Last blog for NZ!

I arrived in Wellington after a coach and ferry journey of about 8 hours combined. I was really glad just to have arrived! The ferry trip over was very scenic, well until we passed through the Cook Strait anyway. The ferry passes through the Marlborough Sounds on its way over to the North island and from the boat you can see these little houses down in the coves with little boathouses and jetties. Presumably only one way in and out, by boat. It must be great to live there, so peaceful!

The hostel I stayed in in Wellington was a Base hostel, Base are one of the larger hostel chain groups and while the rooms are clean and everything, the place was just too big with 20 or so people trying to cook in the kitchen at any one time. I prefer the smaller places I've stayed in, they're more personal and a bit cosier. Still, the location was spot on, right in the city centre, opposite a cinema, the Embassy (the same cinema that screened the world premiere for Lord Of The Rings) and 2 minutes from a Dominos pizza! Ideal! So first things first I went for a pizza and then to the cinema to watch Alice in Wonderland. Most of the day was spent asI had arrived in the late afternoon so it seemed the sensible way to spend the evening after travelling for so long. Unfortunately I nodded off toward the end of the movie as i was cream crackered.

The next morning I explored the city, went to Te Papa (which means our place in Maori) which is New Zealands national musueum. I spent 5 hours in there looking at all the various exhibits including tons of ancient fossils and the largest squid ever caught which was found in Antarctica! Later on I had another wander and checked out some really cool shops on Cuba Street which is full of vintage/retro stores as well as a good few independent record stores that stocked tons of second hand vinyl as well as absolutely everything you could think of. I didnt buy anything as it would be pointless carrying it round with me til June! the rest of my day was spent chilling really.

On the Saturday I had my weekly catch up with Ciara, the last one before she flew home to Ireland! Our little webchats are the highlight of the week for me and it was good just to talk even though we're thousands of miles apart. I didnt do a lot else for the rest of the day, no hang on, I went to a different cinema and watched another film, Cold Souls. The cinema, the Paramount, screens independent/arthouse flicks and the cinema rooms are just full of two seater sofas, nice and basic and a bit different from what you usually get! Afterwards I had another wander about and checked out the bits of the city that I hadnt yet seen, so much to do in Wellington! People had told me how cultured the city is and they arent wrong. Compared to Christchurch and Auckland (thats where I am now) the place is buzzing with loads going on, gigs, street performers, theatre, cinema, allsorts if you look hard enough. Pity I didht have more time to be honest. 4 days wasnt really enough.

On my last day in Wellington I went on a Lord Of The Rings tour which was ace! Luckily I was the only person on the tour that day too so got my own private tour. My driver, Craig took me to several sites where certain shots for the movies were filmed including a quary on the outskirts of the city where Helms Deep was filmed, not as glamorous as I would have expected but CGI is a wonderful tool! other scenes were filmed in parks and playing fields. Craig had a bunch of cards with him that showed the shot in the movie so he could line them up to compare withe the locations we visited. It was really interesting and a little nerdy, ha ha. I even donned some Hobbit ears and a sword for a photo. Forgot to take my shoes off, that would have made it more authentic, ha ha! During driving between the various locations we stopped off at the Weta cave in the Miramar district of Wellington. The Weta workshop is Peter Jackson's special effects company and the Weta cave is full of film memorabilia, props and other items from the may films they've worked on over the years. We also stopped off for lunch in Rivendell before heading back to the city where I was dropped off. I didnt do a lot in the evening as I was pretty tired and had to be up and on the bus quite early the next day.

The next morning I travelled up to Napier, about 250 kms from Wellington. 90% of the city of Napier was destroyed in an earthquake in 1931. The city was then rebuilt in the style of the era, Art Deco. Just walking around the place is strange as all of the buildings are so similar and there's so many of them too. Normally cities have a mix of different architecture from different decades so it was weird to see so a whole city with so many buildings all alike! Obviously there are newer buildings there too but the Art Deco ones outnumber them. I'd been told by other travellers that I'd only need a night in Napier as there isnt a lot to do. As it turned out due to the coach only running out of Napier on certain days, I had to spend 3 nights there which wasnt so bad actually. I didnt do a great deal as I've seen as much as I wanted to in NZ now so I just kept the spends down and chilled out really. I've still got a good while left to travel so dont want to blow the budget before I hit the US as I have loads planned there..

