Good times, flying by

I've settled down in Nelson really well. The last month has flown by.

I've been doing exciting things most days but it's hard to report on them when your living a (moderately) normal life.

So here is a smattering of anecdotes and what I've been up to.

Firstly on the rugby front I've done my initiation. I took it like a little girl! 

The initiation was to eat a spoon of cinnamon. You may be thinking the same as me; what a piece of piss! I've done much worse, this is neither degrading, disgusting or physically dangerous.

Incorrect.

I strutted up to the back of the bus on the way back from Blenham. I'd just finished eating a mc-ice cream and I'm not going to lie, I was feeling pretty confident I was going to look pretty hard in a few moments time. As I took the heaped tablespoon, amid the jeers, lads were shouting at me to chew it. I've been around rugby lads for a while. Hey, I am a rugby lad. So I assumed they were trying to screw me over for their amusement. So I tried to swallow the whole heap in one go.

The powder congealed in my throat instantly. I coughed and blew it out of my nose. Then the bike came, ah what a lovely taste! As I choked, puffing orange smoke like an asthmatic dragon I threw up and swallowed it. Then I sucked myself tall, tears in my eyes and swallowed the whole lot (again). 

Somehow I had managed to fully line my sinuses with cinnamon. I had to sit quietly full two hours blowing reddy brown grunge out of my nose! 

Then I had a bad sinus headache the whole next day. So I spent my only day off in bed achey while Jack enjoyed rabbit island and ultimate frisbee on the beach.

To make matters worse the Jackson uploaded a video of the sorry attempt so all the lads who weren't there could bully me too.

The other two new guys chewed it like they were told and ate it with no more than a hiccup!

I also went paddle boarding with a friend from work. It was great fun. I took to it pretty well and after a while I was plowing through the mirror calm Nelson sea with enthusiasm. I even stopped to have a bit of a yarn to Suze. Bad idea. A boat drove behind me and the swell turned my bored into a bar of soap. Squirting out from under me. I hit my arse on the board and slapped backwards into the freezing winter ocean. I wasn't even wearing a wet suit, just my rugby gear.

Freezing I got straight back on and got back into the swing of it. 

We swapped boards on the way back, which was fun. As the tallest, and least confident, I slid along the floating boards like a soggy manatee with a paddle.

The pub after that one was a welcomed respite!

I also went mountain biking in Kaiteriteri today with Mike and Sara from work. It was brilliant. Trudging up Candace's massive hill back home after work has paid off. I was flying up the tracks. I really enjoyed whizz ing up and down though the woods, over little jumps and out on cliff faces with stunning vistas.

I've also moved house. Out of the Donovan's luxury lodge and into a small room in a private block out the back of a hostel in town. It's pretty nice, I've put some photos up on the wall and feel quite at home. My housemate Dave, a chef from Canada, is really really nice and we went out with a couple of other lads for a few games of pool on my first day.

I've been a bit of a recluse though as I've been doing a lot of extra work at a national multi-sport tournament going on over the last fortnight.

Well, aside from a few pub quizzes and judo - I'm getting a bit worse at the former and better at the latter- I'm working a fair bit and just generally enjoying the New Zealand lifestyle, running, cycling and getting in the great outdoors!

Flying with out wings

What a difference a day can make to your whole perception of life!

I've been really down over the last few weeks as I felt, with Jack leaving, I had no friends and am becoming isolated. Don't get me wrong I've met and get on with loads of people. But I've not been able to meet anyone who wants to hang out our of work or organised sporting activities.

Then Sunday rolled round. 

We met up with Jeremy a guy from Judo and went up to Motueka for a helicopter ride!

We got all strapped in, unfortunately jack won rock paper scissors and got the front seat. We got miked up and took off! 

It was really cool, we zoomed around picking up a few g's and got really close to a couple of mountains. We even saw some people dirt biking so we dropped down and the pilot held the chopper near horizontal so we could watch.

After the ride we all decided that packing in our jobs and becoming helicopter pilots was the only sensible thing to do!

We then drove over to tahunanui beach to play frisbee. It was really good fun -except that I still can't throw the bloody thing!- and we went for a beer -or in my case an alcoholic lemonade- after and had a really good time with the other guys in the club.

