Pipe Dreams

Farewell NZ, the last update from the other side of the world

2009-10-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful mountains of the Tongariro National Park

Tawhai falls, my most recent addition the the river back catalouge

So here's my last NZ and long overdue update to the blog and there's a lot to squeeze in.
When I left you last I was moaning about the cooling of the sea and the air and the shortening of the days. (how very British of me). But it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Whilst the temperature dropped I watched the BBC weather religiously and was pleased to see that even though it was a cool 15-18C in the mount it was only a mild 18-20C summer back home. (gloat). The swell died off completely and there was no surfing to be had in the mount at all. No big deal really the mountain was open and every weekend I was down at Mount Ruapehu to make the most of the snow. The second weekend was the Ruapehu Mardi Gras in Ohakune. This turned out to be a piss up of the highest order outside in the cold night listening to live music and drinking a monthly allowance of booze to keep warm. This was followed by one of the most hilarious escapades on snow I have seen. The slopes were packed with most of New Zealand following the Mardi Gras, most of whom had no idea how to ski. All the slopes led to a single cat track about 10feet wide to exit the mountain and at the end of the day as every inept skier south of the equator still wasted from the preceding nights revelling headed to this bottle neck there was the most horrendous carnage i have witnessed on snow. bodies were strewn across the track, the snow stained red in places whilst people collided with each other at break neck speed (literally in one case i believe) almost every second. On one trip down i saw two people out cold, a girl broke her arm on one of my friends and several people left the cat track completely coming to an abrupt stop upon rocks. Although worrying one could not help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Other weekends were more sedate and usually consisted of a few friends in a rented apartment drinking and playing cranium at night and snowboarding during the day. The slopes were bigger than Scotland and the snow more reliable and when we hiked to do some backcountry stuff I had some of the best runs i've had in a long time, if not then ever. Back in the mount my rota turned sour and I spent most weekends through July and August working, but my days off were midweek and if i could convince someone to come then we'd have the mountain to ourselves.
Jon and Fiona, a couple from Scotland joined the hospital around this time having just sailed in a beautiful 48 foot yacht from Mexico to live in it at the mount, when we weren't at the mountain my time was largely spent out on the boat fishing or just hanging around on it drinking rum, feeling like a pirate. My fishing was largely unsuccessful except on one day when I caught a whopping 2kg snapper which once filleted fed 3 of us till we felt sick then some. John and I also went diving for crayfish and bagged a few but most of them were pregnant and needed to be thrown back. Dave joined us from Auckland for the fishing and managed to secure a massive baracuda which had to be thrown back as they all have worms.
And so it was in the mount for the winter chilled back and laid out, sporting to be had but not quite so much and enough drinking to put me off it for a while.
Come August whilst in the depths of winter I transferred out of the mount to become an ethnic minority amongst the Maori's in Whakatane - a small town an hour down the coast from the mount. I worked in the Emergency Department here as well but now it was a bit scarier - outside the normal working hours I was the most qualified doctor in the hospital and I was the airway management for all arrests in the hospital. Luckily nothing too scary happened and in 7 weeks I don't think anyone came off any worse than if somebody appropriately qualified had been doing the job. The hospital put me up in a B&B just out of town in a beach village with a lovely little beach but there was nothing happening and my days off were spent back in the mount or up the mountain.
It was around this time that the Samoan tsunami struck, which made me stop and think a bit. In New Zealand there was a general alert and the beaches were evacuated, this didn't stop everyone though. The beaches were lined with expectant on lookers eager for a glimpse of disaster and a few surfers grabbed their boards ready to ride the tidal wave. The news teams interviewed the disappointed populace when the tsunami appeared to have lost momentum in the south pacific and only arrived as a 40cm wave indiscernible from the usual ebb and flow of the tides, who remarked how it was all a bit of a "fizzer" and wanted to see something more impressive. The surfers went home without any joy. I was gob smacked at the stories and the human race in general, or maybe just the kiwis as i sat and thought "what? you would rather have had all you homes pulverised by a wall of water, your family lost and your livelihoods ruined just like in samoa?" and the surfers did they honestly think - "yeah this wave will be sweet, it wont be a messy 10foot wall of death which will carry me up the beach to either be drowned or impailed on a tree?" nutters. As regards to the Samoa disaster I watched the news as they interviewed the man who served me drinks talk about the family he'd lost in front of the beach where the fales where I slept once stood under palm trees like a little blue village on the sea front and now none of it was left - the huts the trees - the concrete structures all reduced to a muddy pile of rubble and sticks. Makes you think.
On a lighter note my time of work came to an end and it was time to live the unemployed, no fixed abode dream.
First stop was Queenstown for an advanced wilderness medicine life support course. A brilliant course of lectures and practicals in the mountains surrounding the town where we learnt about everything from avalanches to snake bites and more. I stayed with Billy and met up with Pete for the first time in an age, had barbecues and fires hit the town with my course buddies and had a round of golf. I am not good at golf.
The flight from QT to wellington was amazing and I saw all the sights i'd visited a year earlier with Dave and Emma in the van.
A brief stop over in Wellington to pick up Dan and my surf board and it was off to Oz with Billy. We headed over to Coolangatta for the legendary reliable surf that the area has to offer. We were sorely disappointed. The swells were small but we still mananged to get a few good rides in, but for the most part it was good enough to just enjoy doing nothing. Lots of beach cricket was played and Dan demonstrated that he was a natural bowler, ahem. Some of the best surfing was actually the body surfing in the shore break where we spent many an hour just jumping around in the shallows. None of us were eaten by a shark, none of us were stung by deadly jellyfish or biten by snakes. We did however encounter the potentially most harmful of things in australia - the aussie. When in NZ people would say why are you going to Australia? its full of Australians. Now dont get me wrong most of the people in oz were very nice and friendly but when in the pub there was invariably the one piss head who came over to be abrasive, offensive and loud which eventually got tiring but did provide much amusement as well. After ten days of doing less than most students it was time to head back to NZ.
I stayed a couple of days in Wellington to say bye to Emma who moved there when I moved to Whakatane and to beat Dan on his xbox. Current reigning ISS champion. Yesterday I drove to Napier where I am just now - saying bye to simon who was in Samoa with me. Another year another whirlwind farewell tour - next stop Auckland. I'll head back to the mount to say cheerio once and for all and then back to blighty. If I get time i may head north to see the last bit of NZ I've left unexplored. Dave Wrag arrives in a couple of days in time for his birthday so will post photos up of that if any of hem are decent enough for public perusal.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back home again, you've all been missed, looking forward to a proper breakfast roll and all that new music I've missed over here. Back in November, till then
peace.
p.s have now travelled up to auckland and the d to the g Dave wragg has joined us out here for a breif spell before my return. Had an enormous night out on friday with the two daves and another guy from glasgow - 4scots on the booze tore auckland apart, was massive think the photo of dave says it all, if anything could be said at all. Me and DW just got back from a trip up north - orcas, more bloody dolphins and a pimpin sailing boat were the order of the day. Fishing tomorrow in the mount and before you know it i'll be back on home turf. till then...

