Been a busy girl this week.

Saturday Helen and I went on a girly road trip along part of the Pacific Coast Highway to the Coromandel Peninsula for a day of sunshine, beaches, and breath-taking scenery. We Followed SH25 via Thames > Coromandel > Kuaotunu > Whitianga, with a detour to stop and relax at Hot Water Beach. Here you can dig a hole in the sand at low tide and sit in your own personal spa created by hot springs on the beach!

On Tuesday I headed off to the city for a couple of fun-packed days. Caught the train from Papakura and ended up riding in the cabin with the train driver; seems an English accent is good for some things.

Got into Auckland, sorted out a bed in ACB, and met up with Diane for coffee. There we were catching up on gossip when we were approached by a Discovery Channel presenter (complete with camera man and sound man) asking us what we thought made Kiwi's unique - we may end up on TV in November - gulp! The only way to deal with that kind of stress was to go shopping. Found a foxy pair of vintage 1970s red Italian leather high-heeled strappy sandals, purr...

The next day was set aside for sightseeing. Went up the Sky tower - which at 328 m (1076 feet) it's the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere - to check out the view and contemplate the sanity of the few people seen bungee-jumping from 192 m (bit more info about this nutty pastime). My cultural fix took the form of an art gallery. They had a special exhibition - Love & Death: Art in the Age of Queen Victoria – and a lot of contemporary Maori art. Victoria Park Market satisfied the touristy urges for window shopping. Finally I rounded the day off by heading to the Globe Bar, next to the hostel, and spending a fairly inebriated evening with a German, Englishman, Irish guy and girl, and an Israeli. Messy!

Starting the whole 29 thing as I mean to go on. First snowboarding, then surfing, then .... Went to Raglan on the west coast for a spot of sand, sea air and saltwater to blow away the cobwebs and have fun learning something new at the same time. My lesson was a birthday pressie from H & C with Raglan Surf School where 'You too can Stand Up and Surf'. And I did! I'm so chuffed.

Anyway an afternoon trip to the coast morphed into a two day affair as I ended up staying over to enjoy good company, barbeque and beer with the owners and some backpackers en route to the South Island. So that combined with my success on the surf means I'll definately be going back for some more of that.

In some ways being by the sea puts life back into perspective, shows you how small you are in relation to the big picture. You look at things you'd hoped for that haven't happened, that you couldn't control and it makes you sad. But somehow all that ocean reminds you to just get over it. Move on. Look for the next wave. You never know what it's going to bring.

It's an odd day today, and I was distracting myself with a project that I'm getting involved with - EU Water Angels - and while quietly wandering the Internet for useful/interesting background information about the world's water problems I stumbled across this little titbit.

"Here's a question for constitutional scholars: can a sitting president be charged with plagiarism? As President Bush wages his war against terrorism and moves to create a huge homeland security apparatus, he appears to be borrowing heavily, if not ripping off ideas outright, from George Orwell..."

Intrigued, the link lead to this "Learning To Love Big Brother: George Bush Channels George Orwel" and this "Happy New Year it's 1984 - Bush's Orwellian address". It seems this 'subversive' idea is gathering quite a following with the online community; I only had to search Google for "bush orwell" to get a list 63 pages long referring to the same comparison.

Even CCN was getting in on the act: "Orwell invoked as lawyers present ballot-count cases".

I've also accidentally learnt that today has significance for other reasons. On 11 September 1973, the US backed a military coup to assassinate the democratically elected Salvador Allende and install dictator, murderer, and chronic human-rights abuser Augusto Pinochet. Here's some links about this: " Salvador Allende" and "The retrospective history of Chile".

Perhaps the sickeningly frequent examples of intervention like this contribute to the current attitudes towards the US?

As I type this we are sat listening to NZ national radio playing Chelfyn's 'Evil Plans' for a second night running in a prime slot. What was even more amazing was what the DJs asked just before playing it ...does NZ really wanted to be bullied into going to war for a country [US] who are motivated by trade sanctions..."

Some companies just don't get the whole concept of the Internet. Take Elephant for example. I'm trying to get insurance quotes online, it's past midnight in the UK and I get this when I submit my details.

"You can get a quote and make changes to your car insurance policy online from 6.30am to 11.30pm every day."

Doh! One of the best things about the Internet is that time is irrelevent.

Hey meant to mention this yesterday, but got my first serious article online - You Gov - and I'm working on a couple of others. I guess this blog has got me over the lurker syndrome and well on the way to being a virtual gobshite!!!

Just noticed something spooky, look at the time of the previous post about the evil plans of Mr Bush - 9:11 PM...

Chelfyn's just had a phone call from Channel Z (an NZ radio station) to say that they've aired 'Evil Plans' on one of their primetime slots. Needless to say he's a bit chuffed!

Just got back last night from a week away down south at Mount Ruapehu, home to the North Island's only substantial snow fields. There's two main skifields: Whakapapa and Turoa. I was told that Whakapapa was the better, more established site, but I'm inclined to disagree. We spent most of our time at Turoa and it was more laid back and a lot more fun.

We stayed in a bach in Okakune which seems like a normal ski resort until you discover the giant carrot which, in true Kiwi fashion, proclaims it's position at the heart of NZ's market-gardening regions. Even their winter festival revolves around carrots!

Snowboarding is great. A pain in the ass or the knees, depending on which way you tend to fall and it's even worse when the snow is hard and icy, but it's definitely worth the hassle. Having both feet strapped in means you have to be aware of your balance and where you put your weight otherwise it's a face full of snow and a lot of swearing! By the time I left I had full use of my brakes and could do turns both goofy (right foot forward) and natural (left forward). Most people have a preference, but I seem to be comfy either way.

One of the other highlights of my holiday was discovering the Powder Horn's indoor hot pool which had an intercom buzzer direct to the bar. Press the button and wait for the booze to appear - very dangerous!

Anyway, funds allowing, I'll be going back for some more. The season doesn't end till mid/late October so I should have plenty of time to practise.

Kiwi Guide
Remember that here 'wh' is pronounced 'f', so Whakapapa is said Fakapapa… that's rude!
Bach - holiday house.