Arizona
3rd May – 18th May
So... when I started Blogging, I had high hopes. I wanted to write a daily Blog, which is a really great idea, in theory. I actually do enjoy Blogging, but it’s like writing a diary - you get busy and you forget to write all the great things you have done. That’s basically what has happened to me. I’ve been having such a good time I haven’t had time to write about the good time I’ve been happening - I’ve fallen really behind on my Blog entries and the idea of writing week’s worth of Blogs is killing me... So instead I’ve just decided to do an overview of my first few weeks in the U.S of A, land of dreams and hope and all that jazz.
Basically I arrived in Arizona on Sunday the 3rd May at around dinner time. The family I was staying with came to collect me from the Airport and the kids had drawn me a big poster, it’s actually really good, it features Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet. We then went back to their house – it’s in Tucson Arizona in Oro Valley and it’s really lovely! It’s a really beautiful area – I was really surprised by Arizona, it is so green and pretty – totally not what I was expecting. Yes, the greenery is mainly Cactus and other desert plants, but it’s still very green! There is also a lot of wildlife – which I did complain about (Arizonian animals like to eat and bite people) but I did really enjoy seeing Rattle Snakes. I’ll actually talk about the animals later, so back to Blogging about Arizona. I had a really great time there; it was so nice to be in one place for a while, with a family, doing regular family things. I love every day activities. Skydiving is great, but nothing beats a family trip to Walmart! I’m going to Blog a little differently – I’m going to have all my favourite activities or events as little side headings and I’ll just write about each of them – so you hear all the great things I did in Arizona, without reading 14 different boring entries! Think of this as Greatest Hits of Arizona album.
Greenery and Animals
I’ve already spoken about these so I don’t really need to go into a lot of detail. Basically, Arizona is a lot greener than I thought it would be. I was expecting it to look like an old western movie, where they come out of the Saloon and have a showdown. That didn’t happen. I know, try to contain your disappointment. There were also a lot of animals. I saw lots of creepy Lizards, lots of Quail (which are surprisingly small and strange looking – they looked totally different in my mind. How exactly did Dick Cheney manage to shoot someone in the face, thinking it was a Quail? I won’t even answer that.), quite a few Bunny Rabbits, which I was very glad to see, there so cute! I saw a Coyote, they have really big ears, I would quite like to have one as a pet and we also saw a deer, which I hear is pretty rare! We saw a Grey Squirrel, Bull Snakes and Rattle Snakes! Exciting stuff! I also saw a lot of birds, mainly big birds of prey, they were probably Hawks or something, but there were a few that could definitely have been Eagles. I think. I’m not really a bird expert, despite what some may say. Oh, one wee story about snakes – a Bull Snake got into the garage, but they’re good snakes, they eat the Rattle Snakes. I saw two Rattlers, I think it was the same snake, but twice. The second time we saw it, one of the kids spotted it and we had been standing right beside it! Alison (the girl I was staying with) called the Fire Department and they came out to the house to take the snake away! How crazy is that! I was so flipping excited!
These don’t really count as animals, but we went to a Pet Store and saw all the animals – they have puppies! Like real doggies in the window. Just like the song! I was ridiculously excited. My favourites were, two Miniature Daschund’s one was a black and tan long haired and the other was a red short haired. I also saw a Cockapoo, which was lovely and two beautiful Huskies! There was also a Boston Beagle, which is a Boston Terrier and a Beagle mix and it was so beautiful, there was a little Beagle puppy, which I love love love! I’m all about Beagles!
My favourite bit of wildlife in Arizona was definitely Stitch. Stitch is a Miniature Daschund and she is the reason why we have Kelso. When my sister went to Arizona a few years ago she stayed with Alison and her family and they had just gotten Stitch. Heather saw how awesome Stitch was and she told us, I then did some research (I’m all about the research) and we decided that a Miniature Daschund would be the dog for us! A few dog shows, some begging, a million phone calls and a trip to England later and we were the very proud owners of little King of the Hill, originally called Otto, but known as Mr Kelso to his friends. Anyway, Stitch is roughly the same age as Kelso and she’s a little different – she has long hair but she gets shaved so her hair is all soft and short, she is also Daple couloured, which means that she’s basically black and tan, like Kelso, but she has little bit of grey and light brown through her coat. She’s also shaped a little differently, bone structure wise. American Daschunds are actually pretty different to well bred European Daschunds – they have longer legs, they aren’t as barrel chested, their wee noses/snouts aren’t as wide, they are more pointed and they don’t seem as long to me, but I think that’s just because they aren’t as close to the ground. Well that’s what I think and I bet you really don’t care! Anyway, Stitch is great! I love her! I wish I could have taken her home! She’s just so well behaved compared to our little beast – she’s so chilled out, she just lets the kids play with her and she doesn’t freak out. She also sleeps in her own little bed in the garage and has set meal times. She goes to the door when she wants to go outside and she doesn’t bark in the house. She even sits on the tile floor, something Kelso would never dream of doing! Stitch and I became good pals, we watched movies together and sunbathed together. Good times. Dogs really are man’s best friend. I can’t wait to see Kelso, my little Gentleman! If you don’t know me and if you don’t know Kelso, then you probably won’t understand anything I have said, you will probably think I’m a right freak (like a crazy old cat lady, but with dogs) but if you do know me and Kelso then you will know that we’re tight. I think he’s great and I think he’s pretty fond of me. Right, I’m going to stop talking about my dog.
Food
The next highlight of my trip was obviously food. Alison made really nice food and we also ate out a lot. We went to In-n-Out Burger, which was so yummy. We also visited a few Buffets, which are Gods way of showing us that he does actually love us. We went to a Pizza Buffet and we got salad, pizza obviously and dessert, which included brownies, cinnamon rolls and apple pie pizza, which was really strange because it tasted just like the apple pies you get at McDonalds. There were also free refills, which I think are just the best. Drink will be the death of me, not alcoholic drinks, but Rootbeer, which is my favourite drink in the world (along with Fanta Exotic, they are tied for first). If you are ever in Arizona then you need to go to Sweet Tomatoes. It is probably my new favourite eatery, but they don’t have them in Utah, where I’m going next, so that’s pretty crappy. Anyway, when you go into Sweet Tomatoes you get yourself a plate of Salad – I filled mine right up because you can only get the Salad once – they had all the classics including my favourite, Caesar Salad and then this Won Ton Salad, which is just amazing. I also got a whole pile of Red Pepper because it is my all time favourite. Once I had destroyed the Salad Bar we paid, got our drinks and were seated. I got some Strawberry Lemonade, which was so amazing – I’ve never had anything like it and even the Strawberry Lemonade I’ve had since isn’t anywhere near as nice! Sweet Tomatoes also has Pizza, Pasta, Soup and fancy breads – these are all you can eat and I really did eat as much as I physically could. Walking after was not a possibility – I think this is the only time I have been grateful for the American Car Culture, where everyone drives everywhere!
Another great discovery was Ranch Fries – crinkle cut fries (like our McCain Oven Chips I guess) covered in Ranch Sauce with Bacon sprinkled over the top. Oh. My. Life. They are amazing. I’m actually bringing Ranch Sauce home so I can make these bad boys! They actually reminded me of a Spice Island Kebab with Kebab Sauce, so that was nice! Americans haven’t mastered the art of a Dirty Kebab!
I am also now partial to a Vanilla Frappuccino – there’s no coffee in it, so I guess it’s just like a vanilla milkshake, but it’s so good! We made a trip to a place called AJ’s, it’s a supermarket, but so much better – even better than M&S (but don’t tell anyone, they might not invite me back for Christmas)! There’s a Sushi Bar and a Pizza place inside the store – we got the Pizza and it was seriously good. We also made a trip to a place called Cost Plus, which is another Homeware Store thing, but it sells international food – so I stocked up on a few Wispa’s and some Fred Ferkles, which are exactly the same as Percy Pigs from M&S. I kid you not. I was very surprised to see them, so I did the natural thing; I spent a ridiculous amount of money on junk food. Some things never change.
Picnicking
I didn’t know that picnicking was actually a word, but apparently it is, so I won’t complain. Anyway, the day before Mothers Day we went for a picnic. We drove from Oro Valley, through Tucson and then up to a place called Mount Lemon, making a few stops for pictures on the way. It was a really beautiful day and the drive was great – you really got to see just how green Arizona can be. It was also nice to see a different side of Arizona – the higher up we got, the less cactus we saw! There were even normal trees! There is a little town on Mount Lemon and it’s really nice, really quaint and yet full of richies. My kind of place! We went for a little walk and then we had our picnic, with real food, like steak, yay! It was actually a really nice day, and a really nice part of Arizona, so yep, if you’re ever down that way, I suggest a visit to Mount Lemon and the surrounding area – you never know, you might even see a Bear!
Swimming and Sunbathing
Basically my entire holiday was spent doing three things, Swimming, Sunbathing and Eating or a combination of all three. As I have already described some of my eating habits I will now tell you about my other pastimes. Alison has a pool – which is really handy, I could never live in Arizona if I didn’t have a pool, it’s just too hot! So I took full advantage of this - I was in the pool as much as possible and when I was tired of being the graceful swimmer that I am, I decided to sunbathe. At first sunbathing was really nice, I would read books, but because I read books far too quickly I had run out of things to read pretty quickly, so it wasn’t as fun so I didn’t spend as much time sunbathing as I should have, which explains the lack of a tan. Well, I am tanned but I’m not a different ethnicity, Mediterranean for example, as I hoped. Despite this huge disappointment, I still managed to have a really good time, sometimes it’s nice to just relax and do absolutely nothing. I would know, I’ve perfected the art.
Twilight
If you know me, then you will know that I have absolutely no interest in the “Twilight” Books. I don’t want to read them and I wouldn’t waste money going to the cinema to watch a movie about Vampires and Warewolves. Well... it seems that I was wrong. “Twilight” isn’t a waste of my time or my money. It’s actually the opposite – it’s a great way to spend a few minutes or a few hours, or even a few days and if you really want you can read it over and over again, replacing the name “Bella Swan” with “Gina McCune”. Or not. Whatever.
