Rainbow Valley

I was walking thru the mall oneday, and i came across an auction. The Salvation Army hold it every year to raise money. They had some good things up for auction so i stuck around. Emu Run Tours came up, a trip to Rainbow Valley with a barbeque dinner, so I put in a bet. Blow me down, I got it. $96 for 2 people. They usually sell for around double that price. They picked Mike and I up at 4.00pm and we headed to Rainbow Valley, its about an hour south of Alice. Its yet another rock formation, one of the youngest around here. Only around 20 - 80 million years old. On the edge of it sits a big clay pan, they say not to go onto the middle of the clay pan because it can be soft and you sink into them. We had a look around and found sitting on a rock a little dragon, we would think its a lizard. Mike got a photo then it took off, and it ran on its back legs standing up. It looked so funny. We had a wander around then headed back for some drinks and a very yummy barbeque. It was a very pleasant afternoon, and alot better for Mike than getting beaten at Chess again. Ha ha haha.(I was on a roll).

A mixed Christmas!

This christmas was not going to be like any other for me. I was in the middle of the desert, with none of my family around me. No christmas carols, no christmas eve drinks with my sister. No littlies trying to stay up as long as possible, not getting to sleep till after 11pm. There was no doubt i was going to be quite sad for xmas. But not to be a christmas kill-joy, i still went out and put up my xmas decorations in the van(including a very little xmas tree). Mike took a little while to get into the spirit, but before i knew it there was a santa present under the tree. In Germany they open there presents the night before christmas, they call this the holy night because its when mary and joseph went to bethlehem and had jesus. So as you can probably guess all day i was saying to mike "is it time yet? can we open them now?" It was a terrible wait for me. I almost couldnt bear it. But when the sun went down, mike rang the bell(car keys) to say it was time to open the presents. He had candles lit all around the room, it was just perfect. I got the most georgous gold teddy bear, he is so soft, and is so good to cuddle. I named him Jack. I got mike a shirt with "mother" written on it(its the name of his band in Germany). And also a stubbie holder with a photo of himself on it playing the guitar, he loved it. So we had a very cosy little christmas with just the 2 of us. We both were talking to our family but i guess its just not the same as them being here. So a very mixed christmas, but also one of the nicest.

Hot Air Ballooning

Well im pretty sure now that i have done just about all i can in Alice. I have now been hot air ballooning. 3.00am we got picked up by downunder ballooning. Yep, that is 3 oclock in the morning. we had a few more pick-ups to make then off we went to find a launch site. We stopped on the side of the road and the pilot let off a balloon, this had a light in it so you could see which way the wind was blowing. After watching the balloon we headed for our launch site. Waited, waited, waited... then got told, sorry the wind is to strong, we're not going. But we'll try again tomorrow. So at 3.00am the next morning we were up again, looking worse than we did the first morning. Picked up more people and once again found ourselves looking up at the sky watching a little balloon with a light in it. Headed for a different launch site, and waited... every now and then watching yet another little balloon rise into the sky. We're Going!!! So out comes the balloon, it is massive. on goes the basket, in goes the hot air. The basket gets laid on its side, we all jump in sideways and before you know the balloon has raised the basket, with all of us in it, to a standing position again. This is the quick version of course, all together this would have taken a good hour to complete. Then with help from the ballooning team, we had lift off. Yeah!!! It was very peaceful floating across the sky, except for when the burners went off. We only got to a 100mts up, and unfortunately the only thing we saw were cattle. No big red kangaroos. So half an hour later and after hitting one tree we bunny hop to a stop. I think the best part of it was the setting up of the balloon. The packing up of it was a bit of hard work. It was all worth it tho, we got back to find a very nice breakfast waiting for us. Yum yum yum...

Things we've done in Alice

Well while we have been here it hasnt all been work, work, work. We have managed to get out and about and see quite a few sights. If you go to Anzac Hill,(you can drive right to the top) it gives you the most fantastic view of Alice Springs and the Gap. Its a great way to get your bearings. We have done lots of day trips here and there so i'll tell you about some of them.
The Royal Flying Doctors Centre: This was great to see, the area that they cover is bigger than england and i think europe. They service mainly aboriginal communties and cattle stations. Alot of these have their own airfields, and are in contact with the doctors by radio. You were able to see the actual workings of it as they showed you thru.
The Reptile Centre: Oh my god, as you guessed i was not fussed on this one, but i did like it in the end, very interesting. They seated you in a room where they display snakes and lizards, then they get some of them out so you can hold and touch them(very scary). Mike loved it. I didnt hold any, but i touch everything they showed us while Mike held it. I liked it better that way. So i got to touch Dragons, Lizards and Snakes. And they have a crocodile there, didnt touch that but man i liked seeing him. Oh and to our surprise we got a private viewing of 2 goanna's doing it while no one was suppose to be watching, ha ha ha.
The School of the Air: This is said to be the biggest classroom in the world. It shows you how the kids of the outback cattle stations are schooled. It's all done over radio and computer. The parents have to set up a classroom for the kids(it cant just be in the house somewhere). And 4 times a year the children have to attend a week in alice springs meeting there classmates and teachers. This is to gauge how well they are doing at their school work, most children have higher than average learning than a public school in town.
The west and east McDonnell Ranges: The east has not alot to see and offer, we stopped in at the Jesse Gap and the Emily Gap. This was good, we got to see rock drawings from years ago depicting the callepitar dream time movement. The west ranges were a bit more exciting, we saw Standley Chasm, and big water holes(not so many here in the desert), and Imerston Gorge. The gorge was beautiful and it had water in it, ha ha ha. We stayed the night at the Mount somner lookout. It over looks a huge valley and in the back ground is the mountain, it was fantastic. On this trip we saw a goanna that was about 2 feet long crossing the road. But it was hot.
Adelaide House: This was a house built as a hospital as the Alice was first being born, it has its own unique air conditioning system, with tunnels under the house and sacks hanging to cool the air and filter dust as it is taken up thru the house to cool it. John Flynn was the man with the idea for a hospital out here and you hear alot about him. He worked for the church and had alot to do with the construction of the hospital and Royal Flying Doctors.
Botanical Gardens: Big let down, no roses and flowers blooming, no it was all about the desert plants etc, which to be honest totally bored me. Flowers, im sure, just do not exist in this part of the world. So when the locals walk around complaining about hay fever and sinus's it just cracks me up. They wouldnt have a hope in NZ

Back to New Zealand!!!

