Wednesday 22nd April
Today I got up nice and early, went to the cafe, had a hot chocolate and then I went to the information centre to start my “Village and Bays Tour”. Basically you take a mini bus around Stewart Island and the driver does a little commentary, telling you all about the different places you visit. It’s quite a short tour; it lasts for about an hour and a half, because Stewart Island is so small. Also, there isn’t a lot of road – I think there is only about 27 kilometres of road on the entire island – I’m not sure, I should really check that, but you get the picture, there isn’t a lot of road! We stopped off at a few beaches, hence the Bay part of the tour title – they were actually really nice. We had a decent enough day for the tour, but if you ever have the chance to go to Stewart Island during the summer then do, because it is really beautiful! The driver also told us a lot about the people that live on the island; it’s actually really nice to hear a bit about the locals. Everybody knows everybody on Stewart Island – probably because there is a population of about 400! There is only one Policeman on the island and there’s pretty much no crime – what a cushy job! There also isn’t a doctor on the island, but there are two fully trained nurses and you can get to the mainland fairly quickly if you get really sick. Stewart Island is really popular for hikers, you can go on trips that last for a few days or a few weeks! It would have been nice to do some “tramping”, that’s what they call it, but I didn’t have enough time and I was still getting over the flu!
After our little bus tour I went on another tour, this one was called the “Pattersons Inlet Cruise” and it was actually really good! Basically it takes you from Stewart Island to a few of the surrounding islands, they do a running commentary and tell you all about the surrounding islands and what they are used for. A lot of the islands down here are bird sanctuaries because there are so many flipping birds in New Zealand! We were actually really lucky, we saw some Penguins! I was actually ridiculously happy about that – I love Penguins and I really wanted to see some when I was in New Zealand, so I was really glad that it happened! They are really tiny and there were only about 5 or 6 Penguins – we couldn’t get too close because they were scared of the boat, but you could see their little heads looking around and watching the boat! It was really hard to get pictures, but I got a few! After we saw the Penguins we saw some Dolphins! I’m all about the Dolphins these days! I think we are kindred spirits... I’m really at one with the Animal Kingdom these days. I would love to be a Zoologist or something like that, but I’m not smart enough/I’m too lazy to actually work for anything. After the Dolphins we just cruised around for a bit, saw some more beautiful islands and I had the desire to learn how to sail. I would love to live down here and then I could just get into my little boat and I could just sail around all the beautiful islands and have little picnics on the beach and I could go swimming with my Dolphin and Penguin friends!
After cruising about for a while we stopped off at a place called Ulva Island. Ulva Island used to be where the Post Office was – a little man and his wife were the only people to live here and every 6-8 weeks the post used to be delivered to Ulva Island. Then the little man would hoist a flag and the people who lived on Stewart Island and the surrounding islands would know that the post had arrived. Because it was such a special occasion everyone would get dressed up and then they would go collect their post and have a bit of a goss! The Post Office was in operation until quite recently, well not that recently, I think it stopped about 50 years ago, but I’m not actually sure, I wasn’t really listening... We stopped on Ulva Island and then went for a walk, saw some cool bird – we saw a relative of the Kiwi and a few cool looking Pigeons. My favourite was a little Robin! But it wasn’t like a regular Robin, it was all Black with a White chest! How cool is that! It was also really friendly – it got really close to me and I was clearing the leaves from the ground so it could find food easily – again, I am at one with the Animal Kingdom. We also saw a really cool green parrot – it probably has some fancy name, but it was just a cool looking bird. The beaches on Ulva Island are also really pretty, so it was definitely worth the trip! On the way back to Stewart Island we saw some Seals which was really cool too... Oh, we also saw loads of Albatross, which I was really happy about! One of the crew members was feeding them from the back of the boat – he was throwing them dead fish and they were getting really close to the boat. I’ve always wanted to see Albatross – it all began with “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”! Does anyone remember studying that poem at G.C.S.E? Good times! Nothing beats a bit of Epic Poetry! I took quite a few pictures of them, I think I got a few good ones, but it’s difficult when there flying all over the place! Then we headed back to Stewart Island! I was really glad I did this trip, I was a bit worried about going on the boat again, but it was fine, there were no traumatic incidents and I got to see Penguins, Dolphins, Seals, Albatross, some really cool birds and some amazing beaches! If you ever go to Stewart Island then you should definitely do this trip! There isn’t a lot to do so you should have plenty of time to fit this in!