Hmm, I sound like I’m obsessed – I’m not actually, well, I sort of am, but I’m pretending that I’m not because I want to seem a little bit cool. I will regret saying this later but I actually really like the books. Sure, they’re not exactly Shakespeare but that’s what is so good about these books. If I want to read “Coriolanus” then that’s exactly what I’ll do, but honestly, sometimes it’s nice to read a book with “regular words”. It’s nice to be able to pick up a book and totally loose myself in the pages – sure they aren’t as profound as other book, but who cares? Sometimes it’s nice to get through a book without the help of my trusty Pocket Sized Thesaurus, not that I ever used one in school, I just pretended I knew what I was talking about. No change there.
At risk of losing all my street cred (because I have so much) I will say that I really enjoyed the “Twilight” Books. They were nice, easy to read books and I now understand why they appeal to so many people. Basically the perfect guy falls in love with an ordinary girl. A girl that is so ordinary, she could be anyone, she could be me or she could be you, but she’s more likely to be me because I quite fancy Edward Cullen. He doesn’t just like or love her, he adores her and he would literally do anything for her, she is his every thought and that’s why girls love the books so much. It gives them hope that one day they will find someone that loves them as much as Edward loves Bella. It also appeals to older, married women, because it’s the story of a love that never has to end, which is what most people want, even if they won’t admit it. As for men and husbands, they hate “Twilight” because it gives women unrealistic expectations. Which it totally does. Or does it? Maybe not, maybe that kind of love is a possibility for us all. Maybe we will find our Edward, the one person who lives just for us. Or maybe I have unrealistic expectations because of the book and I’m now starting to believe that it is possible to find my very own Edward who I would love for ever. Maybe I’m talking complete rubbish. Yep, I think it’s the last one.
Anyway, what was I saying before I started talking complete rubbish? “Twilight”. So yeah, the “Twilight” series is actually really good – I was pleasantly surprised. The books were really good and I would definitely recommend them, I’d warn you first, they are designed to appeal to the thirteen year old girl in all of us (even in a few boys), but that’s not always a bad thing. It isn’t fun being a responsible grown up all the time, not that I would know, but I imagine that it’s not all that great. I strongly recommend watching the movie, but only after you have read the book, because the book is so much better than the movie. Just so you know, the actor that plays Edward Cullen is called Robert Pattinson and he is a god. Fact. He was sculpted by the angels and I think I might be in love with him. You should really go look at his face, it will make your day so much better. Flip, I’ve written quite a lot – in summary, “Twilight” is not rubbish, it is really quite good, it will make you feel like a thirteen year old girl, even if you are a boy, you will fall madly in love with the fictional character of Edward Cullen, you will want a boyfriend, you will watch the movie over and over again, pausing when Robert Pattinson comes on to the screen, you will realise how attractive he is, you will secretly wish Vampires were real and that you had one as a boyfriend and you will understand everything I have just written.
So, in conclusion (I feel that I need to conclude this Blog as it has been so vague and pointless) Arizona was really great! I had a really nice time, sunbathing, swimming in the pool and just chilling out in general! I was really surprised by how nice Arizona actually is and I would definitely go back! If you’re in this neck of the woods then it’s worth the visit – especially if you get up to the mountains and actually see how nice Arizona is! I didn’t manage a visit to the Grand Canyon, but I guess that just means that I’ll have to come back. I hope you’re listening daddy :)
Xx
Monday 15 June 2009
So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Good Night.
Sunday 3rd May
So here it is... the last day of my New Zealand Adventure! I really can’t believe that the time has gone so quickly, but I’ll come back to that later! Today I got up very early, got a shower, got my things together and then took a Shuttle Bus to the airport.
I was nice and early for my domestic flight to Auckland so I just got some breakfast (chocolate and crisps) and messed around on my laptop for a bit. I put my earphones in and selected a song on my iPod, hit play and then... Mr iPod died. I was distraught. We have been together for almost 3 years and I really do love my iPod. Sure, he’s not tiny, he doesn’t have a touch screen, I can’t use him to make or receive calls, but I still love him, in all his chunky goodness. Realising that there was nothing I could do about the death of my iPod I listened to music on my laptop, well Netbook. I’m so glad I put all my music on this bad boy – life would have been a little worse if I hadn’t. It would also have been a lot worse if I hadn’t bought this little Netbook with me!
Eventualy I got on the flight to Auckland, it was a really small plane – maybe six seats the whole way across, but the flight was fairly short, so I tried to take a nap. When I got to Auckland I had to change terminals – I walked for over a mile and eventually got to the right terminal. I found the check in queue, checked myself in (after a hurried call home to find out where I was staying in the US) and then I proceeded through security to the departure lounge area. I waited around, browsed, ate some food and then slept on the floor. I will never judge the people that do that. I was just so tired, I just needed to nap. I’m not even sure if I was asleep, I think I was half asleep and half awake, but it was still nice to “rest my eyes”. Then, scared that I was going to miss my flight, I got up and found my actual departure gate, waited in line for a bit and then got on the plane. It was one of those really big airplanes – with more than one level, so that was really nice. It was a Qantas flight and I LOVE Qantas – they are just amazing. You even get a menu to choose your meal from! There was also so much complimentary food on this trip, I was in heaven! They gave you the little sleeping kit, with the socks and toothbrush etc, a snack bag with bottled water, chocolate, crisps etc, then they gave out Chocolate Ice Cream Lollies – the good kind! You had dinner, which was really lovely (I got chicken and rice I think) and then they had Cadburys Hot Chocolate and other snacks! It was amazing! You also got free drinks and then there was the breakfast – I got a sausage and egg thing with a yummy muffin, milk and some fruit. I was very happy indeed.
I watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which I didn’t think was all that good. The story wasn’t too bad, but it just didn’t do it for me. Also, the way it ended was so flipping stupid – (if you haven’t seen it then look away for a second) why did he leave her to go die? He grew young anyway and she ended up having to look after him – surely they could have spent that time together. Why didn’t he stick around to meet his daughter? She found out about him in the end – yes the dynamics are off, he gets younger while his daughter gets older, but he’s still her father, he’s just a little different to the other dads. What a stupid movie. The whole “look at me, I’m ageing backwards” thing didn’t bother me – the stupidity of the characters did. After wasting some of my life watching that movie I watched “Marley and Me” and I was so impressed. It was a really beautiful movie, so honest and simple. If you haven’t seen it, then you should really go watch it – there is so much more to that movie than a cute dog. It’s about life - married and family life especially and it deals with how it isn’t always easy – it shows you how difficult life can be, but it also shows you how there is good in everything. The dog, Marley, is obviously fundamental to the movie – but he isn’t just there for comedic value, he adds so much more to the movie. I literally wept during that movie – I didn’t even try to contain myself, I just sat with my little free blanket up at my chin and cried. I love animals but I really do think that dogs are the most amazing creatures. I have my very own little dog, Kelso, and I think he is just the best – that was probably why this movie made me cry like a baby, I was thinking of Marley as Kelso. Aww man, I can’t even explain it, you just need to see the movie and I just need to go home and give my little gentleman a hug :)
Anyway, after “Marley and Me” I just listened to some music, ate some free food, tried to take a nap and eventually arrived in the U-S of A! I landed in L.A airport and I had to make my way from the arrivals terminal to the internal departure terminal – it was a pretty long walk, but I eventually foundt he right place. There was some sort of electronic check in thing going on, so I had to queue up for that and then I had to check myself in, pay for my baggage, print off my boarding pass and find my departure gate. It wasn’t actually too difficult, which amazed me – I am quite challenged when it comes to transport of the public variety. I just don’t get it. Busses and trains are the worst – flying isn’t as bad because I can usually ask someone and I’m always really early. The following events are pretty fuzzy, but I do know that I got an amazing Caesar Salad from California Pizza Kitchen – yikes, I’m turning into my mother, the woman whose memories all involve food... Once I was fed and watered I got on the plane to Tucson. It was seriously small – there were only four seats across the whole plane and there was a funny whistling sound coming from the door. Good times.
The flight was just over an hour, I think, and I arrived in Tucson, which was great because I obviously got on the right plane. I went to collect my luggage and I was met by Alison, Kieran and all four kids – the whole family was there, except for Stitch! Alison is a McKenna and the McCune’s and McKenna’s are tight. When my dad joined our church (the Mormon church) he became really friendly with Molly and Fred and their five kids who are around the same age as my dad. Since then we have always been really friendly, which is really great because the McKenna’s are amazing cooks and really great people! So we have this whole, family friendship thing going on – when I stayed in Utah before Christmas I stayed with Patricia, Molly and Fred’s daughter and now I’m staying with their daughter Alison and her family in Tucson. It’s pretty cool, having friends in sunny places...
Once we got my massive suitcase into their massive American car we drove back to their house, I got the grand tour, had some pancakes, unpacked some things and then went for a swim in the pool! I think I’m going to like Arizona!
So there we go – I’ve officially left New Zealand. In all honesty I got really lazy and stopped writing my Blog, so I’m writing this entry in June instead of May, so now I can say that I really do miss New Zealand. It was a really great trip – I saw the most amazing places, did the most amazing things and met the most amazing people. It was nice to just take some time to think. There is nothing better than sitting on a beach or a mountain or even the kitchen floor of your Hostel and just thinking – “I’m O.K.” Before I left I didn’t really know what I was capable of. I have never had to work for anything. I’ve never pushed myself and yes, New Zealand wasn’t a hard place to travel through. The Kiwi Experience really does hold your hand through the whole process, but still, there were days when I was totally alone and I just knew that everything would be fine. In fact, being alone was something I really enjoyed. Spending the entire day with yourself is actually quite fun. Sometimes I would just walk, I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but I was thinking, making sense of all the stupid things I think about – I was (to be all Buddhist about it) living in the present. You should try it, you might be surprised at how nice it is to be living in the present, totally happy in the knowledge that you are exactly where you want to be and more importantly, who you want to be. Two months may not seem like a very long time, but it has really made a difference to me – I still have a very long way to go, but for those two months at least, I found myself and that was really quite nice. I also found some really great people and I realised that I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by good people at home – sometimes you have to leave to realise what you have. Happiness doesn’t mean a thing unless you can share it and I feel that I shared my trip with some great people and when I’m 80 years old, living in a nursing home with a bunch of cats, I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about my Great New Zealand Adventure. Maybe they will read this Blog and realise just how freaking cool my life actually was.