A free trip home, kindly supplied by the NZ courts. Over $2000 for only 3 minutes on the stand testifing. Yeah for me!!! Nic picked me up from the airport and as best friends do, we went shopping. Hit the Mount mall in great fashion. It was so good to see her again. Then,a real girls day, we went to the movie and as usual, laughed, sang and cried thru the whole movie. It was great. But all good things must end, so she headed off to milk the cows. I hadnt slept so i ran a bath(spa bath)and soaked away in that for an hour, put the electric blanket on and crashed out for about 3 hours. Tina, Mike and Sam came for a visit just after i woke, they look great. Sam is such a great kid. Then 2 hours late Max and Tracey turned up, so we jumped in the car and headed out for tea. Caught up with them for about 4 hours, had a ball. Then once again i crashed out. Oh to sleep in a bed, the best invention ever. I had the court case in the morning and then...the best thing happen, you can hear it coming down the road. Yep around the corner came collette's and mine purple convertible vw. Its fantastic, it was the first time i had seen it. So we jumped in, ready to cruise and like the van in oz, the bloody thing didnt start. SHIT! so we headed to a cafe had a drink, by then it had cooled down and we started home in it. We must have been the coolest chicks on the road that day(well we thought we were). I spent 2 days at Collettes, awesome. The girls had a calf,lamb and chicken day at school, so i went and watched that. Tanya got 2 2nd places and Sarah got a ribbon for participation. They had lambs again this year. Mum arrived on Thursday, so of course i made her jump in the vw and once again we hit the road. She likes it but i think was glad to get out of it. ha ha ha. Collette arrived home from work so we all went out for lunch, it was great. Cade works in Rotorua now and he stopped for 10 mins for a catch as well. Laurie couldnt make it, has to rest with the baby and all, only 4 weeks to go. So mum and I headed back to Morrinsville. Mum and Dad look great, they're going to the gym and you can tell. We went for tea at the RSA that night and i saw some friends of the family again. The next day we hit the golf course, I had been waiting for this for a long while. I had the worst game of golf i have ever played, i was very pissed off. Even mum beat me! And dad, well he totally kicked my arse. So we are not talking about that anymore. ha ha ha. Come home and drowned my sorrows with a beer. Dad and I got the shot glasses out i bought for him from Venice and we had a shot of Tequlia. The neighbours came over, and family friends and next thing ya know we were having a session. I woke up the next day not in very good shape. And found out that Dad and I had drunk the whole bottle of Tequlia. So recovery had to start, it was not good. All the neighbours once again came over for tea and we had a big barbie. Ken and Susan called in, they had aunty Leith with them. And Ken was on his new bike, a Sukuki 650 Savage. Made me want to have a ride. I got to see alot of people that i havent seen for a while, it was a good night. Collette and Sarah came over thru the day so i said my farewells to them, Sarah just cuddled me so much. The next day i was off to Auckland, Ramon picked me up. I havent seen him for years, it was so good to catch up. We met up with Blair, only to find out that Ellen and Adam, Sam and Donna, And Kim and Darryll were coming as well. It was fantastic to see them all. Thats the cousins for ya, always full of surprises. Now im off back to Alice. Back to Mike and our little van, cant wait.

Bad Karma in Alice!!!

I have now come to the thinking that i am just not suppose to be in Alice. We have been here now for approx 4 weeks and the Karma is not good for me.
1. We arrived here and decided to visit Ayers Rock, got 100km into our trip and the van broke down, just wouldnt start, got it going and got a flat tyre on the way home.
2. Started work at Alice Springs Resort and found it is the first job i have ever hated in my life. So ended up handing in my notice.
3. Got a job at Sporties,yeah, and find that i now work for an Italian family, and it feels like i am in a Saprano scene. The whole family is involved. Scary, but good at the same time. They are great people. But we all know what happens when you try and get out, ha ha ha.
4. Bought myself a second hand bike for $60 and end up spending $100 on it, to fix it enough to be comfortable to ride.
5. Got my second hand bike stolen
6. Had to buy a new bike, $100
7. Got hit by a car on my new bike
8. Got attacked by birds on my way to gym
9. Got attacked by birds on my way home from gym

So as you can see, karma just has not been on my side in Alice. Fingers crossed it gets better. IT CANT GET WORSE, thats for sure

Things about Alice!

It's HOT, DAMN HOT. Just about every day here in Alice Springs is around 37-39 degrees. And believe it or not, you do get use to it. For example we had a couple of nights where it cooled down considerably. And when i got out of bed it was around 20 degrees. I found myself putting on trousers and a sweat shirt. Go figure that one out. And because of the heat you find yourself only eating 2 meals a day not 3. And the water taps here are on the opposite sides to what they are in New Zealand. I keep going to get a glass of cold water and get hot instead. They are back the front. For a small city(town) there is a lot of crime. I found this out when i went to get my bike after work and the chain had been cut and my bike was no where to be seen. Benn(my boss) says that this is about the 8th or 9th bike to be stolen from this area, it happens all the time. Bumma for me. I find the Aboridginal communittee to be very different to what i thought they would be like. I dont think they are a proud people like our moari. They dont seem to work and they spend most days sitting in the dry Todd River or under a tree passing the day away and quite a few walk thru the mall asking people for money all day. They are very unclean and from what i can gather there is alot of voilence in their communities. I can not say i have found them friendly at all. But i am told that the Abo's that live in their own communities and not in the cities are alot more friendly and welcoming. I hope someday to meet some of these people. Alice is truely to me the oasis in the desert and the frontier of the outback. But i am very much looking forward to seeing some rivers with water in them again and the sea. Roll on life.

Alice Springs Resort, Good-bye!

Well after working for 2 weeks at the Resort, i was still unhappy. So I handed my notice in and went out the next day to look for a job. There are so many positions available here in Alice so it only took me 1 day to find another job. Waitressing again, but this time in a cafe/bar down in the Todd Mall. It's a place called Sporties. And compared to Alice Springs Resort it is very relaxed, causal and alot busier. I am enjoying it a lot more. Still i am hanging out till the time when we leave Alice. On the road travelling again and not working. I am working with some very nice people, Jane and Ben run the place. And most of the workers are travellers like me. The pay is also alot better than the Resort and my hours are better too. So life is good.

Alice Springs

We made it to Alice, just in time for the 'The Hendley on Todd Regatta.This was a great day out. You get together in a team, make a boat of cardboard or anything really, cut the bottom out of it, hop in it and run a race around the dry river bed of the Todd River. Heaps of Laughs for everyone. Once again heaps of photo's taken. The next day we decided to go to Ayres Rock. About 100km out from Alice we came across a camel farm. I had to stop. They are amazing. So gentle and quiet, nothing like horses. I even touched one, ha ha ha, big deal for me. Then the van wouldnt start, so we found ourselves stuck at the camel farm, well when in Rome. Yep, an hour or so later mike and i found ourselves doing a 2 hour camel trek. I was shit scared. But by the end of it i loved it and was even kicking my camel to run a bit. We had a great time. Not risking driving to Ayres Rock we headed back for Alice, and BANG, yep, a bloody flat tyre. By the end of the day we were happy to get back to our little spot at the camp ground. We are both working at Alice Springs Resort at the moment. Mike is enjoying it. He has the handy man position, and he says its quite cruisy. I,on the other hand, am not enjoying my job at all. It is the first job that i can say i just dont like. It gives me no satisfaction at the end of the day. And sometimes i can be working till 12.30 at night. So i have decided to look for another job with a bit better pay and hours. Fingers crossed. Well thats all for now, will keep you informed on the job searching.

