I looked down at the calender on my phone during the return journey from the Bay of Islands - it was February 8th 2009, and it marked my one year anniversary traveling the world. When I started out, I actually had a flight home on this day - a British Airways flight from Buenos Aires (Argentina) to London (England). I lost that flight and a few others when I decided to stay in New Zealand for a year or more.
It's weird thinking I have been away for a year now. Although I have traveled 9 countries, experienced and seen so much, met the most amazing people and basically had the time of my life - I still remember leaving Heathrow Airport and waving away to the family as though it was yesterday.
People always ask when I'm returning home or what my plans are and to be honest I still havn't got the faintest idea - I never did and probably never will. Every plan I make seems to change from day to day and it's seemed to work well for me so far. I'd still like to see South America before I return home as I'd always planned and maybe even fit a few more places along the way. I think a big factor in all these decisions will be if I can continue to get work studying volcanoes or where the next volcanology job may be. For now though I'm having a fantastic time, working in a job I love and traveling the country with friends during my time off. It's ideal really.
The night of February 8th 2009, my beloved Tottenham Hotspur played our bitter rivals Ars*nal in the Premier League. It ended up 0-0 but we definately deserved the win and should of taken the three points. Ha Ha. It doesn't matter how long you've been away some things never change!!!
Friday, 20 March 2009
One Year - On The Road
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
The Bay Of Islands
It's quite amazing how many public holidays they seem to have here in New Zealand. Either that or they decided to get the formalities over with and just group them all into one month. The weekend that followed my trek around volcanic centres within the Tongariro National Park, appeared to be another period of extended time off work. Not one for missing an opportunity, Tom, Kate, Rob, Harriet and myself decided to go on a little road trip.
With 5 of us crammed into Rob's Honda we headed up north. Geographically, Auckland is pretty north itself when looking at a map of NZ. Yet, take a trip over the Harbour Bridge and you find yourself cruising up a narrowing stretch of land known as Northland. It peaks at a place called Cape Reinga after a ride along Ninety Mile Beach (which isn't actually ninety miles - it's about 60). It takes about 8 hours or so from Auckland to get there and we decided this was a little to far to travel this time around. Instead, about halfway up is a place called the Bay of Islands. Situated in the heart of the Northland region, the Bay of Islands is aparently famed for it's stunning coastal scenery and forms one of New Zealand's major attractions.
As the site of NZ's first permanent English settlement, the region also has enormous historical significance. It was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was drawn up, the linchpin of race relations in modern-day NZ. The Treaty goes back to 1840, when on the 6th of February, the English government and the Maori Chiefs struck a deal for peacful living within the country and the founding document now has a standing similar to the US constitution. We arrived in the Bay of Island's on the 6th February and the public holiday that we were celebrating was Waitangi Day.
After stopping in a few places on the way (and spotting the NZ famous - "Treehouse" restaurant, which is as it says but looks amazing even if you do have to book 6 months in advance of getting a table), we finally made it to a small sea-side town called Russell. It's a mission to drive to so instead you can get the car ferry over a small stretch of water from Paihia. We didn't really have time to look around Russell for now - instead we dumped our bags and got the ferry back to check out the town of Waitangi.
Waitangi on Waitangi Day, as you can imagine, was packed. It was full of street stalls and market stands selling all sorts of items along the beach front. Kids were jumping off a fair sized bridge into the ocean and generally everyone was having a good time in a festival atmosphere. Apart from the odd traveller like ourselves, the area was dominated by Maori's who take this celebration incredibly seriously. We had a look at the famous sight too - the Treaty House where the documents were signed and aside, generally wondered the street's taking it all in. A short walk from Waitangi is Paihia - a small, pretty beach town that has become a major traveller destination over recent years for everyone wanting to chill out. We spent a bit of time looking around before ending up in a pub. After a day of celebrations we caught the ferry back to Russell. Harriet, Tom and myself somehow ended up on Long Beach drinking and playing games until the early hours of the following day. Messy.
