January 2001

Thursday 4 January

First day back at work in the “real” new millennium. Very hard to get back into the routine this morning after a fantastic Christmas/New Year. Christmas Day itself wasn’t quite the anti-climax it threatened to be. It was in fact Sue who masterminded the whole lunch (eaten at five!) which included a Kumara mash (Maori vegetable, bit like a potato), an enormous turkey and no sprouts. Rather stupidly, Helen decided to buy me a super soaker with which I’ve annoyed everyone with with my hilarious penchant for drenching helpless housemates. Sadly, Stu and Dan have now bought their own, more expensive and bigger versions and have since ganged up on me. Bastards.

Between Chrimbo and New Year, Sue and I disappeared off to Coromandel on the other side of the Hauraki Gulf. Stayed in an en-suite hostel room with a TV and sofa which was more hotel than hostel. Didn’t have Bertha with us so I managed to get Sue onto a bike to cycle to the nearby beaches and into town and almost killed the poor girl. She also got very surnburnt - her eyelids are still peeling from when she fell asleep on the beach! If you’re ever anywhere on the Coromandel pennisula, make sure you have dinner at the Peppertree on Kapanga Road and try the lamb. Will definitely go back for that.

New Year was a bit of a disappointment. We went to the Loaded Hog by Auckland Harbour: something of a meat market in the week but crammed with grab-a-grannies for New Year’s Eve. Dan was hammered before we left, Stu seemed subdued and Helen was off with her new Kiwi man Bob. The others are currently in Kerikeri so Sue and I are getting a bit of peace and quiet.

Have a look at Stu’s new Blogger-driven weblog that he’s just started for an alternative viewpoint on the goings on in our house. And a big sorry - Sue and I promise to get some photos scanned by next week at the earliest! Happy 2001!

Tuesday 16 January

Seems like Auckland’s finally back at work now. Stu’s working for NZ Blood, Helen’s working in a fertility clinic (sadly, she’s not helping any young men to choke their chickens…), “Young Man” Rich is at the YMCA, Joanna occassionally works at an Irish pub in Parnell and Westaff Temp of November Sue’s the receptionist at the Kiwi Dairies HQ.

Sue’s now seems to have recovered from having half the mosquito population of New Zealand bite her last week. Rather stupidly (given her propensity to react to insect bites) we went for a walk by the river through the woods at dusk without any repellent. Came back and she looked like Popeye with huge forearms and big hives everywhere. Poor dear went to the doctors and they gave her a massive dose of antihistamine in one arm and another of adrenaline in the other. She came outside and tried to have a cigarette and looked like Dot Cotton she was shaking like a leaf so much!

Finally, everyone (on the Internet) seems to be going mad over these StorTrooper things where you can make a cartoon character of yourself. Doesn’t seem to work on my computer but give it a go and send me yours!

Sunday 21 January

Haven’t posted in a while and am even starting to lag behind Stu in the weblog stakes. Must try harder. Suppose it’s a combination of working hard and not doing enough fun things. Not selling this post very well am I?!

Anyway, Sue and I went to Muriwai beach yesterday to see some beaches and cliffs where a huge gannet colony roosts. It’s only about half an hour away but Sue’s map-reading left much to be desired. Well, she’s only female. At least I got to see Auckland Harbour Bridge four times as we went round in circles! We’re actually back off to the west coast again today with Helen to go to Piha beach where The Piano was filmed. Meanwhile Rich, Joanna and Dan are trying for the third time to catch the ferry to Rangitoto after having failed for the last month. Honestly, for supposedly travel-savvy backpackers who’ve managed to get half-way round the world, we’re completely crap at going anywhere local!

Went to the Rose and Crown pub on Friday night. It was our third time there but our fondness for it is quickly diminshing given the fact that the same band have played there every time with the same set list of covers. Sue’s desperately keen to go somewhere else like the Salsa bar at the end of the road but I’m not sure if we’re smart enough. Dan would certainly have to shave his (largely ginger) beard off! We’ve been a bit rude recently in underlining our opposition: for example, Rich blue-tacked ten disposable razors all over the house with comments like “Shave first, eat later” next to one on the fridge. Well, it made us laugh.

Wednesday 24 January

I saw a mouse! Where? There on the stair. Where on the stair? Right there… Looks like we’ve got a small family of mice/rats living behind our crusty cooker and under the cupboards. Joanna, me and now Helen have seen the little bastards scrambling over the cooker rings and behind the cupboards. This is excellent news because it means I can buy a mouse trap and kill them! More realistically, given that I live with two vegetarian/non-red meat animal lovers, they’ll have to be evicted in a caring way. Rats, as it were. I feel a saga coming on: more soon.

Sue’s now booked our tickets for this weekend: we’re going to the Great Barrier Island just up the coast in the Hauraki Gulf. The ferry takes about two hours and we leave on Friday evening so we’ll probably have a few cheeky halves on board to start the weekend off. We’ve even booked activities: kayaking round the island, snorkelling and mountain bikes. Roll on Friday!

Oh, and don’t worry about Rich, Dan and Stu: apparantly it was some sort of computer jiggerypokery after all. Phew!

Friday 26 January

Sadly no further mice sightings but I haven’t forgotten and will set about my task with renewed enthusiasm when we come back from the Great Barrier Island. We’re staying at the Stray Possum Lodge over the long weekend - Aucklanders get a “statutory” holiday to celebrate its anniversary - and are leaving straight after work! It’s been a while since the whole gang has had a holiday together and it’ll be good to get away from tired evenings in watching Grosse Pointe, Shortland Street and all the other crap on Kiwi television.

Joanna’s now created her Stortrooper. I’ll try and do the rest of the house when I’ve got an hour to spare!

Tuesday 30 January

Fantastic weekend on Great Barrier Island, an island just off the coast of Auckland. Started off badly when, after an extremely choppy, two-hour ferry ride on Friday, we arrived at the unsheltered port to torrential rain with no sign of our backpacks. We were all herded behind barriers, hair plastered down the sides of our faces with the rain getting heavier, children crying and people shouting: it was like we were prisoners of war!

Anyway, we all awoke in the Stray Possum Lodge in the same mixed-sex dorm room. This meant the girls could experience the olfactory delights of Stuart’s towel first-hand and rejoice in Dan’s snoring; sadly they didn’t reciprocate with naked pillow fights for our entertainment. Spoilsports.

The sun was shining and so we decided to go for a long walk. Which for us was very strange. Especially given that it was a six-hour “tramp” up Mount Hobson and down past natural hot springs. Spectacular views and a mad German woman kept us in high spirits and, in true Secret Seven fashion, gagging for a slap-up feed. Swallowed my pride and drank Export Gold and we ate literally twelve inches of the Lodge’s home-made pizza.

The next day we went Kayaking around the island and into the Pacific Ocean. I was in a two-man kayak with Sue who managed to casually tickle the water in front while I was left to actually row/paddle both of us along. This was an issue of contention. Anyway, we then went snorkelling in a secluded bay among the little blue fishes and big puffy ones (evidentally I’m crap at identifying and remembering things like fish species). Barbeque in the evening, walk in the morning and then home for a slap-up Chicken Balti! Hurrah for 0800 CURRIES!