fact in the hotel lobby the next morning.

The hotel (President Hotel, very nice) is in the center, I say goodbye to my German friend and take the keys to the room I'll share with

AUCKLAND, START OF TOUR AND BAY OF ISLANDS

We go down to the lobby and it's full of people. We immediately spot the guide who is taking "roll call". You hand in the vouchers and he asks each one where we're from. When I say Italy he tells me he's happy because it's very hard to have Italians on these tours. All the better! We get on the bus which is half-full, in fact there are some guys who did the reverse tour and will do the last 3 days of the tour with us at Bay of Islands. Everyone seems very close-knit, they laugh, joke around and make a crazy racket. We set off and immediately Sue, our tour leader, and the guide/driver Carl (Maori) welcome us and she explains how it works. Then she asks us to go to the microphone and introduce ourselves. Here everyone brings out their best, and above all the veterans of the group put on noteworthy shows.

A Dutch guy says he's a porn film director and is traveling to find new inspirations and new subjects for his films. He's also looking for "hot girls" for his "hot movies". From the bus we see the area where all the big tents of the America's Cup are and I can also clearly see our team's. We leave Auckland and the landscape is more and more emerald green. The journey is quite long, in fact it's more than 200 km. But what you see out the window is unique: tons of sheep that interrupt the shining green of the hills, the very blue sky with lots of little white clouds, it feels like being in a painting. I'd never stop looking at these new wonders. We arrive in Paihia, a small village in the heart of Bay of Islands. The landscape changes drastically as we approach the sea.

As soon as you turn the corner everything changes and instead of the hill suddenly there's a blue sea with lots of little islands on the horizon. As soon as we arrive in the village Carl says it's his hometown and that he knows everyone. We notice right away, every 2 seconds we stop because everyone greets him and gets on the bus to kiss him and tell all of us that tonight we have to go drinking at the Pipi Patch, one of the few pubs there are here. We go to the visitor centre where we find lots of brochures and photos of the places we're going to see. We also have 1 hour of free internet. The guys who work here are young and very casual, in fact as soon as we enter they welcome us with incredible yells.

They speak a truly curious English, for example to say "fish and chips" they say something that sounds like "fosh and chops", then they keep saying: "sweet" to mean "good!" and "cosy bro". They make me laugh so much... We go to lunch in a place where they indeed make good "fosh and chops" and Louise and I are on the same wavelength, our daily commitment is: spend little or nothing. In fact we get half a portion of fries and since they're very plentiful we make them suffice for lunch, the journey is long, I don't want to spend unnecessary money. I still have almost 2 months of travel ahead of me, in fact once I'm back in Sydney I'll have more than a month of travel in Australia and Malaysia with my boyfriend who was going to come from Italy. I come from 6 months of a life like this in Sydney, where saving was my job. The more I saved the more money I'd have to travel and for drinks.

We go to our first backpacker, the 4 of us have a very hippy but nice mini-apartment. We're facing the sea, we immediately take the opportunity to put on our swimsuits and go to the beach. I start getting to know the other fellows: we're truly from all over the world: 3 girls and 2 guys American from New York City, 2 Japanese, 1 Dutch guy, 2 Danish, 1 Mexican guy (Gustavo, but for friends Gus) with whom I immediately bond because he loves Italy and we feel "similar" as "Latinos", 3 English guys, several Australians, some Swiss, Austrians, 1 German girl, 1 Canadian, 1 Brazilian. We have the first dinner all together, there's really a lot to eat and I must say everything is very appetizing. I immediately realize that these are monsters, they drink a ton! In fact they take turns buying packs of beer (12 cans) and they easily down them in a few minutes...

