Saturday, April 29, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
and from New Plymouth
So in New Plymouth we looked round shops and i bought a cool skirt, we went to the cinema to cheap night (tuesday nights in NZ) and saw Inside man which was good. we also went to the beach (west coast so good for surfing and very powerful, had hells pizza for tea (the best pizza comapany ever - gourmet pizzas with tiles such as mordor, gluttony, sinister etc, of course the places is all red and black and the phone number has 666 in it. the staffs t shirts say things like "giving oral pleasure since 1980" it cool and the pizzas are amazing!!
Anyway.. after NEw Plymouth we went to Auckland and stayed at Verandahs which is a very nice backpackers. We went round town for the last time together and had a terrible cheap chinese meal (the duck really didnt taste like duck to me) and walked back to the backpackers, however this house 2 doors down looked exactly the same in the dark so when our key didnt work in the door we scaled round it trying all the doors and windows. I even peered in one room saying wow theres breakflast all layed out for the morning - I didnt know our backpackers did free breakfasts. Eventually a man came to the door and opened it and I marched straight in and was about to go upstairs while he was saying but but but.. eventually it clicked, this wasnt our backpackers... I was in someone elses house!!!! He was ever so nice and it turned out it was a priests training house!! anyway we had a chat (he'd been to snow planet that day...) and we went to our real backpackers hysterically laughing!!
Then the next morning Lou left me! I waved her off and it all felt very weird, its amazing how quickly you get used to having someone around, and talking about england and old times and shared moments etc. I felt really lonely when she had gone. I had phoned paul the night before and told him in no uncertain terms that he was coming to Auckland to meet me so he drived accross the country and I technically only had 2 hours on my own after Lou left.
We then went to Miranda towards the Coromadel and stayed in a naturalists place -we werent sure if it was going to mean naked or animals but it turned out to be a bird place! we went to miranda hot spings had yummy fish and chips and genrally chilled out and then we went to Thames and coromadel town the next day which was cool, it was a lovely drive (well at least it was forme sitting in the passenger seat!), wandered round me eating goody goody gumdrops ice cream him with his nuts and pulses. we went to visit mana retreat which was amazing!! I hope to woof there at some point soon and live there for a month or 2. Loads of people have told me how great it is and it felt lovely, certainly very heatrly living on nuts and pulsea and all that stuff. we had lunch there and chilled and went up to the sanctuary, amazing views and an amazing place!
Now its today and we left Miranda and are back in Auckland, I plan to go the great barrier tomorrow so might not be online for a while as I dont know the sitaution there.. I'm woofing with a family though who seem very nice. Its VERY rural and i will only have children and horses to keep me company - i hope to learn to ride properly! theres no banks etc or anything there apparently!! I've no idea where paul is going. but we'll probably hang out in Auckland today...
I went to STA travel the other day and asked about changing my flight, its going to cost me 50 quid, the trouble is the lastest they will extend it for is till October 31st and thats not long enough for me... I dont know what to do. I guess I shopuld change it to October 31st and see what happens - keep my options open and all that stuff. (rather than burst into tears and say octobers too soon which is what I did last night!!)
Anyway.. after NEw Plymouth we went to Auckland and stayed at Verandahs which is a very nice backpackers. We went round town for the last time together and had a terrible cheap chinese meal (the duck really didnt taste like duck to me) and walked back to the backpackers, however this house 2 doors down looked exactly the same in the dark so when our key didnt work in the door we scaled round it trying all the doors and windows. I even peered in one room saying wow theres breakflast all layed out for the morning - I didnt know our backpackers did free breakfasts. Eventually a man came to the door and opened it and I marched straight in and was about to go upstairs while he was saying but but but.. eventually it clicked, this wasnt our backpackers... I was in someone elses house!!!! He was ever so nice and it turned out it was a priests training house!! anyway we had a chat (he'd been to snow planet that day...) and we went to our real backpackers hysterically laughing!!
Then the next morning Lou left me! I waved her off and it all felt very weird, its amazing how quickly you get used to having someone around, and talking about england and old times and shared moments etc. I felt really lonely when she had gone. I had phoned paul the night before and told him in no uncertain terms that he was coming to Auckland to meet me so he drived accross the country and I technically only had 2 hours on my own after Lou left.
