Christmas is it?
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
30
65
Trip End
May 11, 2006
Taupo,
New Zealand
Monday, December 26, 2005
Christmas day was started with Champagne and croissants; everyone in the hostel had put in $15 for Christmas day and this was topped up by the hostel. Not long after breakfast we started preparing lunch, everyone had to chip in: peeling, chopping, washing, mixing, boiling. I made the mash potato, mountains of it; I had about 10 pots of potatoes boiling and I think it may have been some of the best mash I've ever made, Lewis would be proud - result!!
01-Football
. Lunch was barbecued steak and sausages, 4 different salads, bread, more champagne, wine, beer, crackers and everything. I think the hostel must of put quite a bit of money in. After lunch we headed up to the park to play football with the sister hostel, Rainbow Lodge, by this time the cloud had cleared and it was scorching hot. It was football, but not as we know it. The rules were simple, get drunk and don't take it too seriously, and if you broke the latter, get more drunk. Yellow cards, in the form of an Export Gold (a yellow can) were handed out for being too skillful, or not skillful enough, or for simply not having a can of beer in your hand. With about 18 people on each side, each with can in hand, bedlam ensued.
After recovering from football back at the hostel a few of us headed over to Rainbow Lodge, one block away, to carry on the party. Rainbow Lodge is quite a bit bigger than Burkes, my hostel, so more people to party with. I sat and chatted all night with some English girls, one from Palmers Green, and stumbled home about 6am. About 30 minutes up the road from here there's a thermal spa. A boiling hot stream - too hot to sit in- mixes with a bigger river, just where they meet is perfect to sit and watch the sun set. So Boxing Day I swore I'd never drink again, headed up to the thermal pools, and then started drinking again
02-Bad hair day
. Back over to Rainbow lodge for more of the same as last night. Everyone in this hostel is so nice and friendly and I've made loads of friends, I don't want to move on but time is of the essence. I've decided to see the New Year in in Wellington and before I do that I want to canoe the Whanganui river which takes 2 or 3 days. The bonus is quite a few of the girls here are also going to Wellington for New Year so I have some people to hook up with. The Whanganui river is only Grade II rapids so no guide is needed, just rent a canoe and a hut pass and hit the water, even so, if you don't hear from me in a few weeks you know where to come looking.
I'm really liking NZ, I've only done the north island and I'm supposed to fly to Australia on the 11th, I'll definitely be changing my flights to stay longer. Probably hit Melbourne just in time for the Big Day out (which some of the English girls are also going to) at the end of January.
