Auckland - Back In The Big City!!!

Tom In The Daze Of Auckland's Skyline

So it's been a while since I updated - far too long in fact, so I apologise for that but my events during that time won't disappoint! So let me begin.....

I arrived back in Auckland about 6 weeks ago and have been here pretty much all of that duration. Yet while I have settled (for now), my life continues to race past me. In brief, life is far from normal. For example - in the past month and a bit I have nearly been killed in a quad bike incident, I've chased a criminal down the road, I've been to a World Cup Final and oh yeah - I got electrocuted. Coupled with some nights out that can only be summed up with the word "chaos" and throw in a 5th bungy jump to all that - and thats where I'm up to these days.

My first night in Auckland was the start of all the mayhem that has preceded recently. The day I arrived - I took a trip to Waiheke Island. It's a stunning place, full of quiet beaches and vineyards. I met up with two friends who I had met and gone out with in what became a crazy night in Taupo. By the time I had arrived Rob, Harriet and Harriet's cousin Kate (all from England originally) were already a little merry and had picked up three Kiwi guys who were also relatively merry. One of them had a house out on the Island so we all went back. Well, I say a house - what it turned out to be was a secluded 70's style mansion, set up in the hillside and looking over a particularly nice stretch of sand known as Palm Beach. Aparently his neighbour was the richest man in New Zealand - I believed it. We Spent the night drinking, playing cards and getting lost trying to get to the beach.

From that moment on, I had found my new best friends in Auckland. With Darren left back in Taupo, Harriet, Rob and Kate became my new best pals. We would meet during the weekday's after work and at weekends and chill out. Harriet and Kate have an Aunt and Uncle living north of Auckland (they own a farm) and we have all been up to visit. On one occasion - they were throwing a BBQ party and so we all headed over. Harriet, in no fit state to drive decided that she would take me on her Aunt's quad bike and show me the farm. It was pitch dark but she knew the farm and there would be no cars out there - so off we went. With blurred vision, Harriet lost control on the side of a hill and the quad began to roll. Luckily for me I was thrown off one side to safety but as I stand up I see the quad completely roll over, perhaps three times and Harriet is somewhere under it. Now this is what you think during a situation like this - I have no idea where I am, it's pitch dark with no idea how to get back, I can't call anyone because I have no reception and I have a dead girl lying under a quad bike. Fortunately for me I hear a scream as the quad has only landed (somehow) only on Harriet's foot - and the word's "Alex, get this quad bike off me". I then had to lift this vehicle off her and get it back the right way. In the end we all survived but Harriet's foot (over a month later) is still in agony and she is now going for an MRI scan to finally figure out what the hell she has done to it.

In other recent events - we all went to a World Cup Final. The first ever U17's Womens World Cup was being held in New Zealand and the final was being played in Auckland - so we all got tickets and went to see USA take on Korea. It was held in a small but impressive stadium and 16,000 people turned up to see the game. I can't say that the football on display was of the highest quality but it was a friendly atmosphere and a good day out. The great Franz Beckenbauer was there too, to hand the trophy out to Korea who deservedly won.

Many more events have accumulated during my time in Auckland, but first - I had a job to start.......