We then went to Miranda towards the Coromadel and stayed in a naturalists place -we werent sure if it was going to mean naked or animals but it turned out to be a bird place! we went to miranda hot spings had yummy fish and chips and genrally chilled out and then we went to Thames and coromadel town the next day which was cool, it was a lovely drive (well at least it was forme sitting in the passenger seat!), wandered round me eating goody goody gumdrops ice cream him with his nuts and pulses. we went to visit mana retreat which was amazing!! I hope to woof there at some point soon and live there for a month or 2. Loads of people have told me how great it is and it felt lovely, certainly very heatrly living on nuts and pulsea and all that stuff. we had lunch there and chilled and went up to the sanctuary, amazing views and an amazing place!
Now its today and we left Miranda and are back in Auckland, I plan to go the great barrier tomorrow so might not be online for a while as I dont know the sitaution there.. I'm woofing with a family though who seem very nice. Its VERY rural and i will only have children and horses to keep me company - i hope to learn to ride properly! theres no banks etc or anything there apparently!! I've no idea where paul is going. but we'll probably hang out in Auckland today...
I went to STA travel the other day and asked about changing my flight, its going to cost me 50 quid, the trouble is the lastest they will extend it for is till October 31st and thats not long enough for me... I dont know what to do. I guess I shopuld change it to October 31st and see what happens - keep my options open and all that stuff. (rather than burst into tears and say octobers too soon which is what I did last night!!)
Auckland again!
I'm sorry everyone that I havent updated in ages and I have piles of emails in my address book that I need to reply to (dont anyone take that as a reason not to email me - I love getting them!) However I thought I would update on here first before I try and tackle the emails!
So I think my last entry was in taupo. After sky diving I did a 12km walk (how healthy am I?!) and Lou had a fab time flying her glider (I'd love to try it but could only afford sky diving!).
Lou and I chilled out my the side of the lake, watched a fantastic sunset (I will put my photos up some time!) laying about in a natural hot spa (pretty much a hot puddle by the lake!) lovely and peaceful and we had it to ourselves - and it was free which is even better!
Lou had her hair cut and didnt like it, but I think she always thinks her hair is too short after its cut (am I right Lou?) which staretd me off on one thinking what I could do (every so often I feel like making some kind of change to myself and grow through phases of wanting piercings, tatoos and a haircut or dye) but I didnt so anything and have made do with a fake egyptian tatoo which should last a month (a koru on the small of my back)
Anyway so after Taupo we went to Napier which we werent that made keen on. When we got there the place we fancied staying at was fully booked so we ended up staying somewhere we ordinarily wouldnt. (A bit big and impersonal). Anyway after exploring and going out for pizza and all that we went to Wellington via 4 hours in Palmerston North - most of which we chilled out in the park. We had, had a PP moment (Pahia panic - this is because when in pahia we went round every single hostel trying to find accomodation and thought we were going to be bedless for the night which created a bit of a panic - we had another of these moment as the places we wanted in wellington were full. Anyway we actually ended up at out first choise even though the answer phone message had said "we dont take any immediate bookings - all accomodation must be booked at least 3 days in advance" but obviously it was rubbish as we ended up there and it was nice even if it was out of town! our bus was delayed so we were lucky that the coach driver gave us a lift to it!
Once in Wellington we ate and I stayeed up late talking to a guy called Stephen, the next day we went up a cable car looked at pretty views, got lost and walked miles in the botanical gardens, came back ate a yummy kebab and then went to the theatre which was cool! we got half price tickets from the isite (I site staff in NZ are stupid so we had to inform that yes actually if they looked they do sell them for half price but perseverence pays off!)
The next day we moved on to Wanganui again via palmerston North with a 4 hour wait. We had a good time though and the journey was at least broken up!
One in wanganui we wanted to go on aboat on the river but it was too expensive so we made do by looking at it (also the bit you go on boats at was miles away and the only way to get there was for the post van to pick you up at 7am at get there..)
so we went up some funny towers and lifts going through mountains and looked at viewsand stuff! cant remember what else we did?! we stayed a couple of nights though
The next day we went to New Plymouth
So I think my last entry was in taupo. After sky diving I did a 12km walk (how healthy am I?!) and Lou had a fab time flying her glider (I'd love to try it but could only afford sky diving!).
Lou and I chilled out my the side of the lake, watched a fantastic sunset (I will put my photos up some time!) laying about in a natural hot spa (pretty much a hot puddle by the lake!) lovely and peaceful and we had it to ourselves - and it was free which is even better!
