By Josh Lewsey England and the Lions

It's amazing how quickly you can forget about the prospect of facing the All Blacks when you're hurtling down a river at 60mph in a powerboat.

Your instinct for survival just takes over, which was pretty much the same as we sat in the back of a helicopter with the pilot pulling a load of stunts.

There was little time to think during the powerboating

Before it sounds like I'm on an adventure holiday, these outings are important for any tour.

It's very easy to only see the inside of your hotel room or the training field. But you can do that anywhere and it's crucial for your mindset to get out and about - any psychologist will agree.

I want to sample this country and find out what it has to offer. And by going out into the countryside and talking to people who don't even want to mention rugby, you can switch off.

That's not to say the thought of facing the All Blacks is ever far from the surface.

We've settled in Christchurch now and the Lions buzz is everywhere you go. They're expecting 20,000 to 30,000 Lions fans here which should be incredibly exciting.

Every time I've left the hotel so far I've been stopped by people wanting to talk about the game, but that's the sort of passion Kiwis have for rugby.

Everyone's been very nice but I can understand why many All Blacks choose to have a move abroad towards the end of their careers.

People have written us off and I prefer it that way

They're superstars out here - like footballers like Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard back at home - and I guess they appreciate the anonymity they might get in England.

While the public have been incredibly welcoming, I hear the press have already set in stone that we're in for a 3-0 humping in the Test series. Of course, I don't think that will be the case.

I've decided not to read the papers this time around. Two or three years ago I did that with England and got annoyed about some of the rubbish written. Now I don't take any notice.

Our assessment of the tour is all that matters. My view so far is we've played well in patches but not quite put it together for the full 80 minutes.

But most people forget we've only played one game in the dry and, when conditions are tough, it's all about winning.

We're getting the possession and territory aspect of our play right but we need to sort out our execution or else we'll get thumped.

Lions fans are out in force in New Zealand

But there's no need to worry - it takes time to get the continuity and cohesiveness and it'll come.

I said at the time of the Maori defeat that we could go either way on this tour. Thankfully we've gone the right way and played well against Wellington.

But I'm not predicting anything for the Test series. All I'd say is that people have written us off and I prefer it that way.

We haven't played up to the standard needed to beat the best but that was the same throughout the season with Wasps until the final game of the season. We pulled it out when it counted and I think it'll be the same again.

The other factor in being successful is the camaraderie and the key to that is being abused... no joke!

The first two weeks together everyone was so polite to each other, but then the banter gradually started, which has really helped the confidence.

Copping a load of abuse is strangely reassuring - it's just like any training day at Wasps and makes me feel at home.

As does Christchurch for that matter - it's very British, with Victorian architecture and British street names.