The next day, we checked out Russell. It's an historical and quiet town full of cafe's and quaint gift shops. It has a very old feel to it and although seems quite charming now, once had a more shady past. According to Charles Darwin, Russell was full of 'the refuse of society' in 1835 - and with us there - I suppose little has changed in 170 odd years!!!
Usually you don't often have to book hostels or any other type of accommodation in NZ as a general rule. That is unless it's a festival or public holiday. Due to our lack of planning, we thus had to leave our current accommodation in Russell and instead searched for a place in Paihia. Ten minutes outside the town we found this most amazing little place. The hostel had a pool table and table tennis, a great deck with hammocks and a river with rope-swing attached. It also had free use of kayaks. Needless to say, we spent most of the day lazing about and jumping into the river. Later the cards came out, as did the alcohol....... and a few drunken hours later I'm playing Harriet at table tennis and we're both unable to hit anything except perhaps each other.
Just around the corner from the hostel is the Haruru Falls and the following day - Rob, Kate and myself went to check it out followed by a walk in the surrounding forest, known as the Waitangi National Reserve. It's an area of Kiwi habitat but we never managed to spot one. In fact in the 6 months that I have been here, I still haven't seen a Kiwi bird yet - in it's habitat or otherwise.
On our way back to Auckland we stopped off at a variety of locations. There are some pretty cool places between Auckland and the Bay of Islands and we did a good job to see many of them. Before we left we visited the oldest church in the country which suprisingly didn't look as old as I had imagined - although to be honest NZ isn't really that old istelf and I hadn't actually imagined what it would look like anyway. Heading back down south, we stopped at a small town called Kawakawa, which is famous for having some rather artistic public toilets. They were designed by internationally renowned artist, ecologist and architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser and we admired the artistic form, colours and shapes while relieving ourselves. We also stopped at some other amazing waterfalls, a glow-worm cave where we got a guided walk and marvelled at the bright lighted faeces and also took a break at the town of Whangarei.
Eventually we returned, absolutely shattered - but some of us hard-core travellers still had a last bit of energy to make it to Auckland's Albert Park where there was an Asian lantern festival. The glowing lanterns lit up the night sky, accompanied by Asian food stalls, music and a good time.
It was another packed weekend and certainly a good time was had all round. It would take me at least a week to recover.......oh wait.....it was back to work.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Back To The Tongariro National Park
So it's 2.30pm on a Friday afternoon and I'm sitting in my DEVORA research office in Auckland, typing away on the borehole project that I'm currently working on. There's only two people in my office, myself and my colleague, an American named Elaine.
Darren and Dan, two others at IESE (Institute of Earth Science and Engineering), where I am currently working, are on a field trip around New Zealand. It's called 'Frontiers Abroad' and consists of 25 or so American students, all interested in the Earth sciences - coming to NZ for 5 weeks and getting taught about the countries unique geology. They then complete one semester in a New Zealand universitiy as part of their degrees back home. They were currently on week 3 of their trip and were somewhere in the Tongariro National Park, which Elaine had been invited to join for a bit of fun over the weekend.
With a burst open of our office door, Leslie (another colleague) rushes in saying that we can join for the weekend if we want. Before I have time to answer I am being pushed out the door and told to run back and get all my stuff. After a hefty drive down south, myself, Elaine and Leslie arrive at the Tongariro National Park.
We stayed in a huge dorm-room apartment within the Whakapapa Village of the national park. Big enough to hold 25 American students and all the helpers. There were beds for us though. On the Saturday we treked the Tongariro Crossing. I had done the crossing before but only in the winter so I was pleased to be doing it again in the summer-time, simply because I was told it would look completely different. It did. The other great thing about doing the crossing this time around was Darren and Dan, who taught the geology and volcanics to all the students as we went round. The principles of volcanology that they were teaching, I already knew, but it was the specific's and history of the area that I was unfamiliar with compared with these guys who have spent most of their lives in NZ.