After dinner we go to the Pipi Patch bar which is in the center of the village. The atmosphere is boisterous, they give us vouchers for free beer. Thanks, but too bad I don't like beer. There's a street artist doing magic tricks and everyone applauds and leaves money. Once the little show is over the games organized by the pub begin. A barrel with two pints of beer on top and two balls to jump on. Two volunteers have to start at the signal and reach the barrel by hopping, drink the beer without stopping as fast as possible and come back. Whoever arrives first wins... another beer! I won't say how many volunteers there were and how many felt the blow after a few rounds. Alisa and I (the calmest of the 4 roommates) go back to the hotel while the others sing at the top of their lungs through the streets continuing to drink.

A few days later we learned the truth about that night which saw many sparks and many betrayals on the part of those who had left their boyfriends at home...

BAY OF ISLANDS, SAILBOAT CRUISE

The excursion I booked today is a sailboat trip among the islands. Some of us are feeling the blow from last night, not me and Alisa who went to bed like good little girls after 2 glasses of wine. We see dolphins in the distance, we stop to swim and they offer us tea and pastries. We go down onto a little island, it's a bit chilly, but I try to hold out. We return to the boat where lunch is ready with appetizers, chicken and salad. We set off again and they have us help hoist the sails and hold the helm. Louise, another guy and I go to sit on the net at the bow, when the sea is rougher we risk getting wet, but it's fun. On the way back we stop at Russel which is a very pretty little village (1000 inhabitants) facing the bay. We go to see a little church, Christ Church from 1847, which is the oldest church in all of NZ.

I see a particular sign indicating a restaurant called "Bordello" and I find it very curious. In fact I read in my precious Lonely Planet guide that Russel was for a long time the refuge of many sailors, whalers, drunkards and prostitutes. Darwin called it "the refuse of society". So that explains everything... and to think that now it's such a romantic place. We also witness the celebrations of a wedding. We return to Paihia and rest in the hotel until dinner time. Tonight too "big night out". We go to the center and choose an indoor pub because outside it's very cold. There's Karaoke... and off everyone goes to sing. Naturally everyone wants to sing because whoever sings gets 1 drink and whoever wins wins 50 dollars of drinks. Of course, everything revolves around drinks. We had a blast especially because unlike the first evening not everyone was half-drunk.

Louise and Barclay at the karaoke

Ricky, the Japanese guy, wins the karaoke and offers us a shooter. Under the incessant rain we went back to the hotel soaked, singing through the streets. It's time to go to bed... not a chance, in fact a party is organized in some of the guys' room and we have more laughs. Ingrid cuts everyone's hair, keep in mind that she was drunk and that not having the right tools she used some rather unlikely "shears". It's 5 o'clock. It was nice, we had fun, but my dear fellas, I need some sleep.

BAY OF ISLANDS, AUCKLAND

Return trip to Auckland where part of the group will end the tour and other new entries will join. The morning is available for other excursions, we decide to sleep to recover. We pass through other beautiful places, every now and then we stop for a shot (quick photo) and here we are back in Auckland. Ingrid and I go to visit some very nice little markets near the center and then go to dinner at a pizzeria with Alisa. Afterwards we meet up with our friends and go to a pub "The Globe" where we play billiards and watch a frog race. Here too whoever wins drinks.

AUCKLAND, ROTORUA

We said goodbye to our travel companions reluctantly, we had bonded enormously with them, it's strange to think that I'll never see any of them again. Other people join the tour, 3 Swiss girls are immediately classified as unlikeable and antisocial. It will turn out to be an even too positive judgment compared to what they were really like. Along the way we stop at the Waitomo Caves. Some visit them, Louise and I decide to rest and not spend money. Everyone talks about some marvelous insects inside the caves and they almost convince me to go visit them, then I understand that these famous glow worms are nothing but fireflies that I see by the hundreds around my house in Siena... I convince Louise not to go, inviting her to my house to see 'these glow worms without needing to go into the cave and pay.

