A all new high for the month of June..

So since the last post I celebrated turning 25 here in New Zealand. Paul decided to surprise me (first time ever he managed to keep a secret) with a 15,000ft Tandem Skydive. We have mentioned that it was something that we both had on our bucket list to do in the past but genuinely had no idea that was what he planned for us to do. He made it out like we were going into town for lunch with Lauren and Emily and even with the early start which I did question Paul brushed it off with we will go for a walk , so I never questioned anymore. It was only when we went into town and we were walking past the skydive shop did Paul put his arms around me and steered me towards the door that the penny dropped and I completely went into panic control which apparently was priceless.
 
Gem enjoying the view!
So with very minimal time for me to get my head around it the four of us were getting kitted up into our jumpsuits and been given a low down on what we were to expect in the air and what was expected of us. To be honest the part that I was really nervous about was being on the edge of the plane just before you jumped as I remembered that was the hardest thing about the bungy jump and this was going to be a lot more extreme! Me and Paul decided to go for the full package of getting pictures and videos of our jump as we knew this wasn't an every day acurrance. So we got introduced to the guys that were selected to pair with us for the jump as well as our photographer/cameraman. 
 
Paul always wanted to fly like Superman..
We were put in order of how much we weighed with lightest jumping first to heaviest jumping last. There was six of us on the plane and all of us had selected the full package. So it was a full plane. I think both me and Paul were nervous on the plane ride up as it was becoming a reality of what we were about to participate in. Our crew kept giving us updates on our current altitude and the butterflies were really kicking in when you looked out the window to see how high you were and knowing you still weren't at the height you were going to jump. As soon as we were at the correct height the shutters went up and within seconds Lauren was already off the plane I'm not going to lie I let out a little scream as I couldn't believe how quick it happened. Next up was me I think I went into shock as I didn't say a word or scream during the whole process of free falling it is by far the most surreal thing I have ever participated in. Emily jumped out next behind me and then Paul. Paul landed on the ground the first out of our group his jumper had done all sort of tricks and got the momentum up the most. Paul also really enjoyed his jump and for someone scared of heights he did awesome and you would of never of known. 

We were all on a huge endorphins high went we got reunited back together. Finally we were back in town and going for lunch like I thought the plan was all along! After eating some yummy food and getting some lovely presents off Lauren and Emily we had some dessert and made our way home. Me and Paul went for a 25km run for me turning 25. Rach our housemate also joined us not only did Rach run her fastest half marathon she had completed she also ran the furthest she had ever done that evening which was awesome ( Paul made her medal for completing it) . We got back to the house and Rach had made me a homemade apple crumble for my birthday which was sweet. Opening cards and a Skype call from back home rounded off my day perfectly.
   
Post race picture..
The month of June saw me and Paul race a few times. As you are aware from previous post that Paul races the marathon at the start of the month a couple weeks later we entered a mile race which was part of the winter festival in Queenstown. It was something neither us had done I have raced a metric mile on track when I was younger but never on road. We thought we may as well give it a go for a laugh. It was two laps around town and the streets were closed ready for the parade that was starting immediately after the race so there was quite a crowd for a small race. Me and Paul decided to go all out and see how long we could last as neither of us have much speed in us with all the endurance we had both been doing. To my amazement I managed to win the women's race and Paul had managed third overall we both had some speed in us that we hadn't realised was there. We both found it quite tough on the lungs tho! 

The following week saw us participate in another race this time a 10km it was the same race I had done the previous month and Paul's first one of doing the 10km. It was a beautiful day for winter and both me and Paul were in shorts! We got asked if we minded helping out at registration as they were a bit short of volunteers so we thought why not Rach was already helping out as well so it was a mini housemate day out just missing Chris who had to work. Adrian the race organiser came and got us just before the start and thanked us and told us to go and get warmed up as there wasn't long before the race started. We quickly got changed and made our way to the start line. We both had a good race Paul managed third overall and I came fourth for the woman's race and had ran my fastest time in around a year and a half, Rach had also matched her time of the previous month so a good day out. Whilst we are on the theme of running Paul got invited on to the local radio to do an interview about endurance running and what he has accomplished, which was pretty cool. He did really well and it was really awesome to hear his interview as it aired on the radio a definite first and another string to his bow of talents. For anyone wanting to listen here is the link: http://1drv.ms/1jbOyhN
   
