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Napier was our next stop, where we stayed in Wally’s Backpackers, another spot I would recommend. That evening we just walked along the small town’s promenade before going for beer to celebrate the skydive!

Next morning, we drove to Mahia Bay at the top of Hawkes Bay. It turned out to be a bit of a longer drive than expected but it is a lovely stretch of beach. The other highlight of Napier were the amazing chicken fajitas we made that evening – yum yum!

We had a quick overnight in Wellington in the Cambridge Hotel hostel before getting the ferry to Picton the next morning. Onward to Nelson where we stayed in Paradiso hostel – they have a really nice pool and cool communal areas including an old bus set up in the garden for late night sessions.

Having been told not to miss out on the local delicacy of fish and chips, we all went to the Sprig and Fern that evening for locally brewed cider and “fush and chups”. This would not be our only time going there for dinner!

With Nelson being surrounded by vineyards, we thought here would be a good place to try out a wine tour. Ciara, Fiona and I were collected by bus at 12pm the next day to join 16 others for a day of tastings. We visited four different vineyards, including a stop off for lunch and at least seven or eight tastings in each. The tour guide showed us how to taste the wine properly (it’s all about the smell really!!)Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris were our two favourite red and white, not forgetting the delicious avocado oil we got to taste at one of the vineyards.

We rented a car and drove up to Paihia, a small town in the Bay of Islands, north of the North Island where we checked into Base hostel, which had nice rooms, a large kitchen and a good bar.

Christmas Eve we did a big shop and stocked up on all the essentials – a fry for the morning, loads of chocolate, sweets, crisps and dips. That evening we went to a carol service on the local green and then for a few drinks in the hostel bar.

Christmas was a bit strange being away from home but it was so different it didn’t really feel like Christmas anyway. In the morning we went down for a swim at the beach and to swap our Secret Santa presents. A group of Philipinos were there too and insisted on taking loads of photos with us – are we really still that white??? Home for the fry and afterwards we watched “In Bruges” and dug into the chocolate supplies. Mass was on that evening so we all went to that before coming back for the hostel dinner – mussels, ham, chicken, veg, salad followed by ice-cream. A few more drinks rounded up the day, finishing with the hostel owner and some locals doing the Haka!

I had arranged to meet a friend of mine from college, Siobhan on Stephen’s day. She was up in Tauranga Bay (further north) camping with her boyfriend, Lance and his family. They collected me that morning and I headed off to spend a few days with them at the beach. Lance’s dad has a small motor boat so we went out fishing alot, along with lots of swimming and walking. I caught my first snapper fish! During the week I got to try cray fish, paua, snapper, mussels, oysters and delicious cookies and cakes made by Lance’s mom. The weather was a bit mixed but camping right on the beach was great and I really enjoyed the few days.

For our last few days in South America we stayed in La Casa Roja in Santiago, a really popular spot. Here we bumped into a couple of guys who we had met in Buenos Aires back in August and who were also keen to do the traditional 12 pubs of Christmas pub crawl. A plan was made for the next evening so Christmas hats were needed.

The next afternoon we went shopping. There was not a hugely Christmas atmosphere around the city but we managed to buy our Santa hats and were all set for the kick off at the hostel at 7pm. Below is the group of us that started off.

The group was mainly Irish, plus an English, a Dutch and a Chilean. About 5 made it to pub 11 before giving up and getting food instead of another drink in pub 12. In our defence, the planned final bar in the hostel was closed! Good fun was had by all and got us all in the festive spirit.

We had a relaxed couple of days in Santiago after that, including a trip to Los Dominicos markets (quite expensive), a stroll around Bella Vista (a lovely area), Plaza de Armas, a visit to the MAC (only ok) and a delicious meal in Como Agua Para Chocolate before flying on to Auckland the night of December 19th.

Leaving Argentina for the last time, we headed back over the Chilean border to Punta Arenas via Puerto Natales. Fortunately there were no problems at the border, apart from a broken bottle of Trapiche, them taking our bread and tomatoes – no lunch and an Argentinian official asking me about the serious problems in my country. The Irish economy is a hot topic in most hostel small talk conversations these days.

We checked into Backpackers Paradise for the night and organised our trip to Isla Magdalena for the morning. Paradise it was not, and we moved out the next morning after the smell of old feet in the teeny tiny dorm room got too much for us. Our room mates, nicknamed Santa Claus and his wife should have left their hiking boots outside. Unfortunately, Barefoot Backpackers up the road was not much of an improvement, however lunch in La Marmita saved our opinion of Punta Arenas. It was really delicious food, with interesting decor and a great atmosphere.

That evening we went to Isla Magdalena, an island about 2 hours off the coast. It was amazing! The whole island is taken over by penguins and they look so happy waddling around in couples. (these penguins only have one mate for life)

As we were in the area, the next day we went to Seno Otway Penguin Colony. Again the penguins were very cute but Isla Magdalena was much more impressive. And so a flight up to Santiago the next day brought us to our final stop before leaving South America.

I left Pucon early the next morning to get to Bariloche via Puerta Varas. I stayed one night there, a nice town, not too much to report except for the cool dog in the hostel – 8 month old Bodge was the biggest dog I’ve ever seen!

The next afternoon I reached Bariloche and checked into 41 Below. That afternoon I met Carmel and Kev and we walked up Cerro Campanario – beautiful views at the top of the surrounding lakes. Being back in Argentina, we were also back in steak and red wine country and we had a delicious meal in El Boliche de Alberto.

The next afternoon I rented a bike and set off to do the Circuito Chico around the lakes. I was not alone for long though as a group of Israelis soon adopted me and I ended up spending the day with them. Contrary to my previous opinions, they were very friendly and good company and a beer at the Cerveceria on the way home ended an enjoyable day.

Bariloche is the place for outdoor activities and the next day all six of us headed off rafting. The water was freezing but surprisingly none of us fell in. We all jumped in towards the end for a swim, which was bracing but a delicious BBQ afterwards warmed us up.

The other thing Bariloche is famous for is its chocolate. Chocolate shops line the main streets, most giving free tasters when you walk in. Ofcourse, we had to sample a few, along with the ice cream and the hot chocolate…so good!