Let me spin ye a yarn the length of yer arm

2009-06-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've let time pass me by and now so much is happened since I last wrote anything down that now I worry that I wont remember what I've done. But I will try to remember, and I'll try not to be trying.I'll give the highlights only in order to keep you all sane. So since I last flirted with a dolphin (a subject inspiring both awe and ridicule) this is whats happened to me.
Queenstown - I took a repeat jaunt to the South Island back in March to catch up with Colin, Jenny and Billy, it was an awesome week away from work and great to catch up with the guys. The nights were relatively boozy affairs in what must be one of the better towns to party in in new Zealand. During the day I got stuck into a bit of biking, walking and of course the compulsory kayaking. The kayaking was on the kaurau, and my lines were slick and stylish the first couple of times but the last day was a different story and I ended up swimming the length of the rapid Citroen a good 400m of white water, rocks and not a lot of air. all turned out to be relatively harmless though and i lived to swim another day. I watched Billy jump off a hill and even got a shot in his mitsu delica, reminiscent of my days with Krystaal although Billy's was in one of those honeymoon periods of functioning in between the times it must spend in the garage, being of the same ilk as krystaal only older, diesel and 4x4. Much fun all round all in all.
Back up north I continued on a period of a mixture good times with bad karma. Every day I was out enjoying the outdoors of New Zealand. For several weeks I spent every waking moment outside work either on a board, in a boat, on a bike or in a harness. I was living the dream - a shift worker with a car and toys in the late summer of an outdoor playground paradise. At the very least I would get a couple of hours of surfing in a day, i say very least but we were enjoying one of the best summers for consistent swells in the mount for many years I have been led to believe. This time coincided with the school holidays which meant everyday there was a bus laid on at the biking trails at rotorua to take us to the top. It was still summer so there was even a weekly release from the dam on the Wairoa for paddling, not to mention afterwork mid week trips to the kaituna for more paddling. On the few (very few) occasions that the swell failed and it was raining but not enough for the rivers there was the climbing wall to keep me entertained. This time of basking in my smugness of having chosen to live here was only darkened by my bad sports karma. Since my swim on Citroen my luck had been out with the sports. I went biking a day after a rainfall and came off my bike for he first time in years, then again and again and again. In a couple of days i'd hit the deck more times than an Italian footballer. And it wasn't just the biking - in my boat I couldn't seem to find the line on the main drop of the kaituna but instead found the bottom of the river following a 6m drop several times, only to almost pull my shoulder out of its socket with a very silly brace later down the river. And surfing too - I bought a new surfboard - (a 7S 6'6" fish epoxy with a quattro fin system for uberspeed for all those interested) and it immediately improved my surfing. (my old board having been a sorry excuse for a board ready for the dump i picked up at a cash converters.) However, when i day tripped across to Raglan to try it out in something a little bigger the word of the day was "beat-down". I spent a lot of time with my face in the sand of the seabed or gasping for air in between sets. When i tried out the point break further down the coast I only succeeded in ripping my hands and feet open on the rocks. To add further injury to injury as I rode the last wave in (and subsequently fell off) my board and one of my feet decided to fall in a different direction to the rest of my body resulting in a sprained hip. This wasn't really a problem until i tried to do some climbing a couple of days later and got stuck up the wall in a smear across a corner, the insult finally catching up. All this was making me feel a little soft and crap at sport. But as i said times were good and it was difficult to really care about it.Then came the season of change, it may even have been autumn. First of all I noticed the change in the sports karma - my biking became less painful and the kayaks i got into didn't seem to plot to drown me. Then came the change of the clocks - the daylight hours after work became limited and the end of the non stop fun seemed imminent. It was at this time that Colin and Jenny came through on their way out of the country. This was like the last stand of the summer. It was still hot and I had most days off work to play, so the nights drawing in could not curtail the fun. It was also a return to form in my sports (i say return to form but it may have just been a coming of age as there may not have been an original time of 'on form'). On the Kaituna I nailed the line on the main drop for the first time, (jenny having less fun and swimming down 3 drops) and I managed my first left hand break on my surfboard, whilst on the Wairoa I successfully navigated my boat down avoiding all the rocky crevasses and undercuts. What is more it was like the sea had also decided on one last blast for the summers and dealt up some of the biggest surf to date on the main beach. Me and Colin got out in 1.5 -overhead glassy goodness to carve it up whilst Jenny got to grips with a board in the breakers. All in all there were 5 surf sessions to be had in 2 days and smiles all round. A couple of boozy nights on the town with stories not to be shared on the internet later and Colin and Jenny were off again.
The last of these surf sessions took its toll on me though and whilst in the mix of a wave my surfboard managed to collide with me and break a rib. And that was that. Not a crippling injury but nonetheless causing pain whenever I tried to do anything i enjoyed. The light had left and with it the heat. I suggested I may have experienced autumn earlier because i am not entirely sure if i did. One week it was hot and sunny and weather I could only describe as summer, even the sea maintained most of its heat and a rash vest surf session was still possible if not desirable. The next it was cold and wet and dark. The only thing separating the two was a freak hail storm, the likes of which had never been seen in the mount before and people were snowboarding on the beach while the woolworths roof collapsed and yet a couple of blocks away it remained sunny throughout. Now when i surf it's with a hood and booties to avoid the inevitable ice cream head and frost bitten toes.