Another road trip, bound for Alice Springs

Yep, good-bye Karumba, we were on our way. As we drove the 500km (approx) to Mt Isa, without a word of a lie I can tell you we passed around about 50 cars, every single one of them waving at us. You see, on these roads you can drive for miles and miles and not turn or see anyone. So if you come to a turn(slight bend in the road) everybody is watching intently to see if you have seen that the road has a bend in it. And you find yourself up hard against the window waving at the car coming towards you, just for the company, knowing that you ARE sharing this long lonely stretch of road with some one. There are many towns on the way(every couple of hours) and what we found out about these is that they are usually one building with a gas pump. Yep thats it. No houses, no community, no nothing. The petrol gets more expensive the closer to Alice you get. We started buying at $1.28 a litre and by the time we reached Alice it was up to $1.60 a litre. But we did have a great time, we crossed over the border into Northern Territory. Stopped and took a couple of photos of that. That was when we got to learn about the flies, thousands of them. And we stopped for a night at 'The Devils Marbles', this was fantastic. We joined some other travellers there, made a fire and sat around drinking and playing guitar. It was great. Mirriam and Mika(dutch) were traveling together, heading north. Petra(dutch) was traveling by herself, she had a map of australia painted on the front of her car showing where she had been. And Al, he was Italian, and i have no idea where he was going. And another german couple joined us for a short time as well. It was a great night. I saw my first dingo on the way to Alice as well. Minding its own business jogging along the road. We stopped at a petrol station/roadhouse called wycliffe well, and it was decorated up like a UFO. We also stopped in at Tennant Creek and had a look at the info centre, it is a gold mining town like Waihi. We stayed at Ti-Tree the night, and had the most wonderful shower ever(well it felt like it). We stopped at the Tropic of Caporicorn, more photos. And then finally made it to Alice. Yeah!!! But before we settle in here, we are off to 'The Rock'. It has to be done. So wish us luck.

Good-bye Karumba

Well after working in Karumba, both Mike and I were very ready to leave Karumba. After some discussions on how we were going to leave the place, we decided to buy a van off Av and Howie(some locals we met). They were lovely and had dinner with us before we left at the restaurant. Finally the morning came, I was very excited to be hitting the road again. I went off to say my good-byes to Margie and Cilla at the cafe/supermarket. I had only worked there for 2 weeks but grew close to them, they are good people. Then went to find Mike and say our final farewells to Mick, Sandy and Karumba Seafoods. It was a bit sad to go, but the work had run out, we were ready to go and the excitment of travelling in our own van was just to great. So we left Karumba with big smiles and cuddles. Margie threaten to put a road block to stop me leaving town, THANK GOD SHE DIDNT. 73km to Normanton, here we come... and we left it just as fast... In fact we drove all the way to Mt Isa the first day. The roads were tarseal but only one strip of tarseal(oneway) with the large strips of dirt on the sides so you can run off when you see a great big huge massive road train coming towards you. Believe me, you nearly shit yourself. But i'm glad to say you do get use to it. So off we went heading for Alice Springs...

My Australian Driver's Licence

Well this is yet another one of those funny australian experiences that i wont forget in a hurry. I decided to get an Australian driver's licence. So after going to the police station 5 times and then finally getting hold of them when their open, i asked to apply for the licence. "Not a problem" he said, "all you have to do is fill out this form, sit a 30 question multi choice paper and thats it". So i sat down and started on the questions. Now to my surprise the road rules over here are quite different to ours in New Zealand. So I got stuck on about 6 of them. I told him i was sorry about wasting his time that there were a couple of questions that i wasnt sure of. "No Worries, which ones?" He then, to my surprise, started to explain the answers to me. "Yep there you go, you've passed" he said. He then took my photo, printed a licence out for me, laminated it and sent me on my way. But not before saying to me "There you go doll, i just saved you another $60 cause i up-graded your learner motorbike to a full motorbike licence for you, enjoy the rest of your trip around Australia.
So to sum it all up, after failing my licence, i walked away with an Australian car licence and a full motorbike licence in hand. GO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT!!!!

Golf in Karumba

Well this was an experience i wont forget. Yesterday Mike, Ben, Darren and I decided to play a round of golf. Its a 9 hole golf course and if you've read my other blogs you'll know that the greens are made of sand. So we rocked up there all keen and eager to lay into it. Just pay when you've finished they said. So we got some spare clubs out of the back shed and headed for the No.1 tee. It took about 2 mins before we realized that one set of golf clubs were left handed. And 10 minutes for Ben to discover that there was only 1 set of golf clubs that were right handed. So off we went, the 4 of us with one set of clubs. The No.4 iron didnt have a handle so that was out. The No.3 had a great big bend in it. And we only had 1 putter, but dont worry we had 3 No.9 irons. As usual I hit perfectly straight right down the middle, now when i say middle, imagine your in the middle of a desert aiming for the flag you can see in the distance. I swear, without a word of a lie that someone went around the whole course with roundup and sprayed all the grass. There was not one blade of green grass to be seen. The others hit pretty straight too but just not at the flag, ha ha ha. And then you take your first few steps and it hits you. TAHUNA - yep dodging the sheep shit. Only here your dodging the Wallaby shit, ha ha ha. I had to laugh out loud at that one, no one else understood. So in heat that was hitting the 30's we proceeded hole to hole. It only took Mike 3 holes to figure out that he could putt it in one if he made a channel from his ball to the hole with his golf club. By hole No.6 we were buggered, had lost several balls, had no tee's left, had been playing for 2 hours already and to be honest to many beers for such a hot day. They charged us $3 each for our round of golf. And so we all piled in the car and buggered off home. Sometimes life in Karumba is just to bloody hard.

Karumba!!!

Well 12 hours on the bus and we had made it to Karumba. I'll try my best to describe it for you. The main road to Karumba is sometimes 2 lanes and sometimes just a single lane with big dirt strips down the sides so if a road train comes you've got somewhere to pull off the road. Every 150kms you may come across(if you dont blink) the next town. Which usually consists of a petrol pump/shop/cafe. Oh and a toilet block. There are no dead possums on the roads like New Zealand, but are lots of dead kangaroo's instead. And lots of barren land with thousands of termite hills and some of these are huge. Karumba its self, sits on a river which is quite close to the sea. It is in the middle of Croc Country. And i might venture to say is alot bigger than the towns on the main road we passed to get here. Karumba has a Seafood Restaurant(where Mike and I work), a post office/bank, a bakery, a butchery, a supermarket, a pharmacy/beauty shop/furniture shop, a pub, a library, a police house and another bait shop. Oh and there is also Zinifex(a mining company). These are all within about 200mts of each other. Unfortunately the pub is one of the furtherest things from us and just to bloody far to walk to in this heat. So we send Mick down after work (10pm) to get our supplies. But there is a bit to do here, you can take off to the point. This is about a 10 minute drive to the mouth of the river it has another pub there. There is also a recreation centre with a tennis court. And a golf course, let me tell you about the golf course. Tahuna has nothing on this one. Because its so hot, there is not one blade of grass. so you are pretty much playing on dirt/sand. The greens are the best though, before you putt you have to get the rake and smooth out the sand so you have a smooth putting surface, ha ha ha ha ha. In the wet season they say the course changes so instead of playing on sand, you have to play around the great big puddles/lakes that appear on the course. ha ha ha. The temperature here is a steady 30 degrees day in day out. In the evening it cools to a very nice 16, and all the locals get there winter woolly's out. I saw my first kangaroo the other day, it is great. The job is good here and we are both enjoying it very much. I am looking forward to the next adventure which life throws at me. And wonder if its going to be a bit bigger than Karumba, I dont like my chances of it.