After that I just came back to the Hostel, had some Coco Pops and then watched some more Home and Away. I’m sure you have heard enough about my fascination with Home and Away, so I’ll just say that it was great and that I can’t wait to go home and watch it every single night! I watched a bit of T.V and then went to bed – I was the only one in the room, which is actually quite strange. You get really used to sharing a room with other people, so it’s really strange when you are on your own. I’m not even going to lie, I was a bit freaked out – the Hostel is pretty basic, they used regular keys for each room, not cards like the city Hostels, so I hadn’t bothered to lock the room during the day, so when I got ready for bed I checked under every bed, about ten times, to make sure that nobody was going to kill me in my sleep. Don’t worry, I didn’t find anyone! It was actually quite nice getting up in the morning and not having to worry about waking everyone up... I was even able to turn the light on, which is such a luxury over here, normally you just get ready in the dark! But that’s literally another story for another day!
Basically, Stewart Island is really small and there isn’t an awful lot to do, but I really liked it. It’s a village and it feels like a village. The people are really friendly and they are really helpful – I think they understand that the only reason Stewart Island still exists is because of Tourism, so they are grateful that you are there, to help fuel their economy or whatever. It’s just a really chilled out place – I don’t think I would live there, because it wouldn’t be practical, but if I ever marry that millionaire then he can buy me a holiday home there. Oh, and a plane so I never have to cross that channel again. Oh, and a yacht so I can visit all the beautiful islands. Not that I’m demanding or anything.
Xx
Showing posts with label Realiry T.V Shows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Realiry T.V Shows. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 April 2009
You Know We Belong Together. You and I Forever and Ever... Home and Awaaaaay.
Tuesday 21st April
I got up nice and early this morning because I didn’t want to miss the most expensive ferry in the world – it cost $150.00 to take you from Invercargill to Stewart Island, the journey is about an hour, which doesn’t seem too bad, but it was the longest hour of my life. But more about that later! I got up, had a nice shower, put my massive bag in storage and then waited for the shuttle bus that takes you to the ferry. I think the ferry leaves from Invercargill, but I could be wrong, it could leave from Bluff, either way it was a bit of a drive. Once you arrive at the docks/ferry terminal, you check in and then wait for the ferry to go. Eventually everyone boards and then you set off on a wonderful adventure. The ferry we went across on holds about 100 people and it’s the bigger of the two ferries.
The journey didn’t start out too badly, we just started heading towards Stewart Island, but then I started feeling really, really rough. I was listening to a bit of Backstreet boys, trying to make myself feel a bit better and then all of a sudden I was like, “Right, I need to get outside and get some air”. I didn’t even have time for air. I didn’t even have time to get the paper bag out of my pocket, but I did make it to the side of the boat. I don’t really think that I need to provide details. I think you understand what happened next. It was not a pleasant experience, for anyone. I was quite discrete, I managed to get my little bag and tissues out, but still, there were children aboard the vessel – but like I said, I was fairly discrete, I hope. I won’t embarrass her, in case she reads this, but Katherine Martin’s story about the Ark Farm is possibly one of the funniest stories I have ever heard – if you’ve heard the story then you will know what I’m talking about, if not, you’re missing out, I think.
After that traumatic experience I was feeling much better and we were almost at Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third island. When we arrived I headed straight for the Hostel – Stewart Island Backpackers, the only Hostel on the island. I was able to check in straight away, so I went straight to the room and fell asleep for a few hours – I think the sea makes me sleepy! I love having naps, I was just so tired and there is nothing better than a little power nap. When you wake up you feel all warm inside. Children don’t realise how lucky they are! They have allocated nap time, every day! Not to mention all the other great perks of being a child – you get carried everywhere and it’s cute when you fall asleep in inappropriate places like the car, or church or even behind the sofa in a complete strangers house that you just so happened to walk into while playing hide and seek. Maybe that last one just applies to me. That actually happened – it’s one of my earliest childhood memories, I’m not too sure how I got there, the house was along the seafront and I went in through the back garden so I must have left my back garden and walked through a few back gardens to get into their back garden. I saw loads of toys, including a double-decker bus that you sit in and then I remember the door being open. Obviously I decided that it would be a good idea to go into the house to find some more wicked cool toys and then I heard a noise so I went behind the sofa and fell asleep. I remember waking up and looking out from behind the sofa and seeing a woman walking down the stairs, I guess I must have came out and said hello, because she recognised me and then she took me home. Apparently my parents had sent out the search party – Heather and James were walking around Baylands, shaking a tin of Roses to try and entice me out of my hiding spot. Obviously they were really worried. In fairness I did this quite a lot when I was a child, I would hide in really great places and then fall asleep, emerging when the game was over and everyone had forgotten about me. I used to hide behind the boiler in our clothespress. I’m like a cat, I gravitate towards nice warm places and then I fall sleep. Some things never change; I’ve literally just woken up from another epic nap.
