How did I make it around the world again?

So I moved into my new flat on Sunday night and had a lovely lie in the next day. Then I arranged a beach date with Phil (the Doctor-Discobunny-flashpacker mate I met in Buenos Aires) who has safely arrived from South America vowing to never backpack again as it was all too stressful...
Put the phone on the table and wander outside to see how hot it is. Freeze as I hear a loud SLAM and realise that Im locked out of my flat in very short pjs.
Shit.
Run around the flat looking through the security grills at the keys on the other side of the room and my phone on the table. Pad barefoot to my bedroom open window and see bag and purse on bed.
Employ rusty and may I say NEVER USED BEFORE Scouse theiving skills by finding a discarded pole outside and use it to fish my bag through. Success! Go for the purse- Strike two! I can see my phone winking at me on the table and I know that if I can get the phone I will be saved and can phone housemate to let me in. Make a bit of a shovel by using paper shoved into the end of the pole- genius! I almost had it- just nearrrly. Then it fell on the floor.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Stand around feeling stupid for a few more minutes. Then fish a sarong off my bed and tie it over my shorts. Walk out of the road and directly at the end of the street is Bondi Locksmiths.
85 bucks. 2 minutes work. Rubbish.

Oh my word! Am I in Sydney? Hehehehe

So just how long have I been harping on about getting to Australia? Over ten years? And I'm here.
It's weird making a dream come true....

I left New Zealand in high spirits much to the horror of travel companion James from London who I met on the bus on the way to Auckland Airport. He was catching the same Sydney flight as me but instead of getting off in Sunny Sydney he would be continuing for another 20 hours to London, as his 8 month trip was OVER. The poor guy ended up sitting next to me on the flight and we whiled away the 3 hours with good natured banter;

Me- Ooooh bet you cant wait for those cold winter nights!

James - Shut up shut up! You are going to be surrounded by annoying 19 year old backpacker brats! Australias rubbish!

Me- Bombarded by english tv adverts for kids toys and M&S xmas turkeys and the madness madness madness of the xmas shoppers. In the cold. S'cuse me air-hostess can I have another complimentary vodka please hehehe...

Him- Ive heard its raining in Syndey anyway hur!

Me- What like that warm summer rain? Surely not like the horrible minus two rain you get in England at xmas... etc

So, got off the flight in high humour, said goodbye to my brief companion, and hooked up with Rob & Rich of Kiwi Ex who had also arrived on the same flight. We walked out of the airport and I couldnt resist a Scream'esque 'Helloooo Sydney!' and we jumped a cab to the city.

I dropped off the lads on George St and headed to Circular Quay where I would catch the ferry to Manly where a friend of my brother was going to put me up. And standing on the front of the ferry in the hot evening sunshine, I looked at the Harbour Bridge, and then at the Sydney Opera House and I just grinned and grinned. Because I had arrived. And it really is as stunning in real life as it is in the countless pictures and tv images that represent AUSTRALIA. Could it get much better?
Well yes.
As the ferry lazily pulled into Manly I heard 'Les! LES!' and I looked up and saw a geezer with curly black hair and sunglasses standing on the railing waggling a huge sheet of paper with SCOUSE LES? written on it in massive letters. Marcus, a university friend of my brothers and scientist(?) has been living the Aussie Dream for the last 7 years. And he kindly put me up for the first 5 nights in his very swanky condo overlooking Curl Curl Beach (aka Curly Beach). He was a star. And when I got heat stroke the following day due to being very naughty and not drinking any water he made sure I was okay. So Marcus, thanks so much.

So that was just over two weeks ago and Ive been a bit slack so heres the news in briefs...

* Sydney v Melbourne footie game. Hilarious! Met up with Kiwi Ex's Neil & Charlotte, Rich, Rob, Sam Breckon and others. It was brilliant atmosphere made up of mainly ex-pat fans and the Sydney supporters had such inventive terrace chants as 'Walking in a Sydney Wonderland', 'We Hate You Cos Your Victoria!' and the complicated 'Fuck Off Melbourne! Fuck Off Melbourne! Fuck Off Melbourne!' Poor old Melbourne only had about 40 fans sat behind the goal...
* You can get 5 dollar steak here. With mash. And its nice.
* The cockroaches are big around here. As are the mozzie bites on my legs...
* More than one night down Wake Ups Side Bar.
* There are millions of 19 year old Danish backpackers. 7 of which were in my 8 bed dorm. Damn you James! They drove me crazy!