Enjoying fireworks from a different view to normal!
As you saw me mention above Queenstown has just celebrated winter fest. After already being to a winter fest in Ottawa we had High hopes for the one here. There was a firework celebration for the opening ceremony, so me and Paul decided to hike up the gondola and watch them for the top to beat the crowds. It was a great display and Paul practiced taking pictures with our camera and go some awesome shots. It was the first time we both have ever looked down at fireworks though it was quite a novelty. Once they had finished we made our way down into town and caught up with some friends and had some food. The next day we participated in the golden mile race which was part of the celebrations and then watched the parade right afterwards. We had planned to take part in the quiz they were putting on but was already booked up. The following weekend we watched Thriller in the Chiller which is where males and females from the local community get selected and are trained up to have a boxing match . It was cool to go and watch and something different to do and a nice way to round off the winter fest . All in all though it wasn't a scratch on the Ottawa festival.
    
Farewell meal with Em and Lar.
The end of June also saw us say goodbye to Lauren and Emily who left Queenstown to carry on travelling. We went out for a farewell meal with them the night before they left and had our last workout with them too. So all in all it was a very busy month looking back over it. Until next time thanks for reading Gem & Paul x

The Trip Down Under...

Mostly since our last blog we have been working and running . We now train with Emily and Lauren twice a week now and have enjoyed a couple of meals out together and even took a road trip to Wanaka for the day and visited puzzle world and the most photographed tree in New Zealand. It's fair to say that the four of us have know become firm friends which is really nice. There has also been a fair few games of cards played and cookie sampling on mine and Paul's behalf from Rachael and Chris , so all in all life pretty good at the moment here in Queenstown. 

Winter is coming to Queenstown.

So after years of having Australia high on our lists the time was here to finally board the plane to Sydney, we were excited to say the least! A small three hour flight was all that was needed to get us there which is crazy it's basically just like popping over to Spain from the UK. We arrived late morning and decided to pop into Sydney for a few hours , as we had already booked a flight for that evening to the Gold Coast. Why I here you ask, well New South Wales now has a law in place where you no longer can hold a koala. This is something both me and Paul really wanted to do, so after doing some research Gold Coast was the closest place to Sydney (a 50 minute flight to be exact ) where you can still do this. So we jumped onto a train and twenty minutes later we were at circular quay which is literally around the corner from some of the most iconic structures in Australia , the Sydney harbour bridge and the Sydney Opera House, wow!
 
Harbour Bridge
One thing we noticed straight away is how cheap Australia is ,the only thing I would say that is still fairly expensive in comparison to the rest is transport. So with food being very reasonable we didn't have to worry about not taking enough fuel on to the build up of our race. A highlight after our photo session at the harbour was discovering a Lindt cafe and having the most amazing hot chocolate I have ever experienced, a must try for the chocolate lovers. So after filling ourselves up we hopped back on a train to the airport to catch our flight to the Gold Coast. Luckily where we were staying was just down the road from the airport so we after checking in we got a early night ready for our action packed day the following morning. 

Sydney Opera House.

We woke up the next morning bright and early even though it's technically building up to winter here in the Southern Hemisphere it was still shorts and T-shirt weather in Australia, which it definitely isn't in Queenstown anymore. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary was a 6km walk away from where we were staying , so a nice easy morning stroll in the sunshine to start our day off. We got to the sanctuary for open as we weren't sure how long it was going to take us to do the whole park and we didn't want to miss out. Within the first five minutes of being inside the complex we were already holding a baby crocodile! Paul went first he placed both hands out as instructed, as the crocodile was placed in his hands it started to almost have a fit. It turned out Paul has warm hands and crocodiles don't like warm things on their bellies, they apparently react the same to start with, with a hot water bottle that the staff use to help keep them warm in the winter. Was he had settled down it was nice and calm and still for Paul, so we were able to get a picture. Next up was me I was a bit anxious the crocodile may do the same to me and with them being so strong that it would not end well but I forget I always have cold hands so the crocodile didn't even flinch for me. The underneath of them are so soft not what either of us were expecting. 
Happy J! 


Next up the big moment koalas. We were selected Happy J to hold , who was ten years old and by the looks of it the only one that was awake, koalas are very sleepy creatures! We got a picture together and then a picture each for the photo album it was such a cool experience. Happy J kept wanting to snuggle into Paul's neck and fall asleep, which was pretty cute to witness. Once we had our photos taken we then went and viewed the rest of the koalas which at that current time were all asleep, later on they were more active and we got to see them eat and climb. Luckily for us they were dotted all around the sanctuary so we didn't get to miss out.

