Halloween and the HBOS Reunion

(I like the sound of this update - it's like the name of a Harry Potter book)

We were back in Queenstown on the 31st October which is Seb's birthday and, of course, Halloween. As we'd booked ourselves to do the Nevis Highwire Bungyjump, we checked into the YHA quickly and made our way to the AJ Hackett Office. Sadly all the hype dissipated when I got there - I was worried about any pressure on my (previously) broken leg and the women at the counter (who had whole bowls of chips on each shoulder, it seems) told me bluntly that it was against their policy to allow people with pins or plates in their legs to do a bungy jump. I was gutted, of course, but I still went along as a spectator anyway as it was Seb's Birthday and I also wanted to wind up all the other people that were nervous about doing it!

It was a 45 minute drive through the countryside to get to the Nevis Bungy station and it looked pretty scary. Even though I wasn't doing the jump, I was still able to go out to the cable car that everyone was jumping out of. It was great experience to be there and see all the build up and the fear in everyone's eyes, but it was dissapointing that I wasn't able to do it and it proved to me what most people that go to Queenstown are like as the other jumpers were nobheads. Seb enjoyed his jump though and when we got back, I exploted his adrenalin rush and took him straight to the pub.

As the evening approached, we still had to put the finishing touches to our costumes so I had a quick look in the woods behind the YHA for some materials and then we made them out on the veranda. It's always great fun to make your own costumes and what was even better was that both costumes cost us $12 (that's less than 5 quid!).

Seb was dressed up as Julius Caesar with his toga and laurel and his hair sprayed grey - he also sploshed on the perfume to make him smell regal - and I was dressed up as Jesus Christ complete with robe, crucifix crown of thorns and fake blood on my forehead, midriff and palms. We got a few funny looks from people in our hostel and the walk to the pub was pretty cold when you're wearing just a sheet!

We went to the Altitude Bar (which is below Discovery Lodge where we stole the sheets for the costumes!) to meet up with the two sisters we met in Nelson (Holly and Katie) who had also dressed up. As the atmosphere was pretty good ( and we were getting plenty of free drinks) we stayed there for most of the night - people kept on trying to look up our robes and I would retort "Don't make me cross!".

It was fair to say that, although plenty of people had dressed up, we were the best dressed (although one guy did look a bit like Osama Bin Laden and the beard was real!). We went to check out the main bars in town (The World Bar and Red Rock Bar) but they were empty. We had a chance to strut around town in our costumes but, in the end, we just went back to where we started.

All night long, Seb danced his socks off (even though he wasn't wearing any) - even I couldn't keep up with him! Eventually we got back to the hostel at about 5am and we tried not to wake everyone else up in our dorm.

The next morning we wer both quite hungover - we didnt time for dinner the previous evening and we were ravenous, so we made our way to Fergburger which apparently makes the best burgers ever. Well..... I couldn't disagree after trying one - I had one called Sweet Bambi which was venison with a thai plum chutney - it was heaven in a bun!

As I found a place to bury my face in my burger, I heard someone yell "Potter!!". Now, the last time someone called me that was when I was in Cardiff and sure enough, there was HBOS's own Katy Prince and Anne-Marie Thomas with their travelling frien Bec. We chatted about our respective travels and about the good/bad old days back in Cardiff. It was weird how we had been to so many of the same places (However they had bad memories of Airlie Beach. They didn't even have a Clancy's Pie!). It was great to see them again and it's a possibility I may well see them in Fiji too. For the rest of the day, Seb and I basked in the sun by the lake trying not to be hungover.

For our last day in Queenstown, Seb and I walked up to the gondola station at the top of the hill. There were amazing views of the Remarkables and Seb enquired about doing some paragliding. Sadly, even though it was a gorgeous day, it was a bit too windy to paraglide so we did the luge instead. It was great fun - a bit like tobogganing but in a go-kart with no engine and dodgy brakes!

We walked back down the hill and went to Caddyshack City which is the indoor mini-golf course - it was HGappy Gilmore-esque as it had all the moving parts and sounds (e.g. the ball had to go up a ski-lift and a rollercoaster and in a rocket ship. That sort of thing). Seb won and I lost my cool - I hate that clown!

We went for a farewell drink (and a farewell Fergburger) as Seb was going South to Invercargill the next day, and I was going North to Mount Cook. Seb and I have been travelling together for the last month. As he's heading up the East Coast I may well see him in Christchurch next week but we'll see. In the meantime: Chill Out Baschi! It's been great fun!