And so it was, i was inactive and bored and work was the only thing happening and i waited for myself to heal and for my birthday.(To ease my rage though the sea seemed to sympathise and we had the longest swell free period since my arrival). These happily seemed to coincide. A few days before my birthday and my first attempt at activity in three weeks was an introductory lesson in hang gliding. wow. even though it was only being trailed behind a car to get to grips with the controls it was a lot of fun and hopefully a few more hours tuition and i'll be jumping off a cliff before you know it. Then it was up to Auckland for a night out on the town with Dave and Emma and Warren. We got drunk beat everyone else in the pub at pool (pretty much) and headed off to a club. A most inviting change from the now tiresome nightlife back at the mount. Then it was off to see my birthday in in a quiet motel room with some firends from work. The reason was that we were catching a plane in the morning headed for the south pacific so with a case of beer and a bottle of cheap fizz we celebrated into the early hours of my birthday and headed on holiday. The rest of my birthday was spend nursing a dry mouth and slightly throbbing head on the plane.
But not to worry 4 hours later we landed in Samoa, and thanks to the international dateline it was now the day before my birthday. So my second birthday in the same year was spent on a tropical paradisiacal beach, snorkelling over a coral reef filled with fish of a thousand different shapes and colours and drinking cocktails. We slept in fales or little open sided huts on the beach, we drove around both of the Samoas islands enjoying the rich pickings it had to offer. We swam with turtles as well as all the fish, we were entertained by picturesque lightning storms out at sea whilst we sat dry on the beach beers in hand, we swam ubder picture postcard waterfalls in the jungle and ate and drank till we could do neither anymore. One night we slept in a 228year old banyan tree in a tree house that satisfied many a latent childish day dream and we also found the most westerly point of land in the world, although the swell was a little too intimidating to jump off the rocks at the end of the world, so we stayed dry. A glorious week in the sun (13degrees south 31degrees celcius).
Now I'm back in the winter of the Southern hemisphere but despite not having the warmth of a Samoan sun to look forward to all is not dark and gloomy. For a start work has been fairly exciting. I have been asked to step up to cover some gaps on the senior doctors rota and 'act up' as it's known and provide senior cover for my peers. Its nice to be appreciated. Otherwise i'm fixed, if not fully fit. Several weeks intense sport followed by several weeks of inactivity has almost given me a gut (almost mind). And what is more the sea is stirring again and has offered up a couple of days of swell where I have been able to lay some ghosts to rest. The most exciting thing now though is the prospect the mountains hold for entertainment. There is already over a metre of snow at the ski field and this weekend is opening weekend so i'm off to rip it up. can't wait.
That about raps its up, the photos are all of Samoa as that is the only time I've had my camera out since my last post. Just thinking of anything else that I've missed - I went horse riding to proove to Emma it wasn't that hard and I was right, galloping, easy. (although my horse did like to demonstrate the complete lack of control i held over it by galloping away a lot, but i stayed on) I fell asleep in a cinema for the first time in my life (through Angels and daemons - i didn't miss much) and maybe that is a sign im getting old and soon I will hopefully be in possession of the coolest snow boarding goggles known to man (pictures to follow). Thanks to everybody's birthday wishes that they sent and to all the messages and emails I've had, I've been trying to reply to them all but I'm a bit crap at keeping in touch at the moment cos most of my free time is taken up trying to sort out my next job, will get on to it soon if i haven't already.
Correction to last post - it wasn't Tarawera falls that I paddled on the Kaituna it was Tutia to see why i didn't paddle Tarawera check out this out (click me)
Thats right its a waterfall that flows underground before shooting out the face of a sheer cliff and tumbling on to boulders 65m below. Sorry if i missled anyone into thinking that i had achieved this feat and thus making me the most amazing person in the hisotry of cool shit thats been done. I'm not that good