The crossing was equally as spectacular this time round and equally as challenging. Actually the walk isn't that difficult - it's just long. But the views are fantastic and the volcanoes are immense. In some respects for myself, it was better walking it in the summer. Tongariro in the winter is covered in snow, blanketing a lot of the geological features on display. Now, you could see clearly exposed lava fields and flows, the Emerald Lakes (a series of volcanic lakes, which actually appeared emerald in colour, rather than a carpet of white snow) and Mount Ngauruhoe, which now really did look just like Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings, mainly because it is!!!
We took the walk slowly, chatting to fellow IESE friends and the students. some views from up on the saddle between the two volcanoes (Ngauruhoe and Tongariro) were stunning and although we were sitting almost smack in the middle of the North Island of NZ, from here we could see coast to coast, especially to the West where you could make out the small outline of Mount Taranaki - one of New Zealand's largest volcanoes, situated on the South-Western shore. Because it was now summer, the bare, rubbly volcanic rocks were exposed, really turning the place into Mordor scenery. Thus, at every opportunity I would take Leslie's ring and make people take pictures of me pulling hobbit like poses, and by the end of the day, I felt like Frodo did after he'd just destroyed the ring.....shattered. Luckily I didn't have to trek across Middle Earth to get back to my bed......it was a 15 minute drive away.
On the second day, we headed out to Mount Ruapehu. Ruapehu sits just south of Mount Ngauruhoe and is the biggest volcano in the national park. However, because the Tongariro Crossing walk takes you so close to the other two volcanoes, Ruapehu is primariliy blocked from view. I had never really seen Ruapehu in full during my last trip here from Taupo, so it was a good opportunity to explore.
Actually the reason Dan and Darren had brought the students to Mount Ruapehu was because they provide a great example of lahar (volcanic mudflow) deposits. Such flows are very dangerous during or after a volcanic eruption and in the past have caused huge devestation on some of the world's volcanic slopes. Verne Manville, from GNS at Taupo is an expert on such flows, particularly at Ruapehu. He has studied this volcanic hazard here, for about 20 years. I actually knew Verne from my time working at the Taupo GNS office some months ago. He took us onto the 'round-the-mountain' track and then off onto the lahar flow paths that had torn their way down the slopes here on many occassions, but most recently in 2007.
We strayed mainly in areas which signs said not to stray and looked at deposits mainly consisting of huge boulders that were carried in the powerful mud-flows and which you wished you were never caught in. Verne was a library of knowledge on the subject as we spent most of the day on the volcanoes flank.
We later continued away from the mountain, down the Whangaehu River, to an area called Tangiwai, where in 1953, a lahar in full flow caused the Tangiwai railway bridge (which runs across the Whangaehu River) to collapse, just before the train crossed it and ultimately killing 151 people. Leslie, Elaine and myself then split from the group as they continued on and we drove to a small town, on the southern tip of the national park, called Onakune - for a look around. It's a small town, full of ski and snowboard gear hire shops. We stopped for a walk around and some lunch.
In the evening, pretty much everyone collapsed with a beer in their hand. Two days of solid walking can take it's toll. Elaine was staying on with the group for the next week, but Leslie and I had to get back to work. Early on Monday morning, my Canadian friend and I said our goodbyes to 25 American students, everyone at IESE who were staying on, and left. It was back into work for another week.........but still, 5 days away was another weekend and who knows what doors will burst open as another adventure unfolds!!!
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Sailing To Kawau Island & Back - The Auckland Anniversary Regatta
Two day's after I arrived back from Wellington I was kindly offered a trip on the water. How I ended up on the 'Pink Cadillac' sailing boat is a bit longwinded, but put simply - my good friend Harriet has an Aunt and Uncle here (Pat and Steve), who I have met on numerous occassions. Their best friend, a Kiwi named Leith goes out sailing at every opportunity with his good friend and captain of the Pink Cadillac - Basil.