After the fun of the day Jack and I went home to play the intros game for about an hour!

Golden bay

This weekend after a comfortable win for Nelson Marist Jack and I drove up to golden bay, the northern most point of the South Island.

First we drove to takaka to watch the England v New Zealand rugby match in a small town local pub. We got plenty of stick as New Zealand systematically dismantled the English defence. We also got to see a tubby man in wellingtons fight an old man with one arm. The fun of rural NZ!

After the game we set off in the dark to find somewhere to pitch our tent. We finally found a spot behind a bush at a picnic site. 

Camping outside of a registered camp site is illegal in NZ and each person can be hit with a $200 fine. Imagine our anxiety when no sooner had we set up the tent at around 10:30 a car drives up straight next to ours and points it's headlights straight at our hidden camp spot.we dove into the bushes (something I'm now getting used to!) and waited.

It felt like about three hours, although I'm sure it was only a maximum of 15 minuets but eventually the car left. Probably doggers. So we went to sleep!

We woke early Sunday morning and packed up after enjoying a nice stroll on the beach.

We drove all the way up to farewell spit, a sand spit many miles long, projecting into the Tasman sea. It was very nice. Especially when we got over to the west coast. It was a very wild and rugged landscape. Jack and I commented how it would be a great paintball or quad bike spot. There were armies of small grassy dunes studded uniformly along the beach. These formations were interspersed with quicksand. Completely un definable I would occasionally sink up to my knee and fight for my freedom. 

Then we took a 'short cut' -you know where this is going- it was Jacks idea, for once I wanted to stick to the track. An hour later we were still fighting our way through stiflingly dense vegetation, bogs and small mountains. Eventually we found our way back to the car. Not before I figured it a good idea to army crawl across some dense reeds on a bog, dispersing my weight would stop me getting wet right?

No, 

Lying down on reeds in a bog leads to loosing balance and doing a handstand in pewtred stinking brown water.

Anyway we got back and drove to whariki beach (pronounced freaky beach). 

It was stunning, rugged and desoloute. And there were wild seals and awesome caves everywhere! We mucked around for a bit and climed a huge mountainous dune on the sea front and sat and watched the sea for an hour or two.

We then nipped over to the worst lighthouse ever. A seriously shit automated box we had to climb a mountain to get to before driving back to collingwood wood for a beer, fish and chips and another night in the tent.

Monday we drove straight back to Nelson so I could get to work. Stopping once at the jester cafe, voted best cafe in New Zealand. It was pretty nice, with a rustic Alice in wonderland feel.

Swimming with the fishes!

Friday morning we went out again to fish. This time we went off the warf in Nelson harbour. All was going well when Jack caught a fish!

What the hell do we do with it now?

We had a live fish flipping around the deck! 

I picked him up by the tail to give him a whack on the head, but as I swung up he slipped out of my hand and shot over my shoulder!

It was a right farce!

Eventually I Grasped the little fella hard... And battered his face in against the life boat rescue memorial.

When we had finally delt with freddy the fish a big gust of wind came along and blew our big rig off into the sea.

As Jack had waded out yesterday I had to go get a kayak and paddle out to save it.

I ran to the boat house. Grabbed a kayak. And started down the ramp to launch it.

Slippyest ramp ever! 

I slipped like on a banana skin, just managed to keep myself up but with the momentum of throwing myself and the kayak forwards I started skiing full pelt down the ramp towards the sea. I did all I could do. I leapt as my feet hit the salty water aiming for the kayak I had released into the Tasman. I made it, my legs didn't! Soaking wet I retrieved the rig and paddled back.

By the time I had got back my key, I had left when I started slipping, had been taken. Sopping wet and stinking of fish I had to trudge back through the boathouse to explain myself and plea for my key back.

I got it but my shoes stank so bad I had to work in flip flops later that day as the shoe pong was over powering!

Fishing and pub quiz

Today (Thursday) I finished work early to go to the dentist. After having my filling I met up with Jack and we drove out to Moteka. Via the hunting and fishing shop to pick up some Riggs for our fishing rod. 

We were served by this really nice old boy, who was missing a couple of fingers. He didn't even mock us as we openly said we didn't know how to wind the reel and we had also got the hook on wrong somehow.

