24/10/2011 - I have never... AND 26/10/2011 - Fire in the Oven

It's been a fun couple of days, alcohol-fuelled and fun.

On Saturday we mostly hung around the hostel, and in the evening had the plan to get in the hot tub with some beers and have a little chill out. It was lovely and hot but the night was cold, making the water even nicer. Couldn't really figure out how to make the bubbles work, but I queued up a playlist and it was was lovely. Matt and Dave joined us a little later and then two guys from New Zealand turned up and offered around their beer and stash. All in all a relaxing night, even nicer when Matt got his guitar out afterwards and we all had a sing.

Trying to keep the cold beer out of the hot pool!

Yesterday morning I helped Cheryl do the beds and rubbish jobs, which is pretty self explanatory in that you change the beds and take out the rubbish. We decided to go to the museum yesterday, but it would of cost $10 just to see some old ships - not interested. Instead Cheryl, Hayley, Matt and I went to the Aquarium which was right next door. Saw a giant squid body, a stingray and petted a lizard, a pretty cool way to spend an hour or so. We wandered around Picton for a bit before settling down for dinner and chocolate pudding back at the hostel. Whether it was the sugar rush from the pudding or from the shot of Jaeger I don't know, but I was suddenly really psyched for the RWC final which was that night. We'd made plans to go to The Flying Haggis, a Scottish pub we found on the main highstreet, so after getting a little bit dressed up we all left, with two additions who I'd apparently invited from the kitchen in my pudding stupor.

The game was amazingly close, with only two tries scored the whole match. The French played well, admittedly, but the All Blacks deserved that win and even though I am obviously not from NZ, even I felt a little emotional for them, you could see how much it meant to them to win, on their home turf, after 24 years.

Go the All Blacks!

We then realised how ridiculously under-prepared we were for an All Blacks win - we hadn't bought any more alcohol! This being New Zealand, and no less Picton, everything was closed at 11.15pm on a Sunday. We found ourselves dreaming of 24hr Tesco on every corner. Nowhere seemed to have any alcohol at all, so we'd decided we'd have a dry party back at the hostel, which we had to go back to since Hayley was on night duty and drinking out is very expensive. We'd pretty much given up, until when we were only about 200m from the hostel, Hayley spotted a bit, red illuminated sign that said 'Tui' on it and she remembered that was the beer that the NZ guys had had the night before. It was across the playing field that seperates the hostel and other things, almost like a town square, so me and Cheryl ventured over to discover a pub we'd never even known was there. Furthermore, it was a pub that was happy to sell us a big bottle of vodka and two big bottles of Coke - result! We marched back over to the rest, holding the vodka as if it were the World Cup trophy itself, and hilarity ensued. Joined by Stefano from Chile, Dave from Canada and some French guy, there were ten of us all together and we started off a game of 'I Never...'. If you've never played I never (which you really should...) it's a drinking game where each person in turn says "I have never...." then finishes with an action, eg "I have never... done a bungy jump." If you have done that thing, you have to have a drink. Of course, like all good drinking games it descends into the realms of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll eventually, the more you drink. We done another couple of trips over to the pub to top up on alcohol and moved onto playing 'Fuck the Dealer' before eventually deciding to move inside to listen to more guitar playing and singing along. Canadian Dave had a little dance, whilst the rest of us had a sing along to either Matt or German Dave playing. Between them, they played for a good three hours and the next thing we knew it was 4.30am, which made us all very awake that we all had work in the morning. Time for bed. I'd moved rooms that day so literally all of my things were on my bed, so I spent a good ten minutes gently lifting things to the floor without waking the others in the room.

Drunken smiles

Dave and Cheryl

Guitar times - Matt's a genius!

This morning felt like death, I didn't realise how drunk I'd been last night until I woke up at 7am this morning feeling like my brain had collapsed. Since the famed 2008 pick'n'mix incident, I've made a point of avoiding vodka at all costs, now I remember why. Went into the kitchen for breakfast and was greeted by similar looking people from the night before, all nursing hangovers and shaking our heads at each other, each of us knowing we had to work. I was on beds again today, not too bad except Yuki seems convinced to tell me everything I do is wrong but hey ho, I was probably a lot more easily annoyed due to the fact that I was being attacked from every angle by the hangover. I didn't have it bad though, poor Cheryl was on bathrooms this morning, a direct quote from Cheryl - "I wanted to puke cleaning those toilets, how can you lose that many pubes to the toilet when they're only here for one night!?" - In context, we had a massive tour group descend on us last night and then leave again this morning, leaving destruction in their path, it was a nightmare.