Bring on Australia

After leaving the bombs behind i finally managed to make it to Australia. This was going to be different, because i wanted to work around this country. How ever i havent worked for pretty close to 10 months so was in a way not looking forward to it. Brett met me at the airport and as usual was looking and smelling his best. Yum Yum. Amanda looked great and it was so good to see her again. They are so much like family for me, so in a way it was like i had just got home. And the girls, Ella and Macy, what little darlings they are. Macy is so tiny and poor little Ella was just getting over from being sick. Carol came for tea that night, which was a nice surprise. I spent 4 days with Brett and Amanda then i was on the next plane up to Cairns. Yeah!!! Mike was at the airport waiting for me. It was great to see him again, i think i must have nearly squeezed him to death, ha ha ha. So i had made it to Cairns where i would be following the sun thru the top part of oz. So what happens? Yep it rained for the next 4 days. We both spent this time looking for jobs. Oh and at the casino 1 night. And again i lost my $100.00 and so did mike. On Saturday we got the paper and had a look thru for jobs and i rang one about a waitressing position. He said yep, you've got the job, when can you be here? We are in Karumba. WHERE'S KARUMBA??? So not knowing what we were in for Mike and I were off to Karumba to start work. And oh my god, stay tuned for what that is like.

Bombs!!!

After i got back from Biarritz i was online talking with Mike. We talk nearly every day and i enjoy this. But my phone started ringing and it was George. 'Where are you? Are you in town? Dont go there' I told him i was only at the internet up the road, nowhere near the centre of London. And thats when he told me that 2 explosions had gone off on the tubes. Oh Shit!!! But we were both fine. I told Mike, and then rang mum straight away. The news of the bombs hadnt got out yet so the line thru to N.Z was good. I asked mum to ring Aunty Claire and tell her that George was fine, (he works on the underground tubes), so would have been a worrying time. I said my good byes to Mike, wrote a quick email to everyone then high tailed it back to the flat. It wasnt long before the phone started ringing. George rang again and said that he had heard from Ange, La La and Derrin but we had not heard from Kirk. We were all a bit worried but knew that he did not use the tube. Not long after that Ange got hold of him, he was fine. George came home early and we sat on the couch watching it all unfold on the tele with a beer in hand to calm the nerves. It was a nervous day. One by one all the flat mates arrived home, thank god for the smallest of blessings. So a new found lease on life was found and they all headed off to the local pub for a celebration of life drink. They still dont have final death figures for the bombings yet and some of the tube stations are still not open. There were 4 bombs in all that went off and they have found the culprits. All suicide bombers they think. This is a day i will never forget.

Meeting old friends again!

After getting back from Biarritz i was on a train and on my way up to Clitheroe. This is a small town up the north of England. Chris was waiting at the train station when i arrived. It was great to see him again. I first met Chris when he was working in New Zealand at Nic and Gerry's place. I met his mum and she dropped us off at the hotel i was staying at, 10 mins up the road from her place. Oh my god, what a sight when we first drove up to it. Eaves Hall Country Hotel. I found out that this use to be a private members only country club accomodation. It was fantastic. They have only had it open to the public for 2 years. It was awesome. Well i got settled in and Chris and I walked down to his mothers place, stopping on the way for a beer at the pub. His family are very nice, i also met two of his brothers(Paul and Ian). Then we got dropped off in town and had a great meal and some drinks as we visited the other bars. Talking for hours, it was good to catch up again. Chris had taken a couple of days off work so the next day we went up to the Clitheroe Castle and had a look thru the muesum, england has so much history. They also have Pendle Hill which has a story about witches surrounding it. No time to lose tho we had to met Ian at the Vets. He drove us out to a farm that Chris use to work on. So different to New Zealand. They calve all year round, which means they milk all year round. They cant have their stock in the paddocks in winter, because they are just to wet, so they hous them in big sheds. To do this they feed them a mixture of things. Silage, hay, grass and even potatoes, they thought i was weird when i said we feed turnips sometimes. So to feed them all, the paddocks in summer have to be cut(usually twice), then they collect the grass and store it in huge sheds. Some of their cows dont even step foot into a paddock their whole life. Oh and I saw the funniest thing. Chris showed me into the milking shed, they have 130 cows and they put them thru a 4 aside shed. Gosh it looked funny, no where to run if a cow starts shitting. And their stock are huge too. Most of the cows' backbones were taller than me. Thats over 5 feet tall to their back bone. Made me feel very small and rather scared. The next day Chris, Ian, Hannah and I went to the "Great Yorkshire Show". Its like our feild days at mystery creek. It was great. And so hot. They show alot of cattle at these shows. and the biggest bulls i have ever seen. Later that night Chris was meeting me at the hotel for dinner and he had bought along a bit of a surprise for me. He had Lindsey with him. It was great to see her again, unfornately she had to take off to work so i only got to speak to her for about half an hour. But she was looking well. Day 3 and i was back on the train again. Chris and i went out for lunch then i went back to London. I was buggered. It had been a full-on 3 days but I enjoyed every minute of it. I glad i caught up with him and Lindsey again, and will maybe catch up again when he comes to Australia.

Glastenbury

Glastenbury Music Festival!! Well it meant nothing to me when i first got told about having tickets to it. Now however, it means a totally awesome time, and one i will never forget. Packed up George's van on Thursday night and got ready to roll. I couldnt believe that they had 8 chilly bins in the kitchen filling every single one with beer and ice. How could we possibly drink all that, i wondered. Still they were all saying i still dont think we'll have enough to drink. We hit the road, headed for the biggest music festival in England and the 2nd biggest in Europe. Got there at 1am and started by having to open every chilly bin for it to be checked for glass. The 7 bottles of Jack Daniels had to be poured into plastic bottles along with the 4 bottles of Vodka. And then we were allowed in. We set up our tents and at 2am i managed to crawl into my tent and sleep. Woke up the next morning to rain, and heaps of it. It poured down. George had some white overall things that we all wore, we looked so funny. but we were dry and thats always a plus. The rain stopped about mid day so we headed, by foot, thru the mud to the festival. And couldnt believe it when we saw that alot of the tents had had water right thru them. And mud!!! Mud for miles. We had a ball. George and I took off and wandered thru the whole festival grounds and by the time we got back, we were covered in the stuff. We watched a couple of bands then i took off for some sleep cause i was buggered. The next day got up and headed to the pryamid stage to watch the All Blacks kick the arse of the Lions. Here we were, sitting in a foot of mud listening to the english commentors saying how the nz weather was terrible and that england was having a heat wave. Yeah Right!!!! Not!!! There was not much i wanted to see that day on the stages so i went back for breakie, then spent a quiet day in the tent reading, and sleeping, much needed. Sunday was the day i had been waiting for. First up was James Blunt, fantastic. Then the others arrived down and Jools Holland came on. He was alright. Then the man himself, Van Morrison, i couldnt believe it. He had Ruby Turner with him as well, it was 'hosh gwaan'. George and I then headed for the Jazz Stage and got there in time to see 'The Wailers'(Bob Marleys Band). I couldnt help but cry, this was so surreal for me. I was having the best time doing things that i could only have dreamt about. We got back to the pryamid stage where the others were and rocked out there for awhile, then about 12.30am George said he would walk me back to the tent. It was a very wobbly walk back as we were both quite pissed. He managed to push me and i landed straight on my arse in the mud, which he thought was quite funny. We had had the best day. It was great. Totally mind blowing and just as the girls had said, we ran out of beer.

Amsterdam!!!

