My New Addiction - Jumping Photos

It's not the most original fad ever, but I've decided to start getting funky shots at as many land marks around the world as I can.

I've started locally and got a few over the weekend and hope that with the help of a tripod over the next few months, I'll be able to get a few more.

It's a lot of fun getting these jumping shots and I've been somewhat inspired by the 'Kiwis can Fly' Facebook page which is dedicated to jumping photos around the world.

Here's a few to have a gawk at. Lets hope I can get some more soon!

Cycling in Taupo

I’ve officially been back in New Zealand for a week and it’s gone by super fast. The great thing about the last week is that it feels as though I am already on holiday. Although for some strange reason, I still feel like I’ve got some sort of job.

You know that feeling you get in the early evening of most Sundays? You know, when you’ve had a great weekend and you suddenly think “I really can’t be bothered going to work tomorrow.” I had that feeling on Sunday. But perhaps for me it was more the sadness of a great weekend being over, more so than not looking forward to slaving away at work for another 40 hours.

Being Waitangi weekend, (New Zealand’s ‘New Zealand Day,’) Friday was a public holiday, so what better time to get the bike out of the box and put it back together just in time for a quiet ramble along the lake front for some crepes.

It’s a perfectly good road bike that I bought off Paul Hughes when he decided (after buying it from Tip to settle a $100 debt nonetheless!) that he really didn’t want to ride it. It cost me $100 to buy and $100 for a service to get it up and running. Since purchasing it I’ve bought a bell for it, (mandatory on Perth’s bike tracks,) a pedal tool thing, a set of Allan keys, a bike pump and a helmet. The bike caused me a bit of grief in Perth as I wasn’t sure if I should take it with me. It’s one of those things that you’d only get a couple of hundred bucks for if you sold it but would then have to spend a grand or so getting something similar in the future.

With Air New Zealand’s sporting goods policy, you are allowed an extra 10 kilos of luggage. So with that in mind, I brought it back with me, costing $100 in excess luggage. However, because of the size of it when coming through customs in Auckland, I was able to skip the whole line. So there is an upside to what could have been a pain in the bum.

I was pleased that I had chosen to bring it back to Taupo after the reasonably easy task of putting it back together on Friday, and an even easier ride the 5 kms or so to the Taupo Boat Harbour where Alise, Kylie and I had a great brunch of crepes from a wee caravan in the car park. Yum.

Although we were going at a leisurely pace, I was relatively pleased with the lack of tiredness and perspiration that was present. I really haven’t done any exercise for a while and expected to be a bit spent after getting to the café. However, I was feeling great, and felt even better after getting home.

So this got me motivated to do at least a little bit of exercise every day. It should be reasonably easy…!

Jet-lagged Rambles

Here's the post I promised... Written on Monday morning.

It’s 6.20 am New Zealand time and I have just lost 4 hours of my life. I left Perth at 7 pm yesterday and after being in a 737 jet for 6 hours, I am now suddenly thrust into dawn breaking over Auckland Airport.

However, I have had a wonderful experience this morning and am not too distraught about loosing those 4 hours. As I sit in the domestic ‘lounge’ in the Auckland Domestic terminal waiting for my flight to Taupo, munching on magical Dunkin Doughnuts that really should be illegal at this time of day, I thought I might kill some time with a blog entry that is well overdue. 

But lets go back to the beginning of Monday the 2^nd of February, 2009. 0730 Perth time. I got up. Pretty eventful huh? I have had the fortune of lodging with my good friends Iain and Lauren for the past week and they kindly lent me their car Ernie for the day. The only condition to the loan was I had to take Iain to work. So, 0745 and one Wapol Supervisor delivered to the office, a quick wave bye bye to what was my office for a year of my life and my half-marathon of a day was about to begin. I compare my day to a sporting event because of the sweat that was leaching from all pores as if I had just run 21 kms. (Actually, I lie. With my current fitness level it would only need to be 300 metres before I would work up a comparable sweat.)

I thought it was going to be one of those days where everything goes wrong. – Can’t find a car park. Find a car park and you have to pay before you go in and it’s a flat $8 rate, even if you only plan on staying an hour. No worries but you have to pay by cash. No cash. F**K. Find another car park. Go to the bank. Huge queues. Close account. Enquire about buying New Zealand dollars. They’re out. Run across the city to find some. Even bigger queues. Quick stop for an OJ with Hughes, Jock and Mo and farewell hugs. Back to the bank. 36 degrees. Into the car park. $21.00!!????? Machine won’t take my money. FUCKITY. Petrol, Sallies, ANOTHER BANK, to the old flat, pick up bike, go to airport, pay excess luggage of $240.00.

No worries.

I successfully managed not to burst into tears until I got close to the departure doors and poor Lauren bore the brunt of my “I don’t want to goooooooooo” wah wah. A few hugs for the Westies and Mel and Ash and I was off into customs. On the plane, and like a magical mystery tour I’m now in New Zealand.

So I guess you’re wondering what the ‘wonderful experience’ is that I experienced this morning…

I was feeling a bit confused as we touched down in Auckland. As the voice over the PA announced that he wanted to welcome us all home, (too bad for those non-kiwis!) I suddenly missed Perth. I blame the lack of sleep.

But after skipping the huge line on customs due to my wide load, (my bike box, not my derrière,) I managed to find free coffee, poured by the most helpful elderly women you would ever care to meet. And all of them volunteers. 5.15 am and you’re volunteering to pour coffee to weary (read: grumpy) travellers? I secretly think that some South Auckland rest home has pimped them out and told them that they are volunteering and they are actually keeping the wages themselves. Images of Ben Stiller in Happy Gilmore come to mind.

But anyway, I digress. These volunteers are simply lovely. My encounters with them, coupled with seeing Telecom phone booths, North and South magazines, beautiful Maori faces, New Zealand Heralds, Bluebird chips, and plenty of other random kiwi things gave me a lot of tired smiles.

However, I have one gripe. Every single time a flight is announced that has the numbers 6 or 7 in it I consciously think someone is taking the piss. (Or should that be pus?) Due to having someone copy me like a parrot every time I have said either of those two numerals lately has made the Kiwi accent really stand out. It’s weirdly irritating. Like fingernails down a blackboard irritating. But I’m sure it will go away soon and the kiwi accent will sound normal to me once more.

So I’m in New Zealand and so far it’s great. Off on a tiny plane to Taupo and hopefully some sleep!

Sorry

Yes yes, I know I am slack.

I am blaming my move from Australia and the amounts of shit I had to get done...

BUT I have written a blog post, but it's on my computer. Which is at home, and I am in an internet cafe.

I'll post it tomorrow... promise.

Lets just say one thing. I am missing Perth. However, it is bloody good to be home!

Stay tuned...