After work we decided the best cure would be to go and have fish and chips from Mr Chips (yep, he's here in Picton too!) and then do some shopping for the staff meal tonight. Once a week, Mike gives the staff $30 to cook a big meal between them to share, so tonight Cheryl, Hayley and I are cooking a Sunday (Monday) roast and the others are doing the dishes afterwards. I'm going to go make some Yorkshires now, so I'll be speaking to you all soon.

Oh oh, and a very exciting thing happened today, my beautiful best friend Nikki had her second little girl. I'm so happy for her and so so proud, I can't wait to see pictures. Love you Nikki! xxx

Well, I finished writing this on the 24th but then forgot to post it or upload any pictures, so rather than write it all over again, I'll add to the bottom of this! - 26/10/2011


I'll start by telling you that the roast dinner was mostly successful, except for that we did set the oven on fire. See, what was happening is that the butter from the yorkshires tray was dripping to the bottom and smoking, so we thought we'd put some tinfoil in the bottom to catch the drips, sensible no? Anyhow, the butter got on the tinfoil and apparently got too hot and set on fire. We didn't realise this until we checked the chicken and as Cheryl closed the oven again, I saw a glimpse of flame. It went something like this...

Me: I'm pretty sure I just saw fire in there!Cheryl: (Thinks whatever but checks anyway) Shit! The oven's on fire! Get Mike, get Mike!


Hilarity ensues, after the initial turn-off-the-fire-alarm-open-the-windows panic and miraculously, none of the food was ruined, although the yorkshires were slightly singed. So the meal was nice, if a little cold (silly roast dinner timings) though I think the Asian girls were a bit unsure of it. But everyone ate it and Matt even had seconds so it couldn't of been that bad at all.

Yesterday we worked and then after sitting about for a bit, had a game on Monopoly. Now, Monopoly always starts off being a good idea, but you soon remember how it has the ability to break friendships and after an hour of playing the atmosphere was tense. I like to take full advantage of the rule where if the next player has rolled, you can no longer claim rent if you missed it. So when I rolled a double and landed on Matt's hotel-ed yellows, I was happy to have rolled quickly enough to avoid the $1000 rent. He was not so happy, and was pretty mad, probably understandably. Everyone started to get Monopoly exhaustion and we finished the game, declaring Matt the winner... I'm not sure I've ever played a full game of Monopoly.

Last night was nice and chilled out. I made Hayley, Cheryl and I steak in pitta breads for dinner and then we hung out with Dave and Matt in the hot tub. Dave had been to see Jan which meant we could have a little smoke too and we just sat and looked up at the stars, told scary stories and asked questions like "Would you rather be an arm or a leg?" Also, I saw a shooting star and yes I did make a wish.

Today the weather is dreadful, chucking it down, so I'm in front of the fire with a cup'a'soup and a copy of Cosmo, lovely. One more day of work then I'm off to Nelson of Friday, sad to leave my new friends.

 

9/10/2011 - Back to Auckland

I was up at 6am yesterday to get a lift into Auckland city. It wasn't actually too bad getting up, I'm becoming a bit of an early riser, who would have thought? I got a lift in with a friend of the family I'm staying with right now, Clayton. A nice guy and we chatted quite happily along the way. It was good to only be travelling for three hours instead of the five that it takes on the bus. 

I asked to be dropped at DressSmart, which is an outlet mall in Auckland for brands which are usually far too expensive for my meagre budget. It was awesome. I spent around $100 (£50) but got;

Roxy boardies

Roxy bikini

Sprint shoes

Amazon skirt

Truth Love Baby coat

Amazon tee

I was so gutted though, there was an Abercrombie outlet but the sizes were all too big. There was a top for $5!! But it was too big. Disappointment. Anyhow, I had some lunch there and at around 1pm headed to Onehunga train station to get from the suburbs into the CBD. Found my way to my hostel and checked in then left again straight away to find a bar. Found the QF Tavern on Queen Street which was full of English so got a drink there. Luckily they took my driving license as ID, most places here won't take anything but a passport if you're foreign but I wasn't going to risk bringing my passport, no way. 

Couple of drinks, some drunken facebook-ing and some taunting of the French later, I went to get a pie and headed to another bar. By this time it was getting towards 5pm and the free buses to Eden Park were setting off. I got on one and it was full of French, so I ducked my head and sat down. Then some English got on and headed to the back of the bus, I joined them... bloody French. They started up a chorus of the French national anthem to which we replied with the first of many renditions of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, complete with Mum's explicit version of the actions. I met Rosie, the night's mascot, a little toy bulldog in a St George's flag coat. And of course Rosie's owners, Ed and Edd who invited me to tag along with them for the night. When we got to Eden Park we headed to the pub to watch the Wales - Ireland game but the place was packed and the beer was $9 a bottle! We moved from there are went over to another pub down the road, which was full too but the guy on the door was controlling the crowd so everyone could see. The guys bought me a couple of Peroni's, so I was suitably drunk along with Rosie. Wales won to much jubilation and then we headed over to the stadium! We split up at this point because we were sitting in different areas and I climbed the million stars to category D and found my seat, or so I thought. Turns out I was in the wrong seat but the guy I sat next to, Tim, gave me the number of his sister who was driving back to Taupo the next day and who wanted company for the drive. Never got a text back from her but then I can't guarantee that I was in any state to put the number in correctly.