So prompted by this last fact and also by the cost of hosteling in Sydney Ive been flat hunting. Im also on my second run of 'freeloading' by staying with a mate from Leeds, another James, in posh Paddington. The xmas run up has made this search fraught because more than the average amount of backpackers has chosen Sydney for festive celebrations. In the search Ive met a girl/time-twin in the shape of Lucy from Carlise. Same age, went the same university as me at the same year I did and arrived in Sydney a day after myself to work here. We met for one drink, which became two bottles of wine on Darling Harbour, and a night down Oxford St, followed by being hijacked by a load of strangers and taken to a Japanese Kareoke bar, with private room, and enough free Bacardi Breezers to make you sick. And with these strangers we belted out Gwen Stefanis 'Watch you waitin' for?' and danced on the sofas. Lucy is my new Bondi Beach buddy. Which by the way, is smaller than you would think- but very lovely. In fact, I move into a gorgeous flat down there tonight with two charming fellas who'm Im sure you will hear about. I hope beach life is all its cracked up to be... Now, if I could only get a job...

Parting is such 'Sweet As' sorrow...

A ferry crossing back to the North Island saw us back in Wellington for a night stop over and then and early bus back to Taupo. We'd swapped our lovely Ginny for the annoying Nancy Boy (I don't know why anyone would want such a stupid nickname) who droned on for the most part of the journey, and only gave up when he put 'Euro Roadtrip' on which is a film so bad, its good. Made me laugh anyway...

Taupo was another 'Last Night' (we'd had like 4 last nights for every leaver) and so we ended up back in the Holy Cow. This time it was rammed full of mad Kiwi locals because there'd been some festival / rally on in the town and so Rob Fox manage to get his arsed whipped by a Hen on her 'do'. He said it hurt but that didn't stop him hanging his arse out later for another lashing- you can tell what kind of place the Holy Cow is now eh? Pure trash-but-class.

In the morning it was another really sad goodbye to the other half of Team Gentlemen... Frodo (James) and his Sam Wise Gamgee. It was hard this one- but I'm sure we'll see these tricksy Hobbits again? Sam could also do a scary 'Gollum' when he felt like it- unnerving when you're traveling through Middle Earth. Oh well Sam, Rach & Soph will go and see your band, I'll be there in spirit.

Amsterdam & myself were pretty gutted to get to Auckland. She flew off to Cairns to go Scuba, and I headed up to the Bay of Islands, my last New Zealand destination. Shhneakers, I'll see you soon you mad-but-lovely bint.

The Bay of Islands is the far north of NZ but I took a bus trip to 'The Top Bit'- the most northern tip of NZ and checked out the amazing scenery at Cape Regina (lovely lighthouse look out and fantastic beaches) and did a spot of Sandboarding which was superb. Then the bus ran along 90 Mile Beach through the shallow waters and then we stopped because there were WILD HORSES galloping along the beach! They were so beautiful, and one was heavily pregnant. Apparently there's about 300 of them roaming free, and are thought to only live for about 9 years avg because they accidentally eat the sand. But you wouldn't think it- they looked so strong & powerful. And free. Really beautiful. It totally summed up New Zealand for me, its such a healthy, heady country. The people wash their clothes in cold water, recycle, and care about their environment. They don't have an army and are Nuclear free. Not many cars on the road, and such a diverse amount of scenery from the rolling 'Babe' like greens of the North, to the Alps, glaciers, beaches and walks of the South. And 'Gourmet Pies' at every road stop ;)

Driving back to Auckland with my head resting against the window pane of the bus I just sat inside myself, watching the countryside whizz by, and I felt really sad to say goodbye. So much done in so little time! And then I saw off my last night in the Globe Bar, wrecked. Because that's what you do- its The Law. I had little expectation of New Zealand and it gave so much. So you have to go there. Because it really is Sweet As Bro.

