Well hello from Melbourne. Before you start getting confused, I have a few hours here before my connecting flight to Thailand. I thought it was going to be horrible being here (time between flights is six hours) but it's really quiet and I managed to sleep and do my nebs and drink lots of water - and, even blog. shock. Sorry for the lack of emails/blogs but i've been finding it quite difficult to fit everything in. Also i've realised that i have been ridicously stressed and the last couple of days really prooved that.

I was shattered when i arrived in Chch and when i went to the hospital on monday, I had decided that i wasn't going to go to Akoroa as it was too much and should just spend a couple of days chilling by the river. The docs agreed but as so often on my travels, which could account for some of my stressfulness, i completely changed my mind. I'd made a decision and then decided to do the complete opposite.

This time it totally worked out. I got the shuttle to Akoroa and thought i'd just get a hostel when i got there but the two in town were full. At this time i was starting to panic a little bit but i knew there were hostels around that could pick me up. I went into the tourist info and a French girl was going up to a farm hostel, i asked the tourist lady to see if they could take me too...and they could.

Sophie, from France, was lovely as was everyone at the hostel and when i got there i told the guy who owns it that i could cry because it was so beautiful and i'd only wished i'd found it before. I thought i could only stay one night becuase i had to pick up some meds but after muchly stressing (which wasn't really needed) I worked out i could stay two nights.

So much for my relaxing, I played volleyball (v badly), went for a four hour walk (which seems nothing now as i've been walking laods-altho i get really out of breath going uphill but lung function tests show that it's because i haven't been taking my DNase (not enough refridgeration and no way anyone overseas would prescibe it for me as it's sooo much money) anyway apart from that all's good and at least i know the reason why i get more out of breath, and last but not least went dolhpin swimming.

Last night i went to stay with Averil who is the Servas host i stayed with at first. She was lovely and took me to the airport this morning.

Hopefully i'll see susie in a few hours. yayyyyyy!

Mount Cook was good. Staying in Chch for a couple of nights then going to Akoroa. Ahh no credit left!

Much less stressed today thank goodness - don't know what was the matter with me yesterday. Am back in Queenstown for the night and am staying with some people I met at a hostel and then hopefully the Stray bus will remember to pick me up tomorrow morning and take me to Twizel so I can go to Mount Cook for a couple of days. Need to be in Christchurch for Monday as I have a hospital appointment (which they've made especially for me - the lovely nz cf docs), then am thinking of going to Akoroa for a couple of nights before flying out on Thursday 31st. Not long now and I meet my sis in Thailand. Woohoo!

Hi everyone, I'm in Wanaka at the moment. I've pretty much completed my trip of the south island but am getting really stressed about days and the time i have left. I've sort of planned what i want to do but it's like i have no control over my feelings - i just work myself up into such a panic about things and then stress that i should have done other things - guess i haven't changed at all really.

When i first came to nz i said i had no desire to sight see and while i have done quite a bit of sightseeing and have had some good times, nothing in Nz comes anywhere close to what i had on Kangaroo island- the peace and stillness and happiness. I guess it just goes to show that it's true what the Buddhists say that true happiness comes from within.

The weirdest thing about this is that I'd say i actually like nz better as a country, although now I've got so used to all the beautiful scenery that i don't really appreciate it anymore.

What i also think is really important is working. I never realised before how important it is to do different jobs and the sense of accomplishment and achievement you get from doing different work and the confidence it gives you - i think I've missed that here.

Stray was good because it got me to Abel Tasman and i met some nice people but I've missed some of the people i met on Stewart Island and at Lake Tekapo. It's weird how you just click with some people and others, even though they are perfectly nice and you get on with them ok, just don't have so much fun or feel so comfortable in their company.

Hanging out with people my own age, or 20-30 bracket, has always been my biggest fear. That's why when i first came to nz i stayed at YHAs after Stewart Island i started staying in backpackers and preferred them and also starting talking to more people my age. Stray was all young people and i still find chatting to people my own age most difficult. I've realised that to be good in a group you have to be a good storyteller and I've not very good at that but while i sometimes didn't feel 100 per cent confident in the group, it didn't make me feel half as bad as it would have in the past. I guess I'm accepting myself more - definitely cf , I've never felt as comfortable with it as i do now and also how i interact with other people and am more accepting if i don't get on with some -realising that maybe we're just different, rather than that they hate me, as i used to think!

Am having a great time with Stray bus (www.straytravel.com) which i joined last week. Have been in Abel Tasman which was awesome. Just a quickie to let you know I am safe, well and happy.xx

OMG I met Phillip Bell in the Lake Tekapo backpackers last night! For those who don't know him he was in my sister's year at primary school and lived in our village - of about 2,000 people (although probably less in those days and i think there were probably only about five boys who started primary with her...). How strange is that?

He was looking at me a few times and i thought it was because i'd been taking about cf. I have decided it is by far the most interesting thing about me and now have no problem telling people about it when they comment on my cough (which is much better now thanks to a cocktail of drugs) or do my nebs in front of them. Can't believe i was so horrible about my ineb when i first got it - there's no way i could have done this trip without it. Well i could've but it would have caused me much more stress and i would have missed it more and so been more ill. So hurrah for the ineb.

Anyway when i walked past he said, are you Lucy? yes Lucy Glynn? And i was in shock and just stared at him as i didn't have a clue who he was. It was really nice to talk to him though especially as he said he'd always liked my mum as she was really 'mummy'. And it was cool seeing him to talk about primary school and village people as i have been feeling a bit home sick.

Was majorly stressing earlier like old me x100 (if that's possible) actually probably just normal old me but it feels pretty bad and i don't like it. Feeling much better now as i'm at Lake Tekapo which is just so beautiful. I won't even try and describe the colour of the lake to you as it won't do it justice but it's the most amazing turquoise. Thanks to Christine for suggesting I didn't miss it out. We went up the hill for a walk and i've met some nice people. yay!

Am staying at this cool place called Kinloch Lodge, Glenorchy which is right at the top of Lake Wakatipu. I extended my stay here before i'd even got off the little boat and now i've asked to stay even longer - i would wwoof here if i could but you can't only wwoof in winter (it's so busy in the summer they need people with work permits). Tomorrow, I'm going to go for a little walk into the mountains and am going to stay in a Department of Conservation hut like a proper tramper (NZ word for hiking).

This computer is really annoying -read driving me mad -so sorry for the short email. Also if anyone is under the false impression that i have had a personality transplant - i haven't. i keep stressing about everything and anything and finding things to replace the stressing once i've stopped stressin, mostly about what i'm going to do next. what am i like? as if that's a problem? i'm trying to tell myself to chill.

NZ pics (including the Jurrasic fern I discovered on Fortrose beach with Christine) are at: http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lucyhglynn/NZ

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Went out last night dancing in Queenstown which was cool and yesterday I went to Milford Sound.