Found my actual seat next to a 10 year old boy and two women. Sang the national anthem terribly but patriotically and boo-ed the French as they came on. Then I got a text from the guys saying there was a spare seat next to them, so I ran all the way back down the stairs then up into the other block up more stairs to find someone had taken that seat! Charming! But the guys budged up and I squeezed in. We were all pretty snug, which was fine until one of us jumped up because something was happening and the other two had to jump up with them since there was no choice but to do so. The game went pretty badly, with the French singing their bloody song with every try. Sure we got a couple in the second half but it was too late. There's no denying that the atmosphere was awesome though. 

Rosie and Ed

Watching Wales - Ireland

Rosie

Me and Rosie, just chilli'n with a Peroni

Eden Park

Singing the National Anthem

Kick-off! 

Went to the pub afterwards to drown my sorrows, met a few more people then Ed, Edd and I got a taxi into CBD with some random, very drunk Kiwi guy. They all tried to convince me to carry on drinking, but I knew I was done and asked the taxi guy to take me to the hostel. Stumbled into my bed and slept like a log, bonus. This morning I spent a good 5 hours on the bus to get back to Taupo, but God I'm glad to be back. Gen told me this place is a trap, that people stop in for a drink and never leave, and I can see why. I really, really can. We're sitting watching the All Blacks beat Argentina now on the TV, after spending the afternoon with Gen watching a hilarious comedian called Danny Bhoy. I introduced her to Russell Howard too and we got a Chinese and pretty much just vegged out, it's been good! Going to wait for Mum to appear and chat to her for a bit before settling in for the night.

5/10/2011 - Confusion, Storms and L&P

It's been a little bit of a mess of two days really. After thinking I'd got a real good deal on my rental car, Rob took a look and found I'd been kinda scammed. Most of the time, these companies offer unlimited kms, but since it's the RWC there's been a money-making niche and you now get 100kms free then it's $0.25 per km thereafter. So with Auckland being a good 300kms away, it'd cost far too much. So I'm currently in the process of trying to find a lift or deciding whether to bus or hitch-hike. Don't freak out people at home, hitch-hiking is common here, everyone does it and it's pretty safe.  Then there's the question of accommodation. With the car, I could either drive back the same night or sleep in the car, and with it being the game, everything in Auckland is either booked or expensive. I'll probably end up bussing it, but I'm putting the decision off until tomorrow.

Today is my last day working at the lodge and it's been pretty relaxed, just did some email stuff for Becky and then prepped the rooms for the new guests today. It seems I've been taken off bed-making duty though - I thought they looked pretty but whatevs. I can't really say I'm sad to be leaving tomorrow, but it's not that I'm happy to leave either, I'm quite indifferent about it. Becky and Rob have been good hosts, but there was no real friendship with them like I got in NC. Tomorrow when I go to Bryce and Diane's will be exciting though!

Yesterday I went into town when I finished work to pick up my ticket for Saturday, and it even came in it's own little RWC pack. The weather was lovely yesterday, t-shirt weather. I think the storm from the night before must have blown all the clouds away But boy was there a storm. It was about 12pm and it was so close and so loud, it shook my windows! Needless to say I haven't experiences a storm like that before and it was a bit scary. Back to rain today though - boo!

After I picked up my ticket, I had a nice little wander around Taupo, looking into the shops but not buying anything. Although I very nearly bought something to send home to Nikki, but I'm gonna find something better. I found a gorgeous little store that had all cute things and books in it, I wanted to buy it all. I meant to get the bus back, but I missed it, so I decided to walk back. Becky told me it would take 45mins from town. It actually took an hour and a half, in the totally wrong shoes, uphill. I was not amused. But I did try my first L&P on the way, which was lovely.

Today I skyped Mum and worked, I really do need to pack for tomorrow. The rain is really coming down now. It's so strange being this high up with such a good view, because I think we're inside the cloud right now. If I look out the window to the left, I can't see past the end of the balcony, it's all just white. But if I look to the right I can see a, albeit hazy, view right across the lake as usual. Combined with the heavy rain, this leads me to believe I am in a cloud. 