The surrounding countryside is very beautiful, we take a stroll, then we see a very nice hostel. We go inside to see how it is, we download email from the internet at the paid computers. We see two sofas in a deserted room... we set the alarm again and sleep for 1 hour and a half! When we wake up we go to a farm that Sue had pointed out to us to see the "Angora Rabbit Shearing", that is, some nice ladies showed how they sheared the rabbits to make angora. These rabbits are very soft and white, they would die if they weren't sheared every so often. They tie the little paws with a rope connected to some fasteners and then "stretch" and lay out the rabbit which is frightened, poor thing. With a little machine they shear them well and the wool is truly of excellent quality. They also have the shop with many items of clothing. After lunch it's time to leave for Rotorua.

We arrive in Rotorua, a spa village. There are lots of geysers and there's a rather strong smell of rotten eggs, but after a little while you get used to it. We sleep in a very nice lodge, it's called Kiwi Paka (YHA) but it's not in the center. Not that there's much going on in Rotorua... We have dinner, we celebrate Alisa's birthday (some of the guys stole a road sign that said 25 as a gift for her 25th birthday!). A relaxing evening in the venue inside the lodge. I think something's missing... in fact it's the first evening since the tour began that Louise isn't drunk. I compliment her and she promises me she'll try to be better.

ROTORUA

This morning we have an excursion included in the price, it's the visit to a Maori village, the Whakarewarewa Maori Village. The friendly Maori who welcomes us teaches us how to pronounce the name of the village correctly. We visit this place that looks like a fairy tale world. Lots of little wooden houses, all small and pretty, geysers scattered here and there, little lakes where they dip corn cobs to cook them, holes in the ground where they put the chicken that cooks naturally without needing to add salt. He also shows us how they extract fiber from plants to make little skirts for us, but also ropes. This, they tell us, is the strongest fiber in the world and they get it from the leaves by shelling them with a shell. Why not a knife? Because the shell improves every time it's used, the knife needs sharpening and gets ruined with use.

At the end of the tour we go to a little theater where there will be a little show for us. They start singing, dancing, there are also lots of children who are very good. Then the famous Hakka dance that warriors used to scare their enemies. They invite some of us onto the stage to teach them how to beat their chests hard and sing.

At the end we go to have lunch at the Maori Village. We eat the chicken and the corn cob that we had seen cooking earlier, accompanied by sauces, salads and also desserts and fruit. We leave reluctantly, the impression the Maori gave me is that of a truly hospitable and friendly people. We go back to the center of Rotorua where Ingrid, Louise and I have booked to go to the pool. Here there are natural pools where you can bathe. They're outdoors, at the entrance of each pool there's the water temperature which even exceeds 40 degrees! It's a beautiful day, even though it's cold it's wonderful to be in the hot water and enjoy this fresh early-autumn air. At 5 we have an appointment with the others because included in the price we have two "luge" rides, which is a kind of go-kart but without an engine.

The course is downhill and the only thing you have to do is try to control your speed by braking. You go up to the top of the hill with a kind of gondola lift and then you take this luge that reaches the bottom. We have a ton of fun, naturally someone overdoes it and Paul goes to the hospital accompanied by his girlfriend. He hit his head and is dazed, nothing serious, but he has to rest for a few days. This means he can't continue the trip with us. He'll rest for 2 or 3 days and then he'll join us together with his girlfriend Anya on the South Island, taking a domestic flight, instead of doing the whole thing by bus. Tonight dinner is on our own. Louise and I eat some crackers in the room to save money. We do the rounds of the pubs and then go back to the lodge where there's the outdoor hot water pool and we have a nice bath.

ROTORUA, WELLINGTON

Today we have a fairly long journey ahead of us. We leave early, we begin the long trek toward Wellington. On the bus we laugh, joke around, watch movies and above all we gang up against the 3 Swiss girls who are truly unbearable and rude. These monstrous little intrigues start. So-and-so likes her, but she says she likes another guy who however is with another girl and so on. I have a blast gossiping about these affairs and I get nicknamed "the gossip queen." It's the last day that some of the guys we've bonded with the most will be on tour with us. All the New York guys are leaving, Ingrid and Alicia are also only doing the North Island and ending the tour. Louise and I will be left alone and we often talk about who we'd like in our room for the rest of the trip. Sue, our tour leader, considers us the veterans of the group and we've bonded a lot with her and the driver Carl.