Harriet and I were asked to go along for this extended weekend away, plane the waves and help out here and there. Basil's boat is actually a racing machine, and this week was one of their races. I had no idea about anything when it came to sailing but I was willing to learn. It was also a very special weekend to go sailing in New Zealand, because it just so happened to be the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta on the Monday. Before-hand though, we had a race to win.............
The race started within Auckland's Waitemata Harbour before extending north, past Rangitoto Volcano, to a small'ish Island named Kawau. While Basil was taking control of the helm as it were, Leith was running all over the ship, pulling ropes and tying intricate knots. I decided to learn a bit while I was there - I mean it's not everyday that you get to race a sailing boat with experienced crew who are willing to explain what a boom is and how not to get in the way of it!!!
Actually, the race there was a bit of a no-show. The key ingredient to getting the boat to move is wind - and we just didn't have any. The race was far more tactical than I thought though. Some boats would sail right up to Rangitoto in the hope of catching some gusts that sail over the volcanic terrain, while others take alternate routes to try and get the sails at full stretch. The race must be completed within a certain time frame - I think it was 4-5 hours, or something similar, yet with no wind, ultimately, in a race with perhaps 15 boats, only two actually made it by sailing alone. The rest, including ourselves gave up and put our motor on.
We finally docked at Kawau Island, a stretch of circular land with just one general store and a pub of course. Boats from other races docked into the bay so by evening it was literally a sea of ships. Awaiting on the island was a big barbeque and all the alcohol you could think and drink of.
The following day was a time of rest and relaxation. We took the boat around Kawau and to other nearby Island's that scatter this stretch of water. Harriet and I went for numerous swim's and Leith had even brought along some snorkelling equipment. On one occassion - as we started to snorkel over to a tiny (you can walk around it in 3 minutes type) Island called Beehive, I spotted what I thought was an anchor chain. Taking a second look I realised it was the spikey tail connected to a stingray - but no ordinary stingray that I had seen in Australia, this thing was bigger than me. It hugged the sea floor below, unmoved. I pointed it out to Harriet and I tell you - I've never seen anybody leap out of the water so fast. At that point she would have given Michael Phelps a run for his money. She clambered onto the small dingy and Leith joined me in the Stingray watching, eventually taking off with a speed that Michael Phelps definately could not keep up with.
After more swimming, a relaxing walk around Beehive Island, watching Basil getting into his dingy which he immediately capsized with all the other captain's watching (very embarrassing, but hilarious to Harriet and Myself and everyone else who saw the incident), and a fair bit of drinking (that's what sailors do), we headed back to Kawau Island for another barbeque and further alcoholic consumption. Sailing-boat parties work like this: you get in your dingy and head over to a random boat. They will offer you alcohol and a chat and then you leave in your dingy and move onto the next boat. Before you eventually make it back to your own vessel and collapse in your bunk. Harriet and myself ended up on a sailing ship where the hosts thought it was a good idea to put a shot of tequila in every beer. I found out the next morning that this was not a good idea.
The next day, on the Monday, the second race was begining, similar to the first race but in the opposite direction and this time there was wind!!! Harriet stayed below deck, in a crumpled (still drunk) mess. I somehow found the willpower to get up and help out. This time round though, we were really sailing. Leith taught me how to lower and bring up the anchor, a few different knots so peices of rope didn't come loose from where they should be and how to tack. When you change direction and you want to catch the wind, sometimes you have to point your sail the opposite way (i.e towards Port or Starboard) to catch the wind. You swing your sail around, in a process called a tack. It generally involved me winching really fast and hard in a hungover state whilst watching out for the boom - the big beam that runs at the bottom of the sail and which gets it's name for the noise it makes when it notoriously hits someone's head during tacking - often knocking them unconcious.
