Organic Rivers Festival - Levin 19 Jan 08

We went up to Jen's homie town for a spot of home grown dub, fun, slow food, slow wine, and a whole lot of 'chillin'.












After 10 years I still have a crush on Ed ;-P >> Nicky Hager doing a seminar










We all went to Vic together and we all drank beer, but Dazza was the only one that managed to end up with a red van with his picture on it and a Blackberry>> Magic dust on the dance floor













I met Mel in Japan in 2003 in a Kareoke bar - her face was stunned after My Way was over. Can't get enough of us, obviously!! >> Tofu Burger - its ohvvight, but mine's better still... ;-)

Drunken company... yeeeahhh...
and Minnow supervising feet washing when we got home *-)

Blast from the Past

Flying in through Makara in a Dash8

Went down to old Wellers last weekend to get yet more embassy admin done, and of course, see my crazy mates. It was the first NZ city we visited as a family in 1989, and it was exactly ten summers ago that I arrived here to live, on an overnight train, pulling into the station overlooking the long stretching harbour from the Hutt, Emerald City glistening... it will always be the maker of dreams.

Some places that poked deep into my memory:1) The docks where me and my sister chased seagulls 89; 2) further up Oriental Parade where I had my first kiss 98; To the right on the beach me and a young friend went skinny dipping in 99.










3) Sans Jewellery James Smith Corner - Brenda and I got ourselves very pierced in 98. Can't believe its still there!! 4) Beehive and Parliament House - protest after protest in the late 9os on the outside and then I ended up working inside 02-03. To the left under the Magpie Man tree where me and the same skinny dipping young friend also got hiddeously trollied one evening in 98. The security guards found us and didn't kick us out, he just made sure we had enough water.













5) Brenda at Olive - regular coffee & brunch hangout of everyone who is anyone. I used to live 1 minute from there in a giant warehouse on Marion Street. 200 people came to our parties. 6) The Seagull bridge between the Gallery and Frankitts Park where I celebrated my 18th birthday with another young friend (different one this time) over some soggy fry ups.












7) & 8) I have never swum without clothes in Evans Bay though. (Kathryn kindly took me out for a snorkel on Sunday). I ran around here on Round the Bays fun run a couple of years. Round the corner in a short drive its the celebrated Chocolate Fish cafe.











9) & 10) I lived amongst graffiti, henna dye, wet timber, incense, art house video libraries, secret pet cemeteries and fascist vegans in Aro Valley, just a very tiring up-hill stone throw to Vic Uni.

I wear these bright colourful memories like gemstones around my neck.

New Years '08

I emerged in 2008 with a liver not even the Chinese Organ Blackmarket would want, and a pretty bright outlook to the year that will hopefully see freckles back in fashion.

My holiday firstly involved camping in a giant tent in Taupo with Brenda, Callum and B's stuffed Ninja, and saw me briefly flirt with Geekism after leaving my blog address in a geochache (though I can't say that I found it myself). We went on quite a few fabulous walks around the Taupo/Turangi area - highlight for me was the quiet and tucked away Lake Rotopounamu and spotting a diving Pied Shag (Cormorant) on a bridge over Tongariro River - see vids below.




























Oh yeah, and check out some of these amusing shop signs in Taupo








Then I met up with Jennifer + Anna and headed down to Kuratau to Anna's whanau's bach on the 30th, an idylic little town on the southern shore of Lake Taupo. Apart from lounging around at the beach and on the deck and got incredibly chopped we hardly did anything. New Years Eve was particularly fantastic because it was the first one I've ever spent in New Zealand that hasn't rained. Its gonna be a promising year!

Happy UnAustralian Day

Celebrating some one else's birthday is like celebrating your unbirthday, hey, just as fun and still get all the trimmings!

So anyway on my UnAustralian Day I saved a tortoise from being run over between Michalego and Tharwa, and enjoyed a very long lunch with multicultural guests in a green-energy powered chalet and even had a dip in then river that didn't disappear after all.

Happy happy happy. (not referring to you, John)

Brisbane Jan 07

Alcohol ads are allowed here - Bundaberg - chasing moving lights - dazzling - efficient - gosh last time I was here I saw meter maids - hot - ice creams - junk shops for tourists - kool with a k - lavish - museum is nice - nourishing korean cold noodle soup - om da dee da dee da dee om da dee dai - pathetic coffee though - queer ppl live here too - river which cuts it in half is beautiful esp from the air - sexy; sexier than i thought - tough too - us - vanity - we are family - xtatic with an x- yeah nah - ZAAP!!


and guess who I bloody saw there!!

Roaming New Zealand

I loved showing off NZ to Templeton, and apart from the very wet New Years we had a bloody fabulous time roaming around the North Island and catching up with m'mates.

Photos: Mt Ruapehu; Waitomo Caves; Craters of the Moon - Taupo; ouside Wellington City Gallery; My cuz Coco on horsey near Raglan; With Braedon and Kathryn at our rained out New Years pad...; With Emma in Wanganui; Waterlilies at Botanical Gardens in Wellington; Shivering at Craters of the Moon; Auckland Sky Tower