Nov 2005

Today turned into probably one of the best days so far. If not on the whole trip but definitely in New Zealand. We were heading out on a boat trip to hopefully swim with some dolphins if we could find some but also it was going to be a great day to kick back and relax for the day.
We walked down to the harbour and caught the boat at 9.15am and luckily there was only going to be 5 of us on the boat so it wasn’t going to be crowded and full of idiots making loads of noise. We picked the other couple up from the next island who were an elderly couple and very nice and then headed off to find some dolphins. We came across 2 boats who had crowds of mainly kids swimming around with about 6 dolphins so we waited around about 10 minutes and luckily for us they all disappeared so it was our chance to hopefully swim with them. Three of us (Simon, myself and this older guy) all got some wetsuits on and got into the water. Dolphins are the type of animals that one minute they will happily swim with you and the next minute swim off and disappear. The idea is to talk to them and actually swim towards them rather than just float in the water. The hard part though is swimming with flippers on and a snorkel for the first time and also in the sea when your not really a strong swimmer. Trying to swim after the dolphins then nearly killed me and after a few minutes I was shattered although I did manage to get very close to the dolphins and got a chance to get some fantastic views of them under the water.
After that we got back onto the boat we headed over to one of the islands and swim from the boat to the beach where we went for a short walk while the hosts got the barbecue fired up. An hour later we got back onto the boat and had some food and relaxed with a well earned beer before starting the journey back to our hostel.
The bonus was on the way back first we managed to spot about another 8 dolphins swimming around and further along we saw 2 seals which is pretty rare to see swimming out in the sea.
Anyway eventually we made it back to the harbour around 4pm and it was a fantastic day and even better thanks to the 2 people who were in charge of the boat.

Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

People swimming with dolphins

Dolphins

The boat we sailed on

Bay of Islands

Me enjoying a beer or two

Me relaxing

Dolphins

A Dolphin

Me swimming with dolphins

Me swimming with dolphins

Me and Simon

Simon and Me

There were 3 other people staying in my room, 2 Argentinian guys and 1 Irish female who luckily for me said she was getting up around 6.30am and I asked her the night before if she would give me a nudge before she left in the morning. However I heard her alarm go off and by 7.20am I was up and dressed and ready to grab a bike and thanks to Simon he mentioned a track where I could ride and it took me past Haruru Falls which was somewhere I wanted to see.
Not sure on what the Kiwi weather was planning to do this morning I packed my fleece and waterproofs just in case although as it turned out the weather was pretty good until I got back. The bike ride was great and even though I was only out for 2 hours the hills enroute certainly made it a very good workout and the falls even though they weren’t that big were still very nice to look at.
By the time I got back and got showered and changed the others had woke up and we jumped in the car to get some food from the supermarket to cook later. Well that’s when the pile of shite car we were given decided it was going to start being basically a big pile of shite. It refused to start 3 times in the space of a few hours and it came down to me calling the AA out to look at it. They couldn’t find anything wrong so I told the car rental firm on the way back to Auckland in a few days time that I wanted it replaced presuming it would get that far.
Not to be to bothered about the car Simon and I enjoyed a few games of tennis in the afternoon followed by table tennis that night and also in the bar later a few games of pool. So all in all for me it turned out to be a very sporty day and by the end of it I was feeling pretty tired. We had also spoken to Simon at the hostel about whether there were any trips worth going on while we were here and he mentioned a trip on a boat where we could get the chance to swim with dolphins and he always had a great time when he went on the trip and said it was the best thing he had done since he had worked here, so seeings he seemed like such a trustworthy guy we decided to book it for tomorrow and boy was he spot on as we found out tomorrow.

Haruru Falls

The bike i hired

Haruru Falls

Haruru Falls

Time to move on and also time to pick up the car although at this time we still weren’t sure what we were getting as it was going to be 1 of 3. Simon and I walked to the car hire place while Jill waited with the bags and once there I was curious to see what we were being given. At first as they were moving cars around I thought it was going to be this brand new silver shiny car although im not sure what it was at the time, however to my dismay we were getting the one behind yep the grotty looking bashed up black piece of shit that looked like it was worth about 50 quid. Still it was cheap to hire and it only had to get us around for 53 days. After checking the car for damage, scratches and dents yes it had plenty of them I signed the paperwork and off we went to pick Jill up. Within a mile it was already making strange knocking noises from the rear suspension so already I was concerned although not as concerned as later.
On the way to our next destination which was Paihia Simon looked at the map and found out we were near some huge boulder so he suggested we go and take at look at it. Well after driving 3 miles basically down a gravel track road we came to a dead end and got out of the car to see erm absolutely nothing in site at all. After closer inspection of the map this boulder was actually spelt bolder so whatever a bolder is in New Zealand its certainly not a huge stone spelt boulder as it is in England.
Anyway after driving back down the gravel track the next site we headed to was a lot more interesting to see and this was Pakiri Beach. The water here was so clean and clear and you could see all these weird and wonderfully coloured fish swimming around. Loads of people were snorkeling and scuba diving and there is also a glass bottomed boat you can go out on although unfortunately we didn’t have time to do any of these.
Then we had a look at another place to see on my list which was Whangerei Falls where we had a short walk around and take some photos before moving on.
We made it to Paihia around 4pm and were welcomed by Simon the guy in charge who turned out to be a fantastic guy who made our stay at Peppertree Lodge all the more enjoyable. The hostel is also a very nice place to stay with free kayaks, mountain bikes, tennis and table tennis to enjoy. My first thought was to get up early the following morning so I could go out and enjoy a few hours on one of the bikes and as Simon said i could have one from 7.30am that was my plan of action for tomorrow.
After throwing my bags in the room we then had a walk around the small town before retiring for a fairly early night.