Peace.

playtime

2009-03-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

I know eveyone's excited, its another update from across the globe.
Not too long this time only a couple of things of note happened recently but worthy of a post. First of all, now all my toys have arrived, my main task has been clearing up my life to create time for using them. This has mainly been boring administration/moving and not worthy of note but the main thing is its now over and my time is being used in a much less constructive manner with all my toys.
I'm yet to get properly on my bike, but hopefully that will change in the next couple of days, my creek boat on the other hand has seen a bit of action and once more in life I'm hooked on the best of drugs - scaring the shit out of myself.
The main action in the boat is a river just 20mins drive from my house (the Wairoa) which is dam release every week - excellent, reliable boating - living the dream. (WARNING MILD BOATING CHAT) Its a grade 4 river with a couple grade 5 drops with consequences. The first couple of times I went down I got some sweet lines and missed everything that could have done me too much damage with just one swim from a sticky hole at the bottom of a 4m waterfall on my first time down. However, last week we got 19cm of rain in a day and all of a sudden everything was blowing its tits off. This meant we could do one of the Wairoa's tribs - the Mangakarengorengo (classic comical kiwi name). This was a sweet run and again I was on form for me - hit some lines missed others but coped well in general. Then we went continued on to the Wairoa and my skills seemed to lapse but fortunately for me my luck held. First of all I ended up going throught the infamous "toaster" on the waterfall of the Wairoa - a narrow slot between two rocks with a large potential for hurting oneself on rocks or getting pinned under water, but like I said my luck held, much to the relief of everyone I was paddling who all looked as scared as me when I saw their faces as I shot clean through the middle without a scratch. The next rapid "the roller coaster" had been my undoing before and I was desperate to get a clean line through it but another miscalculation later and I found myself backwards above the main drop of the rapid. A rather panicked last minute spin at the top of the drop saw my luck come good again and I cleaned the drop and kept my head dry. As I celebrated prematurely my boat was sinking and it was a second or so before I noticed my spray deck had popped on the main drop and I was heading to an undercut, my luck held one last time as I swam as hard as I have in a very long time an narrowly avoided getting trapped under the rock. That was Sunday and so it was with a little blow to the confidence and a little trepidation that I set off for another new river last night to try to tackle the 7m drop of tarawera falls on the Kaituna. But my skills hadn't deserted me last night and we had a couple of runs down and although not styled I did hit all my lines. The drop was fun taking a little psyching up before launching off an impressive horizon line and reinstated some of that lost confidence. (BOATING CHAT OVER, sorry that dragged on longer than i thought)
The surfing continues to continue at a slow pace but there's a gale blowing at the minute so that normally means a good two or three days swells once it dies down so before and after work surf sessions on the cards.
Monday and Tuesday I had off so it was in the car with a couple of others from work and off with a tent to explore some more of the north island. We decided to head to the east and found that on the east cape away from the coast there's not a lot there. However, what we did find was awesome. First we hit up Rere for a picnic by a gorgeous waterfall before a short trip upstream to a 60m rock slide which we threw ourselves down on specifically purchased cheap spongebob body boards. lots of fun, but after a while the insects were savaging us and it was time to move on.
We headed for the Mahia peninsula, a barren yet beautiful place with a nice campsite full of gypsies with very impressive campers.
Next morning we discovered that a rumor I had heard a while back turned out to be one of New Zealand's highlights to date. There is a dolphin at Mahia beach who has forsaken his own kind in preference to play with the humans each morning. A wild dolphin mind, not tamed or domesticated, just choosing to play with people. He doesn't get fed and seems to get no reward for coming to the beach other than the enjoyment of being with people, his name is Moko. We played in the waved for a couple of hours with him and spongebob once again became useful as it turned out that body boards are one of Moko's favourite things and it provided much entertainment for everyone as it was stolen from human to dolphin and back again several times. And when that game was exhausted he would push you around on the body board at full speed. It was just like riding a dolphin. Me, moko and spongebob. a happy threesome.
Also just realised that I haven't shown any photos of the mount where I live so heres a couple of pics one from the top of Mount Maunganui after which the town takes its name and a close up of my house from the top. Its on the first picture about halfway between the patch of green on the left and the beach on the right. The surf is on the left hand beach and the sun is in the sky, as always. This isn't quite an accurate picture though, there's normally less cloud.