Anyway, after my nap I walked into the centre of town – it wasn’t much of a walk, Stewart Island is really small, there is literally one grocery shop, a cafe, a small hotel and restaurant, a backpackers, a library, the smallest museum ever, an information centre and the Department of Conservation office. I got some Coco Pops and then headed back to the Hostel where I watched some T.V. I don’t think I have ever been so happy – Home and Away was on. I was literally glued to the screen. Nobody else way paying any attention but I had the volume turned right up and I was focused intently. It was amazing. It is my most favourite T.V show, well it’s one of them, but it’s right up at the top of the list! There also a few weeks ahead over here, so I had no idea, but it’s not that hard to figure out what’s happening! I can’t wait until I go to Australia – just so I can go to Summer Bay! If I just so happen to be walking along the beach when they film a scene that would be totally fine by me and if I just so happen to chase and tackle Geoff or Aden or Roman that is also totally fine by me. I may also have to punch Belle in the face, because she is possibly the most annoying person in the world. I’m aware that Belle is just a character, but I’m pretty sure that she’s an annoying person too. Maybe I shouldn’t go to Summer Bay. I also plan on doing the Neighbours Tour. It’s a lifelong dream – I would literally die happy if I met the Kennedy Family and Harold and Lou. I will literally go to Australia just for that. Anyway, back to Stewart Island. I watched Home and Away, Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill, Futurama, Rock of Love and Charm School. I was actually amazed that people go on shows like Rock of Love. They basically try to convince this famous musician that they are in love with him and then he eliminates one girl at the end of every episode. It’s quite pathetic, there is no way that these girls are actually in love with him, they just want to be famous. It’s really shallow and it’s actually really sad to watch and see the lengths that some girls will go to just to be famous. Silly people. We also watched Charm School, where they take the worst girls from a reality T.V show called Flavour of Love (also like Rock of Love, but with a different Musician, Flava Flav, or something stupid like that) and they try to refine them. That show also surprised me, there are some psychotic people out there! Some of the girls would just throw these mega tantrums and then they would act like that was the normal thing to do. No, it’s really not. They are a bunch of grown women, they should start acting like that. They also need to learn some manners, some of them are just so rude. Some reality T.V is so stupid, I hate stupid reality T.V and I hate Big Brother with a passion, but I’m not even going to lie, it’s my lifelong dream to go on Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands. Literally, I have watched every season, even way back in the day when it first started and it was just the one island (I think it was called Nuku Island back then). One day I will apply and if I don’t get accepted I’m just going to go to the Cook Islands and pretend that I’m on Shipwrecked. Maybe I’ll swim to their island. It will happen, watch this space people!
Right back to Stewart Island – I watched a ridiculous amount of television and then I went to bed. Great success.
Xx
I got up nice and early this morning because I didn’t want to miss the most expensive ferry in the world – it cost $150.00 to take you from Invercargill to Stewart Island, the journey is about an hour, which doesn’t seem too bad, but it was the longest hour of my life. But more about that later! I got up, had a nice shower, put my massive bag in storage and then waited for the shuttle bus that takes you to the ferry. I think the ferry leaves from Invercargill, but I could be wrong, it could leave from Bluff, either way it was a bit of a drive. Once you arrive at the docks/ferry terminal, you check in and then wait for the ferry to go. Eventually everyone boards and then you set off on a wonderful adventure. The ferry we went across on holds about 100 people and it’s the bigger of the two ferries.
The journey didn’t start out too badly, we just started heading towards Stewart Island, but then I started feeling really, really rough. I was listening to a bit of Backstreet boys, trying to make myself feel a bit better and then all of a sudden I was like, “Right, I need to get outside and get some air”. I didn’t even have time for air. I didn’t even have time to get the paper bag out of my pocket, but I did make it to the side of the boat. I don’t really think that I need to provide details. I think you understand what happened next. It was not a pleasant experience, for anyone. I was quite discrete, I managed to get my little bag and tissues out, but still, there were children aboard the vessel – but like I said, I was fairly discrete, I hope. I won’t embarrass her, in case she reads this, but Katherine Martin’s story about the Ark Farm is possibly one of the funniest stories I have ever heard – if you’ve heard the story then you will know what I’m talking about, if not, you’re missing out, I think.
