Fun in Whangerei

Still working on the pictures...probably won't have any up until we get to Christchurch, I have a job, and I've bought a new bike. In other words, it'll be a while.

So we had another fantastic night in Whangerei with Stu and Jo. To put it mildly, these Kiwis know how to party. But man, even two recent college grads from the states can't keep up...it's pretty pathetic actually. They take us to lunch and offer us drinks; we get ready to go out to dinner/clubs and they feed us wine before we leave; we drink before our meals, during our meals, after our meals and then at the clubs too. It is insane. I think I have had more to drink in the past three nights than I have in the past three months...and those of you who knew my schedule this summer can attest to the truth in that.

All in all it is still an amazing time. Last night we went back to the Killer Prawn (the restaurant that had the special pub opening the first night we were here) and had a delicious dinner of Bluenose (a local catch), prawns (which i couldn't eat bc i'm allergic to shellfish but Brett said they were great) an exceptional wine and a few other bits and pieces, appetizers, desserts, etc. There was a Blues band, The Darcy Percy Band, who rocked pretty hard. It was fun to go and relax, meet ANOTHER couple that Stu and Jo liked to party with, Brett and I danced, tossed back rum and cokes all night (Brett's taken to drinking scotch and I have to hand it to him, though it is rather tasty.) Then we went over to Bacio, the little bar that we have gone to every night since we've been here for the 'afterhours' fun. It was really bumpin last night as it was Saturday. There were a lot of kids our age...if not younger, so Brett and I danced there, gained lots of attention (mostly bc of his crazy hair, but partially because we are Americans). It reminded me of a bundy party really, except drinks were way better and we were surrounded by kiwis. good times. at 2:30 we headed home and passed out as expected.

so yeah we have really been roughing it. You know this lifestyle, it's very tough. To put it in perspective, everyone knows Stu and Jo. We've been treated like VIP everywhere we go in this town...the best seats, the best service, the best of everything. So yeah, judge for yourselves. But in all fairness I think we earned a weekend in high society...sleeping on the hard ground, in the pourring rain, making eggs in a pot. But those times were equally fantastic. I think it's all about what you want at the moment and honestly I think both I and Brett are ready to be on the road again. Not to say that I haven't fallen in love with Stu and Jo, but now that we've seen this aspect of Kiwi life we are ready to start camping again. I think it'll be funny though, after being so spoiled, to see how we handle setting up camp, dealing with rain, sleeping everywhere but in a soft warm bed, and cooking our eggs in a pot again.

I really do look foward to getting to Christchurch. We have a while, a few stops on the way. We must stop in Auckland to pick up some paperwork, we'll stop a few places in the North Island, obviously Wellington, and then probably move right on to the South. We'd like to be in Crch by this coming Saturday. Also, I really think that Brett and I need to detox...seriously. We have eaten out for all but one meal since we've been here and that can get slightly taxing on one's body. Plus we need to get away from the alcohol, but I have a feeling that it may be hard to do in this country. Oh well, when in Rome (kidding).

I've been talking extensively with Jo about the university system in place here in NZ and the more I hear the more I like. I am going to check out some of the schools here and some of the different programs offered, because I am very interested to see how possible it would be for me to attend grad school here. I know they have fantastic Anthro depts at Otago and they have education programs everywhere in the country. Plus, teachers are in huge demand here and it would make it terribly easy for me to get citizenship if I were to become a teacher. I love it how I've been here only two weeks and I'm already trying to figure out ways to come back once I'm gone. One step at a time Knappster.

One last though: Brett and I have been talking about how interesting it is to think that if either he or I had done one tiny thing differently up until this point in our lives, we would not be here right now. If I had not gotten stuck in an elevator I would not have met the kid Brett roomed with in the youth hostel in Aucks, thus he and I would not have met. If we had not gone to the club the night before we left and then decided to leave early, I would never have decided that I wanted pizza and we would never have met Stu and Jo's son Neil. If we had decided to stay in the Bay of Islands we would have missed Jo and Stu by a day and probably still be on the road. I love it how everything in life is such chance and that each little decision we make helps in determining our destiny. And here I sit with Neil's cat on my lap while I type away on Stu's computer. Fancy that.

Ok so that is it for now. You may not hear from me for a while since we leave tomorrow and we'll be on the road for the next week or so. Until then, I hope all is well back in the states.

-NMK