Xx
So here it is... the last day of my New Zealand Adventure! I really can’t believe that the time has gone so quickly, but I’ll come back to that later! Today I got up very early, got a shower, got my things together and then took a Shuttle Bus to the airport.
I was nice and early for my domestic flight to Auckland so I just got some breakfast (chocolate and crisps) and messed around on my laptop for a bit. I put my earphones in and selected a song on my iPod, hit play and then... Mr iPod died. I was distraught. We have been together for almost 3 years and I really do love my iPod. Sure, he’s not tiny, he doesn’t have a touch screen, I can’t use him to make or receive calls, but I still love him, in all his chunky goodness. Realising that there was nothing I could do about the death of my iPod I listened to music on my laptop, well Netbook. I’m so glad I put all my music on this bad boy – life would have been a little worse if I hadn’t. It would also have been a lot worse if I hadn’t bought this little Netbook with me!
Eventualy I got on the flight to Auckland, it was a really small plane – maybe six seats the whole way across, but the flight was fairly short, so I tried to take a nap. When I got to Auckland I had to change terminals – I walked for over a mile and eventually got to the right terminal. I found the check in queue, checked myself in (after a hurried call home to find out where I was staying in the US) and then I proceeded through security to the departure lounge area. I waited around, browsed, ate some food and then slept on the floor. I will never judge the people that do that. I was just so tired, I just needed to nap. I’m not even sure if I was asleep, I think I was half asleep and half awake, but it was still nice to “rest my eyes”. Then, scared that I was going to miss my flight, I got up and found my actual departure gate, waited in line for a bit and then got on the plane. It was one of those really big airplanes – with more than one level, so that was really nice. It was a Qantas flight and I LOVE Qantas – they are just amazing. You even get a menu to choose your meal from! There was also so much complimentary food on this trip, I was in heaven! They gave you the little sleeping kit, with the socks and toothbrush etc, a snack bag with bottled water, chocolate, crisps etc, then they gave out Chocolate Ice Cream Lollies – the good kind! You had dinner, which was really lovely (I got chicken and rice I think) and then they had Cadburys Hot Chocolate and other snacks! It was amazing! You also got free drinks and then there was the breakfast – I got a sausage and egg thing with a yummy muffin, milk and some fruit. I was very happy indeed.
I watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which I didn’t think was all that good. The story wasn’t too bad, but it just didn’t do it for me. Also, the way it ended was so flipping stupid – (if you haven’t seen it then look away for a second) why did he leave her to go die? He grew young anyway and she ended up having to look after him – surely they could have spent that time together. Why didn’t he stick around to meet his daughter? She found out about him in the end – yes the dynamics are off, he gets younger while his daughter gets older, but he’s still her father, he’s just a little different to the other dads. What a stupid movie. The whole “look at me, I’m ageing backwards” thing didn’t bother me – the stupidity of the characters did. After wasting some of my life watching that movie I watched “Marley and Me” and I was so impressed. It was a really beautiful movie, so honest and simple. If you haven’t seen it, then you should really go watch it – there is so much more to that movie than a cute dog. It’s about life - married and family life especially and it deals with how it isn’t always easy – it shows you how difficult life can be, but it also shows you how there is good in everything. The dog, Marley, is obviously fundamental to the movie – but he isn’t just there for comedic value, he adds so much more to the movie. I literally wept during that movie – I didn’t even try to contain myself, I just sat with my little free blanket up at my chin and cried. I love animals but I really do think that dogs are the most amazing creatures. I have my very own little dog, Kelso, and I think he is just the best – that was probably why this movie made me cry like a baby, I was thinking of Marley as Kelso. Aww man, I can’t even explain it, you just need to see the movie and I just need to go home and give my little gentleman a hug :)
Anyway, after “Marley and Me” I just listened to some music, ate some free food, tried to take a nap and eventually arrived in the U-S of A! I landed in L.A airport and I had to make my way from the arrivals terminal to the internal departure terminal – it was a pretty long walk, but I eventually foundt he right place. There was some sort of electronic check in thing going on, so I had to queue up for that and then I had to check myself in, pay for my baggage, print off my boarding pass and find my departure gate. It wasn’t actually too difficult, which amazed me – I am quite challenged when it comes to transport of the public variety. I just don’t get it. Busses and trains are the worst – flying isn’t as bad because I can usually ask someone and I’m always really early. The following events are pretty fuzzy, but I do know that I got an amazing Caesar Salad from California Pizza Kitchen – yikes, I’m turning into my mother, the woman whose memories all involve food... Once I was fed and watered I got on the plane to Tucson. It was seriously small – there were only four seats across the whole plane and there was a funny whistling sound coming from the door. Good times.
The flight was just over an hour, I think, and I arrived in Tucson, which was great because I obviously got on the right plane. I went to collect my luggage and I was met by Alison, Kieran and all four kids – the whole family was there, except for Stitch! Alison is a McKenna and the McCune’s and McKenna’s are tight. When my dad joined our church (the Mormon church) he became really friendly with Molly and Fred and their five kids who are around the same age as my dad. Since then we have always been really friendly, which is really great because the McKenna’s are amazing cooks and really great people! So we have this whole, family friendship thing going on – when I stayed in Utah before Christmas I stayed with Patricia, Molly and Fred’s daughter and now I’m staying with their daughter Alison and her family in Tucson. It’s pretty cool, having friends in sunny places...
Once we got my massive suitcase into their massive American car we drove back to their house, I got the grand tour, had some pancakes, unpacked some things and then went for a swim in the pool! I think I’m going to like Arizona!
So there we go – I’ve officially left New Zealand. In all honesty I got really lazy and stopped writing my Blog, so I’m writing this entry in June instead of May, so now I can say that I really do miss New Zealand. It was a really great trip – I saw the most amazing places, did the most amazing things and met the most amazing people. It was nice to just take some time to think. There is nothing better than sitting on a beach or a mountain or even the kitchen floor of your Hostel and just thinking – “I’m O.K.” Before I left I didn’t really know what I was capable of. I have never had to work for anything. I’ve never pushed myself and yes, New Zealand wasn’t a hard place to travel through. The Kiwi Experience really does hold your hand through the whole process, but still, there were days when I was totally alone and I just knew that everything would be fine. In fact, being alone was something I really enjoyed. Spending the entire day with yourself is actually quite fun. Sometimes I would just walk, I wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but I was thinking, making sense of all the stupid things I think about – I was (to be all Buddhist about it) living in the present. You should try it, you might be surprised at how nice it is to be living in the present, totally happy in the knowledge that you are exactly where you want to be and more importantly, who you want to be. Two months may not seem like a very long time, but it has really made a difference to me – I still have a very long way to go, but for those two months at least, I found myself and that was really quite nice. I also found some really great people and I realised that I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by good people at home – sometimes you have to leave to realise what you have. Happiness doesn’t mean a thing unless you can share it and I feel that I shared my trip with some great people and when I’m 80 years old, living in a nursing home with a bunch of cats, I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about my Great New Zealand Adventure. Maybe they will read this Blog and realise just how freaking cool my life actually was.
Xx
Monday 8 June 2009
One of The Boys.
Saturday 2nd May
Today I bought a suitcase. I’m one of those people that likes to be well informed when making a decision or a purchase, so I informed myself. Can you do that, inform yourself? Anyway, I did my research, went to loads of different shops, measured and weighed dozens of bags and eventually bought a suitcase. It’s about the same size as my big, broken bag and its lighter! I then went back to the Hostel and met up with Mike and Shane. The plan was to have a quick lunch, but that didn’t happen. Instead we sat in the kitchen for about 3 hours, just talking. I gave them some stuff that I was leaving behind and we consumed vast amounts of tea and hot chocolate. It was actually really fun to just hang out with boys. I really do love boys. I love boy humour and I love that there isn’t any bitchyness. Obviously there are a lot of stupid boys out there, but I love when you find a nice, down to earth guy that you can just be yourself with. I found two of those, in the one place! Hanging out with Mike and Shane was just like hanging out with boys at home – I could just be myself, I didn’t have to worry about what I said or how stupid I sounded and I we had the funniest flirty banter. Poor Mike, he thought I was joking, but I really do plan on marrying him. Mike, if you are reading this, you did agree to marry me and I’m using Shane as a witness!