To top off our Australian themed morning we went to the kangaroo enclosure. Here you could roam around freely with the kangaroos you usually had to pay for their feed but there was still some left over from, Their breakfast so we were allowed to just use their leftovers up. Me and Paul both got a cup of feed each and started to walk around interacting with all the kangaroos . There was also emus walking around, but they were keeping themselves to theirselves. The majority of kangaroos were basking in the sun and would hop over if they wanted food. It was a pretty cool experience. We had finished in the park around mid day and didn't have a flight back to Sydney until the evening so we decided to tick off another iconic place for Australia , surfers paradise. A short bus ride from where we were and we were back on the beach . It was so good to be back by the ocean. Once we got back to Sydney we decided to go for a walk down at the harbour to get some night time shots. All in it was one of the best days ever! 
Who is Paul feeding the Kangaroo or the duck?? 

After spending the next couple of days relaxing , taking in the sights of Sydney and fuelling up for the ultra, I even had a manicure and a pedicure! It was time to head across to The blue mountains and Katoomba, ultimately the start and finish of the 100km Ultramarathon . We spent the day like tourists and did the full package of the scenic world. This included a scary scenic railway ride, cable car ride and a visit to the three sisters and a walk in part of world heritage park whilst we were walking about we saw some of the signs for our race the next day. Later on that day we went to the expo to pick up our numbers after handing in our signed checked checklist that we had managed to get checked in Sydney so didn't have the hassle having to do it the night before there. We listened to our race briefing before heading back to our place for some food and shut eye.
 
Three Sisters, Blue Mountains.
So like last time this next bit is about my experience of TNF100 as Paul has already wrote about his experience in his running blog. Here is the link to his page http://paul-wathan.blogspot.co.nz if you haven't already read it and would like to , it's a must read.

So around 4 the next morning the alarm goes off and it's time to try and eat as much as you can stomach at that time of the morning and get your race kit on and make your way to buses to transport you to the start line. We weren't sure how busy it would be but it turned out that me and Paul got a double decker bus to ourselves which we found quite amusing. It wasn't long after we got there that it was time to start making our ways to our pens there was different time slots to start the race depending on how fast you are. Paul was in the pen before me so I got to see him start, which was pretty cool. It was time for me to put my jacket in the bag as it wouldn't be too long until I was starting , I had a minor hiccup of leaning on my tube of my bladder without realising and water leaking onto my pack and my poles wanting to fall out of their holdings before I had even started. Luckily I didn't have too long to panic as it was my turn to start. 
 
Race Numbers.
The first bit was an out and back on the road before making our way in to the Forrest. I got to see Paul which was awesome we gave a quick high five as we passed. Thanks to Paul's guidance I have gotten stronger on the technical stuff I still have a long way to go but an improvement is a big step in the right direction for me. The first aid station came around fairly quick I took a couple of sweets and a drink and was on my way . I took a tumble off the side of the path by ladders I had a couple of grazed part dotted around my leg but on the whole got off very lightly. The next few hours ticked on and so did the checkpoints I had started yo notice there was no fizzy drinks or salted crisps at the stations which I was started to crave but water, sweets , hot cross bun and iced fingers was the order of the day for me.
 
Gem flying with her poles.
I got my poles out fairly early on I guess but wanted to be as strong as possible on the climbs as I'm not as strong of a climber as Paul and they really helped me keep a good rhythm up the hills and thousands of steps we had to negotiate. It wasn't until about 60km where I hit a major wall and pretty much after that it was very up and down in pace and energy for me. I had luckily not had the drama like Paul in the lead up to the race but I ended up having a couple in my race I couldn't fold down my poles so had to carry them when I didn't use them which wasn't bad until you had technical steep downhill to deal with . The biggest problem I had was that around 80k my gps watched died so I had to run blind the rest of the way , I really don't have the best of luck with technology! 

Nearer the latter stages of my race I was getting quite mentally tired it was really tiring to have to focus on the technical ground with your head torch on most of the time my brain wasn't quick enough to register to my legs that they needed to move to miss hitting the rocks etc , so most of the time I was stumbling all over the place. I enjoyed the wider paths more so I could just focus on running ! With about six or Seven km to the finish I hit a huge wall that this time I didn't recover from. It was strange though as not once did I think I wouldn't be finishing. The last 5km was on a countdown they must of been my slowest km ever I felt every step! I got to the last km and there was 400 steps to climb up (I was starting to hate the sight of them but knew I was so close to finishing) I practically dragged my self up them! I saw the crowd and heard their cheers and I knew I had done it , I crossed the finish line and pressed stop on my watch ( a small glimmer of hope was that my watch had just gone into hibernation , but it had well and truly died) I looked around to look at my finishing time 17hrs 31minutes was my official time I had got the bronze buckle wahoo. I went to get a drink and Paul approached me and we congratulated one another. He had raced an awesome time to get his goal of a silver buckle I was so proud and happy that he had managed it especially with his foot giving him so much bother it was truly well deserved . It is always a relief to see Paul when I finish as I have spent most of my time during the race wondering how it was going for him as there is no way of me knowing without a support crew. 
On his way to a Silver Buckle.