Pakiri Beach

Pakiri Beach

Whangerei Falls

Whangerei Falls

Whangerei Falls

I wasn’t to sure what to do today when I woke up. If I had the hiking trousers I was hoping to buy the previous day I was contemplating walking to Mt Eden and One Tree Hill so I could get a better view from them during the day. Instead as Fiona had mentioned that Newmarket was a nice place to visit for shopping I spent most of the day here and in the end bought some trousers and tried not to worry too much about the price.
Tonight was my last in Auckland and I have to say it was the most enjoyable. Luckily Fiona wasn’t to bored of my company just yet and we headed to a bar in Newmarket for a beer while watching the rugby which even though I haven’t a clue of the rules looked like a fantastic game (even though I have to say a certain someone predicted the wrong team to win hahaha!!!!!) Then I enjoyed one of the best steaks ive ever had in a restaurant just around the corner washed down with another couple of beers. All in all it was a lovely night and enjoyed with the company of a gorgeous albeit slightly crazy kiwi woman (good job im at least a 3 hour drive from her now or I would of probably felt a swift slap to the back of the head by now).
Anyway thanks again Fi for showing me around and it was a pleasure to meet you and hopefully I will see you soon

Newmarket

Woke up thankful I had my camera back in my possession again although luckily I had managed to save all my photos on my laptop so I wouldn’t of really lost anything, well except for several hundred pounds buying a new one.
It was a fairly nice day weather wise and we went for a walk down to the Victoria Market although there wasn’t much to see there in the way of people selling things except fake football shirts and a few other clothing and food stalls. After that we walked along the harbour where theres some very nice flats looking out over the water and onto Princes Wharf where the buildings including the Hilton Hotel are in the shape of a cruise ship.
By then it was around 2pm and as the others decided they were heading back to the hostel to relax I had a walk around the shops to see if I could find some hiking trousers although everywhere I looked seemed to be expensive so I headed back as well and looked forward to going out later that night.
That night Fiona came and picked me up and she took me to Mt Eden first then followed by One Tree Hill. Both of these places I really wanted to see while I was here and as we didn’t have a car yet I have to thank her for taking me to see these places. You get fantastic views of Auckland from Mt Eden and even though by the time we got to One Tree Hill it was nearly dark it looks like a great place to visit during the summer so hopefully she will invite back here one day hahaha!!!!!
Food was next on the menu and as a romantic gesture Fiona took me out for fish and chips and apple pie, what more could any man ask for although truthfully it was my suggestion to go there and even though I wasn’t sure what sort of fish I was eating it turned out to be very very nice indeed.

Auckland from Mount Eden

One Tree Hill from Mount Eden

One Tree Hill from Mount Eden

Auckland Harbour Bridge

Sky Tower and Harbour

Sky Tower

Sky Tower

Luckily I had researched my New Zealand book and had written down all the places I was hoping to visit. I was actually surprised when I woke up as I wasn’t feeling jetlagged at all and managed to make it downstairs in time for breakfast.
First we all decided to head over and have a look at the Auckland Museum and had a nice walk through Parnell on the way. After looking around the museum though I was a little bit disappointed as there wasn’t really that much of interest worth seeing and it wasn’t the type of place where I would go back again and again unlike the museums ive been to in London. Still the whole area where the museum stands is very nice and you get a good view from here of the sea and other areas around Auckland. We then walked back along the university grounds and over to Albert Park which I imagine on a summers day is a lovely place to sit and relax in. By then the sun was out and as we had already seen in the short space of time we had been here the weather can change so quick so we thought it would be a good idea to go to the top of the Sky Tower now. Of all the tall buildings we had been up on the trip so far this one was by far the cheapest and once the lift had took us to the top I have to say the views totally blew me away. They were far superior to any of the others I had seen in Canada and America and with no other tall buildings around unlike America especially it made it all the more spectacular as you seemed head and shoulders above everything else. I was now starting to like this place even more and wondering whether 53 days was actually going to be long enough even though it’s a small country.
That evening Jill, Simon and I headed back over to Mission Bay where Fiona had taken me the night before and I enjoyed yet another nice Indian meal, although truth be told the reason we went back here was because me being a muppet I had left my camera in there the night before.