Monster update post - sorry the formattings all screwed up.

2009-01-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

the last month's been a but of a whirlwind full of highs and a few emotional goodbyes.
I'll pick up from wellington where I rejoined the family after their brief tour of the south island which they all loved. We toured from Wellington through the art deco town of Napier indulging in all the fine food and wine that one comes to associate with spending time with the family. From here we headed up to Taupo the self proclaimed skydiving capital of the world the celebrate my Mum's 60th by throwing her out of a perfectly good airplane. Mum, Hannah, John and myself all stepped out of a plane at 15,000 feet to enjoy an awesome freefall of over a minute over the beutiful lake Taupo before serenely drifting down to the ground. A thrilling experience that has instilled in me a desire to learn how to do it myself stringer than ever.
The rest of the holiday was set at a more sedat e pace and it was back to the fine food and wine. W e headed up to beautiful Whitianga to s pend three days on the beach with my Uncle John and his partner Liz and her daughter Hannah. Here's John and Hannah on the beach, I wonder what that devil on Hannah'a shoulder is telling her. While there it wasn't just the eating and drinking, we went to a hot water beach where there are a couple of hot springs on the beach and after digging a hole in the sand we could sit in natural hot tub which we had to be careful not to scold ourselves in. Everybody loves a bit of geothermal activity. Heres the gang at the beach, where space was at a premium (click text)

While everybody else went back to my Unc les I took my sister and John back to Tauranga to try and find some dolphins to swim with. Unfortunately there werent enough dolphins to get in and swim with but we were lucy enough to s pend some time with the Dolphins swimming by the boat. They are truly remarkable beasts and it was humbling to have them interact with you even while you were in the boat.
It was then back to Auckland to spend the rest of the time with my family before some emotional departure lounge goodbyes. Heres ma'n'pa enjoying a glass of that fine wine before heading home. And heres the less crincklies (minus liz)
While back at my Uncles John and I managed to get out in some rather scary surf, here's some evidence that I did get wet and survived.

Back in the bay of plenty we stayed at a colleague's of mine to look after her house and her mischievous kitten.

The next emotional parting was a happ ier one as Dave and I said goodbye to our trusty steed, Krystaal.
Yes thats right, after having taking us roun d the Country's two islands for thousands of miles and even managing to overtake 11veh icles in that time, we parted company. We got more than we paid for her - 1800 dollars (600pounds), which after the repairs means a poultry loss of 600 dollars each for me and Dave. Thats not a lot to spend for 6weeks travel and accommodation.
So that means I was left without whe els, but in this country pedestrians have a worse deal than most insects so i have r ectified the situation. I have abandoned the idea of a large practical car and inspired by the p orsche I went for braun over br ains. I now have a Subaru Legacy 2L twin turbo which goes like stink. But its not all impractcal, i have also bought a roof rack. Not wanting to be outdon e dave has also got a new car and are driveway is now looking pretty sweet.
Its not all goodbyes, i have finally been r eunited wit my kayaks, snowboard, bike and climbing gear so now i feel I have finally arrived an d can start to take full advantage of this world class playground.
But before i do there is one more goodbye and thats to my current house, I'm getting kicked out tomorrow and as a result will be homeless till next week when I move into a new place along the beach. It does have three balconies though.
So that wraps up the latest post, just a happy new year to all and th anks to eveyone's goodwishes and a sorry to everyone for not being in touch its been a busy period but I'll be ringing round soon.
Here's Dave's pimping Skyline maybe not the power of the Subaru but it oozes class and style.

an entry written a month ago i forgot to post

2008-12-31T23:52:00.000-08:00

So its been a while since i've posted anything but things seemed to get into a bit of a routine for a while so there wasnt much to say. not that the routine was bad, just some sun, sea and sand with the odd shift at work thrown in.
Theres been a couple of points of note more recently namely a porshe 911, a beach house and my family.
A couple of weeks ago after a night catching up with my cousin marc I found myself and one of Em's cousins 21st which was awesome in itself, beautiful setting, spit roast lamb, beer music and good times - the usual. One of Em's uncles however turned up in a Porshe 911 and much to mine and Dave;s surprise he threw us the keys with those immortal words "wanna take her for a spin?". I was smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the week.
So after a week from reeling about the car it was time to take some time off at the beach. But it wouldn't be a week off if i just stayed at the same beach as always so I headed off to stay with Dave and Em at the beutiful surf village of whangamata for a coule of nights.
Then it was off to Auckland to pick up the parental unit from the airport for their festive season tour of New Zealand - jealous of my travelling experience they couldn't tolerate not having the New Zealand stamp in their passport when i had one in mine.
Hannah and John were close to follow on after them and it wasn't long before we were having prawns on the barbie, swimming in the sea and enjoying a proper christmas down under. Since then it been back at work though, culminating in new years night shift in the party capital of new zealand whilst my mum and dad were touring the south island with hannah and john.
My New years was an all time anti climax though, i woke up seconds after the bells realising i was half an hour late for work. Oops wasnt the best start to the year but i think things are going to get better. My last night shift is about to start and then im off to Wellington to meet up with the family and take my mum skydiving for her 60th. extreme.
Christmas breaskfast outside in the sun, not the usual crimbo start, but a welcome change.