After that traumatic experience I was feeling much better and we were almost at Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third island. When we arrived I headed straight for the Hostel – Stewart Island Backpackers, the only Hostel on the island. I was able to check in straight away, so I went straight to the room and fell asleep for a few hours – I think the sea makes me sleepy! I love having naps, I was just so tired and there is nothing better than a little power nap. When you wake up you feel all warm inside. Children don’t realise how lucky they are! They have allocated nap time, every day! Not to mention all the other great perks of being a child – you get carried everywhere and it’s cute when you fall asleep in inappropriate places like the car, or church or even behind the sofa in a complete strangers house that you just so happened to walk into while playing hide and seek. Maybe that last one just applies to me. That actually happened – it’s one of my earliest childhood memories, I’m not too sure how I got there, the house was along the seafront and I went in through the back garden so I must have left my back garden and walked through a few back gardens to get into their back garden. I saw loads of toys, including a double-decker bus that you sit in and then I remember the door being open. Obviously I decided that it would be a good idea to go into the house to find some more wicked cool toys and then I heard a noise so I went behind the sofa and fell asleep. I remember waking up and looking out from behind the sofa and seeing a woman walking down the stairs, I guess I must have came out and said hello, because she recognised me and then she took me home. Apparently my parents had sent out the search party – Heather and James were walking around Baylands, shaking a tin of Roses to try and entice me out of my hiding spot. Obviously they were really worried. In fairness I did this quite a lot when I was a child, I would hide in really great places and then fall asleep, emerging when the game was over and everyone had forgotten about me. I used to hide behind the boiler in our clothespress. I’m like a cat, I gravitate towards nice warm places and then I fall sleep. Some things never change; I’ve literally just woken up from another epic nap.
Anyway, after my nap I walked into the centre of town – it wasn’t much of a walk, Stewart Island is really small, there is literally one grocery shop, a cafe, a small hotel and restaurant, a backpackers, a library, the smallest museum ever, an information centre and the Department of Conservation office. I got some Coco Pops and then headed back to the Hostel where I watched some T.V. I don’t think I have ever been so happy – Home and Away was on. I was literally glued to the screen. Nobody else way paying any attention but I had the volume turned right up and I was focused intently. It was amazing. It is my most favourite T.V show, well it’s one of them, but it’s right up at the top of the list! There also a few weeks ahead over here, so I had no idea, but it’s not that hard to figure out what’s happening! I can’t wait until I go to Australia – just so I can go to Summer Bay! If I just so happen to be walking along the beach when they film a scene that would be totally fine by me and if I just so happen to chase and tackle Geoff or Aden or Roman that is also totally fine by me. I may also have to punch Belle in the face, because she is possibly the most annoying person in the world. I’m aware that Belle is just a character, but I’m pretty sure that she’s an annoying person too. Maybe I shouldn’t go to Summer Bay. I also plan on doing the Neighbours Tour. It’s a lifelong dream – I would literally die happy if I met the Kennedy Family and Harold and Lou. I will literally go to Australia just for that. Anyway, back to Stewart Island. I watched Home and Away, Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill, Futurama, Rock of Love and Charm School. I was actually amazed that people go on shows like Rock of Love. They basically try to convince this famous musician that they are in love with him and then he eliminates one girl at the end of every episode. It’s quite pathetic, there is no way that these girls are actually in love with him, they just want to be famous. It’s really shallow and it’s actually really sad to watch and see the lengths that some girls will go to just to be famous. Silly people. We also watched Charm School, where they take the worst girls from a reality T.V show called Flavour of Love (also like Rock of Love, but with a different Musician, Flava Flav, or something stupid like that) and they try to refine them. That show also surprised me, there are some psychotic people out there! Some of the girls would just throw these mega tantrums and then they would act like that was the normal thing to do. No, it’s really not. They are a bunch of grown women, they should start acting like that. They also need to learn some manners, some of them are just so rude. Some reality T.V is so stupid, I hate stupid reality T.V and I hate Big Brother with a passion, but I’m not even going to lie, it’s my lifelong dream to go on Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands. Literally, I have watched every season, even way back in the day when it first started and it was just the one island (I think it was called Nuku Island back then). One day I will apply and if I don’t get accepted I’m just going to go to the Cook Islands and pretend that I’m on Shipwrecked. Maybe I’ll swim to their island. It will happen, watch this space people!
Right back to Stewart Island – I watched a ridiculous amount of television and then I went to bed. Great success.
Xx
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