No wait! Don’t stop reading. This post really isn’t about basketball, although basketball is the thread that binds it together. You see the Boomers vs Tall Blacks game is the reason I’m hightailing it to Wellington – something I’ll never attempt to do again in three days I might add. Yes it might not have been the smartest thing to do, but if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have been shouting out “pub quiz for dummies” answers in the pub at Napier* with a complete stranger (we would have won if we had been playing), in between watching the Opals vs the Tall Ferns on tv. Nor would I have accepted an invitation for a drink of yet another stranger in Wellington before the game as we both wanted to find somewhere out of the wind. You know, that’s probably giving the wrong impression – I’m not picking up men in bars! lol The point of all this is that travelling by myself makes me do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do – like talk to people I don’t know – and the surprising thing is: I actually enjoy it.

It certainly is an exercise in personal growth – but I am OVER driving. The weather has also turned to rubbish today so I’m holed up in a beautiful apartment on the edge of Lake Taupo (toe-paw) called Braxmere. I’m just going to NOT drive for a bit and look at the swans on the lake.

*I also wouldn’t have found that pair of leopard skin boots that I probably didn’t need but bought anyway and now have to find a way to fit in my luggage.

The last time I tried a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of holiday, it lasted all of a day before we were organised within an inch of our lives. This time the only thing that is certain is that I need to be in Wellington on Tuesday for the basketball and back in Auckland on Saturday to fly home. So how’s it all working out? well it’s been pretty interesting thus far:

I got off the plane, found myself a hire car, then sat in it for about half an hour trying to figure out where the hell I was going. Eventually I decided to just head towards Hobbit territory and hoped to get lucky. I suppose I did in that I didn’t have to sleep in my car, but now I know what the earplugs were for in the bedroom of the motel I found.

In hindsight, trying to get to Wellington in two days was a bit ambitious but the country is beautiful and I’m enjoying the serendipitous encounters with places and people along the way. I’ve made it as far as Napier which is known as the Art Deco Capital of the world and the hotel I’m staying at is a true reflection of that claim. I’ve also just found out that it is prone to earthquakes, but with the lack of sleep the previous night from all those bloody trucks thundering past, I’m sure it would require an earthquake to wake me.

• Storehouse – cafe extraordinaire in Taupo
• Art Deco Masonic Hotel – Napier

Shotover River

OK, it’s taken about two days, but I think I’ve just about recovered from “The Vodka Incident”, though I have been constantly reminded of it ever since 🙂 We’ve moved on to more adventure with the Shotover Jet, the Gondola and Luge and I’m afraid I might be turning into an adrenaline junkie. Paige and I didn’t quite make it bungee jumping, but we watched it and that’s nearly the same thing lol. No seriously, we are determined to come back here soon and have another adventure holiday where we do everything: parasailing, zip lining, canyon swing and finish it off with a bungee jump. Crazy? perhaps… but you’ve got to have a bit of a thrill now and then.

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Pretty sure you’re supposed to do this standing up.

It’s really hard to ski with a hangover. I’m sure plenty of people have done it – it’s just not something I do particularly well. After nearly falling off the magic carpet to get up the nursery slope I decided that this day was just a write off and cut my losses and headed home, leaving Paige and Eileen to carry the flag for team #girlsgonemild. Really, the only reason I even braved the 20 minute bus journey up the mountain was to do our photo shoot for Eileen’s Sartorial Stylings. That and to buy the orgasmic pork belly and apple pie from Fergbaker to complete my recovery.

24 hours earlier… Continue reading →