After hanging out with the boys I went back to my room to pack. That was a fairly traumatic ordeal. I hate packing so much. It’s even worse when you haven’t got scales – I didn’t know how much my bag weighed, it could have been over or under the weight requirement, so I decided to pack lightly and I got rid of quite a lot of stuff. The only thing that I was really sad to say goodbye to was my Baby Cham Shoes. I got them in TK Maxx for £3 and they are the greatest shoes I have ever had. They were slip on shoes and they were pointed at the front. If you know me then you have definitely seen them – they are black and they have little coloured shapes and pictures on them. They also have holes in the bottom, so my feet always got wet when I was wearing them, which led to a questionable smell. I love those shoes. But I left them behind because I thought my bag was over the limit. It was actually under, so I could have brought them, which makes it even worse, but I have a picture to always remember them by :(
Once I had packed my case I went and got some dinner... I ended up getting a Subway, a good old Chicken and Bacon Ranch foot long. A foot long is the only way to do it really, the six inch subs are just pathetic. I took it back to the Hostel, to the TV room and I sat there and had a munch. Mike, Shane and I (along with a room full of other people) sat in and watched “The Other Boleyn Girl”. I actually really enjoyed it! I do love my movies and I do love Eric Bana, so what could be better? He was such a good looking King – he puts Charles (and if we are being honest, William and Harry) to shame. I also think that Natalie Portman is just beautiful. Scarlet isn’t too bad, but I can see why he picked Anne! Again, the ending was a difficult one for me – I knew what was going to happen (we learnt about Henry in junior school with Mrs Dyer/Mrs Atchison/Miss Trelford, those were the days 8/9D) and yet I didn’t want it to happen. I was hoping for a different ending, but it never happened. Still, it was worth the watch. When the movie finished we had a wee chat and then I had to say goodbye to Mike and Shane. It was quite sad – it’s like the end of an Era. Tomorrow I leave New Zealand and my two month Kiwi Experience is over. Tear tear. After our goodbyes I just went to bed, made sure I had everything packed and fell asleep... My last night in New Zealand was spent in a Base Backpackers Hostel, in a Sanctuary Room – exactly the way it started, but so much has happened in between. I’ve seen some amazing places, done some amazing things, met some amazing people and I think that I’ll leave New Zealand a better person because of it.
Xx
Today I bought a suitcase. I’m one of those people that likes to be well informed when making a decision or a purchase, so I informed myself. Can you do that, inform yourself? Anyway, I did my research, went to loads of different shops, measured and weighed dozens of bags and eventually bought a suitcase. It’s about the same size as my big, broken bag and its lighter! I then went back to the Hostel and met up with Mike and Shane. The plan was to have a quick lunch, but that didn’t happen. Instead we sat in the kitchen for about 3 hours, just talking. I gave them some stuff that I was leaving behind and we consumed vast amounts of tea and hot chocolate. It was actually really fun to just hang out with boys. I really do love boys. I love boy humour and I love that there isn’t any bitchyness. Obviously there are a lot of stupid boys out there, but I love when you find a nice, down to earth guy that you can just be yourself with. I found two of those, in the one place! Hanging out with Mike and Shane was just like hanging out with boys at home – I could just be myself, I didn’t have to worry about what I said or how stupid I sounded and I we had the funniest flirty banter. Poor Mike, he thought I was joking, but I really do plan on marrying him. Mike, if you are reading this, you did agree to marry me and I’m using Shane as a witness!
After hanging out with the boys I went back to my room to pack. That was a fairly traumatic ordeal. I hate packing so much. It’s even worse when you haven’t got scales – I didn’t know how much my bag weighed, it could have been over or under the weight requirement, so I decided to pack lightly and I got rid of quite a lot of stuff. The only thing that I was really sad to say goodbye to was my Baby Cham Shoes. I got them in TK Maxx for £3 and they are the greatest shoes I have ever had. They were slip on shoes and they were pointed at the front. If you know me then you have definitely seen them – they are black and they have little coloured shapes and pictures on them. They also have holes in the bottom, so my feet always got wet when I was wearing them, which led to a questionable smell. I love those shoes. But I left them behind because I thought my bag was over the limit. It was actually under, so I could have brought them, which makes it even worse, but I have a picture to always remember them by :(
Once I had packed my case I went and got some dinner... I ended up getting a Subway, a good old Chicken and Bacon Ranch foot long. A foot long is the only way to do it really, the six inch subs are just pathetic. I took it back to the Hostel, to the TV room and I sat there and had a munch. Mike, Shane and I (along with a room full of other people) sat in and watched “The Other Boleyn Girl”. I actually really enjoyed it! I do love my movies and I do love Eric Bana, so what could be better? He was such a good looking King – he puts Charles (and if we are being honest, William and Harry) to shame. I also think that Natalie Portman is just beautiful. Scarlet isn’t too bad, but I can see why he picked Anne! Again, the ending was a difficult one for me – I knew what was going to happen (we learnt about Henry in junior school with Mrs Dyer/Mrs Atchison/Miss Trelford, those were the days 8/9D) and yet I didn’t want it to happen. I was hoping for a different ending, but it never happened. Still, it was worth the watch. When the movie finished we had a wee chat and then I had to say goodbye to Mike and Shane. It was quite sad – it’s like the end of an Era. Tomorrow I leave New Zealand and my two month Kiwi Experience is over. Tear tear. After our goodbyes I just went to bed, made sure I had everything packed and fell asleep... My last night in New Zealand was spent in a Base Backpackers Hostel, in a Sanctuary Room – exactly the way it started, but so much has happened in between. I’ve seen some amazing places, done some amazing things, met some amazing people and I think that I’ll leave New Zealand a better person because of it.
Xx
Adventures in the Town of Christ(church)
Friday 1st May
Today was Mairead’s last day in New Zealand so we decided to actually see some of Christchurch. I got up quite early, got ready and then called for Mike and Mairead (Remember how you used to call for your friends, to see if they would come out and play?) Everyone was asleep when I arrived but they all got up and we had a nice, early morning chat, about underpants and how we will need to buy some new ones when we go home. After that great chat, we got ready, messed around for a while and then went into Christchurch.
We ended up going to the Botanical Gardens which was really nice, just walking around, looking at the foliage (such a great word). There were also a lot of Ducks, which made me happy, I love Ducks, there just so cute! Once we had seen everything there was to see we went back into town, found a Sports Pub and got some lunch. I got Fish and Chips and the Chips were yum yum yummy! We also managed to fit in a trip to The Warehouse, where I looked at suitcases, again, and ended up buying a wide variety of junk food, again. We then walked back to the Hostel and Mairead put on some washing. We also met Mairead and Mikes roomie. He had been in the room when we were having out underwear conversation, but we had all thought he was asleep, but he heard the bit about the knickers! How embarrassing, a stranger knowing about your pants from Primark!
He was actually a really nice guy and he was travelling with another guy who was from Fermanagh, so that was nice, doing the old, “I’m from Bangor” thing... It’s always nice when people know where you are from. I don’t really know why, I suppose it’s just nice to meet someone from home. The six of us (Mike, Mairead, Shane, Matt from London, Steven from Fermanagh and Gina from Bangor) ended up sharing a few Pizza’s and then we headed down to the Hostel Bar. I can’t remember the name of the Hostel Bar, but it was quite small. I actually ran into someone I knew – a guy called Ben. Now Ben and I met in the Bay of Islands, at the very start of my trip. He was on the Stray Bus and I was on Kiwi, but we met on the beach, had a chat and then that was that. But we just kept bumping into each other at like every stop, from North to South Island! It was really strange, but also quite nice because he was a really lovely chap and we developed a nice wee friendship. So to see him in Christchurch pretty much the day before I left for America was really nice!
After hanging around the bar for a while, we played a few games of killer pool, which I’m still pretty rubbish at, but it was really fun! After an hour and a half of that we went back up to the TV room and everyone headed to bed. Matt and I actually stayed up for a while, just having a chat. It’s funny how easy it is to make friends when you are travelling. Everyone is just so open and friendly – like obviously you get some idiots, but for the most part, people tend to be really genuine and really nice. You can actually have a decent conversation with someone you have only known for a few days or a few hours. You can be anyone you want to be and I found it very easy to be myself, which I think is a good thing, especially if you like yourself, which I think I do. For now anyway :)
Xx
Today was Mairead’s last day in New Zealand so we decided to actually see some of Christchurch. I got up quite early, got ready and then called for Mike and Mairead (Remember how you used to call for your friends, to see if they would come out and play?) Everyone was asleep when I arrived but they all got up and we had a nice, early morning chat, about underpants and how we will need to buy some new ones when we go home. After that great chat, we got ready, messed around for a while and then went into Christchurch.
We ended up going to the Botanical Gardens which was really nice, just walking around, looking at the foliage (such a great word). There were also a lot of Ducks, which made me happy, I love Ducks, there just so cute! Once we had seen everything there was to see we went back into town, found a Sports Pub and got some lunch. I got Fish and Chips and the Chips were yum yum yummy! We also managed to fit in a trip to The Warehouse, where I looked at suitcases, again, and ended up buying a wide variety of junk food, again. We then walked back to the Hostel and Mairead put on some washing. We also met Mairead and Mikes roomie. He had been in the room when we were having out underwear conversation, but we had all thought he was asleep, but he heard the bit about the knickers! How embarrassing, a stranger knowing about your pants from Primark!
He was actually a really nice guy and he was travelling with another guy who was from Fermanagh, so that was nice, doing the old, “I’m from Bangor” thing... It’s always nice when people know where you are from. I don’t really know why, I suppose it’s just nice to meet someone from home. The six of us (Mike, Mairead, Shane, Matt from London, Steven from Fermanagh and Gina from Bangor) ended up sharing a few Pizza’s and then we headed down to the Hostel Bar. I can’t remember the name of the Hostel Bar, but it was quite small. I actually ran into someone I knew – a guy called Ben. Now Ben and I met in the Bay of Islands, at the very start of my trip. He was on the Stray Bus and I was on Kiwi, but we met on the beach, had a chat and then that was that. But we just kept bumping into each other at like every stop, from North to South Island! It was really strange, but also quite nice because he was a really lovely chap and we developed a nice wee friendship. So to see him in Christchurch pretty much the day before I left for America was really nice!
After hanging around the bar for a while, we played a few games of killer pool, which I’m still pretty rubbish at, but it was really fun! After an hour and a half of that we went back up to the TV room and everyone headed to bed. Matt and I actually stayed up for a while, just having a chat. It’s funny how easy it is to make friends when you are travelling. Everyone is just so open and friendly – like obviously you get some idiots, but for the most part, people tend to be really genuine and really nice. You can actually have a decent conversation with someone you have only known for a few days or a few hours. You can be anyone you want to be and I found it very easy to be myself, which I think is a good thing, especially if you like yourself, which I think I do. For now anyway :)
Xx
The Good, The Bad and The Nauseating.