That's why Sue always gave us the best rooms, knowing the accommodations well. We decide that Barclay and Anton could be accommodated, but I'm a bit skeptical, both because they're 2 guys and it bugs me to have them in the room without being able to do my own thing, and because Barclay breathes very heavily even when he talks. I can just imagine the nighttime concerts... Luckily Sue left us alone for a few nights! Legendary! We stop to take photos at Lake Taupo which is the largest lake in New Zealand. The landscape is truly "stunning," enough to leave you speechless. We arrive in Wellington for the "big night" with the New York friends. First we visit the Botanic Gardens which are nice, but nothing special. Dinner on our own. Louise and I again to save money choose a frugal dinner to eat in the room.

We meet up with our friends in the city center and realize that Wellington is a fairly boring and quiet city. We choose a pub, but even though it's empty they won't let us in because some of us don't have our passports. We're a bit annoyed, some people don't look 18 and without a passport there's no way to get in. We choose another pub where they let us in without a problem. We play billiards and everyone drinks, drinks, drinks. We change pubs and go to a kind of pub/disco. The evening is a lot of fun, everyone drinks like crazy, I don't know how it will end.

Ingrid spends everything she has, but she's so drunk she doesn't realize it. We go back to the hotel and since the evening had started off well we invite everyone to our room. The good night continues with liters of beer, vodka and whatever else. Our room is destroyed, some are yelling, some are jumping on the beds, some are having pillow fights, some are spilling drinks everywhere, some are locking people in the bathroom... Louise has a magnificent idea. Go wake up the Swiss girls. It's quickly done, she storms out of the room and starts yelling down the hallway "you ugly XXX wake up" she starts punching the door and they come out in their nightgowns. We get them to drink, half-asleep, and shamelessly ask them to go get whatever drinks they have in their room to share with everyone. 2 bottles of vodka.

Good, now that we have them and we're downing them, the meanest ones start asking them very direct questions: why are you so xxx? (unrepeatable swear words) But who asked you to come on this tour? Etc. When they understood why they'd been woken up, they went back to their room sheepishly. Once the room is cleared of the last bodies, I have to try to shut Louise up who won't stop talking and singing. I let her talk and fall asleep.

WELLINGTON, PICTON, NELSON

Today another very long transfer. We have time to go visit Wellington. We meet up with the guys who are finishing the tour and we all have breakfast together in a café. Ingrid disappeared last night, this morning we found out that some of us who stayed at the disco until late carried her to a taxi, paid, and told the driver to take her to her hotel room... she left early this morning from Wellington. We say goodbye to our friends and continue with the newcomers. We leave Wellington, first we see the city from above from the hill. Here the North Island tour ends, we're at the southernmost tip of the South Island. To reach the South Island we have to take the ferry and the crossing lasts about 3 hours. In the meantime, very strong bonds have formed between some of us.

Louise and I are always together, she calls me "bella" and I call her "mumy" because she's older than me and she keeps being a bit bossy. We also found out that Carl, our driver, has been doing this job for 10 years and is a real playboy. In every city we go to he has ex-girlfriends and children... He's very successful with the girls on the tours he leads, I don't understand what they see in him... this thing seems very disturbing to me, but I won't comment further.

