Happy but almost ready to come home

A little known fact about New Zealand is that 1 in 4 kiwis suffers from a food allergy, of which the most common is wheat/gluten intolerance and/or Coelaic Disease. The other little known fact is that because hannahgreen.net is based in the UK, and I am in New Zealand I have not been able to access my website. This accounts for the lack of updates, and despite daves great technical expertise, he cannot overcome the difficulties of geography. However while the second of these two facts has been annoying, the first means that I am now travelling through food heaven. Every coffee shop and restaurant has specific Gluten Free stuff on the menu, so i have felt the urgh to try everything that is offered to me. I had my first ever club sandwich yesterday and the day before that a BLT :D

But food aside New Zealand is basically Scotland. At least the North Island certainly seems that way. There are less kilts and more volcanoes but the people are just as friendly and the weather is identical. Your average kiwi has a great sense of humour and definately takes sarcasim to a whole new level which i love!!! The main difference from the rest of my trip is that there are lots and lots of other backpackers here, and as a result there are lots of businesses tailored to their needs. Once I got over the novelty of being able to drink tap water I was kind of disapointed since every sense of adventure now comes gift wrapped with its own dvd or photos on offer.

Saying that I have not stopped doing crazy stuff, in Auckland I drove a Segeway around Davenport a little coastal town made from extinct volcanoes. I also fell off this 2 wheeled contraption at 10 miles an hour into a huge pile of mud! Serves me right for trying to score a segeway try on a rugby pitch in mid winter!! I have also been horse rideing, sky diving (at 15,000 feet, very exciting especially since my dive buddy was called darcy!!!), and I have walked into the centre of an active volcanoe. All rather mad but in some respects not as thrilling as walking down Sudder Street in Kolkatta. Lord I never thought I would miss India!!