Wednesday 29th April
Today was quite the day, it was both good and bad. It began quite well – I got up quite early, got dressed and then walked through town. It was actually quite a walk – maybe 30 minutes, but I didn’t really mind, it was a really nice morning. Eventually I reached my destination - the Dolphin Encounter offices – yep, today I am going to swim with Dolphins! Yay for once in a lifetime opportunities!
They checked us in and then got us all our gear – wetsuit, snorkel mask, flippers – it was actually pretty fun getting all dressed up! They gave us the usual safety talk and the whole “Dolphins are wild animals so we can’t guarantee that you will get to swim with them” talk and then we got into the bus! We divided into two boats and I was in a boat with a bunch of Irish girls, which was actually quite nice because I had met them before. The Dolphins were swimming really close to the shore so we found them really quickly – the Dolphins I was swimming with were Dusky Dolphins, so they are smaller than the Dolphins you usually see. They are also described as “Dolphins on Speed” as in the drug because they are just so hyper! They are found in pretty large pods – anywhere from 100 to 2,000 Dolphins can be in a pod. We had about 150-200 Dolphins in our pod so that was really amazing. You can’t quite describe what it’s like to see 200 Dolphins jumping in and out of the water.
We all sat along the end of the boat and we drove in front of the pod, then the Captain blew a horn and we all had to jump into the water. You have to be quick or you will miss them because they are so fast and they just keep swimming – they must think that humans are really boring because they don’t take much notice of you. We jumped in and out of the water about 6 or 7 times and we were told to sing and make noise in the water to attract the Dolphins attention. I had a total mind blank and the only songs I could think of were Ave Maria and Jingle Bells – so that’s what I sang, with a snorkel mask on. I looked like such an idiot. I also spend a lot of time diving under the water and doing stupid underwater spins – this gets the Dolphins attention and sometimes they will circle you. Most of the time I just got in their way, but there were a few Dolphins that seemed interested in me – I managed to make eye contact with a few and they swam around and under me, which was really nice. I felt quite bad for the Dolphins – I really did do everything I could possibly do to get in their way – which is totally the way to do it, they always swim around you and they get really close! I bought an underwater camera to take some pictures – but they are soooo fast, I think I have about 25 blurry pictures of grey water!
When we had finished swimming with them we got back on the boat, warmed up, changed, had hot chocolate and took some pictures of the Dolphins swimming beside the boat – then we headed back to the Dolphin Encounter offices. I would really recommend swimming with Dolphins – it is a really nice experience – it isn’t like Seaworld or Free Willy – they don’t swim off with you holding on to their dorsal fin and they don’t let you stick your hands into their mouths – and I don’t blame them. At the end of the day they really are wild animals and you are in their territory, so they don’t really owe you anything. I was just happy that I got to see them up close, they were literally an inch from me and they were just doing their own thing. Also, if you go thinking that you will be able to keep up with them, then you are so wrong. They are incredibly fast and agile and they are just rocking out, in their environment – that alone is worth seeing.
The day has been going really well so I got some lunch (which was horrible – Vegetable Soup, I think not. Vegetable soup isn’t meant to be thick and spicy with bits of Bacon in it) and then headed to the Whale Watching offices. I was meant to go Whale Watching yesterday but that was cancelled so they managed to fit me in.
The boats were late but we eventually go on and everything was fine – until we got out of the harbour. Dear Lord, I am not even joking – this was worse than the Ferry from Hell to Stewart Island. It was, without a doubt, my worst boat experience ever. The water was ridiculously rough – the boat was being thrown from side to side – it was so bad that you weren’t allowed to stand up at all and the back deck was closed off. We couldn’t find any Whales, so we went travelled 20 miles out to sea, just in case one decided to pop in and say hello. No Whales decided to pop in and say hello. Instead Mr Sea Sickness popped in to say hello. Not to me personally, I was focusing as hard as I could on not being sick, it was extremely difficult, but I managed it, but still, there were at least a dozen people being sick, which is even worse when you are enclosed in a small space. I was literally fighting the urge to throw myself off the boat – swimming back to shore would have been a more pleasant experience, even if it was 20 miles away. Eventually the Captain turned back and the journey back seemed even longer. I was literally at the point where I just wanted to be back on dry land – you know when you want something so badly that it actually hurts and you just want to cry, that’s how I felt being on that boat. It was like nothing else in the world mattered, I just needed to be off the boat. This was all made worse by the “Tour Guide” who literally talked the whole way there and the whole way back. I’m honestly not even exaggerating – she spoke the entire time. There was about ten minutes of silence in the two hours that we were on the water. She didn’t even have anything to say. She just talked and talked and talked. Every time you thought she was finished, she started again. She told us everything there was to know about Whales and Dolphins and Birds. She told us that people had often seen Killer Whales (Orca) in the area – raising my hopes, but then she told us that there is no way we would see any today because of the stormy conditions. Listening to her caused me physical pain. The American Government should recruit her – forget waterboarding – try Whale Watching with this lady as your host. But in all seriousness, torture is wrong and it isn’t something to joke about, but really, she would be employee of the month. Right, I’m stopping.
After what seemed like hours we got back to the Whale Watching office. We got in line to receive our refund – and then I found out that they only refunded 80% of what you paid. This made me quite angry. I know that 80% is better than nothing, but I was severely traumatised. I didn’t see a Whale, I had to witness a vast number or people throwing up, the Tour Guide Host Lady made me want to claw my ears off with her nonstop talking and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go a boat again, which just ruins my dream of sailing around Ballyholme Bay. This might also damage my spiritual wellbeing – I will never be able to read the story of Jonah and the Whale, there’s just too much history, too many bad memories.
After receiving my refund and telling the lady that it was the worst experience of my holiday and that I would never be able to go on a boat again, I went back to the Hostel, made some Coco Pops and went to bed. I probably had nightmares about boats, but again, I’m trying to forget about that, it was a very difficult time for me.
Xx
Today was quite the day, it was both good and bad. It began quite well – I got up quite early, got dressed and then walked through town. It was actually quite a walk – maybe 30 minutes, but I didn’t really mind, it was a really nice morning. Eventually I reached my destination - the Dolphin Encounter offices – yep, today I am going to swim with Dolphins! Yay for once in a lifetime opportunities!
They checked us in and then got us all our gear – wetsuit, snorkel mask, flippers – it was actually pretty fun getting all dressed up! They gave us the usual safety talk and the whole “Dolphins are wild animals so we can’t guarantee that you will get to swim with them” talk and then we got into the bus! We divided into two boats and I was in a boat with a bunch of Irish girls, which was actually quite nice because I had met them before. The Dolphins were swimming really close to the shore so we found them really quickly – the Dolphins I was swimming with were Dusky Dolphins, so they are smaller than the Dolphins you usually see. They are also described as “Dolphins on Speed” as in the drug because they are just so hyper! They are found in pretty large pods – anywhere from 100 to 2,000 Dolphins can be in a pod. We had about 150-200 Dolphins in our pod so that was really amazing. You can’t quite describe what it’s like to see 200 Dolphins jumping in and out of the water.
We all sat along the end of the boat and we drove in front of the pod, then the Captain blew a horn and we all had to jump into the water. You have to be quick or you will miss them because they are so fast and they just keep swimming – they must think that humans are really boring because they don’t take much notice of you. We jumped in and out of the water about 6 or 7 times and we were told to sing and make noise in the water to attract the Dolphins attention. I had a total mind blank and the only songs I could think of were Ave Maria and Jingle Bells – so that’s what I sang, with a snorkel mask on. I looked like such an idiot. I also spend a lot of time diving under the water and doing stupid underwater spins – this gets the Dolphins attention and sometimes they will circle you. Most of the time I just got in their way, but there were a few Dolphins that seemed interested in me – I managed to make eye contact with a few and they swam around and under me, which was really nice. I felt quite bad for the Dolphins – I really did do everything I could possibly do to get in their way – which is totally the way to do it, they always swim around you and they get really close! I bought an underwater camera to take some pictures – but they are soooo fast, I think I have about 25 blurry pictures of grey water!
When we had finished swimming with them we got back on the boat, warmed up, changed, had hot chocolate and took some pictures of the Dolphins swimming beside the boat – then we headed back to the Dolphin Encounter offices. I would really recommend swimming with Dolphins – it is a really nice experience – it isn’t like Seaworld or Free Willy – they don’t swim off with you holding on to their dorsal fin and they don’t let you stick your hands into their mouths – and I don’t blame them. At the end of the day they really are wild animals and you are in their territory, so they don’t really owe you anything. I was just happy that I got to see them up close, they were literally an inch from me and they were just doing their own thing. Also, if you go thinking that you will be able to keep up with them, then you are so wrong. They are incredibly fast and agile and they are just rocking out, in their environment – that alone is worth seeing.
The day has been going really well so I got some lunch (which was horrible – Vegetable Soup, I think not. Vegetable soup isn’t meant to be thick and spicy with bits of Bacon in it) and then headed to the Whale Watching offices. I was meant to go Whale Watching yesterday but that was cancelled so they managed to fit me in.
