Shblog again…

So I was looking back over New Zealand (NZ) and there was so much going on over the last 5 weeks I was trying to figure out how to cover the entire thing. So this is going to be a two post post if you will. This post will refer to the North Island. So we started out in Auckland please see the post below for information on that.

So we were starting on the Kiwi Experience for the first time, so up we got at the ungodly hour of 7 and went outside Base in Auckland waiting for the bus. We got on with our lovely driver for the next week or so Spud. So off we went to our first stop which was on a nice viewpoint of the city.

So then on we went for a while looking at the lovely NZ country side seeing everything there was to see on our way to Mercury Bay. We stopped at Catheral Cove, the hot pools (which is a very funny place) and rested our heads for the night in a place called Turtle Cove, where we bonded with some of the guys over the great game of pool and the beloved variation killer pool (mam its not as bad as it sounds, it just means its a knockout competition).

So next day we set off again and this was the day of activities, we went off and did a bit of walk through some caves, OHS is not that big in NZ I learned that day. Some sections of the caves were pitch dark and no warning at the start that a torch might be a good idea. So anyway off we went across some wire bridges which were endless sources of entertainment especially once we found the sign saying max 10 people. Next it was time for something a bit more enjoyable. ZORB, I do realise that the name is not very discriptive but what it is you are strapped into a big plastic ball and shoved down a hill. A lot of fun but not really worth the money that its costs (Travel Tip 1). After we regained some balance off we went on the bus again up a mountain and did some luging. Now this is fun, imagine a small piece of plastic and flying down a hill while sitting ontop of it, worst part being the illusion that you have some control over your craft but sadly you don’t if your over 6ft tall as then the brakes don’t work. After 5 near death experience in 1 hour we went and got a good Kodac moment (Please see below).

Next day we headed onto Rotorua for a bit of culture. This was an evening where we would see a Mauri village and be shown how the Mauri people traditionally greeted people, what was the food they ate and also how it was prepared. Now all of the group were picked up from the hostel and were brought to the village by a driver named “Nuttar”, his name was very descriptive of his personality. One big part of the Mauri Culture is for each group to have a chief. Low and behold guess who was made chief, yes you guessed it folks, me. Now some people might think that this is a privilage but sadly its not as you have to lead the group, you have to represent your group in front of Mauri Warriors (who take this stuff very seriously). So we had a lovely evening, food, talking, learning what more could some one want.

We went to a place called Waitomo to do some blackwater cave tubing, pretty much what it means is that you are going through caves in the pitch dark floating on a inner tube of a tire. Good fun but the water is around 8 degs and that is cold.

So whats next on the trip, Taupo! This is where I did the trip away from home right of passage, the Sky Dive. It was one of the most terrifing, trilling, tantalising experiences I have ever done (did you like the little bit of illeration). The the whole thing only took 30 minutes which was good because I didn’t have to thing about getting thrown out of a plane at 15,000ft. I did it with Jonny and a few others from the bus.

SkyDive link 1

SkyDive link 2

SkyDive link 3 

So next it was down to River Valley to do some rafting but there was a little problem, the river was 6ft higher that it should be and we couldn’t go out. So we had nothing better to do that hang around the lodge in a 30 man room and relax. It was a fun night of devilment, well what do you expect when you put 50 backpackers in a single place with access to booze. So after that fun evening it was down to Wellington for a few nights. This was where everyone broke up, some people were only doing the north Island, Some were doing further trips inlands but the majority of us were doing the south Island going on, so after catching up on some sleep we went off on the ferry onto the south Island for more fun. Please see more in the next post.

Hey all,

Yes its true I have finally left Sydney, the savage house in Ashfield and the nice job in Vodafone. So its back on the road again first stop was Brisbane to meet Bev, a friend I met in India, strangely also met up with Dara and Dippy. So that was a nice couple of days, nothing major to report except for the morning of the flight. So the flight was at 10:30pm and I woke up in the morning around 8, slowly getting a shower, had a cup of coffee and no dramas just fluttered about. Got the bags put in storage all that type of stuff. Ok time to check the email, better have a quick look at the flight this is were all the problems started. The flight was at 10:30am. I looked at the clock, it was 8:45am. Right so I got my arse down to reception found out what was the fastest way to the airport. She said the train. So I ran pretty much the whole way to the train station ( with a 20kg back on my back and a 7kg bag on my front). Jumped on the train and now it was 50 mins before the flight. The train was supposed to take 20 mins so I would arrive in the airport 30 mins before the flight. Perfect timing I was thinking to myself. The operative word is that the train was supposed to take 20 mins, it ended up taking around 30 with me having mini heart attacks every 2 minutes or so. Get into the airport racing over the skywalk with the speed of Linford Christy and the grace of a hippo. get to the departures and ask the lovely lady “Are you still checking in for the Cairns flight”. She looked at the clock, looked at me, I mustered up every bit of a charming smile even though I was hung over and completely out of breath, with a sigh she said ok, I thanked her perfously, through her every document I had, and got checked in.