We continued back south towards the finish line. Harriet and I sat up on the high side - as the boat tilts to a 45 degree angle when the winds really catch the sails. About half-way through the race Harriet shouts out that she saw a dolphin in the distance. About a second after I tell her she's still seeing drunken illusions, three dolphins sequentially leap out of the water, following our boat. I was sure things like that only happen in movies like Titanic, but obviously not!!!
As we approached the end of the race, back in the Waitemata Harbour, we were greeted by hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. The Auckland Anniversary Day Reagatta is one of the biggest of it's kind in the world. It was started on the 18th September (my birthday) of 1840, the day the city was founded and it has grown ever since. On this, the 169th anniversary, hundreds come out to view the boats on display and I felt like a bit of a celebrity waving at the audience as we sailed back into dock.
It had been a great weekend. I had seen and learnt so much. My sailing knowledge increased exponentially and with my new skills, just pass me the keys to the QE2 I say. The incredible stingray and dolphins will never be forgotten, nor will little Beehive and Kawau Islands or the moment we sailed in to a blanket of boats at the Regatta. How we weaved through them all is beyond me, there's no traffic lights out there you know. And finally I learnt the biggest of all lesson - and that is never to mix tequila and beer or drink with sailor's ever again, but still at least I didn't have to scrub the deck so that's a bonus!!!
Working In Welly
After an hour flight, I arrived at Wellington airport on a Monday morning, where I was met by my boss Graham. He drove us out to a small town just north of the city called Lower Hutt, where GNS have an office. For the first few days I was helping out on a few, small specific jobs but eventually I was put to the task that I had come down here for.
There are many ways to date a rock, but when you have very old material and (in simple terms), that rock has the right kind of stuff in it, you can use an accurrate technique called Argon-Argon dating. The method uses isotopes and the equipment that performs such a task is only available in a few places globally. Once a year, Graham flys out to the USA where he meets the 'big boys' of geology......the United States Geological Survey (USGS). They kindly allow him to use their equipment to age the rock's he brings along and which are generally volcanic material from all over New Zealand. Before the rocks get sent across the Pacific however, they need to be prepared. There are a few stages to the preparation and I was down in Wellington to perform the first.
About 10 minutes drive away from the GNS office, is their National Isotope Centre - a place full of laboratories with hi-tech equipment, most of which will remove at least one of your limbs if your not watching them all. I was working with 2 peices of such equipment.
I was situated in what's called 'the rock crushing room' and my job....was to crush rocks. It basically involves using various machinery, that grind, crush and destroy any rock you place into it. The aim however was to then collect the samples of rock within different grain sizes. The key to the whole job was sterilisation. If so much as one grain from one sample snuck into another sample then the ages could be way off what they should be. Ultimately, a part of my job was therefore to clean a lot, generally with chemicals that really hurt if you accidentally spill them on any cuts you may have picked up from sharp volcanic rocks!!!
It was an enjoyable two weeks in the lab. Thankfully, by the time I left I still had all major extremities still attached to my body. There was one close call when I nearly took off my thumb - but overall it was a successful job - well done.
I've never hidden the fact that I like the city of Wellington and on my weekends I had further opportunities to explore it. I made a second trip to the National Museum, Te Papa, which has pretty amazing exhibits of pretty much everything NZ, especially Maori culture. I also did the very touristy activity of taking the famous red Cable Car that chugs up the steep hill from Lambton Quay to Kelburn. At the top you get spectacular views over the city and beyond. There is also a cute little museum on the cable car, it's history and workings, which would be even more interesting if you had an interest in cable cars at all. Continuing on, and you come across the Carter Observatory which also has a small musuem of which you can stroll around. I finally took a walk back down to town via the Botanic Gardens which is a pleasant way to walk back home, even if you do get lost and end up stuck in Lady Norwood's Rose Garden!!!
Wellington really is a great city, you can walk along it's streets and always find something going on. It was street dancing on this occassion. The summer had most certainly arrived too - with sunny days greeting me every morning, even if there were gale force winds pretty much 24/7......thats Wellington for you.