The boats were late but we eventually go on and everything was fine – until we got out of the harbour. Dear Lord, I am not even joking – this was worse than the Ferry from Hell to Stewart Island. It was, without a doubt, my worst boat experience ever. The water was ridiculously rough – the boat was being thrown from side to side – it was so bad that you weren’t allowed to stand up at all and the back deck was closed off. We couldn’t find any Whales, so we went travelled 20 miles out to sea, just in case one decided to pop in and say hello. No Whales decided to pop in and say hello. Instead Mr Sea Sickness popped in to say hello. Not to me personally, I was focusing as hard as I could on not being sick, it was extremely difficult, but I managed it, but still, there were at least a dozen people being sick, which is even worse when you are enclosed in a small space. I was literally fighting the urge to throw myself off the boat – swimming back to shore would have been a more pleasant experience, even if it was 20 miles away. Eventually the Captain turned back and the journey back seemed even longer. I was literally at the point where I just wanted to be back on dry land – you know when you want something so badly that it actually hurts and you just want to cry, that’s how I felt being on that boat. It was like nothing else in the world mattered, I just needed to be off the boat. This was all made worse by the “Tour Guide” who literally talked the whole way there and the whole way back. I’m honestly not even exaggerating – she spoke the entire time. There was about ten minutes of silence in the two hours that we were on the water. She didn’t even have anything to say. She just talked and talked and talked. Every time you thought she was finished, she started again. She told us everything there was to know about Whales and Dolphins and Birds. She told us that people had often seen Killer Whales (Orca) in the area – raising my hopes, but then she told us that there is no way we would see any today because of the stormy conditions. Listening to her caused me physical pain. The American Government should recruit her – forget waterboarding – try Whale Watching with this lady as your host. But in all seriousness, torture is wrong and it isn’t something to joke about, but really, she would be employee of the month. Right, I’m stopping.
After what seemed like hours we got back to the Whale Watching office. We got in line to receive our refund – and then I found out that they only refunded 80% of what you paid. This made me quite angry. I know that 80% is better than nothing, but I was severely traumatised. I didn’t see a Whale, I had to witness a vast number or people throwing up, the Tour Guide Host Lady made me want to claw my ears off with her nonstop talking and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go a boat again, which just ruins my dream of sailing around Ballyholme Bay. This might also damage my spiritual wellbeing – I will never be able to read the story of Jonah and the Whale, there’s just too much history, too many bad memories.
After receiving my refund and telling the lady that it was the worst experience of my holiday and that I would never be able to go on a boat again, I went back to the Hostel, made some Coco Pops and went to bed. I probably had nightmares about boats, but again, I’m trying to forget about that, it was a very difficult time for me.
Xx
A Lazy Day in the Lazy Shag.
Tuesday 28th April
Today I got up early, but not as early as planned. I got a shower and then rushed down to my bus. The bus was meant to leave at 7.30am and I wanted to be early so I would get a good seat – it’s really important that you get a good seat on the bus to Kaikoura because Kiwi Experience only holds six places on the Dolphin swim and if you aren’t at the front then you don’t get one of those spaces! I was quite late and there were people already waiting – but I decide to be selfish and I pretty much pushed to the front of the bus. I ended up sitting right behind the driver! Great success!
We made a few stops for breakfast and we arrived in Kaikoura at about noon. The driver dropped us off at our Hostel, the Lazy Shag Hostel and we were assigned our room. I had signed up to do Whale Watching on Tuesday afternoon, but it was cancelled so I just went for a walk around town and bought some supplies – i.e milk for my Coco Pops. The town is actually really nice, Kaikoura is a really beautiful place and I would have liked to have stayed for a bit longer – it would have been nice to do some proper exploring, they have a few popular walks, but I was running out of time! After my walk around town I just came back to the Hostel, wrote a few Blogs and had some dinner. I was really tired so I went to bed early!
Xx
Today I got up early, but not as early as planned. I got a shower and then rushed down to my bus. The bus was meant to leave at 7.30am and I wanted to be early so I would get a good seat – it’s really important that you get a good seat on the bus to Kaikoura because Kiwi Experience only holds six places on the Dolphin swim and if you aren’t at the front then you don’t get one of those spaces! I was quite late and there were people already waiting – but I decide to be selfish and I pretty much pushed to the front of the bus. I ended up sitting right behind the driver! Great success!
We made a few stops for breakfast and we arrived in Kaikoura at about noon. The driver dropped us off at our Hostel, the Lazy Shag Hostel and we were assigned our room. I had signed up to do Whale Watching on Tuesday afternoon, but it was cancelled so I just went for a walk around town and bought some supplies – i.e milk for my Coco Pops. The town is actually really nice, Kaikoura is a really beautiful place and I would have liked to have stayed for a bit longer – it would have been nice to do some proper exploring, they have a few popular walks, but I was running out of time! After my walk around town I just came back to the Hostel, wrote a few Blogs and had some dinner. I was really tired so I went to bed early!
Xx
Hello Christchurch.
Monday 27th April
Today we drove from Queenstown to Christchurch! Tiggs, Gemma, Shane and I were all able to get on the same bus which was nice and we had a girl driver, who was very nice and only slightly crazy! It’s a pretty long drive to Queenstown so we only made a few stops for food and pictures. It wasn’t an overly exciting drive so I just listened to my iPod – although I swear I saw a dead Kangaroo at the side of the road. I know they don’t have Kangaroos in New Zealand – but I swear that’s what it looked like, a small Kangaroo, maybe even a Wallaby. I know that you people don’t believe me and you are probably right – it was probably just a sheep, but I swear that it looked like a small Kangaroo! To go slightly off topic - this is for anyone that was on my Geography Field Trip down the Peninsula – remember when I saw those Elephants in the garden in Greyabbey and nobody believed me? Remember how I went on about it for days? I actually had nightmares about it – I thought I was going crazy and that I had imagined them, but I was so sure I had seen them. I even made Esther drive through Greyabbey so I could see them again. Well, it turns out that I wasn’t imagining things. There is a lady that lives just outside Greyabbey and she has two life-sized Elephants in her back garden. Yeah. And everyone thought I was the crazy one. Why exactly would you need life-sized model Elephants in your garden?
Anyway, the drive was long and I just listened to Mr iPod. The queue for the Base Hostel was so long that we were waiting for over an hour before we got our rooms. I ended up in Sanctuary again, which was fine – there were only two of us in a four bed dorm, so that was nice! Once I had checked into my room I went for a dander – bought some food, cooked some diner (I put it in the microwave) and then I went to bed!
Xx
Today we drove from Queenstown to Christchurch! Tiggs, Gemma, Shane and I were all able to get on the same bus which was nice and we had a girl driver, who was very nice and only slightly crazy! It’s a pretty long drive to Queenstown so we only made a few stops for food and pictures. It wasn’t an overly exciting drive so I just listened to my iPod – although I swear I saw a dead Kangaroo at the side of the road. I know they don’t have Kangaroos in New Zealand – but I swear that’s what it looked like, a small Kangaroo, maybe even a Wallaby. I know that you people don’t believe me and you are probably right – it was probably just a sheep, but I swear that it looked like a small Kangaroo! To go slightly off topic - this is for anyone that was on my Geography Field Trip down the Peninsula – remember when I saw those Elephants in the garden in Greyabbey and nobody believed me? Remember how I went on about it for days? I actually had nightmares about it – I thought I was going crazy and that I had imagined them, but I was so sure I had seen them. I even made Esther drive through Greyabbey so I could see them again. Well, it turns out that I wasn’t imagining things. There is a lady that lives just outside Greyabbey and she has two life-sized Elephants in her back garden. Yeah. And everyone thought I was the crazy one. Why exactly would you need life-sized model Elephants in your garden?
Anyway, the drive was long and I just listened to Mr iPod. The queue for the Base Hostel was so long that we were waiting for over an hour before we got our rooms. I ended up in Sanctuary again, which was fine – there were only two of us in a four bed dorm, so that was nice! Once I had checked into my room I went for a dander – bought some food, cooked some diner (I put it in the microwave) and then I went to bed!
Xx
Au Revoir Queenstown. Again.
Sunday 26th April
Today was a really chilled out day. I did some washing and then we all watched a movie! We actually watched the third Lord of the Rings movie – I’m not really a huge LOTR fan, but it wasn’t too bad and it was quite cool to watch it in New Zealand as they were all filmed here! After the movies everyone (I’m still with Mairead, Mike, Tiggs, Gemma and Shane) cooked some dinner – Tai Green Curry and I paid a visit to Mr Fergburger! I just had to, I couldn’t break the tradition and besides, it was my last night in Queenstown! I just had a classic Cockadoodle Oink with a can of Sprite. Yes please.
After dinner we headed down to the bar to play a few rounds of pool. I quite like pool, but one minute I’m really good and I hit loads of really tricky shots and then the next minute I’m properly rubbish! Maybe it’s just beginners luck, but I do quite enjoy it. But again, I have a short attention span, so I get quite bored after about 20 minutes! Despite my ridiculously short attention span I did have a really good night! I’m quite sad to be leaving Queenstown – it was a really nice place and I have some really great memories there! The people I spent my time with in Queenstown really made my trip! I will miss the free internet, the night life and of course Fergburger, but it’s probably good that I’m leaving now – I don’t know if my arteries could deal with any more burgers!
Xx
Today was a really chilled out day. I did some washing and then we all watched a movie! We actually watched the third Lord of the Rings movie – I’m not really a huge LOTR fan, but it wasn’t too bad and it was quite cool to watch it in New Zealand as they were all filmed here! After the movies everyone (I’m still with Mairead, Mike, Tiggs, Gemma and Shane) cooked some dinner – Tai Green Curry and I paid a visit to Mr Fergburger! I just had to, I couldn’t break the tradition and besides, it was my last night in Queenstown! I just had a classic Cockadoodle Oink with a can of Sprite. Yes please.
After dinner we headed down to the bar to play a few rounds of pool. I quite like pool, but one minute I’m really good and I hit loads of really tricky shots and then the next minute I’m properly rubbish! Maybe it’s just beginners luck, but I do quite enjoy it. But again, I have a short attention span, so I get quite bored after about 20 minutes! Despite my ridiculously short attention span I did have a really good night! I’m quite sad to be leaving Queenstown – it was a really nice place and I have some really great memories there! The people I spent my time with in Queenstown really made my trip! I will miss the free internet, the night life and of course Fergburger, but it’s probably good that I’m leaving now – I don’t know if my arteries could deal with any more burgers!
Xx
Falling to Your Death – For Recreational Purposes, Obviously.