Well these people are known to be the most open-minded thinking people in the world! And i have no doubt that is true. We rocked up to Amsterdam and it was hot. So we had a couple of beers and got ready to do our optional excursion. This had been kept a surprise from us the whole trip. So when we got there we were told that part of the Amsterdam culture includes the "Cafe scene" and also the "Sex scene". So if we so wish we could go to a live sex show. Well, when in Rome. Just about every one was on the bus for this one, ha ha ha. And what a laugh. There was totally no emotion in it what so ever, it was a performance really, and a funny one at that. I learnt a couple of things that night. One, that you could smoke a cigar out of your ... and two, it answered all my questions about black men. ha ha ha. The chick that did the cigar thing, oh i had to give her a standing ovation, she was good, next thing all my contiki friends were standing clapping along with me. Pakko got to go up on stage, he had to lay on the floor while this girl crouched over him with a pen stuck up her and wrote on his chest. ha ah ha. he thought all his christmas's had come at once. She wrote "The End". We had a ball. After the show a group of us did the Cafe scene. Over here they roll there joints with tobacco so you have to smoke alot to get stoned. Shan Shan came with us, and she really enjoyed herself, something she had never seen or done before. The next day we had the whole day to wander Amsterdam by ourselves. So i took off to the nearest sex muesum. I had heard they were very good. Well it was so interesting, and some of the things they had on display had me in histeric's. I must have spend a good 2 hours there, then it was time to catch the bus again. Amsterdam is certainly so different to anywhere i have ever been to, but i loved it. They have such a broad way of thinking. And believe me, every body is happy there. Definately a place to go back too.

Switzerland

Well after leaving the awesome beauty of Austria i didnt think i could be excited much more. Then came Switzerland, and as Mike has told me, every place i go i seem to think is more beautiful than the last. This time is know different. We got informed it could be quite hard to get through the border so be ready for a long wait. Well 20mins later we were through, Matt (our tour manager) was very impressed. No problems. So off to Lauterbrunnen. And WOW!!! This camp site sits under sheer cliffs that rise up into snow covered mountains. It is fantastic. The facilities are good too. (Always a bonus, no squat toilets). They had a theme party for us the first night, the 80's, so yes i would have really enjoyed this but unfortunately i was sick and went to bed early. Got up the next morning to alot of very sick people. ha ha ha. Caught the train in the morning up to the top of Jungfrau, being so high up made me feel that much more sick. But there was one thing i wasnt going to miss out on. The husky ride, yep i did it. Went for a sledge ride being pulled by the husky dogs, and i loved it. And im so glad i did it. After that however, i proceed to get back on the train and leave the highest point there and come back down to camp and go to sleep. Unfortunate i know, but you cant help these things. After being so cold i am looking forward to meeting up with mike in cairns and enjoying the warmer weather.

Austria

Crossing into Austria is certainly a breath-taking experience. The beauty of the country is unbelievable. Winding through the mountains, there are little settlements scattered all along these fantastic blue rivers. In Austria they have big houses and every now and then you come across a castle perched on a hill (mountain) overlooking the valley below. It really is beautiful. Went to Vienna, saw the Hapsburg Palace and Sigmund Freud Park. And i know Collette will be jealous cause i also went to the Spanish Riding School. We went to the home of the Vienna Choir Boys, this was very interesting. Some not so nice stories about that place. We all had a great night at Prater(Amusement Park). But the best thing in Austria and most disturbing was the visit to Mauthausen. This was the last concentration camp to be liberated in WW2. We watched a movie at which i cried through, it was a horrible place to be, and very hard to believe that the evils that went on there were only 60 years ago. You could walk the Stairway to Death, and also see around the complex, through the barracks and gas chambers etc... Everyone was quiet on the bus for a few hours after that experience. We then hit Salzburg and yet another lovely little river side town of Austria. I loved it very much. This is where alot of the sound of music was filmed. And no i didnt go round singing 'The hills are alive with the sound of music'. Austria is beautiful, what more can i say...

Italy

Well Italy is certain alot different to France, there are lots of tunnels so the roads are fairly straight and you drive thru them rather than around them. 137 and a half to be exact, from Nice to Florence. The ordering of food is different here, you show them what you want, go and pay for it, then take the receipt back to the other person and they will get it for you. On the way to Florence we stopped in at Piza and saw the the Leaning Tower. Its a beautiful place to visit but there are alot of pick pockets in Italy so you had to be very careful. Florence is where i got my first taste of a Italian pizza. And yum yum yum. The streets are all made of stone and everybody walks all over them and occasionally you have to move for vehicles, they are also very narrow, was a scary trip on the way home by taxi. I dont think anyone follows the speed limit. I saw the statue of David and the statue of Neptune. The history surrounding these countries is just amazing. I walked on a brigde in Florence which was the only one left standing after WW2. Have been trying alot of the local food and had a beautiful Tuscan dinner with the rest of the tour group. Rome was also amazing, did a visit to the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. That was something else, just breath taking. And the Colosseum... this was my favourite, it is huge. It takes you back in time to when Julius Cesear ruled. You walk from there down into the forum, which is a big square which the palace overlooks and you have all the ruins of the Roman Empire there, i am sure they would have been the biggest empire the world has ever seen. I then went to the Trevi Fountain, rumour has it if you throw 1 coin into the fountain and make a wish it will come true, 2 coins = you will come back to Rome, 3 coins = you will marry an italian. I only threw 1. Now onto Venice, the city that floats. Wow... It is amazing to think that hundreds of years ago, they built this fantastic city floating off shore to escape the turmoil that was happening on the mainland. Saw the Bridge of Sighs and the Doges Palace. The first thing you notice about Venice is the piegons. There is thousands of them, the streets are small like Rome and canals everywhere. I took a ride in one of the gondola's around the canals, it was great. Very hard to go pass that when in Venice. We visited a place called San Gimignanao. They claim to have the best Galato in the world, and man it was nice. yum yum yum. A very pleasant way to leave Italy.

France, WOW!!!!

After staying at the Royal National Hotel in London for one night i was all ready for my contiki tour. So up bright and early at 5.15am to catch the coach. There are many diff people on the tour, N.Z, Ozzies, South Africans, Singapore, Canada, USA, China and even Pakko from Mexico. All of which are very nice people. So we headed off, bound for the White Cliffs of Dover, which happens to have a massive castle sitting on top of it that William the Conquerer had built when he invaded England. Passed thru border control and onto the ferry. It is only about an hour and a half to Calais, France. Just enough time to get breadfast in. Then onwards to Paris. After putting the tents up,the contiki reps surprised us with a feed of escargot(snails). And yes i tried them, and no i will never eat them again. ha ha ha. We headed into Paris for a night lights sightseeing tour. And wow... Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of this wonderful city, it truly is amazing. We saw the effeil tower, arc de tromphe(sorry not sure on the spelling), we went around and around the round about(very scary). Paris drivers are not the best, on average there is an accident every 12 minutes on this roundabout. But we did it without a scratch. We drove along the seine river, pass the lourve and notre-damne. There is so much to see in Paris to name all of it would take forever. It truly is awesome. The next day was a free day in Paris, so I had organised a trip to the top of the effiel tower, then i spent the rest of the day walking thru the back streets and along the seine taking in the sheer beauty of the place. I find it hard to find words to describe it. We jumped on the bus that night for a cabaret show, La Nouvelle, and also a French Dinner. Both were fantastic. The whole coach had a ball. But we were all tried, some still partied on but i chose to get some sleep, it had been a very long day. Up early again and off to Lyon, stopping on the way to visit a holiday home(castle) of Louie 15th. Massive and wow... Then onto Lyon and a wine tasting evening. We got to try and buy some French Red Wine. Yes once again i tried and this time i bought some as well, ha ha ha. In the coach again we head for Antibes, stopped at the home of Nougat then also in Grasse at a Perfume place. The tour showed how they made it etc it was very interesting. So 4 days into France and i have a selection of wine and perfume, i'm loving this. We then hit Monaco that night, talk about a place for the rich, did the whole casino thing. But alot of the tables had a minimum bet of 25 Euro so wasnt able to play them. Monaco is only 1.75 km. It only has 30,000 residence and you have to apply to the reining monarch for residence, with at least $1,000,000 to you name. I just missed out. Porche and Lamborgine city. I am now having a free day in nice, just chilling on the stone beach in the sun. A total relax day on the Mediterranean Sea. I know, I have such a hard life a. I'm trying to cope with it all, till next time.