Sue explains that we're going to play a game that will last a few days. She hands out playing cards and whoever finds the ace of spades is the murderer. Whoever has the ace of hearts is the inspector who has to track down the murderer. The murderer, through anonymous phone calls, notes or messages of any kind, orders people to stage a death (for example: you will die tomorrow during dinner, choking on your food, or during a group photo during which you will die from laughing too much) these things had to be done in the presence of people outside the group, that is, in public places. If the murderer manages to kill everyone he wins, if instead the inspector guesses who the murderer is, he wins. The prize will go to one of the two of them and also to whoever puts on the most entertaining scene. I'm not the murderer and this comforts me so I won't have to think about organizing everything.

The ship crossing is rather boring. The main topic is the game, at any moment we expect a letter to arrive or a message over the loudspeaker. We begin to glimpse the mountains of the South Island. They look like fjords, there's a light that creates an almost mystical atmosphere.

Here we are in Picton from where we continue immediately to Nelson. The hotel is nice, it's called Aloha Lodge, in Oriental style, 2 km from the center, facing the sea. (19 Beach Rd, Tahunanui, Nelson Tel. 03 546 4000) Louise and I are in a room with Rachel (Australian) and another Rachel (English) and we hit it off right away. Our room, thanks to Sue, is a suite. We have a bathroom with a whirlpool tub and sauna. There's also a kitchen.

Dinner is pizza. After dinner we stay fairly calm because tomorrow morning will be the big day: many of us have chosen skydiving, that is, jumping out of a plane with a parachute. We have to be sober and well-rested.

NELSON

I'm excited at the idea of throwing myself down from 13,000 feet... At breakfast Paul asks Barclay to arm-wrestle with him and suddenly starts screaming and catapults onto the set table knocking everything to the floor and falling off the table. Paul is dead... the murderer killed him. He's the first victim. What a laugh.

They come to pick us up with a little van and we arrive at the base. They explain how it works, what we should and shouldn't do. They have us put on the suit, glasses, hat, etc. I meet Peter, the instructor I'll jump with. In fact, not having a license, you can jump with an instructor, it's called tandem skydiving. I'm excited, not scared. Some people panic, Louise and I joke around happily about jumping together. The plane arrives and we get on. I'm the first to board, which means I'll be the last to jump, I prefer it that way, I'm not afraid and I can wait and watch the others jump. We start climbing and the adrenaline is through the roof. Peter tells me to sit in front of him and we hook up. He'll give me the push and stay behind me like a backpack. Louise and I look at each other and laugh like crazy, maybe from nervousness. Paul jumps, then Louise. It's Brooke's turn.

She's next to me, she starts crying and begs the instructor not to jump. He moves to the edge and tells her she paid and now she's jumping! And indeed they fly down. It's my turn. We move to the edge, my legs are already dangling. We look toward the camera and take some photos, I'm so happy. I look at the void below me, it seems incredible to be this high up. He gives me a push and we jump down. The first few seconds I don't understand anything, the air is so strong that it plugs my ears and nose and won't let me breathe. I try to bring my hand to my nose to be able to breathe. It's not easy because the impact is very strong. Peter signals me, it means he's opening the parachute and there will be a jolt. As soon as he opens the parachute and we descend more slowly I realize how beautiful the sea is seen from up there. He explains everything that can be seen.

It feels like flying, I wouldn't want to come down anymore.

Little by little we go down and I try to savor every moment I have left. He explains that I have to bend my legs when he tells me to and then put them down and as soon as we touch the ground run for a few seconds. I'm focused on doing what he tells me, but when the moment comes I hear all my friends who are beyond the fence shouting and calling me. I can't make sense of anything anymore, I mess up and we fall to the ground. Nice landing... compliments! Everyone comes toward me, we can't stop talking about how much fun we had and how great it was. Brooke is happy too that the instructor forced her. The afternoon passes with a walk in Nelson. The main topic is always the same one, the adrenaline doesn't come down.