Once I got my buckle I went and got some chicken soup and Paul went and got me an orange fanta. Once I had finished we made our way back to the bus and back to our room where we both had showers before climbing into bed just after 2am, would you believe it but my hands kept going into spasms not what I was expecting . We woke up a couple of hours later and went to get some breakfast , I had taken all the skin off my Achilles during the race and with the adrenaline all out my system it was really giving me bother now so we went to the supermarket to get some cushioned plasters which helped a lot . Apart from that and a slightly bruised back from my pack I was feeling remarkably well. It must of been down to the hokas shoes that Paul had recommended I get that helped his recovery so well. I also suffered from heartburn which is a common thing for me after long runs but good old gavison sorted me out. We spent the rest of the day back in Sydney before it was time to make our way to the airport the next morning to fly back to Queenstown, where our housemates had baked a cake as a well done for us . We both really loved Australia and hopefully will be back there someday . Also just want to say real quick a big thank you to everyone that took the time to congratulate us both it means a lot.

The next day we were back into the swing of things here as we were both back in work. Paul went for a run with Emily and Lauren but my foot hadn't stopped weeping so I had to sit that one out. It was soon our weekend again and on Friday evening we decided to enter a local race the next day luckily my foot had sealed so I could run without causing more problems. I did the 10k and Paul fancied the 5k to see what speed he had as he has the Christchurch marathon the following weekend. I was a bit apprehensive about the race as I genuinely hadn't run since the ultra so didn't know what I was capable of but we both had good runs Paul came 2nd and I was 3rd female so the training must be paying off.

Paul has just returned from Christchurch where he raced the marathon on Sunday he didn't know how he is going to perform but we all know Paul always gives his best despite falling on black ice just over half way and busting his elbow and feeling sluggish the whole way round he still managed to pull off a time of 2:53. I think he did amazing but even though he would say otherwise!

Thanks for reading

Gem & Paul x 

2014 is flying by….

I have just realised how long we haven't wrote on this blog. So what's happened since the start of this year? Well firstly we took a road trip to Te anua where we were lucky enough to be greeted with some lovely weather . Don't get me wrong we have had some good sunshine but on the whole it has been the wettest summer this area has seen in a while still better than the average British summer that we are use to!

Whilst in Te Anua we managed to cram a lot into our short time there. Once we had checked into our accommodation we put on our running shoes and decided to run from the town out to the start of the Kepler track which is one of the iconic great walks that this beautiful area has to offer. Once we got to the start of the track we decided to run up to Luxmore which is the highest point of the route so lots of climbing. The Kepler area was beautiful and a great running terrain. I think we both preferred it to Routeburn too! 
Enjoying views from the top!
Once you finished what felt like the never ending climbing you were greeted with beautiful views which is quite rewarding as most of the time your climbing your in Forrest so the view is blocked by the trees. We stopped to take a couple of pictures before descending quickly down what we had just climbed which I really enjoyed. Once we got back to town it was time for shower and refuel before having an earliest night as the next morning we had booked a trip out first thing to the glow worm caves that are also in the Te Anua area.
Water inside the caves..


The next morning we woke up to an overcast day so not as great as the first but it was a lot better than rain, so no complaining on our behalf. To access the glow worm caves requires you to board a boat to cross the lake . This I was quite anxious about as I suffer from motion sickness but luckily there was no wind and because we were on a catermeran there wasn't too much rocking movement and I ended quite enjoying the journey and not feeling ill! Once we arrived at where the caves are located and docked. We were split into groups and each group was assigned their own guide. We were then given an explanation of the caves and what we would be doing when inside, this is where we were also informed we weren't allowed to take any photos whilst inside as it harms the glow worms. A shame but all was not lost as we found out later...
Glow Worms! 


