Around The World in 80 Days (or there abouts)

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It was more like 90, but close enough to use the cliché in my opinion. Well what a fantastic trip. I am slightly annoyed with myself for coming home two days early, because the weather alone is making me want to go back to Fiji, not to mention the fact that I haven’t got a job and already fed up of England in general. Having said that, of course I am glad to be home and I am looking forward to seeing everyone again and telling you some stories. Some stories however may have to be left to certain audiences, but in truth there is not a lot at all to keep from anyone, even my parents. I didn’t get a tattoo or piercing, they may be glad to hear.

I feel it necessary to say a few thankyous to everyone who made this trip happen; firstly, to all those exceptionally generous people who helped fund my adventure, without you I would never have left the country, let alone been able to do all the things I have done. Secondly, to my friends & family for emotional support while I was away, whether in times of joy, dismay or if I was just feeling a bit lonely. Lastly, I think a thankyou should go to my parents. They are the real reason behind this trip. They both provided the encouragement and motivation, as well as the kick out of the door, that I needed to send me away. To be honest, it was more my mother that was the encouragement, and Dad just threatened to charge me rent if I didn’t leave. But thank you all.

I do realise that I have not added a blog entry for well over a month now, however this is for two very credible reasons. Half of this month was spent racing up through New Zealand, in an attempt to make my flight out of Auckland whilst trying to take in all the beautiful country had to offer (like black water rafting). This “race against time” meant that I was unable to put any pen to paper, I really did not get a moments rest. The last two weeks of my holiday were spent in a hammock on various glorious beaches in Fiji, with all the time in the world… just no computer for absolutely miles. So yet again I was unable to do an entry. Many apologies.

My Grandfather gave me some advice just before I left; some profound wisdom passed on from an experienced traveller and voyager. He said, “Nick, if there is any advice I can give you about travelling, it is about relationships. When it comes to relationships while travelling, do not get tied down with one person, however special they seem, because at some point you will have to part ways, and it will only cause problems and unhappiness … instead, try and have a different girlfriend in every port you visit”. The gene that possesses the ability to make female acquaintances like that must have been lost over the past couple of generations, because I do not seem to own it and my father certainly does not.

I guess that all there is left to do is tell you all about the past month in a bit more detail. Well, I still haven't seen much of "Middle-Earth". I did get some very spectacular views of the "Misty Mountains" and the "plains of Rohan", except most of these views where on the long coach journeys, so was only a passing panorama out of the window. What was worse was when I was in the North Island. I passed Mt. Doom, and the only window of opportunity I had to take a photo... it was covered in cloud. On top of this, we stopped in the town where "Hobbiton" was filmed (the place with the little houses in the side of hills), but the farmer who owes the land it was filmed on wants $50 to let you go in and see the remains of the set. So that was obviously a no-go...

I last left you when I was finishing up my journey through the South Island of New Zealand. I was in Queenstown after just being to the ‘Deep South’, and visiting the stunning Milford Sound. From here, I travelled back to Christchurch (from where I started my journey) with the two Canadian girls. They were flying to Fiji from here, so we went out for a farewell meal that evening, and I departed the following morning. The last stop on the South Island was Kaikoura… again…; the place most famous for its fantastic whale and dolphin viewing (apparently the best place in the country). When I came through here last time, I was not too fussed about going out on a trip to see either of the animals. However I had a change of heart the second time round, and put my name down. Upon arrival, the trip had unfortunately been cancelled due to bad weather conditions. I am hoping to do a whale watching trip sometime in he future, hopefully the next time I visit the West Coast of Canada. If you recall, the last time I came through this town (about two weeks prior), I did that tough, yet incredibly rewarding, climb up Mt. Fyffe. It was interesting to see it covered in snow, compared to when I climbed it without even a hint of snow, which only seemed a few days before.

The next day, I ventured up into the North Island of New Zealand, the more cultural and… umm… volcanically active of the two. The ferry crossing took a surprisingly long time, around four hours, for a distance which I thought was shorter than the Channel, but maybe I was wrong. I spent two nights in the country’s capital, Wellington. I met two girls from up North here, who I bumped into in Fiji, and also travelled to and stayed with in LA. I expect to meet up with them when I go to University in the Autumn. The rest of the North was quite a rush, which unfortunately meant I couldn’t even do a skydive, which I was quite upset about. My mother, you will be surprised to hear, was not ever so upset about it. The most famous, because it is the cheapest, place to do a skydive in New Zealand is a town called Taupo (also famous for the lake it is on, the largest in New Zealand). The drivers of the buses always recommend staying at least three nights here if you can, not only to do a skydive, but also because there are lots of other things to do and see… I arrived there at about four in the afternoon, and left at eight the next morning.