During dinner there's a boisterous atmosphere, we fill each other's glasses. Louise and I bought a 5-liter box of wine and split it and we down it slowly. After dinner a silly game starts, like our cucuzzaro. Whoever makes a mistake drinks. Fuzzy duck... Ducky Fuz... Fucking Daz... damn I made a mistake! Already foggy from the wine I've drunk, I can't follow the game and I drink more and more. We take a taxi to the center of Nelson where we go to a pub, everyone buys a round of drinks, we dance on the tables and we're over the moon... as they say: from the stars to the stables, in fact all I remember is that someone carried me to the room in their arms.

NELSON, KAIKORUA

Louise wakes me up, telling me it's time to leave. My head is spinning and I have strong nausea. I'm dressed, I still have my shoes on. I try to get up, go to the bathroom and go down the stairs. On the bus I think I'm dying. I can't wait to get off, I promise myself I won't drink so much again, I shouldn't have gotten to that point. Little by little it passes with Louise acting as my nurse. We're in the Marlborough region, an area famous for its wines. We stop at the Montana winery, it's surrounded by countryside and there's a nice garden. You can do wine tastings (far be it from me...) or get something at the bar that's served to us in the garden. I'd say a tea will do for this morning. We arrive in the late morning in the town of Kaikoura. Many have booked an excursion to see the whales. Louise and I abstain and take a walk with Barclay and Anton.

We have lunch in a very nice place and in the early afternoon we set off again toward Christchurch. We settle in at the Cathedral Camelot Hotel (it's very nice and above all very central. Tonight dinner isn't included, many go out to dinner. Rachel and I go for a walk to look for something cheap. We meet up with the others, no one feels like going around, we're all exhausted from the previous night. We then decide to have a "girly night" and gossip about everyone and everything in the room. We rank (like in middle school) the guys on the tour and come to the conclusion that there isn't a decent one (at least for most of us) not knowing that the next morning... Tomorrow there will be some new entries, let's hope they're not another 3 Swiss girls like the ones we'd gladly sell off.

CHRISTCHURCH, FOX GLACIER

Finally I'm rested and my mood has gone back to being the usual one. After breakfast we get on the bus and meet the newcomers. Surprise! Among them there's an Aboriginal girl who seems very nice and 3 American guys who are VERY cute and look like they came out of an American TV show like "Beverly Hills." I'm not interested, my boyfriend is arriving in 10 days in Sydney, I haven't seen him in 7 months... Louise, the two Rachels and I as soon as we see each other look at each other saying we have to update the list we made last night!

We're heading toward Fox Glacier, passing through the town of Hokitika, famous for its jade working. In fact there are many shops that sell pendants, rough stones and lots of other things. I can't buy anything, my budget is extremely tight. I have lunch with one of the two Rachels and we talk about the worrying fact that the other Rachel has lost her head over Anton and he instead declared he's lost his head over the other Rachel! We arrive at Fox Glacier. It's very cold, we're in the mountains. Our lodge (Fox Glacier Inn) is pretty gross, it's the ugliest accommodation we've had so far. It's time for dinner which will be served at the lodge's restaurant. It's a very good dinner, a buffet with lots of meat and fish, pasta and lots of desserts. How nice! The restaurant made up for the ugly room.

This is a place for backpackers, in fact there's also a tavern where we drink something and play billiards.

FOX GLACIER

This morning early wake-up because I have the glacier excursion. I'm doing the walk at the base of the glacier, but the most beautiful excursion to do here is definitely the one with the helicopter that flies over the glacier and then lands to take photos. I'm on a tight budget and can't spend 200 dollars on this. The walk is very pleasant at the beginning, but when you get to the ice it becomes very cold. They have us strap on tight some kind of overboots with spikes so we don't slip. The view is very beautiful, some passages are a bit difficult and narrow. You have to be careful because it's easy to slip and get hurt. I ask the guide, who's in shorts, for help. Even though I'm well dressed, I'm freezing to death and I can't take it, I'm all numb. The guy, who's nicely athletic, gives me his jacket, I don't want it because I don't want him to get sick.