Once inside the caves it wasn't long before we came across our first glow worms which was pretty awesome. After negotiating ourselves for a short while we then came across water where we then got into small wooden boats this is where the main show was about to unfold it was really peaceful and looking up in the cave was like looking up at a the sky on a very starry night. We both really enjoyed the experience. Once you have done the circuit on the water you then make your way back through the cave the way you came . When we got back to the waiting point we were then informed that we could buy pictures of the cave and worms which were taken by a professional photograph when the caves were closed for refurbishment. We jumped at the chance as it was really reasonable price and it was great that we could have pictures to show and look back on of the whole experience!
Exploring local trails/mountains
 

After our jaunt out to Te Anua we stayed around Queenstown and explored the surrounding areas around us, as we knew that Tarawera was fast approaching . We found a lovely trail around the shot over area heading towards cornet peak on one of our days off which was a great little find .

March arrived a lot quicker than anticipated and it was soon time for our trip up to the north and a small little matter of an ultra to run! We decided to fly up to Auckland and catch a bus to Rotarua from there (a lot cheaper than going directly to Rotarua ). We first left the house without our passports luckily we only had just left the house and hadn't even got to the end of the road before Paul realised our mishap, phew that was a close one. Nothing really to report of the flight up as I mainly slept! But something we did notice was that they were very laid back here regarding what's allowed in your hand luggage for example on the way out we saw the security inform passengers to put their lighters In their pockets rather than their bags and on the way back I asked if they could get rid of my deodorant as I had forgotten I still had it to be informed it had a lid so it could go in my bag. I genuinely can't remember when you could do that in the UK etc, so quite the novelty!
Race start! Paul in the middle with headlamp on.

From here on in this is going to be my account of the race as Paul has already given his race report via his running blog. 

Here is the link for anyone who hasn't already read it and would like to.

http://paul-wathan.blogspot.co.nz 

So after arriving in Auckland we stayed the night in the city before making our way to Rotarua in the week building up to the event there was rumours that a cyclone was going to hit the area during our race. When we arrived the weather wasn't too bad and there was a strong smell of sulphur. For anyone that doesn't already know Rotarua has lots of natural hot pools in the area hence the smell. We checked Into the hostel we were staying and made our way out to the race expo where we had to register and pick up our numbers etc and for the first time for the both of us we had to be weighed. We saw a few of the elite runners such as frosty and ruby muir walking around which was pretty cool. I was starting to realise that something was happening but my mind and body hadn't quite registered that it was the ultra quite yet.
Enjoying the race!


We left registration to go and get some food and then make our way back to our room for the night. That evening there was an official announcement from the race organiser Cyclone Luis had hit New Zealand and more importantly had already reached the area of where our 100km race was due to have finished , so therefore for safety reasons the race had to be altered and was now going to be a 65k race and a different route to the original one. I was instantly gutted as I had psyched myself up for the 100km and the original race route looked like it was going to suit my strengths. So now I was going to have to go into a complete and utter new mind set but I was grateful that it was still going to be an ultra distance after the one in Canada being completely cancelled on me.


 

So after a Rocky nights sleep ( which is completely normal for us prior to big events) the alarm went off around 4am. We had breakfast before putting our race kits on and made our way to the starting area , this is where the nerves really kicked in for me many toilets stops later and it was time to make our way to the start line where we were informed that the race distance had changed once again and now we were doing a 7 0 km, I gave Paul a hug and wished each other luck. We parted ways to different areas on the starting area mainly i was somewhere in the crowd behind him! So head torch on and gps found on my watch ready to press start the competitors were than faced with a group of Maui men doing the haka I could see a glimpse of it through the runners shoulders that were in front of me and may of or may not of had to go on my tiptoes... After this one of the competitors sung a song that she had written for the event and it was the official countdown 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and we are off eek!
Paul deep in thought.. 



So what can I tell you of my experience ,it was a rollercoaster! I some how managed to pause my watch during the race in the early stages. I obviously continued it as soon as I realised what I had done but this meant I didn't know the actual true distance I had covered and how long I had truly been moving for so it became complete guessing work for me. It was a great friendly atmosphere with everyone encouraging each other this included the elites. I got to see Paul during the race so we were able to know how each other was doing which was a great boost for me (Even got a hug and a kiss from him!). I actually smiled for a photo whilst running, huge deal for me a rare find . The cyclone caught up with us and made for some very interesting conditions to have deal with especially in the later stages lets just say think of already covering an ultra distance and then being faced with a brutal x country for roughly a half marathon distance to still complete one word for you from my quads is ouch!
Finished!!!! 11 hours and 3 minutes.
 My pace was completely up and down I didn't know it was possible to hit the wall and recover so many times but guess what I completed it! This one had an extra special meaning for me as the day I left for the event I found out my Nain had peacefully passed away from a long battle of bad health and I really wanted to finish and dedicate it to her. I hope she would be proud. So to sum up my experience of an ultra is very similar to life full of highs and lows .