The other really cool thing about this trip is that for the first time in a long time I felt like a backpacker again, on my own. Since arriving in NZ, Iv'e been travelling around with Darren from home and although he's now in Queenstown, Iv'e made so many friends in Auckland that it doesn't really feel like travelling but just living - which isn't a bad thing either. I'm just saying it was nice to sort of not no anybody and just start chatting to random travellers again. Well, I say all this nonsense - but the day I arrived at my Wellington hostel and stepped into my room I was greeted by two guys who I had stayed with at the hostel in Auckland for quite a while. That's how this travelling works!!!
After two great weeks, I had a final beer with the boss, his new wife and some friends before catching my flight back to Auckland. It was Thursday night and the following Monday was a bank holiday. So a three day weekend had sprung up.........What shall I do I thought.....................?
Monday, 19 January 2009
Waitomo (And The Amazing Caves)
I was back in Auckland and back at work - but actually, it wasn't for very long. I only spent a week back in the big city. Graham - my boss from GNS had planned for me to go down to Wellington to work in a lab preparing samples for a couple of weeks. I had always wanted to go back to Wellington after only spending a few days in the countries capital. I always remember having fond memories of Windy Welly and now I'd get the chance to see it again. On top of that I would be doing some volcanology work that was completely new to me and he was paying for my flight there and back.....so to say the least - I was happy about the whole situation.
A week of work in Auckland flew by. I actually stayed at Harriet, Rob and Kate's house that week - they kindly let me lay my head on the couch to save me from going back in a hostel - and I was grateful for that.
When Harriet and I were in Taupo we discussed doing some trips away at the weekend. There are so many amazing places around the North Island, many of them not too far from Auckland itself and although I am now working - I still feel I need to see more of this stunning country - I mean thats pretty much the reason I wanted to travel the world. We hoped Rob and Kate would join us and I think they will on future adventures but they decided to sit this one out. My flight to Wellington was booked for the following Tuesday so the weekend was free. We picked up a map - pointed to a place on it - and off we went.
Rob has a car and he kindly insured myself and Harriet on it so we could drive. The place we chose was Waitomo - it's a good three and a half hour drive, south of Auckland on the Western side of the North Island. Waitomo is a region of New Zealand covered by fields and farmland - similar to many other places around NZ, but amongst the beautiful scenery Waitomo is famous for having some spectacular caves.
The waitomo Caves are huge, there's a fair few of them too and each one is slightly different. Just one of the reasons that these caves bring so many tourists in is because they are filled with Glow-worms. Within the pitch black caves, these small creatures excrete a blue'ish glow-in-the-dark faeces that literally lights your way. It's pretty amazing to see.
Actually we didn't just go in the caves for a look. This is New Zealand, the country which puts extreme into everything. The caves was no exception. We were on the Black Labryinth adventure. They gear you up in wetsuits and then you start off by going to a nearby river. You grab an inflatable tube (inside of a tyre type thing), just like back in Vang Vieng (Laos) and you practise jumping backwards off a ledge into the river - aiming to land in your tube. We then headed off to the cave.
The caves are water filled. At some parts your crawling under rock ledges, through narrow openings and along darkened tunnels. The water level varies, from up to your ankles - to up to your kneck.... thats where the tube comes in. You have a torch on your hard-hat but it's best to let the Glow-worms guide your path. The instructors had us leaping off of waterfalls that have formed within the caves or linking all our tubes together to create one big chain of floating bodies. The 'Black Water Rafting' as it's known - was a lot of fun and the caves were just incredible. This is why you travel around the planet - not to jump of of waterfalls within caves, or to see Glow-worms....it's to see it all - to experience things you probably never could or would back at home. It's why I'm here.