Holidays Over?

2008-11-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

Its a different story now and I'm in Mr Productive mode. But first I'll get you up to speed. After we crawled out of Wellington we headed north in a couple of days of driving through the King country back to Hamilton. I'm getting bored of saying it but yet again the scenery was breath-taking. We stopped off a couple of times, once in a national park (which tested krystaal's suspension and tyres) and once to see some glowworm caves. Visually spectacular in the caves but unfortunately our guide was a bit shit. (How you could decrcibe the formation of limestone caves and stalactites without the words dissolved calcium or carbonate is beyond me, but then i am a geek.) After a stop off in Hamilton it was off to our new home in the Bay of Plenty. Its as good as it sounds, we're living by the beach in papamoa just along the road from a surf town and a short drive from my new job. As far as work goes its pretty sweet; the hours are less than home, the people are all really friendly and the work itself is rewarding and interesting. So all round I'm loving it, plus theres the perks, cheap gym and free lunch daily.
Today I also started my surfing career, as it turns out, I'm a natural. Watch the press for my progress I imagine the world will sit back in shock and awe at my meteoric rise to fame as overnight surfing legend. But enough of that, far more interesting is the photos of the mos I promised. Unfortunately my lip is now naked. Although the holiday facial hair is gone and I'm starting to earn a living it still feels like I'm holiday, probably because I live on a beach and the weather is perfect every day. I'll stop now before you all hate me forever.

The Home Stretch

2008-11-13T14:32:00.001-08:00

So we've left Chistchurch and are heading back to the north. Currently in Wellington, feeling rough as after another night on the town last night. I think when i get to Bay of Plenty I may start a new life of moderation.

The only thing to do now is to shave off the tour facial hair. On Dave's part there's been the handle bars and classic filth mo and I've also sported the filth mo along with a goatee and a rather dirty conquistador stylee affair. pictures for your amusement on their way when blogger starts to do what I'm asking it to.

Emma has just thrown up as a result of last nights indulgences. he he. Dave's still unconcious. I think something has died in my head.

Highs and lows, love and hate, morecambe and wise

2008-11-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

A lot has gone on since the last post, we've covered most of the south island and been through highs and lows, let me break it down.

The tour -

After Abel Tasman national park we headed down the west coast of the south island towards the glaciers in the southern alps. On the way we stopped off in a real local pub for local people for a beer and a burger. Everyone inside was very friendly but there were a few funny looks and it was difficult to tell the men from the women. But nonetheless the publican told us of a sweet beach to spend the night at, we were keen for it as it meant less driving and we didn't have to sleep in the cold high altitude of the southern alps.

We stopped off to look at the Franz Joseph Glacier, impressive, you don't see a glacier everyday but once we'd seen that we thought we didn't need to spend another few hours walking to see the Fox Glacier as well so we sacked it off and got in the car for a mammoth drive to Arrowtown to see Jenny. So after a kip I took over the driving and what a drive it was. The weather had turned for the worse and lots of the driving was slow with poor vis, but a little intervals and then more consistently later on the weather cleared to reveal the stunning scenery of the west coasts mountains and rivers. It turned dark before we crossed the Haast pass over the southern alps and into Arrowtown to meet Jenny.

We had a few days in Arrowtown, was good to chill with Jen and see Queenstown. There was a compulsory bungee jump for the boys, but Emma didn't have the stones for it and now has to live with her regret. The jump was pretty awesome but over too quickly - going to save up and come back to do the more expensive 134m 8.5 second free fall version in the new year.
Dave gets ready to take the plunge, and the view from the top.

We left Arrowtown and headed for Te Anau where we got a bus and boat trip to and round Milford sound. Once again the scenery stole the show, the rain the night before and that morning created thousands of waterfalls over the solid bedrock which only exist for the few hours after a heavy rainfall. (Although being in one of the wettest places in the world this is still quite common.) As we moved into the sound (misnamed as it is actually a sea loch or fiord) the clouds hung over everything giving the whole place a very moody atmosphere. Our boat trip took us out into the roaring 40's (much to Emma's displeasure who struggled bravely with nausea) and round the sound to see some fur seals. As we travelled back up to the head of the loch the clouds parted to reveal Milford Sound in all its glory for a photo op.

