ideas for cheap stuff

Its been a fairly overcast day here in Taupo today, which wouldn’t ordinarily bother me but it prevented me doing my second skydive from 12,000 feet so it has bothered me. However, I’m on holidays so I won’t mope. Since I last posted Lids received some sad news from home. Her granny is very sick so she went home to be there with her and the rest of the family. Missing ya terribly Lids but I hope that you and the family are doing ok. So now both Lids and Dee are home, which means they’ll be keeping me updated on how Ray D’Arcy and Dublin are getting on and I’ll be keeping ye a level above boredom my regailing ye with my contrite shite stories. Whoopee! Since Lids departed for home I’ve spent a bit more time in Westport catching up on more stories with Ruth and her fella Clive. They were jewels for putting me up and showing me around Westport. The town is nothing much but penninsula off it is simply gorgeous so don’t be put off in Christchurch if some moran says, “Why do you wanna go there?!” The weather was beautiful for the last 2 days I was there and I took lovely pictures. Lids and I even saw some seals before she left us. On Tuesday last I left Westport for Nelson. Nelson’s reputedly the sunniest town and area in New Zealand and while I was there I was treated to lots of vitamin B. On Wednesday I did a few hours “tramping” (as they call hiking here in NZ) through Abel Tasman national park. It was meant to be only 14km but there were some detours so it ended up being more like 18. I had some lovely companions. Charlotte from California (gonna look her up when I get to the sunshine state), and 2 Brits Abby and Beth. I would have loved to stay overnight but due to time constraints a day was all I could muster. Anyway it was apparently bloody freezing there at night so I was better off. Oh Lids and Fee I managed to see “the Lakehouse” and it was funny and sweet. Don’t be afraid of it girls! Thursday was spent travelling to Wellington. I got a clear crossing on the ferry so missed out on the sea-sickness fun some fellow travellers were telling me of. Once settled in the YHA there, which is excellent, except for the thin matresses, I began my cultural misson at NZ’s national museum Te Papa. I must say it was a brilliant place to start. It stays open till 9pm on Thursdays and I had great craic between all the interactive displays, engaging case studies and displays, beautiful artwork and a deadly Lord of the Rings Exhibition. Sure I was in hogs heaven. Afterwards I met up with Aoife and Ray for a drink or two. When I looked at Aoife it took a moment or two for it to dawn upon me that the huge white bandage on her right arm was pretty out of place. Turns out that she fractured her elbow that time she fell off the ski lift. However, she’ll soldier on and its great that she still got to do her bungy jump and glacial hike. On Friday I somewhat outdid myself on the cultural front. I visited another museum, this time the city and sea one, then an art gallery, then I heaved myself up Mt Victoria for a look over Wellington, had coffee and cake with Aoife and Ray before getting my tambourine back, visiting a bar of mirrors and a pole and then finally a play for afters. The play, a satirical commentary on globalised politics and spiritualism, was call “Wild East”. It had interview skills, archaeology, lesbians, shamenism, alcohol, big bad industry, mental breakdowns…pretty much everything was in there and there were only 3 people on stage! After the play I went out with some of the heads from my hostel. Twas all fun and games with more than a few unexpected twists. I was hanging out with a girl named Pipa, told her what her name meant in Polish Kasia. She was very impressed! Yesterday was spent travelling to Taupo in beautiful weather only for today to turn miserable. However, I made the most of it and after enjoying the rugby last night I visited some geo-thermal hotspots and waterfalls in the area today. What I really wanted to do by coming here was the Tongarrio Crossing in a national park of volcanoes but its been deemed too dangerous and nobody’s going up for the next few days. Its just bad timing and its another excuse to come back to NZ. Its a shame though. Charlotte, the girl on the Abel Tasmin tramp with me the other day, did it a week or so ago and said it was spectacular. I’m going to Rotorua tomorrow, please god after my skydive, weather permitting. There I’ll hook up with Aoife and Ray again and get some zorbing and Maori cultural experiences in. I’ll enquire about getting up to the White Island but time is running out fast so I doubt I’ll manage it. So fingers crossed the weather breaks here tomorrow for a few hours so I can squeeze in my skydive.