So now it's time to get ready for TNF 100 in Australia which is only eight weeks away, until next time , follow your dreams.
Done and dusted till next time..

Thanks for reading 
Gem & Paul x

Living life to the full!

Since we were away for the first time for Christmas me and Paul decided that we would make a special effort for Christmas Day , so we booked a twelve course Christmas dinner up at the skyline restaurant , this also included a gondola trip up and down as well as two rides on the luge which is a toboggan with wheels. We really enjoyed our day and it was nice skyping our families back in the UK too.
Making our way through another course ;-) 

Paul managed to find us a race in between Christmas and New Year a 10k trail race around Lake Hayes which is just under 12k away from us so we jumped on our bikes and rode out. We both found the race quite hard as we have really started putting some distance in running with me running the furthest i have ever run just a week before where we ran out to Arrowtown and back which saw us cover a distance over just under 45k and race day was a scorcher and we both felt the heat. Paul still ran really well and managed to finish in a podium position of third overall.
Paul enjoying some sun after our race. 
 
Next up was New Year's Eve we decided to mark this particular occasion with a midnight run to watch the fireworks it was a nice way to reflect on 2013 and too look ahead to our new adventures for 2014. It was also the first time in a while that I was reminded how far Ahead of time we are over here compared to the UK.


 
Over looking the Lake towards Glenorchy. 
Our last few days off together we have both decided to make the most of them. We visited Glenorchy with Cat and Rupert where we enjoyed the scenic drive to there and back from Queenstown. When we got there we decided to have some lunch before we went for a leisurely stroll around the town its quite an old fashioned place but fits well it's beautiful surroundings. During our walk around we came across a ranch , where I fed a horse for the first time, Paul was right at home as part of his first ever job was to look after horses. 
Embracing the moment.
The next day we unexpectedly ended up going an helicopter ride literally booked it thirty minutes before we flew. We were spoilt with a beautiful clear sunny day , we both really enjoyed the ride and the breathtaking views, another thing ticked off our bucket list, we ended the day with a nice half marathon around the lake.
Ready to take off! 
This week we decided to cycle out to Wanaka via the crown range alpine route it was a good challenge with a couple hairy moments for me! But was really proud that I managed to complete the route. This was my first visit to Wanaka and Paul second again it is a beautiful part of the world. Our campsite had lake views it was a beautiful sunny day again (we are getting quite lucky with our days off) , there was a quite a strong wind tho we made it quite interesting to pitch our tent! We got up this morning to watch the Challenge Wanaka event that was happening there and some competitors will still be competing as I'm typing this. Challenge Wanaka is a triathlon where they can cover a half or full Ironman distances. It was the first time I have been a spectator for a triathlon of this scale over three thousand Athletes, I really enjoyed the day and I think it cements that one day I would like to complete an Ironman. We even managed to fit in a game of frisbee golf whist in Wanaka too ;-) . 
Triathletes get under way on a stunning morning in Wanaka. 
This week I have been truly grateful for modern technology as my little sister (not so little anymore at 22) Bex underwent open heart surgery back in the UK , and I have been able to be kept update with her progress even getting to speak to her on skype from her hospital bed!
View from our balcony at home the other night. 
Until next time Happy Reading
Gem & Paul x 

2014 is turning out to be quite the year!

We have been in New Zealand for around two and a half months now, summer is arriving with the odd day of showers so we have been able to enjoy a few BBQ teas already. It's quite bizarre being away for Christmas in a place that is the furthest away from what you usually associate the season with. It is no where as near commercialised here as it is in UK and most people have a BBQ instead of the traditional Christmas dinner, but that's one tradition that we are keeping with us :).

Race Video - http://youtu.be/fVi7h5ot2W4

We have been doing a lot of planning for the new year with Tarawera  ultra already secured for March we also managed to secure a spot each in TNF100 Australia which will be held in the blue mountains in May . We are both excited that we are able to compete in such stunning surroundings this will also hopefully see the start of my ultra racing after a disappointing circumstances in Canada. So with two 100k races entered we have started knuckling down to training which has given us new places and trails to explore which we are both enjoying.

Pre-Race video 2014 - http://vimeo.com/79842907

We have also booked a lifetime goal/dream and a definite bucket list top spot contender a trek in the Himalayas which will see us reaching Everest base camp as well as the Gokyo lakes. The lovely Marie will be joining us for this eighteen day trek , we are both really excited about seeing Marie again as by the time we see her it will have been just over a year since we last saw her in Canada. It is really great that we can meet up with friends we have made during our travels, I'm sure Marie will not be the only one we will meet again :).