So after all the joy with the flight arrived in Cairns, spent a nice week not doing a whole lot just lazin about the hostel. And now I am in Auckland, new country, new people, new money, new weather (my god its cold). Have a look at the picks and sorry it took so long to get a post up again.

At the Aquraium

Around Auckland City

In Cairns

Don’t worry it water, don’t forget to hydrate

Hi All,

Yes it has been a while. So what have I been doing with my time, well mostly trying to settle into Australia and figure out this way of life. So I have been busy, trying to figure out the drinking culture and how to get the most cheap pints and the like.

You are also wondering what is the comic stip! Well we have decided to put together a comic called the little leprechauns. We all designed our own charcter under the great tutilage of Jonny Keane. I still have to finish mine and figure how to put a beard on a comic character but its fun to learn. This will be a updated hopefully once a week with the interestings stories of little jonny, little brian, little ian and little joe. I hope you like it and please give us lots of feed back. 

So I have been a few places lately, I stared in Melbourne and we got started there and landed ourselves an apartement with Norman, our long haired landlord. It was an interesting place and remided me a lot of my fantastic apartement on Adelaide Rd. So we all setteled in and got to the serious work of discovering the night life of melboure and I cooked again which was nice.

I got talking to Suzie and Erica and they were off in the lovely Perth and I decided on a whim to go across with Brian. So we flew across. Now the thing with Virgin Blue airline is that they are lovely and cheap but the flights are nearly always at terrible hours, for example this flight was at 6:00am. Had a great few days in Perth with a few funny moments as well.

Me and Erica being very Civilized

Brian, Ciara, Sarah and Me

Me and Sarah showing them how its done

So off we after myself and Brian came back from Perth plans changed and we were off to Sydney. There was much discussion over the mode of transport to be taken and it was finally decided that hiring a car would be the best option. So off we went to the people in EuroCar and got ourselfs a beaut of a car the Subaru Outback. It was was a easy trip 1000km in two days with Brian, Ian and Jonny driving. Without a drivers licence I could not drive but it was a blessing sitting in the back watching DVDs on laptops and catching up on my sleep.

After only one week myself and Jonny were back to Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup. This is a huge event with the main day of the Cup hosting 120,000 people. It was a brilliant day and I got to meet up with my sister Anne. Jonny and I were staying with Frankie and Yolinda. So off we went to the cup.

There are many things that interest you when your dressed up this well

Just looking good

Having a drink or two

When in Rome

Taking a breather

Anne and Me looking well

Myself and Jonny with the Ladies

Big smile now

Another night out

Jetsetting again back up to Sydney. We went looking gun hoe for apartement and job and after 3 short weeks of looking hard and the odd bit of divilment here and there we finally found work and a house. We are living in a beautiful place with wooden floors and oh yea a room to myself ( first time in 7 months). Myself, Ian and Brian are working for the lovely people at Ericcson ( I should really make sure how to spell the name of the company) and Jonny is working for Commonwealth Bank. All doing well.

Talk to you soon Joe

So we in Oz now, but nobody says g’day mate, it rained there last week, and I got bit by something that didnt kill me… Then again we’ve seen neighbours, drank a slab of stubbies or two, and we live down the road from a pricilla-style drag show..  Melbournes nice, full of skyscrapers, efficient public transport and strange accents. The fringe and loads of other festivals are on, start of summer here, so theres plenty to do for the employment-challenged during the sunny weekdays :)

My dvds seem to be covered in masala chai and other random gunk, will put up some pics of indonesia and kuala-lumpar when the laptop arrives and I get a wire brush to em maybe…

Quiet Jakarta

Anyway, after thailand we we headed to malaysia to find the twin towers (the other ones), but they switch the lights off ater 1 so we lost em again…

Busy Jakarta

After being accosted by a bunch of transvestites and being charged 6euro for a beer we made a speedy getaway to jakarta, in java, indonesia (nerdy jokes galore)… A few days there and some advice from some random german people we headed to sumatra to find and climb a volcano called mt. sabayak. Brian got sick halfway up, but I decided to wander, after a few circles managed to get to the top and eggie smelling crater..

Berastagi, Sumatra

Decided then to find a deserted island and get a tent, problems encountered included the fact that we were in the midlands, and had no tent..  Eventually after a flight and boat we arrived on an island called bintan, still indonesia but close to singapore.

Found a quiet beach and lived in a hut on stilts over the water playing 25 and chess for a week or so.. Well, we seen some floating houses, went snorckling and brused up on our bahasa indonesia..

The gentlemans hut on bintan

Singapore on the way in (Counted 40-something boats bigger than o’connell st)

From there to singapore (the most paranoid city on earth), met back up with the lads, before flying south to here

“Wanna watch so you think you can dance?…”, “yup…..”, “yup….”