He convinces me to take it, he's fine like that, he's used to it. As we go down little by little I start to feel better, the temperature rises and I feel safe. I thank "my hero" endlessly and we go back to the lodge. We leave for the most coveted stop of the trip: Queenstown. It's a very lively and young city, full of entertainment, venues and opportunities to do extreme sports. In fact, bungy jumping was born right here. The landscape you admire in this part of New Zealand is truly the most fascinating and imposing ever seen. Maybe it's because we approach Queenstown toward sunset, but we stop at a lookout to take photos and it looked like a movie set. Wonderful, alive, dazzling, objectively stunning. We arrive in Queenstown, our hotel is the Rydges right on the lake. This place is truly stunning.

Our rooms are behind the main entrance, I think the hotel is divided into two parts, the new and more luxurious ones and the older ones they leave to backpackers. Our room in fact is nothing special. It's very small and there are 2 bunk beds. We have to do some maneuvers to get into bed! We go down for dinner and the atmosphere is more boisterous than usual. Certainly this is due to the presence of the 3 American hunks. All the girls (Louise first and foremost) do everything to be seen and come across as likable. This thing seems pretty pathetic to me and I join the guys who speak (obviously) badly about these 3 studs who came out of nowhere and immediately became the center of attention. There's a nice tavern with a heated outdoor hot tub and the bar gives drinks for just 1 dollar until 7pm.

After dinner we go out and go (against my will) to the Hard Rock Cafe where there's a karaoke night. Itu, the Aboriginal girl, wins. She's even recorded an album, she's really good, she has a fantastic voice. We drink, drink, drink and Louise once again is gone... she does nothing but say nonsense in front of the 3 poor American guys who are hounded by everyone. We change pubs, we go to a much nicer one with rock music, it's called The World. We have a blast making fun of the girls who drool over those 3. Meanwhile everyone's hitting on everyone, they're truly memorable scenes. The three Swiss girls don't waste time, they disappear with some guys in no time. Sue, the group leader, tells me she likes having people in the group who, like me, have their heads on their shoulders and don't throw themselves away as soon as they get the chance.

I thank her, I explain that it's not a sacrifice, I'm like this by nature, it would be tiring and very strange for me to have to do like most of the people in the group do. Louise introduces me to the whole place very proudly. I leave for the hotel and shortly after my room is stormed by Louise and 10 other people who start singing and dancing. Louise does nothing but tell me that I'm the "best room mate, ever!" and sings me the theme song of the Australian TV show "Neighbours." She pulls me out of bed and takes me to another room to party. I really can't take it anymore, I leave my room mate with her alcohol level through the roof and shut myself in the room with the other 2 Rachels.

QUEENSTOWN

When we get up Louise has just gone to bed, we get dressed to go have breakfast and then into the center. The town is really nice, there are lots of shops and the lake is really beautiful, especially in this season. The leaves fall from the trees and make the garden around it a shining yellow. We don't do anything in particular, we rest taking walks and doing a bit of shopping. Tonight Brooke, some other people and I have decided not to go out and have a nice bath in the hot tub. Tomorrow in fact we're going to Milford Sound fjord and we have an early morning wake-up. They serve us cocktails at the pool, we relax and then go to bed. Louise has gone out and every now and then during the night she bursts into the room to sing and wake us up.

MILFORD SOUND

This morning very early wake-up and departure for Milford Sound. The journey is long, we have to stay on the bus for 4 hours. Louise hasn't gone to bed because they partied and the night owls brought their pillows along to catch up on the bus. We stop at Mirror Lake, a lake where the mountains are reflected. It's really beautiful and I take the opportunity to film it with my camcorder which has by now become a part of me. We arrive at Milford Sound, we get on the ferry and the cruise begins. The place is nothing short of astonishing, but the weather isn't great. I've read that it's fairly normal for this area, there's always fog, it's really hard to find sun. When we get on the deck we can't even stand up, the wind is so strong. It also starts to rain, but the place is truly unique, it feels like being in The Lord of the Rings. I expect Mr.

