Blogs from Hastings, Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania

After three weeks of fairly hard work, I was able to look into my bank account and actually see some meaningful numbers on the screen...yes I had been paid, joy! I decided to take myself off to the South Island for an unspecified period of time, and to sample what is widely regarded as some of the best scenery not just in New Zealand, but the world. Thanks to an early birthday present from Sarah and Peter, a driving guide book of New Zealand, I planned an epic route covering virtually every inch of the South Island. For many years I have dreamed of going whale watching, and Kaikoura on the East Coast, a town renowned as being a whaling hotspot, presented the perfect opportunity for me to coincide my birthday celebrations and a trip out ... read more

I was told that Wellington was a notoriously windy city, and it was...because I had had a curry...and it was a bad one! But anyway enough about my out of control colon. It was blue skies galore as we drove into the centre of town alongside the sea and past the Westpac Stadium, where I would be heading for the game the following day. I met up with Daryl whom I had met at Heathrow all those weeks ago now, and we headed to my hostel to check-in, drop off my bag and go for some lunch and a few beers. After several hours of ploughing money into the pub trade, we decided to go and explore the sights and sounds of Wellington. We stumbled upon a small rugby pitch situated in a cosy precinct near ... read more

The previous weekend in Dunedin was spent feeling rather hungover, so I left Hastings bright and early on Friday morning for Auckland expecting to be on a ward in A&E, because I would be drinking with the Irish! However before all the shenanigans of match day began, I had the very difficult task of waking up early to contend with, as my coach to Auckland departed just after 7. In what was the longest journey so far (9 hours), we stopped in Taupo, which despite its tranquil lake and stunning hillside, looked like Blackpool minus the drunk Northerners. It was there we picked up Gav and Mike, an Irishman and a Welshman who were following their nations matches around New Zealand. Clearly they were going to struggle to be at the Welsh match in Hamilton the ... read more

As I write this I have settled back into farm life, my nemesis the bull has gone and i've been uploading my photos from the weekend...and an amazing one at that! However prior to the festivities beginning in Dunedin, I flew down to Christchurch to catch up with my cousin Joel, whom I hadn't seen since he last visited the UK several years ago. It was only a flying visit as I had an early bus to Dunedin the following morning, so hadn't the time to visit the centre of town and see the devastation left by February's earthquake. It was 8 o'clock the following morning when I boarded the bus to Dunedin, a time of day in which I have only just re-discovered after failing to adknowledge its existence during my three years at uni. ... read more

After well over a day sitting on aeroplanes and unfortunately not getting much sleep, I've finally arrived in New Zealand feeling rather dopey and indeed smelling quite rank! I was lucky enough to meet a fellow Rugby World Cup traveller and Welsh fan called Daryl at Heathrow check-in, and did what all good students do...head for the nearest pub! After a refreshing pint and a good sports related chin wag we boarded the flight to Auckland, which made a routine stop at Hong Kong (roughly half way) in order for the plane to re-fuel and to give us a chance to stretch our tired limbs. Daryl and I hung around with fellow passengers, New Zealanders Jeff and Heather, Jeff wearing possibly the winning rugby jersey in 8 weeks time, although lets hope England have something to ... read more

"If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?" --- Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk. Qantas (my courier over a couple of thousand miles) insist on starting their safety videos with an introduction from Billy Bob Thornton (or someone resembling him) wearing a pilot's uniform; and I thought, the last thing Billy Bob Thornton should be trusted with is a safety briefing to a plane full of people. And there was me, cramped into a centre aisle seat on a twenty-two hour flight from London to Sydney. On my right, Crocodile Dundee, complete with hat, obstructing the path to the aisle and with it the commode and well-rehearsed DVT exercises. On my left, a Frenchman who had been living in Glasgow for the past nine years, ... read more

This morning we made a bacon roll for breakfast - a two foot long baguette with a whole packet of bacon! V. naughty but v. filling too. Before leaving I had a chat with the receptionist about how full their chalets get, and she said : really, really full at times. She said that during the past Easter weekend, they could have filled the centre twice over. It is particularly popular with school groups from abroad, even from Aberystwyth in Wales! Apparently it is cheaper for them to come here rather than to go to Europe. Given that there were so many hotels, motels in town, to think that they at the periphery of the town were chock a block, is amazing. We set off at 10am towards Taupo, becoming more and more entranced by the ... read more