Lou had her hair cut and didnt like it, but I think she always thinks her hair is too short after its cut (am I right Lou?) which staretd me off on one thinking what I could do (every so often I feel like making some kind of change to myself and grow through phases of wanting piercings, tatoos and a haircut or dye) but I didnt so anything and have made do with a fake egyptian tatoo which should last a month (a koru on the small of my back)
Anyway so after Taupo we went to Napier which we werent that made keen on. When we got there the place we fancied staying at was fully booked so we ended up staying somewhere we ordinarily wouldnt. (A bit big and impersonal). Anyway after exploring and going out for pizza and all that we went to Wellington via 4 hours in Palmerston North - most of which we chilled out in the park. We had, had a PP moment (Pahia panic - this is because when in pahia we went round every single hostel trying to find accomodation and thought we were going to be bedless for the night which created a bit of a panic - we had another of these moment as the places we wanted in wellington were full. Anyway we actually ended up at out first choise even though the answer phone message had said "we dont take any immediate bookings - all accomodation must be booked at least 3 days in advance" but obviously it was rubbish as we ended up there and it was nice even if it was out of town! our bus was delayed so we were lucky that the coach driver gave us a lift to it!
Once in Wellington we ate and I stayeed up late talking to a guy called Stephen, the next day we went up a cable car looked at pretty views, got lost and walked miles in the botanical gardens, came back ate a yummy kebab and then went to the theatre which was cool! we got half price tickets from the isite (I site staff in NZ are stupid so we had to inform that yes actually if they looked they do sell them for half price but perseverence pays off!)
The next day we moved on to Wanganui again via palmerston North with a 4 hour wait. We had a good time though and the journey was at least broken up!
One in wanganui we wanted to go on aboat on the river but it was too expensive so we made do by looking at it (also the bit you go on boats at was miles away and the only way to get there was for the post van to pick you up at 7am at get there..)
so we went up some funny towers and lifts going through mountains and looked at viewsand stuff! cant remember what else we did?! we stayed a couple of nights though
The next day we went to New Plymouth
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Freefalling at 12,000 feet!
Wow! Wow Wow!! I jumped out of a plane at 12,000 feet!!! and I paid to do it!!
I got up this morning feeling terrified waiting for the bus to arrive to take me there and when i got there there was room just for me on a plane just about to leave so I had no time to hear all the hype that the others on my bus did and all that so just got the gear on and there I was in the plane leaning against a window strapped to a guy, I was last in the plane which of course means you are first out!! he told me what to do in the plane up!
The window got lifted up and before I knew it he was manouvering us round my legs were hanging out into a wind I could not imagine and we were in the sky freefalling, my throat is sore from the screaming, my cheeks achinng from flapping about. he then tapped my shoulders and I put my arms out to feel the force, he flung us round in somersaults and circles and all sorts!! then when the parachute went out we flung up in the air and floated down - it felt like we were just sitting in the air and not moving bu he kept saying things like were at 2,000 feets now, and 1,000 feet now.. between my wows and screams, the views were stunning of a wonderful lake, and stunning volcanoes!
I landed well and now feel shattered! the adrenalin must have done it!!
I got up this morning feeling terrified waiting for the bus to arrive to take me there and when i got there there was room just for me on a plane just about to leave so I had no time to hear all the hype that the others on my bus did and all that so just got the gear on and there I was in the plane leaning against a window strapped to a guy, I was last in the plane which of course means you are first out!! he told me what to do in the plane up!
The window got lifted up and before I knew it he was manouvering us round my legs were hanging out into a wind I could not imagine and we were in the sky freefalling, my throat is sore from the screaming, my cheeks achinng from flapping about. he then tapped my shoulders and I put my arms out to feel the force, he flung us round in somersaults and circles and all sorts!! then when the parachute went out we flung up in the air and floated down - it felt like we were just sitting in the air and not moving bu he kept saying things like were at 2,000 feets now, and 1,000 feet now.. between my wows and screams, the views were stunning of a wonderful lake, and stunning volcanoes!
I landed well and now feel shattered! the adrenalin must have done it!!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Jambalaya
the street festival/ carnival, some of the dancers. there was a good variety of all sorts of people from around NZ! it was great!
Whangarei Falls
Lou and I went to both waterfalls in whangarei, both were beautiful, although we had to convince the information shop that the smaller one existed even though it was only ten mins walk from their shop!!
Hunterwasser Tiolets
these are the famous hunterwasser toilets. some artist guy basically build public loos that are a bit different from usual!!
What happened to the hire car?!!
I have a feeling this is what would happen if Lou and I bought or hired a car..
the guide books all say do not drive down the ninety mile beach but still people do...this is the reason why you shouldnt!!
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