Waterfalls everywhere you look in Milford Sound after the rain and some of the remarkable scenery

Next stop Dunedin. First night was a boozy affair and that's all that can be said about it before the watershed. Dave's Emma and Jenny met up with us for some more fun and we enjoyed Steph's (friend of Emma's) hospitality and beds (for some of us) for a couple of nights. Other than the booze our time in Dunedin was spent on the van and penguins, neither that satisfying. (see below)

Now suffering from with drawl from the scenery fix we decided to head up the coast towards Christchurch. But we got bored on the way so made a detour back into the Mountains to spend some time living by a lake.From here we did a day trip to check out the Mount Cook national park and Tasman Glacier. Another day of stunning scenery as the postcard perfect snow capped mountains towered above lakes which had been turned Sapphire blue from the melting glaciers. The whole landscape was littered with textbook examples of glaciation that would have got any geography teacher excited and Dave and I spent the day spotting moraine, hanging valleys and arrettes. More exciting than it sounds.

However, the mountain life was too cold for Emma and we had to return to civilisation, So now we're in Christchurch having spent more time on the tiles and lot of time in the sun.

Pictures above - sunset at the lake, Mount Cook behind some impressive glacial features and the tasman glacier shedding some icebergs.

Krystal -

All of our woes to date on this trip can be attributed to the van. After fixing her dodgy noises with new exhausts and fan belts we thought pretty chuffed that all was well and we celebrated Krystal's health all too prematurely. The driving was fine down the west coast to Arrowtown and Krystal was giving little indication of impending financial ruin, we were even taking her above 90kph and had overtaken a total of 3 other vehicles. "they were the best of times..."
let me set the scene - we were cruising into Te Anau at five on a Friday afternoon when we heard a disconcerting clunk and pulled over to investigate. When we pulled away again it was to the rather off putting sound of metal grinding against metal. We drove around and found the only mechanic in town just shutting up shop for the weekend. This was lucky as we were considering just continuing on to Milford and just risking the breakdown. Mr Mechanic told us a few things that were useful. The fist that our gearbox was "f*cked" and it would be unlikely to travel another 30ks without falling out of the bottom of the van. The second was that within 5ks of Te Anau we would run out of mobile reception and not be able to contact the AA for pickup. The third was that the road to Milford was a hilly one and that such a road would be a death wish with a van in as poor shape as ours. We reluctantly settled for the bus to Milford and parked Krystal up for the night in a campground car park.

We were then faced with the conundrum - wait around for two days in TeAnau till the mechanics open up or risk it on the open road. The latter of these two options carried the extra risk that if we broke down within 60ks of TeAnau then we would be taken back to TeAnau by the AA retrieval man who just happened to be Mr Mechanic that told us not to drive in the first place. (thus rendering our AA cover void).

We were impatient so took the risk - drive at least 60ks on a gearbox that's been given 30 to live. 4th gear caused least metal on metal noises so we thought, low revs, 4th gear, don't stop till she breaks, pray it doesn't happen on a roundabout.

Then Krystal came through in fine form - 300ks, all the way to Dunedin with just one stop for fuel, and a few risky moments involving right turns, roundabouts and traffic lights, traffic laws become harder to adhere to without 1st or 2nd gear.

She was renamed Krystaal in honour of her outstanding performance.

It turned out that bearings had all been destroyed thanks to a complete lack of oil in the gearbox.

Most of our time in Dunedin was thus spent locating a new gear box and getting it fitted without getting ripped off, which we eventually managed thanks to a man named Clint.

We were hoping that was the end of it and all seemed well, but two days ago we noticed oil dripping from the gearbox and our windscreen was chipped. This has turned out to be a loose screw which a man kindly tightened for us for free. the windscreens getting fixed tomorrow. fingers crossed...

Wildlife

Just a quick note on NZ's wildlife. When we booked the tour for Milford Sound we were promised seals, dolphins and penguins - of which we got seals, wanting a refund. In Dunedin we went out to see the penguins and albatrosses. The albatrosses we impressively large as expected but no penguins by day. we were advised to go out at dusk to see them. We did this - about an hour waiting about in the freezing cold until it got so dark that you could barely see your hand in front of your face and then we were told enthusiastically by some volunteer for the department of conservation that the vague indistinct shapes that were slowly meandering past our feet were in fact penguins. So far I have been unimpressed by the wildlife of New Zealand - although their pigeons are prettier.

This is a Kea, apparently the worlds smartest bird, we watched this one start to piecmeal dismantle some unfortunate guys car. The guy stood and watched though, which suggests that the bird may even be smarter than individuals of our own species.

Next Episode

2008-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

So we've left Wellington and the North Island behind us and headed South. The main theme seems to be stunning scenery. The ferry across through the marlborough sounds and the following drive through their tortuous coastal roads was breathtaking and the photos (above and below), as always, don't do it justice. Krystal, as the van has now been named, is still going strong. The noise turned out to be a fan belt and it cost us a nights stay and 75bucks in picton to get it fixed. And she's also needed a top up of her brake fluid which seems to be seeping slowly from her. but otherwise still going strong.

