So far the 'working holiday' has been mostly holiday... but the time intensive task of securing a job will begin seriously on Monday. Job hunting really is like a full time job - regular email checking, scanning countless advertisements, applying and so on. Will update on the progress soon.
After an agonising wait to see if the cricket would play with SO much rain yesterday, at 5:47pm the announcement was posted that the game would commence at 6:47pm, each team playing 22 overs. The ground was far from packed but enthusiasm was high as only the really committed turned out to see it. Aussie posted a fairly decent score, but even with a few key wickets dropped early on our chase was impressive. The row of aussies (and a stray South African supporting Australia... ??) in front of us quickly regretted their earlier mockery and fell quiet as the 4's piled up much to our delight.
Unfortunately the rain returned with only 6 overs to play, which was a massive dissapointment as the kiwis were easily on their way to victory with an average 10-12 runs an over when play was stopped. Would LOVE to go to the 20/20 in Sydney tomorrow but knowing the price of attending a sporting event now it may have to wait...
It was a brilliant event despite the weather, and further reinforcing the belief that it is, indeed, a small world, we ran into Rei kitted out in Bowler beige brigade gears outside the ground. Classic!
I was supposed to put in the consecutive posts about the road trip from Wellington right through to Ahipara, but we got too busy and now we are in Australia so I'll just give the highlights:
*Camping in Taupo - always pretty and totally love the jumping cushion
*Visiting with Nana and Grandad in Auckland
*Testing the new toll road between Auckland and Whangarei
*Passing my license test - finally! Special thanks to Grans cornies and stewed apple - Clarke kids you know the drill.
*Dinner, drinks and catching up with old friends and family in the rei
*Ahipara - 'nuff said
*Swimming at Waipu Cove
*Totally smooth flight to Brisbane
*Making $2 australian dollars on the internet kiosks - a sign of things to come...? Trip photos to follow.
So here we are, currently staying in Rosewood near Ipswich and heading to the Sunshine Coast today. It is hot - not that we weren't expecting it - but acclimatising is taking its sweet time. We watched the kiwis get beaten last night, and now have tickets to the game on Friday where hopefully we can take it home. Look out for us sporting the Bowler beige brigade digs.
The cabin we stay at in Charleston is so cute. It is SO quiet at the holiday camp, and the sunset is very pretty. The owners have a great kitchen facility with everything, and a large family sized dining table in the centre. We watch the news and some documentary about helping troubled teens.
Back on the road early and its a pretty straight shot through to Blenheim. We eat lunch at a cafe there and get on the road again for the 2pm ferry. The crossing is initially great, in the harbour with a glass of wine and the cool sea breeze, but the rapidly goes down hill as soon as we hit the open sea and I can't wait for it to be over.
We arrive in Wellington and head over to see Sarah and Hadleigh, where we will spend the next two nights. We make a poor attempt at attending the music in the gardens, and end up back at the apartment eating bad thai food and catching up.
The weather is perfect while we are in Welly. We take a drive around oriental parade to a wee cafe at Scorching Bay, catch up with friends, have coffee in the city with Had and Sarah, and eat out at a great Indian restaurant which consequently ends in a night on the town at various clubs.
We are very tempted to stay longer, we both love it there. But back on the road it is! Taupo next.
Showering, cleaning up and packing is very efficient in Haast - the mossies are swarming the second we open the tent door. We get on the road and head up the coast, taking in the sites as we go. We stop at Knights point for a stunning view along the west coast, and there is a tall, concrete statue erected in 1965 to commemorate when the coastal road met joining the north and the south.
We stop briefly in Poringaringa to build a mini stone temple and get eaten alive, we end up running back to the car and coating ourselves in Steve's Grandmas home made mossie repellant.
We arrive at Fox Glacier and take a look along Glacier view road - winding between lush native forest and providing an awesome view of the glacier. We take the walk out to the base of the fox glacier with every other tourist in town, but it really is spectacular. Steve was hoping some ice would collapse while we were there but it didn't happen. The surrounding mountains are ground out from where the glacier used to be and they stand straight upright.
We stop for lunch in the fox glacier township at a saloon style cafe and bar, the food is great and we contemplate staying there and having a few beers in the sun.
A brief pit stop in whakaroa, then on for a coffee break in Hokitika. We
stop to see the pancake rocks in Punakaiki, the native forest walk is awesome and the way the land has been shaped is really neat.
As we make our final run to Charleston, we wind around the coast through the sea mist as the sun sets over the south island. Spectacular.
