New Zealand. Old feeling.

S'True, NZ has an old feeling to it, I like it alot.
Eeeeeeeeeeeemoss, how you? Give me regards to Heals, actually give him a quick pinch on the cheek for me.
Neil and Macleod, I love you, thanks for the comments, I'll be printing them out and sleeping with them tonight :)
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been writing in me auld diary again.
So I'll shtick the diary entries on verbatim:

I'M IN WELLY, NELLIE! - Firday 10th March 11.58PM
God it's been ages since I wrote in me diary. Where to start?
I suppose with leaving Oz for NZ. The flight was delayed a bit so didn't get in til 1.30AM, poor Irene came and collected me, even with work at 6.30AM!
My surfboard made it perfect, thankes to cardboard and aeroboard for that one.
New Zealand.
What I've seenin the last couple of days, I love. The landscape, the people, the number of microbrews, the retro feel to its capital.
So yesterday, we went into town for a waddle, and Irene went to a work meeting afterwards while I went for a surf. Great ta be in the water again.

Two things:
1. A big get well soon to Big T, Bronchitis is causing his absence at Brideswell ( And since writing, I hear Flannerys too! ) You'll have a note from the doc for missing it!
2.The house overlooks the bay here from the side of Mount Victoria, planes are almost as low as the house as they gently wave their wings on the final approach, it's so relaxing to sit and watch.
I spent a good while there yesterday morning with a guitar, some juggling balls and a book, chillaxed!

The wind here at night is mad, it gets pretty windy, it does be shakin' me waters where I shtand. Tis quite cold, I'm not used ta the cold yet!
So a home cooked din-dins, a few beers and songs when I got home from the surf and I was ready for bed.
Today was even more productive!
Irene was chauffeured to the airport by yours truly, and caught a flight to the south island.
Why? - I hear you cry.
Well she's flying to the south island until Monday to partake in a cycling competition. 50 kilometres of mountainous terrain! I'm not jealous, I'd be in a ditch after 5K, or maybe less!....
Irene races tomorrow, along with 2,000 others I believe. Best o' luck! :)
I drove up the Kapiti coast after hugging the coastal roads around the outskirts of Wellington.
Maori people kick ass. Everyone of them has been kind and polite. Maori town names are also great. The longest placename in the world is Maori, and no, I'm not going to write it :)
First town I hit was Porirua, and Pukirua bay, looked like good surf, nice ambience, nice village. Twenty minutes from there brought me to Paekakariki, and let me tell you, it did kakariki. They were digging up the drains. Didn't stay long.
Paraparaumu ( Pah-ra-pah-ra-oo-moo, or Prar Parum as the yokels call it) was the next town, and then on to Otaki, rich in Maori heritage, twas here I ventured into the Tararua Mountain Range. Parts of hte road went through shallow fords and streams, and much of it was unsealed gravel tracks, but it was only 20K to Otaki forks, wehre the road ends, and the hiking begins.
I didn't hike, they were two-and three day hikes through mountains and you were not to do it unless well prepared for all sorts of shtuff. All I had was a pair of sunglasses! But I did go down in to the base of Otaki Gorge, and crossed a wee foot bridge over the gorge to the Tararua National Park and had a quick gawk around.
Home for din-dins, and a nap, and I was ready for downtown Wellington.
I like it.
I like it alot.
And I think it's going to continue to grow on me.
Went to see "Hostel" in the cinema. One word - Gruesome.
I hopped back in the car, glad ta be out of the crazy wind, and rain that was starting.
Driving down Cambridge St. (Best of luck Shim in Cambridge! Say hi to Pants for me, and give Riley a wet one from uncle Bean, the crazy uncle with the twitch, remember me? we spent our summers in Eagle river, Eagle river?! - and so on....anyway where was I?) oh yeah, driving down at night, and I see a guitar in someones hand, eager to cross the road and get out of the rain and wind, I size'm up, something I do anytime I see someone with a guitar, make an uninformed decision under scrutiny: How long have they been playing, what style I think they are, what guitar is in the case, do they sing aswell? etc.
When all of a sudden the face rings a bell!
It was Daniel, if any of you remember me going on about an unbelievable guitarist I met back in Adelaide in December. Here he was. In Wellington. Contemplating running on front of my car no doubt.
Due to the one way system, it took me 5-10 minutes to get back there again, incorporating the worlds largest roundabout in the process (The Basin it's called, has a silly cirket pitch in the middle of it - and yet, with all its size and it's lights and lanes, things flowed nicely, even in rush hour on it. And I think to myself....why is the M50 roundabouts so hellish? Are we poor road designers?....)
After combing the streets running off Cambrige St. to no avail, I made a educated guess he was looking for a hostel, so I found him, outside a hostel, asking me for a round because the beard through him off!
We're going busking tomorrow with his girlfirend who plays clarinet. He leaves Wellington tomorrow though, which sucks, as a jamming buddy would be great!
Anyway it's 12.45AM! It took 45minutes to write this....that's crazy, it's not even that long really.
Goodnight!



