Hello one and all....So I've finally gotten myself to an internet cafe for the long overdue update on the travels!!! Well, the work is over, as ye all know, and I'm on the road again – Hobo style!!
I've got a new set of wheels and a new travel buddy..I'm at a bit of a loss where to start, so I think I'll go for the bullet point thing!!(Easier to scan read and then pretend you read the whole thing).
- Mid January, finished work, which involved me being taped up(Guinness in hand included) and having a St.Georges Cross flag thrown over me...That went down a treat with the locals...
- Flew up to Auckland on the 20th of january for the Big Day Out Festival..Proper music!! Kings of Leon, Go Team, The Mars Volta, White Stripes & The Greenhorns(quality band)...Plastering on the sun cream all day, but no hat and a fresh haircut did the trick..After a few days my dair gel at least stopped the flakey scalp lookin - terminal!! I'd meet up with some of the Auckland lads (Kiwis) and one of their mates had just got here from Oz.
- Onto the car bit..Alanna was headin about the country, so we thought a car was the way forward.We bought a car between us the next day..We went halfs and she's goin to buy me out when I leave..So I'm travelling about for next to nothing!!
- Left the rubbish city that's Auckland and headed north to the Bay of Islands and stayed in Paihia..They boast about 365 days of sun a year – It rained for 4 days straight!!!
- Had enough of the Bay, and had to meet the Auckland kids at Goat Island (no goats there though). Spent two nights camping, just swimming and being idol most of the time..really nice though.
- Next stop, Great Barrier Island..Off the east coast...Funny place, after being back in Auckland for 2 days and then to the Island was strange..It's a really beautiful place, there's no possums so the plants have been spared. A short walk to the only shop to the locals is 6km. A band were playin that night and the whole family(island) turned out!! Did a few days walking, which was beautiful..great few days in all..
- Coromandel next off, I hadn't been there before, but it's stunning..spent a few days travelling about, checkin out Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove amongst other places...
- Had a look at dates and figured out it was time for some ruthless German efficiency. Time for Rotorua and outdoor stuff!! First on the bill was white water sledging – you plumit down some rapids (with names like 'The Rock Gardin') on what's bacially a body board...It had been raining so the grade 3 river we were going to do was closed, but the grade 4+ was open!! So off we went with our life-jackets, helmets, sledge and no common sense!! You'd come out of the rapid terrified, and then realise you'd survived – Oh, the joy of it!!! Big dopey smiles all around!! That night, off to a Maori village for a hangi (grub cooked in a hole in the ground over hot rocks)..I didn't eat the food, I inhaled it after the sledging!! I needed a day to recover after that..a bit black, blue and bloated...
- Up early, paddle in hand and off to a grade 5 river that only opens 26 days a year..After the sledging, rafting (even a grade 5 with 4m waterfall) seemed...well...average. Would have been better to do them the other way around...Still good fun, and I still felt it after..
- Back to the hostel and someone had the idea, to heal our weary bones, to go to a hot water river..
So spent the evening sittin in a hot water river under a waterfall...
- After a few days resting after all that water stuff, the body was due another pounding..But this was a pounding well worth it!! Tongariro (I can hear you from here David, I'm sure it's along the lines of “ya little f#*ker!!”, or something). What an amazing place!! Some many different environments in one place..It was unbelievable, can't really describe it. It's really lunar in parts and some of the colours are fantastic..I'll stick up some photos and let ye see for yourselves (don't show them to David – I don't want to be responsible of him hi-jacking a peddle boat in Tramore and tryin to get over here to climb it again!!).
- More days rest and stopped in Wellington for the weekend. I think it's one of my favourite cities, really nice place. The Around the World Yacht Race was there, so there was a great atmosphere in the city, loads of Samba bands playing – that's where the boats are off to next..Got the ferry down south on Monday. Walked up to the top deck and bumped into Alan Butlers sister, didn't even know she was over here..I would say very strange – but it's not, bumping into people isn't weird anymore, it happens so often..
- In Nelson now, just waiting to do a 2 day kayake in the Abel Tasman National Park..can't wait for that..From there over the Lewis Pass and Hamner Springs back to Christchurch. 2 days there and busting south to Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound for a few days walking and maybe some kayaking too...I'd like to do a night cruise too, but we'll see..Then up to the glaciers and get me spikes on to find some blue ice.....
So that's the story so far, hope no-one wakes up with prints of their keyboard on their face, and if you do....GO TO BED EARLIER!! Anyway, all's great over here, fairly much on the go all the time now, but loving every bit of it. They could do with a new 0-zone layer though(8 minute burn time)..
This whole group mail thing, a bit of a pain, but the easiest way to do it....
I'm off now, the bakery by the hostel will be droppin off the food they didn't sell today, so i have to get in before the others have it stashed under their pillow or wherever they put it!!! hope your all well and good....I'm sure i'll talkto ye soon...
Big Love....Neillxxx
