Well, the rain's coming down hard outside, so I think it's time to do another update! I arrived in Dunedin, toward the bottom of the South Island a few days ago. I drove the 6 hours down from Christchurch in a car I bought off the housemate of friend I knew from London. It's funny how things happen; I wasn't planning on buying a motor, but as it seems like my visa may take a few more weeks and it was a good deal, I thought I might as well use the opportunity to tour the South Island.

The drive down was great as I thought it might be; some gorgeous scenery and I found a fantastic beach at Katiki where I stopped off for a sleep and a few photos. I arrived at a nice little hostel just outside the city which has a jacuzzi and great (non-bunk!) beds, so made a point of jumping in with a beer and some new friends. The jacuzzi that is.

I've been here a few days and have so far checked out the town, including a night at a different and more lively hostel, and I also met up with my mate Mikael who I met back in Nelson to have a walkabout the Otago peninsula; we took a tour around the Penguin and Albatross populated areas and got a few nice pics. Apparently the only species of Penguin more rare is the one I saw in the Galapagos, which might explain why I only saw 2.

Anyway, as one of our exports was apparently bureaucracy, I'm gonna be here for at least one more day getting a medical and x-ray done for my visa application. Fingers crossed that it goes through ok, as I've already shelled out toward 300NZD for it, and more importantly I'm actually starting to miss earning money. I never thought I'd say that.

My next stop isn't decided, I may head to Invercargill on the tip of the South coast as I've heard good things about Stewart Island, or energy allowing I may cycle the 'Rail Trail' with Mikael for a few days as it looks like a nice route. Here's a few photos of the trip down, Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula. **Updated 20/01 with photos of the Dunedin Art Gallery and Chinese Garden

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Ciao! (wrong language, but I miss saying it) 

So I arrived in Christchurch about 4 days ago after a 5 hour bus journey, having met up with a Swedish bloke called Mikael back in Nelson who was also going to Christchurch to look for a car to continue his journey. We both got tickets and had a wander about in Kaikoura where the bus stopped off for lunch. The scenery here is pretty nice, as you can see from the photos the beaches are long with good surf, and most coastal roads are bordered by huge green hills and mountains. I've heard there are some equally spectacular views on the west coast (where the big mountains are) so perhaps I'll be able to get a bus or car journey in at some point.

Being a developed country, travelling here is generally a lot easier thanks to decent (if a little windy) roads and bus services, and it's nice not having to sleep with one eye open to look out for bag snatchers too. Having said that, I almost began to enjoy the element of danger and the atmosphere that comes with the journeying in South America, as I keep saying all the best stuff I've done seems to come at a price.

I think I'll be in Christchurch for a couple more days yet while I await the decision of my working Visa application; I've spoken to a few agencies and found some jobs similar to the work I was doing back in England, so I'm hoping that I should be able to pick up something with an IT company in one of the cities. Failing that, it's either picking fruit or I have a ticket booked for Australia leaving NZ on the 28th of January, so as always we shall see.

Here's a few photos of the journey down from Nelson and a walkabout the town. A lot of the buildings are still barricaded off since the two earthquakes they had here around Christmas; the bus driver was explaining that the most recent one on boxing day, although less on the Richter scale, caused more damage as it was short and sharp. A lot of the hostels here are also closed due to damage from the quake, which has made finding a place to stay difficult. It's a shame as there are some very nice buildings here reminiscent of Olde England, and the bus driver was certainly pretty saddened by the affect it's had on the city.

Similary reminiscent of England, it seems most of the nightlife here centres around a depressingly brit-style drinking culture of pubs, bars and being drunk and wandering the streets by half eleven. No doubt there's a few town centre fights outside the kebab shops too. I keep having to stop myself telling fellow travellers about the culture difference in SA, where you don't even get into the club until 2:30, but I feel like there's a risk of becoming a stuck record.

I'll keep you updated on any developments, Hei konā rā!

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Kia ora! So after 2 flights from Santiago to Auckland, then straight onto Nelson on the tip of the south island, my first visit to New Zealand has begun. After arriving at the airport I was picked up by a mate of someone I met back in Rio. I'd been told about the Phat Festival, and also of a spare ticket and ride, which I thought might make a nice way to spend NYE. 

The festival kicked off on the 30th, and although the first night was good, the jetlag, tiredness from travelling and maybe still some post Christmas recovery kicked in hard on the 31st, and what was supposed to be a power nap at around 10pm ended when I woke up in my tent to the sounds of the crowd counting down to midnight, and Andy C (one of the biggest d&b DJs in the world) starting his first tune. Ah well, I'd seen him a few times before back in London so wasn't too gutted, and the next night I was slightly more on the ball and got to hear some good music so not a complete loss. The crowd I went with were all great fun and hopefully not too pissed off with my lethargy. 

I'm currently at a fairly chilled hostel in Nelson looking into the possibility of work. I'd heard a few stories of people making decent money from fruit picking (apples are about to come into season and are where the money is apparently), but I've also heard more tales of being paid below minimum wage and having to be lucky with where you get to pick, so the prospect is becoming less promising. I'm hoping I can pick up some work in or around one of the cities; as much as I love being a bit further out and appreciating the weather and scenery, I think the best prospects may lie in the built up areas.

Speaking English to locals is nice, but I can't help but feeling guilty; in South America the best stuff always seemed to be found after putting in the work to (try to) speak to the locals, and although I'm loving the weather (27-28) and amazing sights here, I can't help but miss the edginess, atmosphere and most of all the people of the last 4 months. To be fair I've only been here a few days, so we'll see what NZ holds..

Here are some photos from the festival and a shot of Nelson:

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Kī tōnu taku waka topaki i te tuna - 5 New Zealand dollars to the person who can translate that!