Here, there and everywhere, The Isle of Wight

As expected I've been here, there and everywhere. I decided to take off for a day or two to the Isle of Wight. So jumped on the train and headed that way. Made it to the ferry with no major drama's. The ferry ride only took 20mins but it was rather rough. Found when I got there the island is made up of all little villages. So it was going to be harder than i thought to get accomodation. Made my way to Sandown, a little town on the far side of the island. Found the information centre and they helped me find some accomodation. A lovely little B&B called The Belmore. Very nice. It cost me 27 pound. I think thats about $65. The next day i made my way to St Helens, Nodes Point Holiday Park. I was looking forward to seeing Nova and Norman again. Norman was busy working in the shop, but we had a good chat for awhile, it was good to catch up with him. Unfortunately Nova had been called to the mainland for work, so i missed her. I then decided to make my way back to London. George and I decided to go to Brighton for the night. 'Party place to be'. We got there to find that you couldnt even see the sea. There was so much fog or is it smog. We felt rather stupid asking which way the pier was. Cause it is massive, you cant miss it(on a clear day). Found a nice little bar on it and once again had a pint or 3. There is a amusement park on the end of the pier, which we decided to take on the next day. So once again, had a great time with George.

A look at London

London, what a place. So many people, but its great. All the houses in london are stuck together, it was like walking onto coronation street. And not only that, they are all the same colour!!! You will not find a green or blue house in this city, thats for sure. and if by some chance i do, im gonna take a picture of it. I think nearly everybody in this city owns a hatchback. And believe me you would not want anything bigger. The streets are very narrow, you quite often have to stop and let someone come down the street before you head up it. Lots of horn blowing and head lights flashing, and this is not to be rude. Thats their secret code for 'i'm letting you in' or 'i'm right beside you, dont cross into me'. So if someone beeps at you, you do not give them the finger and swear. No no no, you smile and wave and say 'Thank you'. I asked George about wearing my money belt, he advised me not to. BECAUSE 'if you got mugged you'd lose everything pip'. Made me feel quite safe that did. ha ha ha. It really isnt a bad city at all. As long as your street wise. And pigeons, there's heaps of these around. And i got told 'these are not lovely birds to feed, they are rats with wings'. ha ha ha. and i am beginning to think like that too. The pubs here are usually closed by 11.30 - 12.00. But i am getting use to asking for a pint. The laundry mat down the road charges £9 for a load of washing. Thats $9.00 NZ. Thank God we have a machine in the flat. Well these are just a few little difference that i have noticed, but to sum everything up really only takes 2 words: CORONATION STREET.

Sights of London 2

I think i have been down nearly all the streets on the monopoly board now. I am getting rather good at finding my way around London. I jumped on the tube and headed for Westminister Station. Big Ben and Westminister Abbey were top on my list today. Big Ben (according to the map) was directly opposite the tube station, so i should see it as soon as i hit the street. Well i didnt. I did see a castle thing in front of me, so i consulted the map again. And guess what??? If you look UP, there it is. It is massive. And so beautiful. In New Zealand we have some of the most beautiful views you can get. In England they have the most beautiful monuments and statues. Big Ben would have to be one of the most loviest things i have seen. You just dont see anything close to this in N.Z. Around the corner from Big Ben I found Westminister Abbey. And yet another surprise. The Abbey holds over 3000 tombs and graves in it. Yes its more of a cermetery than a church. And it was built for the monks hundreds of years ago. It holds people like Henry XII and Henry XIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Abe Lincoln, Dr. David Livingstone. I also saw the grave of the unknown soldier. I ventured into the nave and lit a candle and said a prayer, as well as saying a prayer with the whole congregation. It was a very emotional morning. A very moving experience. I also visited St Margarets church (this is in the Abbey grounds), its beautiful. So after that spiritual experience i took a stroll along the road and came across Downing Street. I couldnt get to number 10 tho, they had very big gates and lots of guards around it. Never mind, i was probably to busy to see Tony Blair anyway. Next time maybe.

Sights of London 1

Well i have only been here for a week and already i have seen some fantastic sights. George showed me probably one of the most well known sights of London the very first day i arrived. They call it "THE LOCAL". HA HA and its great. Yep i had my first pint about 3 hours after i had arrived. We also went to Piccadilly Circus, and to my surprise, its not actually a circus at all. Ha ha ha, its a roundabout. Yep a great big roundabout. Took a nice stroll down Regent Street to St James Park and accidently ended up at the front gates of Buckingham Palace. WOW... What a fantastic place. It is huge. With big gold gates and this massive statue in the front of it. Its very surreal. I was asked if i could spare a couple of minutes because the queen wanted to see me, but i told them my time was short and she'd have to wait till another day. ha ha ha ha ok well it could have happened. I watched the guards do their marching thing for a while and snapped pictures with the other hundreds of tourists, then we took a walk to Hyde Park. And to the Marble Arch. London is just fulled with history. You couldnt possibly take a picture of all the staues and monuments because there is hundreds.

Bring on England

Well it was good seeing everyone again up north, but 2 weeks goes fast and all of a sudden its time to leave again. Bags packed, mike, mum and dad and i were off to the airport. Stopping of course at the Autobahn for breakfast. Pete met us there for breakfast as well, it was great to see him and say good-bye. A bit strange tho, its usually him leaving. It was a teary good-bye. Both mum and i cried, dad and mike decided they were the staunch ones. ha ha ha. It was hard to leave the people i loved, and as in true pip fashion, i cried for the next hour. The flight to sydney was good. 3 hrs with a 3 hour stop at the airport. Back on the plane heading for Bangkok, 8 hours away. This was the hardest part of my trip. I didnt sleep, and was exhausted by the time we hit the airport. But i did met a Brisbane couple travelling together. They are due in England in 2 weeks so we swapped emails and have agreed to catch up when they get here. I walked around for the hour and a half stop at Bangkok then slept the first 5 hours on the plane heading for Heathrow. Wow what a view!! Made everybody on the plane laugh when i wanted to take pictures of all the houses being exactly the same. And all joined together. And all the same bloody colour. George picked me up and we caught up at the local. Do as they do!! Yep i wasnt complaining if i had to have a pint in the local, then thats what i was gonna do. Life was good.

Good-bye Mot !!! Hello Family !!!

Well it's time to say good-bye to Motueka and some wonderful friends i have made. The most memorable chapter so far in my travels. Heywood Orchards, Ruth and Ian, The Girls(Loren, Trinity and Jasmine), The French Connection, Marty and last but not least Mike. All of these people having a major part in my life changing travel experience. After saying good-bye and with tears in my eyes, I rode off on my bike. Heading for the Koromikko Motel. It was one of the loniest nights I have ever had. Excited about seeing my family but missing my new found friends. Up early 3.45 to catch the ferry at 4.30. It was a bit rough and there were quite a few kids being very sick through the movie theatre. I was on the road north and heading back to Rotorua by 9.00am. And Yes it was freezing. 7 hours on the bike and you guessed it my arse was so sore. I stopped twice for petrol and a walk around but by the time i hit Rotorua i was quite sure if i got off my bike i wouldnt be able to get back on. It was great to see Collette again, not only cause i hadnt seen her for awhile also to help me get off the bike, ha ha ha. So am home again, back with the family. Well for 2 weeks anyway. Then England, here I come.