The weekend was great fun. As always when myself and Harriet get together - strange and chaotic things generally happen, and I'm sure that these things definately wouldn't of occurred if we were doing them with other people....I'm sure it's some sort of curse. So naturally, along our trip: we killed a bird. It flew at the windscreen and bounced over the top of the car......we like to think it's still OK; we saved a hedgehog. At first we naturally almost ran it over but then realising just swerved out the way, got out and carefully put it on the side of the road. I hope I didn't put it back on the wrong side or he'd have to start his crossing all over again - woops; and we also got pulled over by the Police. Yes, Harriet was doing more than the allowed speed and a Police car swooped up behind us flashing it's lights. Aparently the Police are hot on catching speeders and if caught always give out a fine - so we are told. Somehow we got away with it though - just a telling off from the male Police Officer. This was totally unheard of. All I'm saying is, if that was me driving - a fine would certainly have been issued - I'm sure she gave him a cheeky smile to escape the punishement!!!
Apart from all that - the whole trip was a great success and it will definately be followed up by a another, to some new destination with I'm sure all the craziness that this trip produced. But that adventure would have to wait for now. A few days after Waitomo, I caught my flight - and in one hour - I was back in Windy Welly!!!..........
Sunday, 4 January 2009
Welcome To 2009
The big night was here. I never thought about this at the time, but later I realised (quite obviously) that I would not only be seeing the New Year - 13 hours before my friends and family back home in London but I would in fact be one of the first people (and I will say for dramatic effect - the very first person - you never know) to see 2009 arrive!!!
We had our party group ready. Myself, Darren and Jacqui were there along with Pete, Steve and Tom. Harriet also joined us for the night and we later met up with others (Scott and Tania). The night started off with facepaint. I wanted to go full-moon party style. So, just like I had done in the Island of Koh Pangan in Thailand on April 20th of 2008 - I once again got the paint out and covered everyone around me. We spent the first half of the night on the deck of Go Global were we all enjoyed a few drinks. Taupo was packed - far more than I had ever seen it before but I suppose that was to be expected on this night.
After a few drinks and even more drunken photos, we headed out to some bars. This is where the memory becomes a little blurred. I remember us all heading outside for fireworks. It was at this point that Tom (in a drunken stupor) accidently bumped into me - sending my camera flying, before crashing with an unhealthy thud. In less than a year of traveling I have now lost two camera's either to theft or damage. I am currently in search of my third. May I suggest to anyone thinking of traveling - to purchase a camera that is essentially indestructible and then look after the damn thing!!!
Anyway - as the night continued, my memory didn't. I vaguely remember everyone down by the lake at some point but after that - it's game over. It was a great night to see in 2009 and one I will not forget or remember anytime soon.
The days that followed New Year's Eve were filled with lying around in the sun by day and going out at night. The final day of Taupo was a time of mixed emotion. Nyree, who is the manager of Go Global (and who looked after Darren and myself on so many occasions) held a BBQ at her amazing house in Arcacia Bay about 10 minutes outside of Taupo. It's built into the surrounding hillside where you get the most immense view of Lake Taupo and Tauhara (the Volcano shaped into a pregnant lady). It was to say fairwell to us both and in return we bought her a gift to say thank you for the amazing time we had had there. The BBQ was fun, and later we continued it through another messy night on the town.
The next day, I was up early. Nyree drove Darren, Jacqui and Myself to the airport where Darren was catching his flight to Queenstown and where he was starting his new life. It would be a while before I would see him again.
Later that day I left myself. Harriet and I and Jacqui returned to Auckland. We said goodbye to all our friends there. Some of which we were sure we would see again, others we probably wouldn't. The key thing for me was - Taupo was now officially over. It was a chapter now finished and I am sure I wouldn't return there on this traveling journey. Jacqui returned to Auckland with us for one night before catching a plane to Queenstown herself, to meet Darren - and for me it was back to work. There were some trips around New Zealand I was already planning and even some trips outside of New Zealand I was planning - but essentially as the adventure takes another twist and progresses on another path - I knew ultimately, it would probably continue without a plan!!! I will see what happens, as I have done so throughout the past 11 months. It hasn't failed me yet and it's often best not knowing what tomorrow will bring...................
