December 2008
21 posts
My newest job →
It’s even better than I could have imagined. I got to tape a Jam session with Neil Finn, his son Liam, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brian on bass, Johnny Marr, Pat Sanson from Wilco doing a song up in Neil Finn’s studio. And I’ve been doing a bit of piano playing on the side too. Couldn’t be happier!!
Taurus
My horoscope this week reads so right on, that I had to share it:
Large-scale events suit your expansive mood. Fresh lunar energy dominates the sector of higher learning, overseas connections and daring new ventures. A timely or lucky break may get you over the finishing line.
Brilliant!
Falling behind?
As with any blogs- I am totally behind in writing my updates because of the holidays (happy holidays everyone!!) and because so much has been going on that it’s hard to keep up! At the moment I am enjoying Boxing Day at Cook’s Beach on Coromandel Island close to Auckland with my friend’s family. An actual Kiwi Christmas! Which means, hanging out at the beach, eating bbq, and...
Abel Tasman
In Nelson we found a great bar/restaurant called Stingray and met a new french friend, Stephanie, who enthralled Arnie. He turned on his swag boy charm trying to impress her, but she was more interested in talking about Abel Tasman than making sweet banter with him. Poor Arnie! In the meantime, we stayed two nights longer at the Beach Hostel to get my car checked out…it was making this...
Nelson to Abel Tasman
After getting off the ferry, we drove along the winding roads towards Nelson, one of the larger towns close to the Abel Tasman National Park which, as you can see from two titles, was our final destination. My first ever tramp in New Zealand! Actually my first ever tramp and camp. New Zealand is one of the best locations for trampers, a trampers haven if you’re into that sort of thing. By...
Wellington to Abel Tasman!
Wellington is a vibrant city on the waterfront, with lots of little cafes, boutique stores, hidden bars, and music everywhere. My kind of town! And it’s definitely smaller than Auckland. Unfortunately, I was only there for a day before leaving on the ferry to Picton- South Island, ‘the gateway to South Island’ as they call it. In Wellington, Wanda showed me around like a...
Wellywood!!
I’ve landed in Wellington!! And in my fantastic little car… who I’m still naming…it’s a subaru station wagon- so I thought about calling it snoopy or scooby doo the subaru. But both aren’t quite hacking it. I’m up for suggestions! On Saturday, my friend Wanda, my new friend Arnie are getting on the ferry to the South Island with my car. I’ve never...
Cape Reinga & Bay of Islands 3
Day 3 started early, but thankfully not as early as preceding days- 9am. I showed up at the docks, took a look at the threatening clouds and thought…’oh no, maybe he’ll cancel…’ but as many of you know, I’m stubborn, being a Taurus and I waiting around until I saw the beautiful sailboat Gungha II coming into to the dock. A rugged looking older guy with flip...
Cape Reinga & Bay of Islands 2
Day 2 started early, I met a nice German (again!) named Linda who was also doing a whirlwind tour of NZ, had already been in Southeast Asia and Australia. We got on the bus- I stayed up front (smart me!) and off we went, literally bouncing down the windy roads. The driver happily informed us that this wasn’t your usual tour bus..it was a truck that was specifically designed for traveling on...
Cape Reinga & Bay of Islands
I am back in Auckland after a terrific weekend in the North. I took the ‘Magic’ bus, which is sort of a touristy bus for 20-30 somethings with a few 50-somethings thrown in. I wanted to try it to see if I would actually want to use them for a trip around the whole South Island, and for now I think I’m going to pass. There’s the intercity flexi-pass which is just a whole...