Over the Edge then under the Waters

So I did the Nevis... bit of a bench mark in my life that one. I watch the dvd of it the other day and I goggled at the girl (me) standing in a crane hanging over a canyon with a drop higher than the Sydney harbor Bridge...arrrghh hahahahahaha! I spent like 10 minutes in this painful 'will she wont she?' predicament and then
5-4-3-2-1
I'm over.
2 seconds of blankness and then I'm screaming for joy! It was so good I cant express. The ground rush, the speed, the weightlessness at the top of the recoil! I was terrified. I loved it, and I'd do it again. Funny side story...

Whilst I was in the 'dentist's chair' getting my legs strapped in Sam had just jumped and was being hoisted back up into the crane. All the guys who had done it saw him back in safely and were whooping and hollering. Sam high fived Neil, then Alex, Steve, Lee etc. Rob Fox held his hand up just in time for Sam to turn his back on him by accident. Rob yells 'don't leave me hanging Bro' (Bro being the Maori preference to 'mate')and Sams so excited he doesn't hear. Rob quietly lowers his had and starts rubbing the chrome hand rail near him hoping no one will see... And no one does except for Neil who is crying from laughing so hard.....

'Mo-vember' was actually won by Aaron aka Magic Man and that night was a bit silly, a few of the blokes had creatively shaved heads to go with the nasty 'tashes, Neil donned a pair of fairies wings... a few people got kicked out of bars (Herman).

On the sunday 14 of us hired a van and car to get us all down to Milford Sound, reputedly one of the most beautiful spots in all of New Zealand. I can totally see why too. A four hour drive there (and this was a day trip) and it rained all the way so we didnt have very high expections. Just played the Rizla game and ate crisps having a laugh. Then The Goo Goo Dolls song 'Iris' played and theres a line in it that goes something like 'and I dont think I want to go home'. Everyone was silent for a second and then Alex was like 'fuck this is really sad' and it was.

Then we get there and the heavens break, the sun comes out and well, the scenery could really make you believe in God...

We got on the ferry and it took us past steep green mountains and hills and water falls right to the opening of the South Pacific...again and again the old 'Lord of the Rings' comparison raisies its head. Some of New Zealand is beautiful but with the weather we got, Milford Sound looked like it had been dreamed. Then we got off at an underwater observatory so we could look at all of the unique sea life in the wild. After this it was time to head back. We stopped for a group meal and then it was home by 11pm. It wasnt all poignant though. We listened to enough Queen, and Rich managed to play all of Bon Jovi too but you cant win'em all. It was a really top day.

Queenstown was a sad one because this is where people start to split. Goodbyes to the Danish and Team Sweden, and a pissed Lee who was wandering around looking for his new bus at 8am confused but insisiting he was still a 'Legend' and Sophie though I'll be seeing you soon my girl dont you worry!
Then a slightly depleted crowd onto Christchurch where the majority would fly from. Even the Baywatch tune didnt cheer anyone up as it was the last trip with Ginny who'd put up with everyone. As a stop over Christchurch was nice but not much to report. Goodbyes to Emma, Rich & Rob, and Charlotte & Neil... we did have a lairy one and a SMASHING curry- if anyone is ever in Christchurch then the best curry outside Bradford is in the curry house beneath Basebackpackers..mmmmm

Onto Kiakoura then...
We stayed at a really nice chilled place called Topspot that had warm fires and a comfy tv room, big kitchen for cooking and everyone (that was left)just hung out. It had to be an early one because we were booked in to SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS at 5.30am. It had been cancelled the day before due to rough weather but we got the all clear and again it was ammmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaazing!!! There were hundereds of them, some with babies, whizzing and skimming by me at such a speed that it shit me up a bit. If one of them hit you you'd know about it. These Dusky dolphins are smaller than the bottle nosed ones but you could look them right in the eye as they shot passed. It was James' 20th birthday (ahh not the teenage dirtbag anymore sunshine, now just a dirtbag) and what a way to start being 20. He buggered off to see the Foo Fighters in Wellington that night too- stylin it or what?

Anyway after we do about 3 swims with them they tell us thats our lot, so we get out, get dry, take loadsa pics and have hot chocolate and ginger bics. Fab fab fab. Then from a high to a low in that we have to say goodbye to half of Team Gentlemen Alex & Steve... Steve keep jumping down the stairs in the search for the extreme, hope your 'man cold' gets better ;) and Alex, keep smiling the child model smiles, we know where you learnt them now hehehe... see you one day soonish. Now to start repeating myself as we headed back to Taupo.