After a nice little trip from Melbourne to Auckland featuring one of the finest in-flight meals I've ever sampled (Smoked Salmon with buttered vegetables), I landed safely in New Zealand and the adventures are now back on track. My flight arrived quite late but luckily for me, my highly esteemed and much missed companion Rory had booked me a bed in his hostel so I made my way from the Airport and we were once again reunited. We popped out for a few drinks, had a bit of a catch up then I got to bed early in eager anticipation of what New Zealand had to offer.
Rory had already booked his ticket for the Stray bus, a bus which allows you to travel up and down New Zealand for a year and jump-on/jump-off whenever you wish. So the next morning I booked mine and together we spent the day looking at the various tacky tourist spots Auckland had to offer. I can't say I'm a massive fan of the place, I found it to be a bit of a dive, so with the promise of free food waiting for us at the hostel we swiftly headed back and placed our order. Over dinner we discussed our plans for the next few days and Rory told me about some of the activities he had been up to and how much he'd enjoyed them. He then informed me of his plans to get a job at Eaton Vale activity centre upon his return to England, but due to his complete lack of experience in the industry he would understand if they started him on something simple like manning the Tuck shop until he got trained up on the full 10 meter abseil. Safe in the Knowledge Rory's 3 years at university and his degree in Law wasn't going to waste, we finished up our food and packed for the bus leaving the next morning.
After a minor hiccup, that nearly stranded Rory in crappy Auckland, all was well so we placed our bags on the coach and away we went with a host of new travelling companions. We were pretty surprised when we bumped into one lad we met in Bangkok over 4 months ago, so we said hello to him and the rest of the bus, as we made our way to our first destination. As well as the simply amazing scenery outside, Rory and I were provided with some fascinating entertainment from two Essex girls sat adjacent to us who between them would struggle to beat Jade Goodie in a game of counting. We could hear their conversation, as could most people within a mile radius, and were unable to believe most things we heard. At one point we stopped at a Fruit and Veg stall for some refreshments and after everyone had got a few things together we jumped back on the bus. At this point I heard one of the girls say "Oh my God, right. Your meant to be on a on a diet. I can't believe we just stopped at a veg stall and you brought crisps!" This was followed by the justification - "Oh my God, right. They're like 100% potato and all vegetables are healthy and good for you". I'm sure there will be more to come from these Clowns, I'll keep you informed.