Frodo with his little boat and Sam behind him to pop out at any moment. Once the cruise is over we set off again for Queenstown, we watch The Lord of the Rings, since the journey is long. On the way back we take a wonderful road. We pass between two lakes, it's sunset and the landscape is truly incredible. Naturally I film everything with my camcorder. We have dinner at the hotel and then go out for the last night on the town. We go to a venue in the center where they dance and make really good cocktails. I'm exhausted and go to bed. Tonight Louise is calmer, maybe last night took its toll.

QUEENSTOWN, LAKE OHAU

This morning we wake up late and go have breakfast in a multi-ethnic place in the center. It's called Vudu and it's very funky. Delicious and very unique. We leave for Lake Ohau. We arrive in the late afternoon at the hotel. We're in a lodge facing Mount Cook, facing the lake. There's only our lodge, we're surrounded by nothing. It's beautiful. The lodge is in mountain style, I imagine it in winter with the snow... Tonight it's not Sue cooking, but the lodge's restaurant has organized a very varied buffet for us. Dinner is delicious and afterward we sprawl on the sofas in front of the lit fireplace. We play ping pong and finally go to bed. In some ways this hotel is a bit scary. Around it there's only pitch darkness, lots of trees and the lake.

LAKE OHAU, CHRISTCHURCH

This morning we go for a walk along the lake, there's no fog this morning and it's truly beautiful. After an abundant breakfast we leave for Christchurch. Along the way we stop at Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. In the late evening here we are in Christchurch. The tour is over, but almost all of us have booked a room in the hotel where we stayed a few days ago. We arrive fairly early and I have time to take a walk around Christchurch. I go to the park, visit the cathedral which is in front of our hotel and wander around this city that seems very calm and has a very English look. Dinner is on our own, some go out to dinner, I want to save money and get something at a takeaway. I meet up with the group in a pub. There's a rugby match, the All Blacks are playing, everyone's crazy about this sport. We have a good evening in a venue where we dance and drink.

Louise is happy, carefree and drunk as always. She's heavily pestering one of the American guys.

After we've been dancing a while he starts saying strange things to me and I try to shut him up so as not to hurt Louise. It's midnight, the venue closes for 1 hour for religious reasons. In fact it's the day before Easter. I don't understand though what sense it makes to close for 1 hour. We go to the hotel where we chat a bit and then go back to the pub which has reopened as if nothing happened. The American guy continues with his advances and Louise looks at me with a disconsolate air. My Australian friend asks me: "Will you give him a chance?" and at my answer: "No way, mate" Louise perks up and tells me she'll take him away so she can work her charms on him. Paul the Australian tells me: "you are a good girl Roberta." Thanks mate. We start saying our goodbyes. In fact some will stay a few more days in Christchurch, but most will leave the next morning.

I have my flight at 7 in the morning, so at 5 I have to be at the airport. It's really sad saying goodbye. Maybe I'll never see them again. Louise and I say goodbye as if we'd conquered the summit of Everest together. We had a great time together, she apologizes for all the nights she was drunk and made a mess. She leaves with other people and after saying goodbye to everyone I go to the hotel with a German girl. I have 1 hour left to sleep. I decide to go to bed in my travel clothes. Everything is ready, as soon as the alarm goes off I leave.

FLIGHT TO SYDNEY

At 4:50 the alarm goes off and I go to reception to wait for the shuttle I booked. The airport is deserted. I call my boyfriend's house to tell him I'm about to leave and I also give my parents a ring. When we take off I feel like crying. It was a vacation I'd taken lightly, I didn't think I'd find so much beauty and so many friends. I'm happy I chose this trip, even though it's different in every way from the ones I've always taken. I'll come back to New Zealand, I'll definitely do it independently, but I won't forget this trip and my good fellows...