I booked my Kiwi Experience sheepdog pass well in advance before I had even begun my round-the-world trip. Normally I wouldn’t consider booking something so expensive in advance before getting to the area and looking at the alternatives, but the website screamed at me “25% off” and I duly handed over my credit card details.

Considering I had survived three months planning all my transport and accommodation in South America, it took a bit of getting used to now that I had suddenly joined a bus which handpicks the places and the hostels you go to. Kiwi must have some kind of agreement with Base Hostels which at first annoyed me because they’re overpriced (although people coming from more expensive places like Australia thought they were cheap), but I finally started to fall for their immaculate kitchens and nearby in-house bar!

The bus can act as a hop-on hop-off service, although most people tend to stick to the suggested itinerary meaning that you will often stay with the same group of people for a week or two which is really nice if you are travelling alone. I chose to go on the Kiwi because one, I was travelling alone and two, because I was too lazy to plan my own travels on such a short time-period.

Even though NZ$850+ for a simple bus ride might seem ridiculously overpriced, you are taken door-to-door to most of your activities and the ride also includes many out-of-the-way national parks and guided walks.

Here’s a very quick summary of my highlights of the trip:

Waitomo Black Water Rafting – Otherwise known as cave tubing, this involves an excruciating ten minutes trying to fit into a wetsuit, find a tube that actually fits your bum and then overcoming fears of small spaces, drowning and darkness before descending into a cave! On the day we did it there had been a massive downpour of rain and there was a bit of worry that it would be cancelled, but thankfully it all went ahead!

The best thing about the trip is that you get to see colonies of glow worms, and it is really surreal near the end when you are floating with the underground rivers’ current and the only way you can get your bearings is by following the long line of glow worms. You get the choice of doing the labyrinth or the abyss; the labyrinth involves abseiling and rock-climbing, and I’ve been told it was worth every penny! I did the cheaper option and it was also really enjoyable… plus at the end you get treated to hot soup and bagels before being dropped off at your hostel in time for bed!

Wellington

If I had to choose anywhere in New Zealand to live right now it would be this place. Cuba Street has lots of cool little shops and the whole area has a lot of history to it – when our ferry was cancelled due to dangerously windy weather, me and a couple of friends had to find a way to occupy ourselves for the whole morning… so we went to Wholly Bagels! It became a bit of a legend between me and my friends because the bagels were just amazing, and they even give student discount after 2pm so I was never short of a mocha! When the sun shines (rarely during my visit) the surrounding hills become stunning and for the views alone I would live there.

Lake Mahinapua We stopped off here for the legendary Poo Pub, where each night there is a fancy dress party with a different theme. For my bus it was the letter P. Me and Rosie decided to go as party animals, a hybrid of a cat and a glowstick-wielding partygoer.

Franz Josef Glacier Type into www.flickr.com these three words and you will see strikingly white glaciers against a backdrop of luscious blue skies. Funny how on the exact day I get there the sky dramatically becomes overcast and we see rainfall similar to that of a monsoon! Despite all of that and the horrendous outfit I had to wear (which got soaked through anyway!) I had a really cool day. We got to jump into holes in the ice, pose for pictures in ice tunnels and generally explore the glacier with our clampons on.