Road trip!!!

Road trip!!! It says it all. Mike and I hired a car and drove. Stayed in Nelson for the first night and woke up to yet another gloriest day. Mike's first time driving in N.Z and also on the left. Very scary. Made it to the centre of New Zealand, and what a georgous view of Nelson. We drove up around Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton, the ferry was in and getting loaded. We decided to keep moving and we hit a rainy Kaikoura(where we thought we would spend the night). WRONG... No accomodation. So we got some dinner, hit the road and after following Mike's instructions we ended up a dead end road. At the end of this road was a seal colony which he said he knew was there. Yeah Right!!! So after a laugh and some photos we hit the road thinking we would stop at the nearest motel. After driving all the way to CHRISTCHURCH we found one. The next day was another beautiful day, Mike got a brouchre on some cheap golf only $80 a game, Yeah Right!!! So back driving, off to Hamner Springs. A nice queit little Hot Springs Town. NOT! It was like Whangamata in the summertime and there was a half hour wait to get into the pools. So we went and played mini golf and went thru a maze. We stopped at Maruia, Hot Springs. This was perfect, queit, little and just georgous. After bathing for a couple of hours we drove to Reefton and stayed in a Pioneer House B&B. The next day we visited The Monteiths Brewery in Greymouth and then went to the Pancake Rocks on the way back up the coast. We stopped at the longest swing bridge in New Zealand and Mike managed to get a free flying fox ride back across the river. I only made it half way across then turned back. Ha ha ha ha I guess some things will never change. We had a great weekend. The South Island is great.

The Abel Tasman Kayaking Trip

Kayaking, I know, it is so not me. But i wanted to see the Abel Tasman before i left so i asked Ruth if she would like to join me. Kaiteriteri Kayaks, they picked us up at the clock tower and dropped us off at the beach. We were rather nervous. We met our guide (Shane). He was great. There was about 14 of us and we all jumped into double kayaks. I was at the back so i had to steer the thing as well. And after a night on the tequila this was not coming to me naturally. So off we paddled, bout 500m to a couple of seals sitting on a little island just of shore. Camera's out, clicking away. The i realized that Ruth couldnt see them, ha ha so had to try and turn the thing around for her to have a look. Shane said come on then we're off. So we followed him between rocks(hitting every single one as we went)and off into the open water. Let me tell you it was a picture perfect day. We paddled up the coast where he told us stories about the history of the place as we went. The next little bay there was a house built on the beach, I kid you not. IT WAS ON THE SAND. Then we paddled up to Split Apple Rock. We stopped here for an hour or so then back into the kayak. Well I managed that but Ruth decided to put her wrong leg in first and just fell straight into the bloody water. Well fuck did I laugh...and laugh... and laugh... It looked so funny. Then all she could do was laugh, I think we held the group up for 10 mins while we composed ourselves. We paddled out and shane made us get up on the kayaks and do the haka. Lucky no one fell in. A very nice and relaxing paddle back to the beach followed. A water-taxi awaited us and took us up to the seal colony up the coast(there wasnt a lot of seals there) then dropped us on a beach near by. From here walked 2 hrs over the Abel Tasman Track, what a beautiful area of the world. Reflecting on our day as we walked and laughing more about the falling in the water thing. Ruth doesnt like to call it "falling out of the kayak" because she said she wasnt even in it. We walked to Bark Bay where the boat picked us up and took us back to Kaiteriteri. What a great day we had. But i can still say that the whole kayaking thing is still very foreign to me.

The Ultimate Thrill

Well if you havent guessed yet, I did it again. SKYDIVING!!! Mike and I were suppose to have a go at hanggliding. So we rang up to book in and the guy wasnt working for the next week. "What else should we do?" Skydiving was the answer. This was my 3rd go but Mike had never done it before. And yes he did the whole I'm staunch thing again. So funny watching him as the time grew nearer to jump. We walked to the airfeild and he got very quiet. I was rather excited this time. He had decided to jump the 13,000 feet, I did the 9,000 feet. Well all ready to go, we hopped it the plane. My instructor was dave, he was great. And what a blast, it was so much better than the first 2 jumps. I really took advantage of knowing what would happen and I loved it. You could see for miles, all up the Abel Tasman, it was beautiful. Mike hit the ground and was buzzing. Totally freaked out at first then major adrenalin buzz kicking in. WOW... For those fellow jumpers, you will know what i mean. And now would love to do it again.

Apples, Apples and more Apples!!!

Well got to my accomodation in Mot and it was quite nice and tidy. A little bach. It has a kitchen and table in one room then you walk thru to the bedroom. The laundry and toilet are outside in a room off the bach. Very small but bigger than the tent. I got myself settled in. The next afternoon Loren arrived. A 17 year old who was going to be my flat mate for the next 10 weeks. I decided not to spend all my time in the bach so i headed out that night to see what happens in Motueka. So once again I found myself sitting by myself in a local bar having a drink. The bar was called 'The dodgy ref', it's a sports bar. The place started to fill up, and i got bored very quickly by myself. This rather rough looking moari guy was sitting by himself having a beer so I thought 'what the heck'. Would you like to join me? I said. So once again I sat talking to a complete stranger,(Jay) he was entered into a tatoo competition across the road at "The Postie" (another pub). So we went over for a look to see if he had won anything. It was pumping!! the place was so packed, the music was good(a live band). Jay had to take off, so I decided to stay and started to get to know a few of the tatoo covered people that were there. Danced heaps and then asked this guy to dance, he was looking like he wanted to but had no one to dance with.( I didnt bother to say I was dancing by myself, ha ha). So this was my first encounter with Mike. He is from Germany and is no doubt going to be a friend that I will always keep in contact with. Work started a couple of days later, and all I can say is "Apples wait for no man". It is one of the sayings around the packhouse. I have met up with a couple travelling in their bus around N.Z. Ruth and Ian. I quite often walk around to their bus after work for beer-a-clock. And we sit and have a beer and talk APPLES!!! Not! Well we try not too. I am now in my own caravan. Loren and I had a few differences. She watches T.V where is i like to listen to the radio. Just little differences that could make it hard in the future, so i ask for my own place and got it. Its great. No tele. Mike and I went to the local market last Sunday. There was 2 chicks busking down there, i think they were from America. One was playing a piano accordian and the other had a big hand saw and a violin bow and was playing the saw. It was great. It is one of our favourite places to go. Lots of little stores and Mike likes it because they have a couple of German Food shops there. And I got to try a german hotdog. It had a sausage, sauces and sourcrout. And I can say honestly if there had have been no people around i would have chucked it up so bloody fast it wasnt funny. Sourcrout is the most disgusting thing i have ever tasted. Mike had great satisfaction and laughed like hell at the specticle i put on.(I thought i was being low key). I shall never again eat sour crout. Well a bit more next time on my life in Motueka. But for now life is good all is well.

Motueka, here I come.

