So far north.

So far not got great things to say about the north island. Its just been city, town, city town, town, All with shops I cant afford to go in and restaurants who tease me with there smell trying to prise open my wallet with promises of tasty food. I'm still saving the cash by eating cheap food but i'm traveling as light as possible so i have no stove to heat food meaning I'm stuck with peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch and cold beans for dinner. Been looking out for a van to drive and house me but not been able to find a cheap one yet. Ash had a car we where living in which he bought for 350 nzd which is about 150 gbp was a retro hunk of junk but the seats fully reclined so was a real good place to sleep.
However as you might be able to see from the picture he insisted on running a give way sign which resulted in the door being crippled in, and yer i was sat in the passenger seat. not having insurance he is worried about the cost he might have to pay for the other vehicle to be fixed, as for his car he persuaded the police man to let him drive it to a scrap yard, however it was far from road worthy. We spent the last night in that car outside a breakers yard with a duckt taped up window and traffic wizzing by, living the dream.

Yer Bro, Sweet bro, yer bro, hard.

Random Pics 2

Some more random pics from New Zealand.

camera obscura

Went to see camera obscura play in wellington at the san francisco bath house, should have recorded more of it but here is a short clip anyway. Enjoy.

Stuff

Random pictures of random things. Hover, Jet the dog, Green Peace, and bumper sticker from a old book bought from charity shop.

Welcome to The North

Made it to the north island. The difference is noticeable but probably enhanced by the fact that in order to get here you take a ferry from the small sleepy town of Picton and it takes you direct into the heart of Wellington, the second largest city in New Zealand. However as city's go this one is one of the more chilled out, No way near as busy as any city in England the pase is still a lot slower and I am able to spend three days there without losing my clam.

Squatting

Check out our first place in NZ. Been here a few days has electric, running water, boiler and sinks, best of all its free. Just down from a group of people we keep meeting on our travels this 'home' of ours has kept us warm in the windy nights. The graffiti on the inside of the house is really cool. Moving on tomorrow heading for the north island. Via a few scenic stops.

Gone Fishing

Andy's fish, caught with a spear in the local waters, gutted, descaled and cooked by Andy.

Robert Redford

Long story. but cool quote.

Let it snow

Looking throught the paper in the local chip shop I saw this picture of home which was an unbilivable sight, hard to belive with the boiling hot sun that home is covered in a blanket of snow.

Hitch-Hike

Not really having planned how to get around after returning the van we found that probably the best and cheapest way to get around was to split up and hitch-hike. Great way to meet local kiwis who more often than not have a very in depth knowledge of the country there driving through. Despite the obvious reservations about getting in a car with a stranger (something I'm sure my Mum has told, or at least should have told me not to do) I've found that the people in this country are so accommodating to travelers that sticking up the thumb is probably less dangerous than catching the bus or train back home. Its actually surprising how fast a way to travel this is, within five minutes of facing the traffic you can be on your way to covering half the country. Obviously not knowing where you will spend the night can be a slight worry but this was easily overcome by getting a tent so I basically carry my home with me.

Home Sweet Home

They say home is where the heart is, at the moment Im finding thay home is where the tent is. Great investment from january sales got this roomy one bedroom tent for j

ust under 40 bucks. Cant get a house for that in England now can you.

Drive in subway.

Having seen them before a few weeks back we made a promise to each other that if we saw one we would do it. However we never saw one again and all was lost until 30 mins before handing the van in we saw it in all its glory!

Travel

Life is not always so sweet on the road, there are ups and downs but in the end im sure its worth every second.

New Year

Spending our new year, as planned in Nelson. We got there slightly early so spent some time around rabbit island which is another mind numbingly beautiful place to be. Using its cold outdoor shower to maintain some standard of cleanliness, the only down side to the island is that they lock the gates which cross the road onto it at sunset, a shame but no the less worth a visit. However we found a better place to stay with the amazingly generous Phil and Barbara who need to be read about on Ash and Ian's blog..

On new years day we parked up near at a location I will not divulge on the web as you never know who is listing, but let us just say it was free and near the city center. I had a bottle of south Africa's finest (cheapest) wine and a few beers I had floating around. We Merrel made our way to town with what was left of the wine cunningly disguised in fruit juice bottles. We watched a mini festival which consisted of a couple of kiwi bands who provided a nice background noise to keep drinking by. From this point I find it hard to recall any accurate details of that night, at least none I will broadcast to the world however the picture above is an accurate enough description of how the night went. You can take the man out of England but the England will never leave the man.

hayfever ash

Pic of ash suffering real bad from hayfever. Not bad considering my digital camera has no

screen I thought.

More Beautiy

Watched the sunset from high on top of a hill next to a farm house, which we cunningly hid from by parking behind a mound. Such a peaceful night but sadly one of the last in the van (aka the twat mobile)