The following stop was the most geothermal spot in New Zealand… Rotorua… which is well known for the marvellous smell of rotten eggs through-out the town. It was here that I took a trip out to the Waitomo Caves, where I did a spot of Black Water Rafting. This was slightly different to the River Boarding I did in Queenstown, the main difference being that the River Boarding was on a river above ground. The Black Water Rafting… wasn’t. It involved getting kitted-up in much the same attire, the subtle difference being the body board was replaced with a rubber ring, like a giant tyre inner-tube. We then proceeded into an underground cave system, and journeyed through small tunnels, over waterfalls and under millions of glow worms. Over all, an activity I would thoroughly recommend.

Although I was departing the country from my next stop, it was not my last. I spent one night in the city of Auckland, before venturing up to the top of the country, to a place called the Bay of Islands, so called as it is a bay containing almost 150 islands. Upon arrival, I expected it to be a rather terrible few days if the weather was going to stay like it was, as I was warned the Bay of Islands can only be seen in its glory when it is not raining, I guess like pretty much everywhere. Luckily, the next day was glorious, and a group of us travelled up to literally the most northern part of the country, Cape Reigna. It was a fantastic day, as we had been told it would be. After visiting the lighthouse at the tip, we did a spot of sand boarding, and then journeyed down the 90 mile long beach, which is legally considered a road.

My last full day in the country I spent in the company of four ladies, taking a water taxi over the bay to the oldest port in New Zealand called Russel. We then took a walk over the hill to a small bay the other side, where we spent a few hours. After a pleasant lunch over looking the harbour, three of us caught the ferry back, as we had to make the bus back to Auckland. We rolled in late in the evening, and I quickly went to bed, as I was up early to do a few errands before catching my flight at midday. While queuing for check-in at the airport, I met a very old school friend who I subsequently travelled with to our first stop out in the Fijian Yasawa Island Group, where she was meeting two school friends, one who I had been friendlier with back at Danes Hill. This first resort we stayed at, Sunset Waya, made me realise how very primitive Fiji was. Although I did not really know what to expect of Fiji, I had an idea that it would be of a similar or even higher standard of living than Thailand. I was, however, much mistaken. Neither country by any means has a poor standard of living, but I did expect slightly more of Fiji. Never-the-less, it was nothing that I was not use to, after spending many weeks away under canvas, at least I had a roof over my head… having said that, it was probably made of palm leaves.

I left after two nights for the nicest resort I stayed at, Oarsmans Bay, situated on the most northern island, Nacula. I only stayed here for one night, because it was fairly expensive, but the food was really good; three course buffet on the beach for dinner. The following day, I moved down to the next island down, Navula LaiLai, to a resort called Gold Coast. This was possibly the worst place I stayed at, but I met three really nice people here, who I stayed with for a few days. All four of us left promptly the next day, and decided to go to a resort I had been recommended called Long Beach. This was a lot nicer than the previous place… at least we got mosquito nets. The last place the four of us went was a spot called Korovou, on the biggest island Naviti. This was probably the nicest resort that was not that expensive, as the staff were really friendly… and there was a swimming pool. The two girls of our group (once again Canadian), left the following day, as they were not spending as long as us other two out on the Islands. Joe stayed a following two nights, and I stayed three. While were we there, I did probably the most amazing thing I did while I was away. It was so good I did it twice. I went swimming with Manta Rays. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen, being only metres away from these gigantic creatures, as they move so gracefully through the water as if they were flying. Something I would definitely do a third time.

My last two stops in Fiji were spending one night on the Wanna Taki Cruise and then a final night on a resort called Manta Ray Island Resort. The cruise was like most other cruises round tropical islands; jumping off the side of the boat and drinking cocktails. Almost every day in Fiji had been glorious, with only a couple of showers during the whole two weeks. However my final day on the Islands, the weather gave a sharp turn, and it rained all day. This I took as a sign to leave quickly. I flew that night to LA, where I spent two nights staying on Hollywood Boulevard. I was not ever so interested in seeing the Star’s homes or visiting Universal Studios, so a group of us just spent the day I had there doing the Walk of Fame, and seeing some famous people’s footprints outside a theatre.

I arrived home two days early to surprise my family (who were VERY surprised), and I am now starting to get back into the swing of things, although I would prefer to be in New Zealand again. Hopefully I will go back after University. We will see.

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