Saturday, April 17, 2004
New Zealand Update
This has been the longest I haven't blogged
Its not for lack of wanting to, or even being online, but for time.
There's just so much to tell.
Lets break it down. - sorry no grammar or spell checks - this is just the basic facts
Thursday
2 hours wait at airport to get on plane
4 hours on plane
1/2 hr in traffic to sjoerd and pris place
yummy pumpkin soup
Met John and Sjoerd for first time
Into the gutless wonder Magna with 5 people and gear 2 hours drive to te kuiti to get fish and chips
got stopped by the cops for speeding - was not but anyway...
2 hours drive by me to national park where we stopped for a few hours in a backpackers place
I spent a few hours online catching up with some much needed business stuff and emails
Friday
got 3 hours sleep
4:30 am we are on the road again and arrive in Wellington at 8:20am
go to lara's place and pick her up and drive to ferry. lara takes car to look after it
4 hours on ferry from Wellington to picton.
played a massive trick on Dave my brother who was there to meet us. We ran him and convinced him I had missed the ferry and was stranded in Wellington and next ferry was a couple hours away.
at the terminal the others met up with him while I snuck off and exited the terminal without him seeing me
I walked a couple of kms up the main road out of picton while the others went to the shops. Then they spent ages convincing Dave to drive this road (with cunning excuses like "left wallet in shops" and "I need a pee" etc)
finally they picked me up and Dave was VERY surprised
2 hours drive to nelson - stopping at the picturesque pelorus river for a short break
showered and changed at daves place before heading off to uncle graeme and aunty jan's place where grandma lived in a granny flat
met brads wife greer and baby zahara for first time
had a great meal and time catching up, then viewed grandma. She was very peaceful and smiling.
finally headed back to Richmond, and I went to Ross and Jan's place for the night (I am staying with them, and the others are staying at daves)
Saturday
Went to see Mark and Mandy Ditzel whom I haven't seen since my wedding 9 years ago today 17th April
then borrowed some soccer gear from mark to play soccer and went with Dave and sjoerd to play soccer. Played 1 1/2 halves of the first game as left back and then played the second half of the second game as keeper. Was able to neutralise a couple of guys well, but not fast enough to keep up with the other two strikers. So I took one of them out with a well timed block and he didn't bother me again. Someone else kicked the other dude in the goolies (accidently) and that was the end of him also.
From there went back to Ross and Jan's place for some business work and emails, followed by a 15 minute spa - very relaxing
went to daves for roast dinner, played cards for a while then off to ross and jans with rufus and john, pris and sjoerd for a spa while Dave worked on a power point presentation for the funeral. ate chocolate icecream in the spa and had a great time talking
then off to the local pub for a game of pool. John and I challenged the two girls who were playing to a game, won that easily, then and then pris and rufus won the next game from the challengers, then sjoerd and john won the next game from their challengers, then rufus and I started playing the next challenger who asked john to partner him. Halfway through this a fight broke out s o sjoerd and I jumped in and I applied a full nelson to the main antagonist (who it turned out was actually defending himself) and dragged him out. He was about 100 kilos so was satisfying to lift him up by the pressure to his head and then stuff him out a door. He was banned. sjoerd was busy separating a few hangers on who were wrestling a bit.
went back to the game only to have the fight break out again out in the front courtyard. sjoerd and I jumped back out again this time about 15 guys involved in about 3 separate fights, including the two bouncers who were being taken apart. I pulled one guy off a bouncer and shoved him off to some other people to look after then raced after sjoerd who was in a group and was dodging fists. I dragged him out cos they were mostly sorted and then we pretty much stood around til the cops came and the arguments over who hit who first started. this was all quite amusing to us. of course we were all sober as judges having arrived at the pub at 11pm and the locals were there after a football (rugby union) match and were pretty tanked (hence our easy wins at pool)
went back to the game of pool which john and the other dude won then headed home.
now im writing up this, and preparing my talk for the funeral on Monday.
I am standing in for my dad and also presenting on behalf of our entire family
see ya later