First planned stop on the south island was Abel Tasman national park. Again stunning scenery, this time in the form of beaches and temperate rain forest, was the main talking point. We explored the park on foot making the most of nice weather with cool beers on the beach. Introduced to sand flies, not like the ones back home, much smaller with a nastier bite. They are my new worst enemy and I am currently plotting on a sand fly extinction plan. All in all Abel Tasman was sweet, here a few photos which kind of capture the beauty, but again the camera does little justice. Also note compulsory comedy facial hair for all boys on tour.

The Van

2008-10-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

So as promised here's a few pics of the van, or more precisely the inside of the van to show the fruits of my labour. Dave and I spent a good couple of days constructing the bed in the back and both of us are justly pleased with the result, she's a sturdy number constructed with love, blood, sweat and tears (almost, actually when i comically hit myself on the thumb with a hammer, cartoon stylee).

The Van itself although giving us a couple of moments with some awful noises probably involving the clutch has (touch wood) been a stalwart companion. She has a few rattles and we dont trust to take her to 100kph. although her twenty years most of her electronics still work and she doesn't seem to be leaking anything essential.

Also she quite an economical number, getting a good 400km to the tank - equivolent to getting 70mpg if your to compare it to UK prices (but actually only around 25). She's tricked out with all the essentials, Ipod transmitter, single furry dice and ET figurine. and we've only had to do a minimum of work on it, namely getting a new exhaust. but was cheap so all good

So far she's carried us to wellington via taupo. Had some chillin in a thermal baths and a night out on the tiles in wellington. today everybodys feeling a bit ropey so not entirely sure as to our plans, but apparently its another big one tonight. Off to south island tomorrow hopefully, ferry permitting.

peace

Finally away

2008-10-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

And so with the customary high altitude picture of a sunrise to proove that yes i have been on a long haul flight I start my blog proper and detail my wide, varied and crazy travels in enzed.

The flight itself although predictably long was an easy affair, the highlight being watching clover field, if you haven't seen it you must. At the time i heralded it as the best movie ever, but i think that was the sleep deprivation and strong sedatives talking and to be honest it probably only makes it into top ten. Emma managed to get most of the sleep though and i think i only had my eyes closed for a couple of hours in about 40total.

Stop off was in shanghai (pictured - stickered), my first brief glimpse of this country has sparked a yearning to return to properly explore - i haven't even reached my destination on this trip and I'm planning one for the future. The airport was pristine and shiny and everything ran smoothly, you got the feeling it was a well ochestrated front by the powers that be to show how great their country was to those passing through. But there were glimpses of the old school thought everywhere you looked, the sign at the food counter that gave the sanitary violation hotline number may equally have said please report any hygeine oversights to the nearest party official. But it was soon time to turn away from this intriguing international showcase of china to the real deal.

Picked up by my uncle in Auckland, only after having to pay a 60pound fine for biosecurity infringement, my lesson has been learned at my first attempt and my life of international biocrime has come to an ubrupt end.

First impressions of New Zealand.

1. Frienlyness, openess and helpfulness seem to be the norm for each and every kiwi I have encountered so far.

2.Laid back also seems to be the order of the day, yet not in a frustrating african like way where nothing gets done, it just noones really that up tight and anything goes.

3.NZ is a boys counrty. whenever feminism happened it missed NZ. not that everyone is sexist - that would go against point 2, its just NZ is all about cars, power tools, fishing and sport. nothing else. adverts such as "its good to be a bloke" adorn every billboard and there seems to be absolutely no female orientated marketing of anysort. Not that any of the women here seem to bothered about it, thats just the way it is. And its hilarious. I'll keep an eye out for examples and keep you posted.

So by now i've made it to hamilton, not a visitors town by any stretch of the imagination but I've met up with Dave and Emma and most importantly got the van. Daves arrived in the internet cafe now and is impatient so will cut it short here. more info on my pimpin van to follow heres a picture to keep you interested and a couple of cheecky faces from the zoo.

A video guide to paperwork

2008-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick video guide I have compiled on how to deal with your paperwork, especially effective if you have ignored your administrative duties for several years as I have. This is 7 years filling done in seconds

Home

2008-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Every journey has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is normally home. So here I am sorting through 7 years of hoarding and ignored paperwork in preparation for the off. But despite the packing and the paperwork times are never hard here and I have plenty of time to indulge in the feasting, drinking and immersion into the calm of the glen. The itinerary is far from hectic and the pace of life is slower than the growth of most lichens, for instance last night we were a week late for the pub quiz. So for the next week before I leave its just more of the good food (steak tonight) too much wine and perhaps a walk in the country to work up an appetite should my hunger ever wane.

But it cant be all play and no work, one has to set some goals in life, for everyone knows who will employ your hands should they get lazy. Mine are as follows -

Feed one of the squirrels by hand, theres about 6 of them running around the garden this autumn and they are getting bolder every time I visit. My closest yet is about a foot or so, I reckon a good book and an hour or so should get a result.

Cancel my phone contract.

Two should do, dont want to over work it.

Next post should be more interesting, this was just figuring out how to work everything and to dip into the world of blogging. Also as its painfully obvious from this post theres not a lot going on right now and unless something goes horribly wrong there should be a lot more excitement in the coming weeks.

peace.