ok... part 2 of the fantastic barrier island trip... so, i think we'd got up to it being quiet and cold... hmmm... i guess the next bit would be the interesting visitors that turned up. one afternoon i was shivering in the shower block wondering if i had the balls to actually get undressed and suddenly the area is darkened as a line of hairy, big men carrying many things, odd looking things, pass the door... after a quick shower i head out to the kitchen area where a massive bbq has magically appreared surrounded in enough chilly bins to store antartica (chilly bin = cold box). a few moments later 10 huge men appear, armed to the nines with bbq equipment and so much meat i mistake the kitchen for an abbatoire! we soon discover that these men are on an annual fishing trip, mens men doing mens things. they take over the entire lodge and the german family take to hiding in their room. they fire up the bbq and soon cooking meat scents fill the air and suddenly my leftover spag bol doesnt look that appetising. and boy, these guys can drink. from the moment i met them to the moment we left them at auckland harbour i did not see them without a can of beer in their hand, it seems the chilly bins were in fact the off license. it did not matter wat time of day it was, drinking ws where it was at. the worst thing was their driving, they drove everywhere, regardless of who had how much to drink, thankfully i never was anywhere on the roads when they were. lovely blokes, jst wouldnt get in a car with them, ever! ahh... the walk that nearly killed me... with our map of the island they provided a few ideas for tramps (walks) around the island. graded from easy to hard, tilly and i look through these and somehow she convinces me to go for the medium to hard one. dear lord, she will pay for that decision... background info, i have had a car for 2 years, i have not walked anywhere except to my car or from my car and now tilly thinks we can do the medium to hard one??! damn... ok... so we combine 2 walks, the white cliffs and the hot pools, apparently they work well together in one day.. we get dropped off at out starting point and look up, we dont see the top so have to tilt our necks further to find the top of the cliffs, it says an hour and a half, really?! so we start walking up and up and up and up and then it gets slippery and muddy so not only are you fitting your lungs for more air and your muscles to keep moving your negotiating with the ground to stay upright! we're going good and then we reach a sign, only another half an hour to go... as i gulp for breath i then look up and realise the steepness takes on another meaning entirely, i thought before was steep.. oh no, break out the stretcher and catch me as i slide back down. but determined not to be beaten (just yet) we climb ever upwards until we do finally meet the top. as you can see in the photo im rather glad (and red) to get here. the views turn out to be great and kinda warrant the walk up and now its all back downhill anyway, yay! of course... down means faster and slightly more unsteady, not good when the ground is slippery, thankfully no falls... so we get back to where we started from and prepare to head in the opposite direction to the hot pools. as were taking a 5 min break some local drives by and tells up that its uphill all the way, to say im heartbroken is an understatment, he has fully wreaked any delight i was going to have... b****** locals! so anyway, we smile weakly at each other and take off up the track, it turns out its not all up hill, only 3/4 of it is!! its a nice start to the walk, nice track, nice scenery etc etc, but then we get into the heart of the bush, with river crossings and uphill struggles (bearing in mind weve already climbled the f***ing white cliffs). and to top the lot off as were doing one particularly steep climb the track just stops and disappears! what the f***!?! so now were stuck in the middle of the bush, long way back and not sure how to move forward, tilly then suggests climbing up higher to see if we can see the track. so we push up through the bush, get to the top and cant see sod all. i say head back to the river and start again where thankfully we meet the track, thankfully? hmmm... ill review that later... so on we go again, conversation is out as we concentrate on the next step and the next hill. another sign... only 15mins to go!! yay!! we're saved!!! until we turn the bend and see yet another hill and this is the mother of all hills!! i can feel my calf muscles snapping and tearing already (bearing in mind weve already climbed the f***ing white cliffs already!). so we struggle onwards and upwards and the final descent comes, into the hot pools, hoo-bloody-ray. until we see the hot pools, its a river, a pathetic river which is kinda warm.. thats it?! thats what weve spent all this time climbing for? a lil river with a bit of warmth... so we sit down and decide to have lunch, spirits still low no matter how much sugar u try and take in and then some couple join us. they are middle age ish and will not shut the f*** up... its like "hello? can u not see im dying here?" it soon dawns on us that theyre probably trying to get rid of us so they can get their rocks off in the warm water, so making our excuses we leave them to their fun. another 45mins and we make it out, where we collapse by the roadside to wait for our lift.... learning point... 1) dont listen to tilly, 2) dont start on the medium to hard walk! so, the week draws to a close and im beginning to dream of lights that work 24/7 and warm showers. sunday arrives and we pack our stuff and head out to wait for the ferry. we dont get very far as apparently theyre not sure its running as the sea is so rough, fantastic(!). a couple hours later and its back on, its less rough so we can make it back.... we all head down to the wharf to get the ferry, us , the fishermen and the german family and a few locals to add to the mix. the sea looks good, a few waves but nothing too bad, nothing i cant handle. i havent eaten all day so figure there wont be too much to throw up if the worst comes to the worst... which it does!! we leave the wharf and the waves start rolling in, these things are massive!! they are coming up over the top of the ferry and landing on the cars in the back. the ferry is being tossed better than a greek salad! noone is moving from their seats, other than the fishermen to get more beers, and as i stand to try to use the loo i work out why, u cant bloody walk anywhere! the force of the waves meeting the ferry and the wind and the water combine into a force which renders your legs incapable of walking. i tried to walk some stairs and ended up minus my kneecaps as the stairs kept coming to meet me each time i bent my leg! going to the loo as fun, that happened once! by the time uve managed to guide ur bum onto the seat ur bladder doesnt want to release as its sure its an unstable environment. you have to coax it whilst hanging onto the walls for dear life. to try and pass time i sit out on the deck bit, where the wind whips you, the waves wet you and you get to watch sick pass you by... everyone is feeling it and my side has some old guy who couldnt keep anything down so made it to the side, was sick and it just flicked back up in the wind and sailed past you....mmmmmm... that really helped with the whole thing. after a few hours of this i climb back into the slightly sheltered area and manage to nod off for a little bit, thankfully when i wake the whole thing is over and the waves are gone and auckland is in sight, horray for auckland!! so there it is, my trip to the great barrier island... a few notes... firstly, go in the summer when its warmer and it wont matter about the water and electricity and second, take the plane, cos it cant be any worse than the ferry!!