Well, ever since I have started to write this blog I told myself three key things (i) keep it interesting (ii) don't just tell people what I have been doing and (iii) don't, well ermm...list things. Now it seems I have already gone against one of my cardinal sins already so I might as well break another. And the story starts not a long, long time ago, not ever a week but just the other day...(picture dreamy music coming in and the screen to go all blurry as you're transformed back in time and 12,000 miles south east of where you are sitting right now...
Arriving in Dunedin we knew that we weren't going to experience the culture of the sort Cpt. Cook did when he set upon the sunny banks of Botany Bay (although if we were talking about the one just off the M61 near Preston maybe it was going to be quite similar) but walking around the mighty city, the largest one in New Zealand, and fourth largest city in the world (look it up!) we did think that something was missing.
Not qutie sure what we spotted a karting track in the far distance, so Pete and I dragged Claire away with us to what turned out to be an abandoned warehouse with a grotequsely (and decpetively) large sign on the side of it saying "Indoor Karting Here!" Any who, as you can all imagine we now found ourselves, not only in the most British city outside of Britain (and in many cases more British, think Oldham, Bradford, Luton...) but also in the midst of an industrial estate.
After a moment of panic about how we were wasting our time away in yet another city we managed to meander back to the train station, which was is, may I add, not only the most photographed building in the whole of this bi-islanded country (I'm not even sure if that's even a word?!) but also led our escape route back to civilisation via a 104 year old bridge. Crossing the quite mudane structure we passed an Asian girl who was holding an video camera. Something which I turned to Pete and said, "You don't want to be going over there with that!" Obviously discussing about our previous thirty or so moments being lodged in a world of concrete, metal and industry, hmm reminds be slightly of the Crystal Maze. Either way, my words did turn out to mean slighty more just seconds after we stepped of the last rung on the bridge when we heard an "almighty crash" (you'll understand why in a moment why I have quoted myself).
Turning round we were first had witnesses to something that even the British Rail network would manage to avoid. A freight train had somehow managed to career into the side of the 100 year old Dunedin landmark and a girl, the very same girl who I have so cleverly said to Pete only seconds before not to cross the bridge was on the floor. Now I can only be so smug about this for two main reasons (and yes I am going to list again) 1. I am not, and have never thought myself able to predict anything, apart from the odd football score and 2. The girl was fine apart from a bruise and a ripped pair of jeans which was a relief to us all.
Instingvely I thought it was imperitive that the local rag was informed, so I carted myself and my journalistic nature up the road to the Otago Daily Times which we had passed earlier that afternoon. I kidnly broke the story for them, to which they sent down no less that 2 (two) journalists and a camera man. Maybe this was to be by big break. I could see it...BOY, 22, FROM ENGLAND WINS DUNEDIN JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR or something of the sort. Well nothing quite like that but after chatting to one of the journlists who had rushed down the the scene of the world's biggest 'F**K up' excusing maybe the Diana inquest and the American elections since 2000 I squeezed may way in the column inches and I can now say that the "almighty crash" I mentioned before has been quoted in New Zealands first daily! I thank you.
But we left Dunedin and obviously decided that it offered too much excitement which is why we are now in a quite inoffensive place called Lake Tekapo. Not that I can really complain about it, nice hostel, lovely scenary, bascially everything you want it you intend on spending your children's inheritance before they leave university but as I don't have any gremlins of my own quite yet and the hostel in question, the very one I am writing this blog in happened to also double up last night as the home of a very, no wait, extremely annoying American man with a guitar who felt it was his job to teach us all the back catalogue of 'Greatest Hits of the 60s and beyond'. It didn't take me too long to get into bed last night. Not that it mattered as he obviously decided that I still wanted to hear his wretchered voice and kindly up the decibals and couple of notches, for which I can only be indebted to him as I think (I hope) he has now left the hostel.
But either way I can't say I have much more to tell you about my adventures. We have been in Queenstown though and I somehow managed to not come up with any new ways of defying gravity, maybe Dunedin was trying to shock me?! Oh yeah and one more thing, if, which I'm sure you all could be one day be in Dunedin, do not...I really cannot stress this enough, do not go to India Village or whatever the restaurant I dined in the other night as they didn't know how to cook the chicken. Don't get my wrong the service was brilliant and upholding to what you would expect in any other Indian restaurant from Rusholme to Bombay but if I had ate any more of my Bhuna I was worried that the next day would've been spent similary to the way I would have if I have eaten an actually curry in India, you catch my drift.
For any of you who live in Macclesfield, please pop down to the Balti Kitched just oposite Whetherspoons and tell them I very much miss their curry's.
And with that I bid you fare well, not sure if I will catcj up with you all again before I leave the land of the Kiwi as this time in seven days and will not longer be ahead of you but behind, crossing the date line on my way to Chile. How I can fly for 12 hours and arrive 5 hours before I actually left does boggle the mind.
Aidos Ameigos, asta la vista baby, quatro cerveza por favor...that's all I'll be needing for the next 3 months!
Tim
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