Saturday 25th April
Today began like any other day... I slept in and then dandered about town. I bought some fudge and then I decided to go and do the Nevis Bungy. I was really lucky to get a cancellation, so I didn’t really think it through; I just got on the bus. This seems to be something I do quite a lot – I don’t really think about what I’m doing. It has its good points – I don’t get scared or hyped up, but then I guess I don’t get as much out of it as others because I don’t really let it phase me. Anyway, after a long drive we got to the Bungy site – we got our harnesses on and waited for the little cage thing that takes you to the platform where you jump. I’m not very good at describing this...
The platform is enclosed – like a cable car I guess, but it doesn’t move. There is a glass floor so you can see people on their way down! You wait until you are called (it goes by weight, which they write on your hand, I think this was more traumatising than the actual jump). When it’s your turn you get all strapped in, they take a few pictures and then you shuffle to the ledge... The guy counts down from three and on one you jump. Very straightforward. Nat.
It wasn’t actually that bad – but for a split second I did think I wasn’t going to jump. I had shuffled to the edge and then I looked down and realised just how high up I was. When you are skydiving you don’t have to think about what you’re doing until you are out of the plane and falling towards the ground. When you do a Bungy you are standing at the edge, looking down and there isn’t anyone strapped to you. You are totally alone and you have to make the decision to throw yourself off the platform. When I looked down I instantly thought “I can’t do this” and then as soon as he said one, I was jumping.
The feeling of falling is quite strange. As soon as you dive off the platform you want to put your arms out to stop yourself from falling – at least I did. It’s quite funny the things you think about. I literally had a really logical thought process. I wanted to put my arms out to stop myself, but in my mind I was thinking “Well, that would be nice, but there isn’t really any point because it wouldn’t do you any good. You can’t stop yourself from falling, so you might as well keep your arms out so you look good in the pictures.” I’m not even kidding, that is actually what I was thinking. Then you bounce – it doesn’t hurt at all, in fact, it happened so quickly I almost didn’t realise. But then you start falling again and the whole, I’m falling to my death, sensation kicks in. Then you remember that you have to pull a blue cord if you want to be in a sitting position as they pull you back into the cable car. So I started yanking at this blue cord, but it didn’t work – I was puling so hard that I had to stop, in case I pulled so hard that the entire Bungy rope snapped – which isn’t possible, but still, you don’t want to risk it when you are hanging upside down from a rope.
They pulled me back up, I spun around several times and then I was back in the cable car. The Nevis Bungy was good, I’m glad that I did it. But I don’t think I would do it again. If someone else paid for me to do it then I probably would, but I wouldn’t waste my own/my dad’s money to do it again. I think that if I ever get the urge to do another Bungy I’ll just watch my DVD. I bought the DVD and the pictures, which is a total must – it goes so quickly, you definitely need a DVD to remember what happened!
After that we made our way back to Queenstown where I had another Ferg, got ready and then went to the Altitude Bar with everyone – I met up with Mariead, Mike, Tiggs, Gemma and Shane – the people that were on our West Coast bus, so that was really nice! They are a really good bunch of people and I had a really good night with them – Queenstown has really good nightlife!
Xx
Today began like any other day... I slept in and then dandered about town. I bought some fudge and then I decided to go and do the Nevis Bungy. I was really lucky to get a cancellation, so I didn’t really think it through; I just got on the bus. This seems to be something I do quite a lot – I don’t really think about what I’m doing. It has its good points – I don’t get scared or hyped up, but then I guess I don’t get as much out of it as others because I don’t really let it phase me. Anyway, after a long drive we got to the Bungy site – we got our harnesses on and waited for the little cage thing that takes you to the platform where you jump. I’m not very good at describing this...
The platform is enclosed – like a cable car I guess, but it doesn’t move. There is a glass floor so you can see people on their way down! You wait until you are called (it goes by weight, which they write on your hand, I think this was more traumatising than the actual jump). When it’s your turn you get all strapped in, they take a few pictures and then you shuffle to the ledge... The guy counts down from three and on one you jump. Very straightforward. Nat.
It wasn’t actually that bad – but for a split second I did think I wasn’t going to jump. I had shuffled to the edge and then I looked down and realised just how high up I was. When you are skydiving you don’t have to think about what you’re doing until you are out of the plane and falling towards the ground. When you do a Bungy you are standing at the edge, looking down and there isn’t anyone strapped to you. You are totally alone and you have to make the decision to throw yourself off the platform. When I looked down I instantly thought “I can’t do this” and then as soon as he said one, I was jumping.
The feeling of falling is quite strange. As soon as you dive off the platform you want to put your arms out to stop yourself from falling – at least I did. It’s quite funny the things you think about. I literally had a really logical thought process. I wanted to put my arms out to stop myself, but in my mind I was thinking “Well, that would be nice, but there isn’t really any point because it wouldn’t do you any good. You can’t stop yourself from falling, so you might as well keep your arms out so you look good in the pictures.” I’m not even kidding, that is actually what I was thinking. Then you bounce – it doesn’t hurt at all, in fact, it happened so quickly I almost didn’t realise. But then you start falling again and the whole, I’m falling to my death, sensation kicks in. Then you remember that you have to pull a blue cord if you want to be in a sitting position as they pull you back into the cable car. So I started yanking at this blue cord, but it didn’t work – I was puling so hard that I had to stop, in case I pulled so hard that the entire Bungy rope snapped – which isn’t possible, but still, you don’t want to risk it when you are hanging upside down from a rope.
They pulled me back up, I spun around several times and then I was back in the cable car. The Nevis Bungy was good, I’m glad that I did it. But I don’t think I would do it again. If someone else paid for me to do it then I probably would, but I wouldn’t waste my own/my dad’s money to do it again. I think that if I ever get the urge to do another Bungy I’ll just watch my DVD. I bought the DVD and the pictures, which is a total must – it goes so quickly, you definitely need a DVD to remember what happened!
After that we made our way back to Queenstown where I had another Ferg, got ready and then went to the Altitude Bar with everyone – I met up with Mariead, Mike, Tiggs, Gemma and Shane – the people that were on our West Coast bus, so that was really nice! They are a really good bunch of people and I had a really good night with them – Queenstown has really good nightlife!
Xx
Everybody Loves Milford.
Friday 24th April
Today was a really busy day. I got up nice and early, had a shower and then trekked down to the bus stop. It really was a trek because one of the wheels on my suitcase came totally off, so that was a lot of fun, trying to get a huge suitcase 10 minutes down the road. Bad times. We met our bus driver, who looked really like someone I know, so that was strange and then we got on the bus. I was sitting beside a girl from Fermanagh (high) but I wasn’t feeling very sociable (big surprise) so Mr iPod and I had a great morning! We made a few photo and bathroom stops and then we stopped at the Mirror Lakes, which were really beautiful. Basically you can see the reflection of the mountains in the perfectly still lakes. They were really nice, but a lot smaller than I had imagined. After the Mirror Lakes we kept driving, and again, made some picture stops.
I actually thought the drive to Milford Sound was more impressive than Milford Sound itself – a very bold statement to make because everybody loves Milford, but the drive was just amazing. We passed mountains and rivers, glaciers and cliff faces. It was easily one of the nicest drives I have ever been on! The bus driver made the trip even better with his excellent choice in music. He had all the usuals, but he also had some classics, like the Backstreet Boys, which pleased me (and a lot of other people on the bus, there was some bus singing, with harmonies and everything). We also went through a tunnel and the driver turned off all the lights, even the headlights and put on the Mission Impossible music, which he then changed to the Jurassic Park music for when we emerged!
We did a few short walks (like 5 minutes each, I love short walks) and then we went to the Milford Ferry Terminal Thingy. We got on a big boat and went straight to the buffet! Typical, but I was starving. Buffets are so good, but so wasteful. I take a bit of everything and then only try a little bit of each and I end up leaving the rest. Anyway, when we were done eating we walked around the ferry and I went outside to take pictures. I felt quite bad, I was right at the front of the boat, getting all the good pictures and getting in everyone’s way, but in fairness, I didn’t feel bad enough to move. There was one little Asian man that I wanted to punch in the face. He was right up at the front too, but he was singing. Singing. That’s right. It was like he was Celine Dion, standing at the front of the Titanic, belting his lungs out. It actually started to really annoy me and then he stopped. And instead he started doing some freaky breathing/meditation exercises. He almost ruined my whole day with his annoyingness. Almost but not quite.
I probably should describe Milford Sound. But really, I don’t think I could do the place any justice. It is very beautiful, but honestly, I think it was slightly over rated. I think if I had of went to Milford, not knowing anything about it, I would have been pleasantly surprised. It was really lovely, but so many people had told me that it was the most beautiful place in the whole world, so I had high expectations, that sadly weren’t met. I did think it was beautiful – but it didn’t change my life. There wasn’t a moment of realisation. I didn’t feel like weeping with happiness. I just thought it was a nice place. But poor old Milford – New Zealand is so beautiful, it must be hard trying to live up to a reputation that has preceded you.
I suggest that you Google Milford Sound to see what it looks like – it really is nice, but after seeing the rest of New Zealand, nice isn’t nice enough. After our cruise we went to an underwater observatory, which was pretty rubbish, but still, at least I can say that I’ve been into an underwater observatory. After observing underwater life we got back on the cruise and headed back to the docks/terminal/place where we got off and got back on the bus. We then started our long drive back to Queenstown! It was a really nice drive – I saw some of the most amazing cloud formations on that bus journey! One thing I really love about New Zealand is the clouds. I have never seen anything like it! Which shouldn’t really surprise me – the Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, which translates to “the land of the long white cloud”.
When we arrived in Queenstown I went straight to Base, where I had managed to get a room – I was quite sneaky – they had turned down a friend of mine because they were full, but I rang the Base Headquarters and was like “Are you sure? Can you check again?” I also told them that I was with Kiwi and they asked if I was with the Kiwi Group that had reserved beds and even though I wasn’t, I said I was. And it worked – they got me a bed in Sanctuary! So when we arrived in Queenstown I went to my room, dropped off my bags, went on the internet, met up with a friend... and then hit up Fergburger. I wasn’t even hungry, but I had to at least try eating one – for the sake of tradition. I wanted to have a Fergburger for every day that I was in Queenstown – and I did! I know, my accomplishments astound you. Sometimes I can’t believe I have achieved so much in such a short time!