On my first evening there I watched Slumdog Millionaire on the TV in the hostel along with a load of other travellers, quite a good film, made me want to go back to India too! I then kept half of the room awake that night with my snoring as I'd had a half bottle of wine. Oops! A German girl on the bunk below me made a point of telling me it kept her awake ALL night. Not a lot I can do, sorry!

On my second day in Napier I went out, took some photos of the buildings and got a haircut so its nice and short for the Fiji heat! Didnt really do a lot else, nothing to shout about anyway. In the evening Team America was on TV so i chilled and watched that. Evenings are the hardest time of the day to find something to occupy my time so TV is mostly what I fall back on. Better on the wallet than spending every night out in the pub eh?

On my last day I visited the Napier Aquarium which was quite interesting. There were loads of the usual species and fish you'd expect in an aquarium but they also had water salamanders too which were dead cool. They can completely regenerate their limbs if they fall off/get squashed/eaten etc. They look like very large tadpoles. I want one! After a while in the aquarium I ventured back to the hostel via the supermarket and then watched the most recent Indiana Jones film in the evening. Not one of the best but it'll do...

The next morning I set off on another lengthy Magic bus journey. We made the usual stops at places of interest, a thermal activity park full of geysers as well as various beuty spots along the way too. Its all good and well seeing all of this but it stretches out the journey time and sometimes you just want to get to the next place. A lot of my days in NZ have been spent just on the bus, arriving at 4pmish and then off again in the morning. I'm looking forward to no bus journeys in Fiji, just relaxation!

I spent the night in Mount Maunganui which is North of Napier on the East coast. The hostel was quite good and had a good vibe going on there. Mount Maunganui looked like it would have been a lot of fun and it also had a very inviting sandy looking beach that I spotted from the coach but I've got weeks of beach time ahead of me so I didnt bother with it. Plus, I had another early start the next day. I sat and chatted to some identical twins from Germany who have been on the bus for a week or two and staying at the same hostels I've been staying at. I've given up trying to tell them apart and get their names right, it's just too hard as they're complete clones! lol I watched another movie that night, The Motorcycle Diaries and then went to bed as I was up and out early the following morning.

I awoke the next morning knowing that this would be my last coach journey for a while so I was in pretty good spirits! Its an essential part of travelling, the actual getting from A to B but after 6 months I've had my fill of long bus journeys! I arrived in Auckland yesterday around midday which was good. So far the city seems OK but I'm glad that I'm only here for two nights, I think I'd be twiddling my thumbs otherwise! As a city it feels very similar to Sydney in the layout of the High street and all the shops and also reminds me a lot of Melbourne. I spent the rest of the day doing my washing (boring to read about, I know) ready for Fiji and getting organised really. Last night I went downstairs in the hostel for some 2 for 1 beers with a German guy, Ruven, who I was sharing a room with. He is about to fly to Cambodia via Bangkok and I was buzzing for him as I had such a good time in SE Asia and would love to go back! We then got chatting to a really nice Kiwi couple, Cameron and Jamie who were in town to do a charity run today. I've got to say everyone I've met in New Zealand has been great, really nice people! After some more beers I had a hotdog from a burger van, not the best evening meal but it tasted great after a good few jars!!

So this morning as I didnt cook it last night for my dinner I ate a tin of chilli with rice for breakfast which was, er, different! I also gave away my container of rice to Juan from Argentina as well as leaving other bits and bobs from my food cool bag at the hostel. So now I'm back down to two bags to carry which I'm pleased about!

Not a lot else to write about really, I fly to Fiji tomorrow morning so am just kind of hanging around killing time at the minute. I'm off out tonight for a last drink with a couple I met in Kaikoura, Andrew from Ireland and his other half, Laura, from Italy. I have no idea why but St Patricks Day is being celebrated this weekend as opposed to the proper day, this Wednesday. So tonight we're off to a pub that has some traditional live Irish music, should be a good night!

So thats it for NZ, time for some beach action in Fiji!!!