3/10/2011 - Kinloch

It's been a horrible couple of days weather wise here in Taupo, whilst I hear it's been glorious sunshine and hot weather at home in England. Basically, what I think has happened, is that someone told the Met Office I was here and that I was a little homesick, so they thought they'd 'help' and send some British weather over this way. Thanks guys, but I'm all better now! Speaking of being all better, my cold is pretty much gone. I'm still a little sniffly, but I think not going out in the rain and eating lots has helped me beat it. 

Saturday night, Becky had people round to watch the Rugby. The games were France - Tonga and England - Scotland. I stayed out of the way a bit for the France - Tonga, not really too interested in that and would rather catch up with Desperate Housewives, but I went in at half time and watched Tonga completely demolish the French. A shock yes, but a welcome one, though I did feel for poor Leah (a former helper) who is French and was obviously disappointed - France are still through however! Then onto the real game, but not before the guests tucked into some of the bolognese I made, Mum's recipe of course. There was enough to feed the army there, and we've been eating leftovers for the last 2 days! 

The England game was good, especially as we won, but only in the last two minutes! And Jonny Wilkinson was ridiculous... but I'll forgive him because he's gorgeous. Can't be losing to the Scots, honestly, they'll be wanting independence next... (kidding, Scotland, kidding! Take independence if you vote 'yes' in the referendum, whatever you wanna do y'know!). I crawled into bed after the rugby and had a chat with Mum, I still can't get over the time difference, so strange that she's just getting up when I go to bed. 

Yesterday I met up with Mum's friend Bryce and his partner Diane. They're lovely people and I met Bryce briefly when he came over to England a few years back. They picked me up around midday in the end, after some confusion about when I actually was and a heavy night the night before. We went for a bit of brunch at a little cafe, which was actually quite busy, so two cups of tea, prawn tortellini and some catching up later, we took a drive to Kinoch. On the way however, we stopped at a reserve, where we pulled up, climbed over a stile and walked down to the water's edge of Lake Taupo. 

(Fun side story, I just googled how to spell stile because I wasn't sure, so I typed in 'style walking' and what came back was "Ability to orgasm affected by walking style" - that is not what I was looking for, silly google.)

The views were just beautiful and I dipped my feet in the lake. It wasn't warm, but it was sure warmer than the North Sea! The water was also much much clearer than the North Sea. Diane told me how the lake was formed by a volcanic eruption and that if there's another one, the water will rise by another 10 feet! Then Bryce told me all about how they now think that there were people in this area even before the Maori and that there are Celtic carvings that point to some people similar to the Vikings.

After here, we continued on and had a coffee and cake at the Tipsy Trout in Kinoch itself. They were looking for a waitress for Christmas, half a mind to apply and just stay here forever (not really Mum, don't worry). We met a parrot who was very friendly and got a shock when Bryce gave it a peppermint. Basically, Bryce and Diane are lovely and I'm going to take them up on their offer to go and stay with them from Thursday to Monday. They did offer me their place for as long as I want but I'm afraid that I have a lot of places to see and just 8 weeks to go. 

Once they dropped me back, I done some work here at the lodge and started thinking how great it would be to go to the quarter finals game between England and France. Dreaming really, I looked up ticket prices but was expecting $1000+. For a Category D ticket, it was $190. £95(ish). But then I thought getting to Auckland would cost a lot... $60 on the bus, not bad. $50 to rent a car - even better! So it'd be £120 to go and watch England beat France (hopefully...). Especially after the French annoying me in Rotorua this would be nice. I decided to sleep on it because £120 is a lot of money on my budget, even if it's a bargain for what it is. Then, something amazing happened. Our very close family friend, let's call him 'h' (that's not code, he's not a secret agent, it's his name... or is it?), sent me a message on Facebook and said he wanted to buy me a ticket! What a bloody superstar! So I am over the moon! I bought a ticket and booked my rental car! So so stoked to go!

Today after waking up and assuring myself this all really was happening, I did some work at the lodge, clearing out the garage and decided against going out. There was a big storm here today and the weather was horrible, I'll brave it tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow is to go and pick up my ticket (yay!) and go buy an England shirt. Job done.

In other news, I'm getting 'grass is greener' syndrome, where I'm imagining my life when I get home and seeing it as perfect, through rose tinted glasses. However, is it really rose tinted? Because I'm pretty sure it will be awesome.

Oh and I'm home a month earlier now, February 24th.

Oh #2, Rhea is booking her flights to Bali on Wednesday, and the way it works out is we'll meet at Singapore airport and get the plane to Bali together since we both have a transfer at Singapore, funny how that works out. Unbelievably excited to see her, I miss her so much and we're gonna have such an amazing time.

Things are goooood.