All in all, today was a really nice day. It is worth going to Milford – just try to go expecting very little, don’t build it up, that way you will be really surprised when you see how pretty it is! I would also recommend going to Doubtful Sound, which I haven’t been to so I can’t really recommend it, but I hear it’s really beautiful, even nicer than Milford! I would have liked to have gone, I think they only do a two day trip because it’s so big, but I ran out of time! Looks like I’ll just have to come back...
Xx
Today was a really busy day. I got up nice and early, had a shower and then trekked down to the bus stop. It really was a trek because one of the wheels on my suitcase came totally off, so that was a lot of fun, trying to get a huge suitcase 10 minutes down the road. Bad times. We met our bus driver, who looked really like someone I know, so that was strange and then we got on the bus. I was sitting beside a girl from Fermanagh (high) but I wasn’t feeling very sociable (big surprise) so Mr iPod and I had a great morning! We made a few photo and bathroom stops and then we stopped at the Mirror Lakes, which were really beautiful. Basically you can see the reflection of the mountains in the perfectly still lakes. They were really nice, but a lot smaller than I had imagined. After the Mirror Lakes we kept driving, and again, made some picture stops.
I actually thought the drive to Milford Sound was more impressive than Milford Sound itself – a very bold statement to make because everybody loves Milford, but the drive was just amazing. We passed mountains and rivers, glaciers and cliff faces. It was easily one of the nicest drives I have ever been on! The bus driver made the trip even better with his excellent choice in music. He had all the usuals, but he also had some classics, like the Backstreet Boys, which pleased me (and a lot of other people on the bus, there was some bus singing, with harmonies and everything). We also went through a tunnel and the driver turned off all the lights, even the headlights and put on the Mission Impossible music, which he then changed to the Jurassic Park music for when we emerged!
We did a few short walks (like 5 minutes each, I love short walks) and then we went to the Milford Ferry Terminal Thingy. We got on a big boat and went straight to the buffet! Typical, but I was starving. Buffets are so good, but so wasteful. I take a bit of everything and then only try a little bit of each and I end up leaving the rest. Anyway, when we were done eating we walked around the ferry and I went outside to take pictures. I felt quite bad, I was right at the front of the boat, getting all the good pictures and getting in everyone’s way, but in fairness, I didn’t feel bad enough to move. There was one little Asian man that I wanted to punch in the face. He was right up at the front too, but he was singing. Singing. That’s right. It was like he was Celine Dion, standing at the front of the Titanic, belting his lungs out. It actually started to really annoy me and then he stopped. And instead he started doing some freaky breathing/meditation exercises. He almost ruined my whole day with his annoyingness. Almost but not quite.
I probably should describe Milford Sound. But really, I don’t think I could do the place any justice. It is very beautiful, but honestly, I think it was slightly over rated. I think if I had of went to Milford, not knowing anything about it, I would have been pleasantly surprised. It was really lovely, but so many people had told me that it was the most beautiful place in the whole world, so I had high expectations, that sadly weren’t met. I did think it was beautiful – but it didn’t change my life. There wasn’t a moment of realisation. I didn’t feel like weeping with happiness. I just thought it was a nice place. But poor old Milford – New Zealand is so beautiful, it must be hard trying to live up to a reputation that has preceded you.
I suggest that you Google Milford Sound to see what it looks like – it really is nice, but after seeing the rest of New Zealand, nice isn’t nice enough. After our cruise we went to an underwater observatory, which was pretty rubbish, but still, at least I can say that I’ve been into an underwater observatory. After observing underwater life we got back on the cruise and headed back to the docks/terminal/place where we got off and got back on the bus. We then started our long drive back to Queenstown! It was a really nice drive – I saw some of the most amazing cloud formations on that bus journey! One thing I really love about New Zealand is the clouds. I have never seen anything like it! Which shouldn’t really surprise me – the Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, which translates to “the land of the long white cloud”.
When we arrived in Queenstown I went straight to Base, where I had managed to get a room – I was quite sneaky – they had turned down a friend of mine because they were full, but I rang the Base Headquarters and was like “Are you sure? Can you check again?” I also told them that I was with Kiwi and they asked if I was with the Kiwi Group that had reserved beds and even though I wasn’t, I said I was. And it worked – they got me a bed in Sanctuary! So when we arrived in Queenstown I went to my room, dropped off my bags, went on the internet, met up with a friend... and then hit up Fergburger. I wasn’t even hungry, but I had to at least try eating one – for the sake of tradition. I wanted to have a Fergburger for every day that I was in Queenstown – and I did! I know, my accomplishments astound you. Sometimes I can’t believe I have achieved so much in such a short time!
All in all, today was a really nice day. It is worth going to Milford – just try to go expecting very little, don’t build it up, that way you will be really surprised when you see how pretty it is! I would also recommend going to Doubtful Sound, which I haven’t been to so I can’t really recommend it, but I hear it’s really beautiful, even nicer than Milford! I would have liked to have gone, I think they only do a two day trip because it’s so big, but I ran out of time! Looks like I’ll just have to come back...
Xx
Back to Civilisation, Sort Of.
Thursday 23rd April
Today I left Stewart Island and went back to Invercargill! I actually really enjoyed Stewart Island, I don’t know if I could live there, but I would definitely go back! The Ferry left pretty early and the crossing was totally fine! I’m still traumatised by my first crossing, but at least I was fine on the way back! We went back to Invercargill where I was collected by the Kiwi Experience Bottom Bus – but today the bus was white! Shocking, I know.
Our driver was really old, like granda old, and he was wearing some serious short shorts... Nice. We did about a million stops today, which I normally don’t mind, but today I just wanted to listen to Mr iPod. Our first stop was a big, concrete Whale. Yup, a Whale, made out of concrete. The natural thing to do was obviously to climb on top of it and take pictures. So that’s what I did. After the Whale we went to some random place. I don’t think it’s an actual touristy place, but the driver thought it would be nice to stop and have a look – it was actually really beautiful, very green, lots of hills, nice beach – it actually looked quite like the Giants Causeway on a sunny day. After that we went to Monkey Beach, or something like that, I know that the word Monkey was included somewhere in the title. It was another pretty beach and we took lots of pictures. I tried to write a message in the sand, but the sun wasn’t shining the right way so the words don’t come up properly unless you turn the picture upside down. Genius. After that tasteful stop we went to a less tasteful stop – McCraken’s Rest. If you did the Bottom Bus then you know what I’m talking about. It’s basically sign that says McCracken’s Rest. So the logical thing to do is to sit on the sign, with your McCracken out. You will be relieved to know that I did not do that, but I did get a few pictures of me sitting on the sign, fully clothed. After that we made a few more photo stops, got some really gross lunch and then drove to Te Anu.
Te Anu is actually a really beautiful place, it would have been nice to stay for longer but it’s so small, there isn’t really a lot to do and I was running out of time, so meh! That night I got myself a Subway, which was amazing, nothing beats Chicken and Bacon Ranch, on Italian bread, with green peppers and lettuce. Beautiful. We also watched some random movie, 21 Grams, it was crap, so don’t waste your time watching it, it was a proper waste of my life. Despite the movie wasting my valuable time, I had a really good day.
One last thing that I feel deserves a mention – the bathroom for our room was across the hall and it was really tiny and horrible – another chap and myself both thought it looked like a place where you would get murdered, so after joking about that, I was really scared to use it!
xx
Today I left Stewart Island and went back to Invercargill! I actually really enjoyed Stewart Island, I don’t know if I could live there, but I would definitely go back! The Ferry left pretty early and the crossing was totally fine! I’m still traumatised by my first crossing, but at least I was fine on the way back! We went back to Invercargill where I was collected by the Kiwi Experience Bottom Bus – but today the bus was white! Shocking, I know.
Our driver was really old, like granda old, and he was wearing some serious short shorts... Nice. We did about a million stops today, which I normally don’t mind, but today I just wanted to listen to Mr iPod. Our first stop was a big, concrete Whale. Yup, a Whale, made out of concrete. The natural thing to do was obviously to climb on top of it and take pictures. So that’s what I did. After the Whale we went to some random place. I don’t think it’s an actual touristy place, but the driver thought it would be nice to stop and have a look – it was actually really beautiful, very green, lots of hills, nice beach – it actually looked quite like the Giants Causeway on a sunny day. After that we went to Monkey Beach, or something like that, I know that the word Monkey was included somewhere in the title. It was another pretty beach and we took lots of pictures. I tried to write a message in the sand, but the sun wasn’t shining the right way so the words don’t come up properly unless you turn the picture upside down. Genius. After that tasteful stop we went to a less tasteful stop – McCraken’s Rest. If you did the Bottom Bus then you know what I’m talking about. It’s basically sign that says McCracken’s Rest. So the logical thing to do is to sit on the sign, with your McCracken out. You will be relieved to know that I did not do that, but I did get a few pictures of me sitting on the sign, fully clothed. After that we made a few more photo stops, got some really gross lunch and then drove to Te Anu.
Te Anu is actually a really beautiful place, it would have been nice to stay for longer but it’s so small, there isn’t really a lot to do and I was running out of time, so meh! That night I got myself a Subway, which was amazing, nothing beats Chicken and Bacon Ranch, on Italian bread, with green peppers and lettuce. Beautiful. We also watched some random movie, 21 Grams, it was crap, so don’t waste your time watching it, it was a proper waste of my life. Despite the movie wasting my valuable time, I had a really good day.
One last thing that I feel deserves a mention – the bathroom for our room was across the hall and it was really tiny and horrible – another chap and myself both thought it looked like a place where you would get murdered, so after joking about that, I was really scared to use it!
xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)