We shot out to the Moteka beach to have a go at fishing. After 5 or 6 goes we figured out how to cast off!

With the first real launch... We got the weight stuck in the clay like sand. I sent Jack in! Jack had to wade up to his thighs to go pull our brand new rig out.

We also had trouble with the tide. Mainly that it was going out! So in five minuets of casting the line was in the wash!

Eventually we gave up and had a beer in the car!

We then drove over to do a pub quiz with our Judo team. We did pretty well finishing fourth out of 25. A lady on our team won the raffle and gave Jack and I her prize of a helicopter tour around mount Arthur!

Billy and Babette come to visit!

On Friday after doing a nice trail run from cable bay I came home and waited for the arrival of Billy and Babette. I met the two of them when I was working in Melbourne as a travel agent.

We had a catch up and a couple of beers that evening when I got home from work and watched a movie.

On Saturday they came to watch the rugby match I was physio-ing, we won very comfortably 67 - 7 so they called the game five minuets from time.

After the game we watched the speeches and grabbed some post match food before making our way to the Wakatu for the England game.

I was the worst supporter ever. During the first half when England were smashing it I had all the chat. I even did a lap at half time to rub it in to all the locals. Smug doesn't even cover it!

Then the second half happened... We were the far inferior side. And of course, with each try the all blacks scored, I got a tirade of chat back. Lots of un heartfelt consolations.

After the game we had a few more beers at the Wakatu before moseying over to the sprig and fern for the live band playing. We stopped off at the offie and chined a can of 'big billy maverick' each. It was terrible.

The band were a bit wierd, well their set list was. They had everyone up dancing and then decided to play a nirvana song... Perplexing. But what can you expect from what was clearly a school band.

Later that evening we went to the little rock. The local night club. It was really fun. In under five minuets I'd pissed off a couger.

I went up on the stage for a boogie and this older blond woman came over to me within 5 minuets. Lady: "Let me see your stomach!?"

Me: "Why?"

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Well this sounds like an illaberate plan for you to get your stomach out and show off, doesn't it?"

"GET YOUR STOMACH OUT,"

"Ok calm down sweet cheeks."

"I'll just get mine out!"

She lifts up her shirt

"WOW, I've never seen a belly button like that before! It looks like an outie wearing a bowler hat!"

"Shut up, don't be mean. It went like that after I had my son, he's four. Your an arse hole."

"Well this is what happens when you get your belly out and thrust it at strangers. People get hurt. Also is that body glitter? Why have you got body glitter on your tummy? I think you do this a lot..."

Lady: "I like you I'm buying you lots of drinks,"

"I'm good ta, I'm pretty pissed at the moment. We just had shots." 

"Excellent, I'm going to get you more drunk then take you home!"

She whips out her debit card.

"Errr, I'm all good cheers,"

What the f**k do you mean your all good! I'm buying you drinks and I am taking you home!"

She tackles me off the stage

"Babette!"

I jump into Babette and we go hide in the crowd till the scary lady goes away.

I think I handled the mater maturely.

We danced a bit more and met some other cool people before getting a cab back with a 1920s style pilot complete with leather flying cap and huge beard!

The next day I wanted to die!

We went down to tahunanui beach and played some frisbee before going home again and veging out.

Billy and Babette left on Monday morning.

Getting back to reality

So living in a luxury lodge in one of the most beautiful places in the world is hardly the 'rat race' but the last two weeks have been fairly un eventful.

I've been working a lot at the sports injuries practice, which is a really fun place to work as I see a good variety of injuries and people.

I invited all my colleagues around for a hot tub party. We had a big BBQ before soaking in the warm massaging waters, under the star strewn sky.

I've also joined a judo club so I can be twice weekly beaten up by teenage girls. I'm not very good but I really enjoy it.

Last weekend after the Nelson game we all went back to the Wakatu pub to watch the England Game. It was a really tight game with England the better team, so I was doleong out the chat. Winding everyone up in a room full of Kiwi's. Only for us to concede a try in the dying moments. Will I ever hear the end of it?!

I then met up with a couple of the guys from work and went out on the piss. It was really good fun doing flaming sambuca shots and all sorts!