A short update from us this time to round the year off so a Merry Christmas  & A Happy New Year from us both! A quick little fact for you New Zealand is the first place to wish in the new year in the whole world! 
Happy reading
Gem & Paul xx

Work hard, Play harder….

It's been a few weeks now since our last blog.. So we thought we do just do a little update and let everyone know what we have been up too.

We are both settling in nicely into work and we are busying up now as we go into our summer months here in New Zealand. I have had a very nice surprise with moving up the ranks to manager of the store now! So it will be a nice challenge to take on a new managerial role in a different country.. Something for me to get my teeth into over the next 12 months.

Routburn Track profile. 

Gem enjoying the trek!

Since our last blog we have been exploring a bit more in the mountains and trails. We planned to take on the world famous 'Routeburn Track' 32km in distance, most people take 3-4 days to complete the route each way. We were attempting to complete it in one day then the following day do the return leg of 32km.. Little did we know 3 days before we had some heavy down pore of snow in the mountains and unfortunately this stopped us at Lake Harries (Half way on the route) due to high risk of avalanches, the DOC office here in New Zealand had closed the track down that morning over the saddle path for every ones safety. Full of disappointment we decided to take out out stoves and had a break in the snow next to the lake with Ian and Izzy who had joined us on our trek… After a small break we decided to hike back to the 'Flats Huts' and find a camp spot for our tents and settle down for the night. The following day the weather was amazing and a total change to the previous days therefore we decided to hike to the summit of 'Mt Alfred' what was a nice steep trek through the tree line before heading onto a scree scramble followed by a track to the final summit where we was rewarded with amazing 360degrees views..

Not a bad view at all… 

Recently we have been really getting into our MTB on the lower trails around town and decided to buy some bikes, saves on renting them each week. And are going to use them as strength training and hopefully stay injury free for a year! In previous years I have over raced or trained to much and upset my bad hamstring and really want a year of full running! Not missing 2-3 months with injury.. (Fingers crossed)

Mixing the training up on the local trails.

Last week was the week where Gem had decided to try and kill me off and get me to bungy off a bridge into the river between a canyon. Sounds simple? no not for us, the day final arrived after trying to jump 3 times previously but was un able due to weather and the fast flowing water in the river we were 4th time lucky! Neither was as nervous this time round until we actually saw the bridge, once we had both set our eyes on the bridge you could tell neither of us wanted to be there anymore! But we had committed to jumping and had to now.. There was only us two jumping that morning so everyone who was about was looking at us eagerly to see how we got on. I decided to go first and get it over and done with, not sure it was the right choice but off I went. I was ok getting tide up ready and fine when I stood on the platform but as soon as I shuffled out to the end of the platform my heart went in my mouth and froze for a second… But after a little hesitation and thinking I've paid good money for this I found the courage to dive off into the river below. What was a huge shock as I had a full body dunk in this cold river, luckily it was a nice warm day to help matters. The jump lasted longer than I thought it would, but I way laying in the boat at the bottom thinking thank god its over! I won't be rushing into another one put it that way but I'm glad I did it. It pushed me way outside my comfort zone and was really challenging but it's good to see sometime what you really can make yourself do.

Putting on a show for the crowd… 

Gem was up next and again only really felt it when we shuffled out to the end of the platform ready to jump. Same as me after a little hesitation managed to throw her self off into the water and it was over.. Well after screaming a few times!

All smiles before the jump.

That about covers everything for now.. We are going to have a lot more adventures to share next time with the summer fast approaching! And the weather getting better.

Thanks for reading..

Paul and Gem x

New Country, New Chapter!!

A lot has happened since our last blog in a space of a couple of weeks. Firstly we left Los Angeles to Nadi in Fiji , we flew with Fiji airlines which has now become one of my favourite airlines as for the first time ever the plane food was lovely. I usually hate plane food and go hungry as I can't eat what has been served to me but we were served fresh chicken curry, fruit salad, brownies and a mini twix, yummy! When we arrived in Fiji we had already flown through the time zone so instead of being eight hours behind UK we were now eleven hours in front so we had basically lost a whole day which  was really hard to get my head around.

Fiji Islands.. 

