Episode 6: Venting in Fartyland

Danger Mouse

Top o the morning folks. In a never ending saga I'm still looking for a job but have some interviews lined up. Last weekend we rented a car and head off to Lake Taupo. On the way there we drove through the Rotarua area which is bless with an abundance of natural sulphur hotsprings some which are close to boiling point. In the same spirit as Irish fairy dust and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, the hot waters are said to be imbued with magical healing powers for those adventurous enough to take a little dip. The downside of these natural warm water wonders is that the sulphur in the water which evaporates into air makes the whole place smell like fart all day long. Hmm I guess ya just have to live with it. I did feel magically healed from feeling ill after leaving the farty airs behind me so I guess the healing properties do work. MAGIC! :D In Taupo we stayed in a fantastic cabin in the Huka Falls Resort where the staff were friendly and very helpful. Huka falls itself is a nearby waterfall which we visited the following day and  where dare daredevil Ronana Banana went on a jetboat which sped up and down the river and up to the rapids a few times giving all the passengers a good soak in the process. Nice! More excitingly for me, being a tech geek, was a ride upon some off-road Segway scooters. These took a little bit of getting used to but after a while I didn't want to get off . WEEEEEEEE! Following this was a game of 18 hole minigolf which I totally kicked Ronan's ass at. The winner had to buy dinner.

Poopy Hotel

Onward bound from my splendid victory to the remote mountain town of Whackapapa where Danger Mouse Ronan and friends once again set off on a half day trek called the Tongerira Crossing. This is a 20 km trek in harsh mountainous terrain and conditions. Needless to say as a well known delicate flower I gave that one a miss (I attended in spirit) and went on several smaller walking trails in the area. We stayed in a Ski hotel in the town. If any of y'all ever happen to or plan to land in this village, I couldn't highly highly highly recommend not staying in this shabby and awful hotel. At a glance the place looks like it was built in the early 70's and hasn't been touched, maintained or updated ever since. What the lonely planet guide describes a homely, I'd describe as something closer in similarity to the scene from the horror movie - The Shining. From the moment of check-in it was all downhill. The lacklustre staff were at all times kurt and unfriendly with unpleasant facial expressions that would likely stop a clock. The also were very unhelpful in general and their customer service overall could be described as nothing less than appalling. The Basil Faulty Guide to customer service was obviously the business ethic from which they worked. The final coffin nail came when they over charged us on checkout for a service that I believe that we were conned into using having been led to believe it was complimentary (a disgusting low low standard breakfast that cost 20 dollars a pop and on technicality was not included as earlier instructed as the ill mannered receptionist rudely argues). What a focking liberty! A terrible place indeed and a disappointment after the lovely place we'd stayed in before. There is another much better hotel quite nearby which we stopped into which although being a little more expensive would definitely be 10 times better than the other less than impressive facility that we had stayed in. Go there if you are ever in the area and exercise your consumer right not to expect good quality and service for your cashola. VOTE WITH YOUR FEET PEOPLE! Now I feel much better after giving then a good online bashing. Take that ya fookers. :D

Well tats all for now. I've more enticing tails to tell up my sleeve but If I tell ya now you'll probably wet yourself with excitement

Ta ta for now Kiddies

Lee

Episode 5: The Book Worm

Hello children. I've been a busy busy bee (busy doing nowt) and have forgotten to update for a while. I'm continuing to look for another job. I've applied for 50 million jobs this far so fingers crossed one of them will pan out, otherwise Ill have to start charging y'all to read my illustrious blog, Rupert Murdock style. In the mean time I've joined Auckland City Library. Its AMAZING! Three stories of reading bliss. It about the same size as Dun Laoghaire Shopping Center and even has books that were not printed in wither the time of the Great Famine (1845-49) or salvaged from the flotsam and jetsam which surfaced from the wreck of the titanic. To put it in perspective, Irish libraries are a third world effort in comparison. They also provide a music library for cd's and sheet music, a magazine library, a video game library and a  dvd rental library where for a fee of $5 (€2.50) you can borrow a dvd for 5 days. Xtra-Vision would be hopping mad on one leg if such a service was available back home. An idea for a bit of competition. I love the library here and it offers free wifi too.

In other events we visited the Royal New Zealand Naval Base and Naval Museum located on the North Shore in Devonport. Its a short ferry ride across the bay to get to this wonderland. (Speaking of which, Ive recently been to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland which I though was thoroughly awful and would give it a generous 4 out of 10 score. Don't go see it) . There is an extinct volcanic mountain on the called Mt Victoria located which I actually managed to scale. I'm a proper mountaineer now folks. Nearby is a the North Head which houses a former secret military base which was hollowed into he mount and houses many 'disappearing' gun which were constructed to stave off a threat of attack and invasion by Japanese forces during the time of the second world war. The base is abandoned and no longer in active military use. The underground structures are open for visitors to wonder around and explore. A most fascinating place indeed although I must admit I though it was a wee bit creepy walking around the dark abandoned tunnels. I got the heebeejeebees. Following on to quick swim in the warm sea (its still 19°C here) it was back for ferry home.

Also we visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum located in a large park sporting park Name Auckland Domain. The park similar to Phoenix Park minus the wild deer and zoo and had several sporting facilities suck as cricket grounds and running paths and is often mentioned in interviews as having been used as training ground for visiting sportsmen and women. The Museum itself is a little odd and I was unsure what to make of it. Firstly there are not exhibits about war as the name  WAR MEMORIAL might suggest. There was one room with artifacts that were around 200 years old although many of the descriptions stated that the date of the items being exhibited were unknown . One room with modern history of school children in NZ (one of these exhibits had a picture of the Spice Girls on the wall to give you an idea of how modern it gets ^_^) and all the other rooms were filled with Maori carvings and necklaces and a Maori long boat and a reconstructed ancestral home. I was a bit disappointed by the museum to be honest as nothing was explained of labeled explaining what historical or ceremonial meaning or context they represented. There is nothing much to be learned there so I don't think I could be enticed into visiting there again. (I've been to much better museums such as the amazing Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Definitely go there if your in town.)

Well that's all the excitement I think you can handle for now.

Ta Ta for Now

Lee