New Zealand, First 4 weeks

Yes, it has only been 6 months and already I’m back in New Zealand. Essentially I have been flown home for two months, to learn new skills pertaining to the latest instrument that Syft is producing. Nice timing really, as Christmas and New year they shut down, and I’ll be in Australia visiting family over the break. Can’t complain aye.
First weekend I was in the Clarence Reserve 4-wheel driving with my Dad. I have been to inspect my house, met up with a lot of mates old and new, and am really enjoying the long summer days. I hear the weather in the UK is miserable at the moment… My manager Steve is heading this way for a visit in January, and I don’t think he’ll want to go back.

Venice 17/18 November 07

Only one weekend later I was in Venice with Kalman and Tess. We planned the trip to include a walking tour and boat tour. The former was well worth it, with our guide leading us into St. Paul’s Basilica and around the narrow streets. It was really interesting to learn about all the details in the architecture. A story could be told about every pillar and street no doubt.

The main reason Venice survives as an economy today is tourism. They charge through the nose for gondola tours but have plenty of delights for all on foot. There was a huge abundance of glassware and finely detailed masks for sale, also clothes, food and chocolate. It was a little chilly at this time of year but a fantastic experience.

Lake District with Zita 10/11 November 07

Once again I must apologize for the shocking formatting on this blogger site… Anyway, onto the point of it all!
I met Zita about 3 years ago while I was traveling around Canada. We had not seen each other since then, when I went back to NZ, and her back to West London. We managed to meet at my flat in Warrington for a catch up trip to the Lake District. I love it up there, and with it being so far from Zita’s place it was worthwhile going. She was also able to visit her Grandfather’s grave and meet formerly estranged family in Kendal. We then headed up to Windermere to feed the ducks.

Next day we visited nearby Chester and found a great place for lunch.

London 3/4 November 07

This was my first ever trip to London. I decided to drive down, mainly so I could tiki tour at my pace and I now have almost complete trust in my little sat-nav to land me where I want to be.
Along the way I stopped at Rugby, the place of my mother’s birth, and of course the game. I found the house where her family used to live and had a bit of a walk around town. This being the year of the Rugby World Cup, they had a plaque with all competing nations emblazoned on it. I found the statue of William Webb Ellis, and a floral tribute to the cup itself. Sadly where I sit is as close as a Kiwi will get to the holy grail!









The trip into London was mainly just a busy queue of traffic, but made it to my mate Kalman’s place no problem.
Later in the evening we went to the Dolphin Bar and met up with Janna and Harley. Fantastic to see you guys!







I met Kalman’s flatmates who, with him are living in a converted warehouse. (Thanks guys for having me there.) The weekend coincided with the November fireworks, and a party at a friend’s 3-storey narrow terrace flat. We trained to xxxx Park and watched several fireworks displays from a large rounded hill. Home to get changed, then we were off to the party. A few drinks, lots of music and a few happy hook-ups (you know who you are!). Being the crazy kiwi I managed to find a way up onto the roof through a hole in the ceiling. A few people followed and we spent a bit of the night stargazing and playing (very carefully) on the roof. Classic photo of Faye the cat!






















During the days Kalman and I explored the touristy bits of London – The London Eye, Tower of London, all the buskers, and Thames Waterfront. Later on Sunday I met up with Greenie, an old mate who I had not seen for several years.