We had a few hours to kill in Nadi before we had to board our next plane to Auckland we were given the option of whether or not we wanted to go through customs or stay in airport. Of course it was a no brainer for us , so through customs we went and off we went to explore. Even though it was only six am and an overcast day the temperature was still fairly high. It turned out the airport is in the middle of no where, just a tiny rural town close by. The locals we in countered were all really friendly with not a single one passing us without smiling or saying 'Bula' which is hello in Fijian. One other thing we noticed whilst we were there is how cheap Fiji is the British Pound practically triples there as this is going off airport food prices. So even though it was a very short visit we both were impressed and hope to go back to spend some more time there and hopefully do some island hopping.

Auckland Sky Tower..

We got into Auckland around tea time that evening we headed towards border control we got to our desk and got asked what our purpose of our visit was where we replied that we were on a working holiday visa she scanned our passports and said we were all set. I naively asked her where did we have to go for our working visa to be authorised to which she replied I have seen them online your all set to go! In my defence in Canada we had to go into a separate room for our visas! We next went to catch our bus Paul had managed to book us a hostel that was right next to one of the bus stops which was handy as he hadn't realised this when booking. When we got on to the bus I noticed there was free local SIM cards so we picked two up as we had already decided that this time around we were going to get New Zealand Numbers to make life easier for us. It was dark and raining when we got off the bus we got to our hostel to check in they had no record of us turned out there was two hostels from the same company , my heart dropped but was quickly lifted again once they said our hostel was just a few doors down on the same street, phew! So we finally got checked in had some free cottage pie courtesy of our hostel and off to bed we went.

The next morning we woke up and headed out to apply for our IRD numbers which is New Zealand  UK's national insurance number, we also activated our new sims and topped them up, with your first
top up you got a free five minute international call this was great as it was my mum birthday so I was able to surprise her with a phone call, it was really strange to speak on my mobile as I hadn't done that the whole time in Canada. What had already been in my eyes a productive day turned out even more so that evening when we got an email off a website we had joined aimed at finding places to live in Queenstown (where we were heading in a couple of days to try and set roots) asking if we're still looking for a place. After a few text exchanges and a picture of the view from the properties balcony which was a stunning lake view. We had secured a place to stay for when we would arrive we will be sharing with Kat who is from the Czech Republic and turns out had been in Canada just
before she had came out to New Zealand and had been living in Canmore! What a crazy small world this is.

Queenstown from one of our mountain runs! 

We genuinely couldn't believe our luck a job for Paul and a place to live all before we had even set foot in Queenstown. We were able to enjoy Auckland for the remaining amount of Stay with so much already achieved . We visited parks and markets and were lucky enough to get up the Sky Tower on our last evening there as we finally had a clear day( the rest of the time we had been greeted by rain). I was also reunited with a good friend from school who I hadn't seen in Six years Cat and her husband Rupert as they had also just arrived a few days before us on a year working visa , it also turned out were heading to Queenstown to set up Camp for a while, again it really is a small world we live in!
It was time to say goodbye to Auckland and the North island and board our final plane for a while to the South Island and Queenstown . We arrived mid afternoon and headed straight for town to drop off our bags with our new housemate who had kindly offered us a lift to where we would be calling home for the near future once she had finished work. Once we had our first face to face contact with Kat we left her to finish work and went exploring Paul went to say Hello to his new work colleagues and have a look around the shop.

Queenstown towards the bottom of South Island NZ.

Within a few hours we were in love with Queenstown and were really happy with our new home. Paul had noticed a trail path right next to the lake whilst on the bus from the airport turns out the path can be taken all the way to Queenstown it's just over 5k from our house to heart of Queenstown but with our stunning surroundings it really doesn't feel that long. So it was now down to searching for a job for myself to complete the puzzle. I had my heart set on trying to get back into the outdoor industry out here don't get me wrong I met some lovely people during my time in Canada but I wanted to get back to what I was really passionate about.  I noticed most places weren't hiring yet as it was shoulder season but I found an outdoor shop that had a hiring sign and it was none other than Macpac which is one of New Zealand premium brands turns out they were wanting someone straight away (I thought this is going to be too good to be true) but as luck would have it I got the job !

So far Queenstown as become a dream come true for us both it has just been under two weeks since moving here but we have already settled into a routine of walking and running to and from work and are both enjoying our jobs. We have started exploring the trails in our free time but there is still so much to explore I don't think we are going to get bored!  We have also entered the world famous 'Tarawera 100k' which is in March next year and has just been announced as being part of the 'Ultra Trail World Tour' so hopefully get to meet some more of idols!

Can't wait to race here! 

Thanks for reading
Gemma & Paul x