- that was one entry, here's the other:

NIGHTMARE IN NEW ZEALAND - Sunday 12th March 9.00PM

Yesterday was a great day, I got up, strapped on the guitar and went into town. I met up with Daniel and Hanna on Cuba street (Like a Kiwi shop st. or Key st. in Galway, very cool)
We busked for awhile, and in the afternoon, went down to the waterfront, to play music and cook pasta on a wee stove! He will be famous, he's so good for his age. I said goodbye to them and went and got food and off for a nightime stroll around the city.
Saw an art exhibition and watched the skateboarders and bikers in the skatepark for awhile - crazy crazy people!
A great day.

Today.
Today... :(
Today started great.
I spent the morning juggling for 4-year old Dexter, the daughter of Simon, who lives here also.
Then I went into town ,aprked up at the shopping centre and went to see Lord of the Rings: Two Towers @ The Embassy theatre, this is where they had the world premieres for II and III!!!
I sat in "A fool of a Took's" seat, it's actually the biggest screen in the southern hemisphere! - and has the nicest interior I've ever seen in a cinema.
So came out of that and went back to the car...
Gone.
Shit.
Where's the car?
Long story short....here goes:
1. Car towed - stayed twenty minutes longer than the maximum time (- which isn't displayed, but in a book behind customer service desk in shopping centre)
2. Have to get a $40 dollar taxi ride to home and get money to get the car out.
3. Arrive at tow place - $160 dollars - I'm now down to ten bucks until my deposit comes back for the apartment in Melbourne
4. Told my car is up in the corner. I get up to it, and find some eejit has crahsed into the side of it, while leaving the pound, they got the details and after asking them about it they give them to me "Why didn't they tell me at first?" - I wondered...
5. Luck of the Irish eh?!!! Me Arse says you.
6. Phone the driver, admits he hit it, but they were directing him.
7. Not knowing how to get back to the tow place (after following signs for city centre all the way back) Luck changes. I stop a tow truck up ahead.
Foot down Beanie boy! Sure enough it's one of Harbour City Tow and Salvage. I sink in behind it.
8. I am told to come back the next day when the manager is there, he'll sort it all out. - Bullshit I thought.
9. So back in the boot, to open the passenger door, to get across to the driver door, which no longer opens, and the passenger door key doesn't work. I get home and phone the driver....
10. Next day I down, told the manager isn't in, Bastards I thought.
11. Phone driver, "Brother" answers saying he won't be back til after work at 6.30 that evening.
12. Down to the police with me, I'm not letting this get hairy. I tell them the story and ask is he to blame for everything, hey tell me yes and give me some forms and the like.
13. I get through to him that night, after a long talk and several phonecalls here's the story:
The quote on the damage I went and got was $1200.
The car is only worth about $400 I'd say.
He hasn't got $1200 in cash and has no insurance (Yes! I thought, if he's no insurance he has to pay, and after dropping that I went to police, he came around)
So he offered to buy a car like it, which would save him oney, and not have Irene without a car for a few days while it's being repaired, Irene agreed this was the best plan.
He's got til thursday to find a car!

I feel soooooooooooo bad about it, it's such a series of unfortunate events, I'm raging that Irene left the car with me, and this happens. That after her weekend away, she comes home to this :(


Well, this has to be the biggest entry yet.
I will try and get some photos up at some stage.
I'm planning to get down to the south island after Paddy's day. I don't know whether I'll take the three hour ferry and hitch down the countryside, or get a flight to Queenstown or something... I'll keep y'all posted.
Hopefully myself and Irene can get a few songs together for Paddy's day, and maybe open for a band in one of the pubs, should be interesting to see what they do over here for it.

To all the gang in Melbourne, miss you lots, lookin' forward to pints and the craic when I'm back o'er yonder. Get your tickets for the Grand Prix lads!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Bean