Well hitting the road again, first stop Wairoa. Stopped and stayed another 2 nights with Annie and Bruce. Got there to find out they were entered in a fishing competition. Just surf casting off the beach, biggest snapper $1000. Yep I was in. So down to the beach real early, fishing could start at 8am. There must have been well over 100 people along the beach and to my amazement not one person caught a bloody snapper. How bad is that!!! It was great spending some time with them again. But i had to keep moving. So onto Napier to stay with Matt(Pete's Brother). We went out to dinner along the main road by the water front. What a beautiful little city. Took a quick stroll after tea then went to meet Matt's girlfriend, shes very nice. And Matt seems quite taken with her. It was a short stay in Napier cause the road was calling. Onto the big city lights of EKETAHUNA. What a little place!!! Got there quite early that morning, Jesse was hanging out her washing. They have a great house, and they seem so happy there. We did a couple of chores for her mum, then went to her mums place so Jesse could have a swim in the river. Sorry but know way i was going in, not a chance in hell. Spent the night playing cards, listening to music and talking. It was so good to sit and relax. She was so excited about her upcoming wedding. Hope it went off well. Well onto Wellington to see John and catch the ferry that night. Got there in one piece, so rang John and met him for lunch. Took a walk along the waterfront then i came home and rang and changed my booking on the ferry. I stayed with John for a week, Wellington was great. I went to Te Papa. They had a space exhibition there, it was interactive, you could launch your own rocket and land a space shuttle(i managed to crash it most of the time). You could also try and fix a space station by flying the shuttle to it (I also crashed that one, then i ran out of oxygen). Ha ha. Had heaps of fun there. Caught up with John, it was great, i havent seen him for 15 years and it was a bonding experience i needed with that side of the family. We talked heaps. My last day in Wellington, what to do??? Was walking back to John's and stopped in at an Irish pub. I was the only one there so had a beer with the barman. He was telling me all about Ireland, it was great. Then an older guy came in (maybe 63). I asked if i could join him for a drink. Of course he said. Well, what can i say, it was one of the best afternoons that i have had. He had travelled all around the world, hitch hiking place to place, he told me all about it and i told him what i was doing. We must have talked for bout 3 hours. He was amazing, funny thing is he thought i was the amazing one. He wished me luck on my travells and said good bye, probably never to see him again unfortunately. But the ferry awaits, John got up at 12.30 am with me and we said goodbye, then i headed for the ferry. The weather was good so it was a smooth crossing. I slept most of the 3 hours on the way over, and decided at 4.30am in the morning not to stop and wait for day light. Just jumped on the bike and headed to Nelson. I think I made it to Murray and Jackies about 7.00. They were still in bed. They have a beautiful place there and made me feel so welcome. Well what is there to do in Nelson?? BREWERY TOURS!!!!! Yep so thats what i did. Mac's Brewery was the one i chose. It was really good, met some people from England that had moved to N.Z bout 6 months ago. And the tour guide made me a little mini motorbike out of the beer bottle tops. Got quite tiddly at that one. Then rang and booked myself on a winery and brewery tasting tour. And guess what? The first stop Mac's Brewery. They threatened to put my name on the bar stool if i was going to make this a daily experience. We went to 2 Brewerys and 4 Wineries and i got pissed. Got back to Murrays and flaked. But I did find my one true love on that tour. FEIJOA WINE. Yum Yum Yum. Murray and Jackie took me for a drive around and showed me Motueka and the surrounding districts. So i could get my bearings. So Nelson had it all good beer and a true love. What will Motueka hold???

Tent City, Gisborne.

This part of my travels i call tent city. For the next 5 weeks that was all i had. And I am not complaining. I loved it. Well we got to Gisborne only to find out that work had been delayed for 2 weeks. The squash were not ready for picking. Shit, What Now?? We stay in the camp ground discussing what we would do. When a young girl over heard us and said she might be able to help. Her name was Sarah. She is actually from Wairoa(an hour south of Gisborne) and was staying at the camp ground with her grand parents. Sarah rang around for us and got Joe one days work in Wairoa the next day, so we took it. Up early the next morning we headed off. And here we meet Annie and Bruce. Annie hires people for weeding the squash, she said the work would start the next day. They were terrific. They let us pitch our tent on their lawn and stay with them. What was suppose to be for 1 night ended up being 2 weeks. They have a half finished log house, all the walls and roof but no windows or doors. And it is fantastic. All cooking and bathroom facilities were in a big shed next to the house, no power but when needed a generator. And i couldn't possibly leave out that this was all in the middle of a beautiful lavender farm. You woke up in the mornings to the most wonderful smell. Joe worked for 2 weeks while i weeded her lavender for her. She was very grateful but as i explained it was my contribution for letting us stay with them. They are salt of the earth people. I dont think i could thank them enough for what they did. It was while staying with them that Joe and I decided to be friends, as neither of us were very ready for another relationship. Once this was decided we had a ball. No pressure. Well work was calling in Gisborne so we headed back up. We both started work for Fenwich Orchards, packing squash. I very much enjoyed this, it had a physical side to it and you could get a real sweat up. I was working with some people i now regard as my friends and yet i was only there for 3 weeks. Lucy, she is now teaching in Gisborne. She had just come back from the U.K. So I fired a million questions at her. Sunny and his sister(I forget her name) He was a young moari fellow that always had a smile on his face. They were great. I think her name was Danielle. Lovely people. Then it rained. The first rain I had struck. ' Sorry Pip we wont be working for the next week because of the rain'. Once again 'shit'. So I made a decision that i would head on down the country. I had to be in Motueka by the 18th Feb to work for Heywood Orchards packing apples. By this time Joe had a night time job at an irish pub and was quite settled and had decided to stay. So I handed my notice in, a for the next 4 days before i left i had people asking me to stay. I couldnt. I needed to carry on. I went to the pub for the last time and decided to take a lesson from Joe and go and meet someone. So I asked if i could join these people playing pool, here i meet Cassie. She is a young women, with a lovely little boy. She lives in Gisborne and i stayed with her my last night there. We still keep in contact and i hope to get back to see her before i fly out. While at the camp ground i also met Devon(she's from America, travelling round with the polo club) and Marty(from holland, he has his own van and is travelling round N.Z in it) I try and keep in contact with both of them. I truely met some great people in Gisborne. But now... time to travel.

At the start

Well what can i say about this? It was the most exciting time for me, leaving little Waihi and about to begin the most awesome time of my life. I couldn't have been more excited. And yet so terrible sad. To leave Allan and do something that I've wanted to do all my life was not an easy thing. The hardest ever. So with the car packed, I went to say goodbye to my best friend, Nic. Sorry i couldnt help but cry, she seemed fine about it, so i got myself together - said my goodbyes and left. And managed to cry all the way to Paeroa. Mum and Dad were milking when we reached their bus. So walked to the shed and waited for them. It was good spending the night with them. The phone rang about 7.00pm, it was Nic. She had rang to tell me off. She said after i left she just cried and cried and it spoilt her whole milking. Pitched the tent and stay the night in that next to the bus. We travelled to the unit in the morning and had breakfast with mum and dad, it was really nice. With breakfast over, we (joe and I) hit the road destined for Collette and Daron's. We stayed with them for one night. Spent time with the kids, man i was going to miss them. But i knew i would be in frequent contact with them and it made it as bit easier. So then... off to Gisborne, due to start work on the 6th Jan, 2005. And tent city for 5 weeks.