View from Sky Tower

View from Sky Tower

View from Sky Tower

View from Sky Tower

Grounds near University

Church near University

Auckland Museum Gardens

Auckland Museum Gardens

Auckland Museum

Auckland Museum

Auckland Museum

Auckland Museum Memorial

Auckland Museum Gardens

Parnell Village

A seriously long day today with the 2 flights we had. After arriving at the airport we checked in for the first flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles which took us around 2 hours 30 minutes but then once in Los Angeles we had the one to Auckland which would take us around 12 hours. Once on the plane to Auckland I was hoping the journey would be alot more enjoyable with a few decent films to watch but how wrong I was. Then to make it that bit more unenjoyable I had the arsehole from hell sitting in the seat in front of me who within seconds reclined his seat to give me even less room to get comfy in, so from time to time as he slept I would give the back of his seat a good nudge as I tried to move my legs and get comfortable.
Anyway eventually I did manage to get a few hours sleep and before I knew it we were touching down on New Zealand soil. Once we all got our bags we headed over to a minibus shuttle that would take us to the hostel we had booked. Oh what joy being on the bus was. There were 6 other people on the bus and every sodding one of them was English, it was just like being back at bloody home. We had the couple who had just got married and the woman had such a strong essex accent that all I wanted to do was strangle her, and her husband who spoke like he was royalty the muppet. Next up was the old posh couple and the woman of the couple had been fined for bringing an apple into the country. She was moaning for England that it had cost her so much but I was nearly pissing myself at her and it serves her right as there were enough signs in the airport warning you not to bring certain things into the country. Hence I then started calling her the apple smuggler much to her annoyance. The other couple I didn’t really pay much attention to as by now I didn’t want to communicate with anymore English tourists. Yes I am one myself but these certain characters were enough to make me want to stick my head in a gas oven and light a match.
Anyway after the 50 minute journey from the airport that seemed to take 4 hours we made it to the hostel and hopefully wouldn’t bump into those 6 people again. First thoughts on the hostel were it was in a perfect location, very close to the city but far enough out so we wouldn’t get the noise. After dropping my bags literally on the floor I managed to get 3 hours sleep and woke up feeling pretty good but was still expecting to suffer from serious jetlag over the coming days.
Once I was up and about I emailed Fiona and arranged to meet up with her that night and then we all headed out for a look around to see what Auckland had to offer. Pretty much the first thing you see when you leave the hostel is the Sky Tower and hopefully in the next few days we would get some good weather and the views from the top would be all the more enjoyable. After spending a couple of hours having a look around I was already getting the feeling I would be quiet happy in staying here a lot longer, not just in Auckland but New Zealand as a whole.
Later on Fiona came and picked me up and we headed over to Mission Bay for a beer and then into the Indian for a nice meal.

Time to leave America today and head back into Canada for the night before we fly off to New Zealand. Going through customs was a breeze as we just handed them our passports and within seconds we were on our way to the hotel near the airport. Totally the opposite to when we tried to get into America and were given a 1001 questions. Tonight was shit or bust though regarding packing my rucksack. With all the things I had bought in the last few months somehow everything had to fit but luckily it eventually did, although that was probably thanks to me sending to huge parcels home.

Simon and I had another walk around the Farmers Market while Jill had a lie in after the concert she went to last night. We stopped by the fish stall again where the guys working there always seem to be throwing fish about and generally messing around rather than actually selling it. After that we all walked around the shops and then as there wasn’t much else really to see here we decided to see a film at the cinema.
Personally I think we could of seen the whole of Seattle in 1 day as apart from the Space Needle theres not really anything worth seeing here. Im just looking forward to getting to New Zealand and at least getting the chance to do some activities and being away from the cities and all the unhealthy food that comes with them.

Seattle Market

Seattle Fish Market

Went on the Underground tour today and saw how the city of Seattle was pretty much created. Previously nobody really wanted to live here and people were offered cheap land to bring there businesses to the west. How the whole city was formed was really strange as all the walkways and pavements were underground and to get to a shop you would have to climb a ladder up onto the road to get to it, and to get from one side of the road to the other you would have to climb one ladder then cross the road and climb down the ladder the other side and at the time the underground walkways didn’t have ceilings on them either. The tour lasted around 90 minutes and was fairly interesting although nothing spectacular.