Sweet Fucking Jesus...I know language, language...this is a mixed crowd after all. I just can't help myself though. Yesterday was a travel day, we split Wellington on the 8:00 AM Lynx and made our way through choppy seas down to the South Island. From there, after a thorough asswhiping in putt-putt from Hefro Bodenheimer we hopped onto a little deathtrap of a bus as it careened towards Christchurch (or certain death...depending on any number of factors). We stopped off in Kaikoura and sweet fucking William Shatner was it stunning. You have an amazingly blue sea on one side and mountains shooting straight for the sky on the other. It reminded me of Molokai a bit, but not quite as tropical. This is the place that has something to the effect of every kind of marine life possible, and you can actually go swim with a pod of dolphins...somthing I was dying to do, but alas we just stopped through for 15 minutes, not quite enough time. I suppose when I get back to New Zealand, which I will, I would start on the South Island and work my way around there first. Enough sulking though, on to Christchurch....
We got here last evening and after checking in to what I would call the nicest hostel yet (Nomad New Excelsior), we headed for the stadium to catch the opening match in the Christchurch Crusaders League Rugby season (did I get that correct, Neal?). What a blast, other than the fact that I froze certain extremities off sitting in the bleachers the game was great to watch and the crowd even better...the drunken quote of the evening, delivered by the caricature of the drunk Kiwi, having something to do with milking cows, sexual satisfaction, and scoring in Rugby (scary and obtuse I know, but we are in Kiwi Country). We sat in the truly cheap seats and drank plastic bottle beer and ate fries...frankly it was just a downright beautiful experience. After that, food, booze, etc....
Today we split for Melbourne, and our first stop on the Australian Continent. We are there a couple of days and then off to Sydney. So far we have kept to our itenerary, but I can't imagine that will last, we both say we could have spent another week or two here in New Zealand, as we never really got to chill in one place for more than 48 hours. I think we will approach Australia a bit differently, as the fact is we could drive ourselves bonkers trying to get everywhere there is to go on our tour. Thanks to my fine, upstanding roomate in San Francisco, we may even have a few contacts there.

So that's it for now, next post from the land of the Crocodile Hunter...

DJ's can be good.

I didn't know that, well I guess I did know it, but so rarely does one (that one being me) enjoy sitting in a bar while someone spins tunes that make them happy. This place, The Matterhorn, has good vibe slinking around the bar. the music was of the ambient/house variety, and was at exactly the right level. Wellington on a whole has been a sweet town. Much like my current adopted home of San Francisco, it has a good feel...imagine SF without the insanely high prices, just a town nestled along a fault line and the people having that certain understanding that at any moment nature may choose to completely fuck them...but that's okay, we say that this is part of the deal. We understand that if you give us surroundings as stupefyingly gorgeous as these that we'll accept the cosmic rent when it comes due. The same sort of thing applies here, Wellington sits surrounded by hills and a cruelly blue bay...the mountains of the South Island visible across the straight, beckoning one to partake...kind of like the areas that surround San Francisco. The people therefore, live a style of life similar to what I recall of those folks in San Francisco when I spent time there 9 or 10 years ago...before the boom/bust (which is it today?). Anyway, because of all of the gibberish above there seems to be that understanding:
Let me live here and I will not be a raging asshole, but will welcome the freaks with open arms and generally make for an environment where we can all enjoy our various lives, as any minute that not so subtle kick in the ass could be upon us.

On an aside, the food here is really good...just thought you should all know that.

Would you classify U2, in any era, as punk?
I wouldn't, but apparently the museum in wellington does...odd isn't it. They had what one might call a diverse group of exhibits, everything from Maori Culture (expected) to a short history of Punk (not expected). Interesting or not? You decide.

Oh also....my post that disappeared was truly inspired and inspirational...may we all have a moment of silent remeberance of it....

and let's all hope Blogger gets a spellcheck feature soon as well.

Okay...take fucking two...would someone remind me to save these things before I start screwing with the computer.
Now you get the digest version of my formerly wordy post....

Wellington...cool
Roturia....not bad (Mopey Isreali chick we gave a lift to Taupo...bad)
Lake Taupo...amazing, and to assuage the fears of my loving mother...yes, your sons did survive flinging themselves, actually the appropriate way to put it would be attached to two well trained (or at least one well trained) instructors who did the flinging...we were more like cargo. Must say though that milisecond of realization right before we went out of the plane at 12k feet was boggling, my brain had trouble reconcilling the fact that this was about to happen, I suggest it for you all. Anyway, the view of the largest lake in the Southern Hemisphere was certainly nicer than the view which I know can't be far off...my brother smuggling grapes on some otherwise beautiful beach.

Thanks to all for the e-mail, it is a really nice way to feel reconnected my other existence. I think I am finally falling into travel mode (in other words my normally Pete attitude is changing for the better, although could it really get worse)...quick interlude...does anyone know if this woman Dido is kiwi? I ask because they play her music fucking everywhere...it could be worse (see Neal's post from the other day)...back to topic, there seems to be a sub-culture of the world traveler not unlike that of the expatriate americans in Europe after each world war, a bunch of folks that somehow make a life for themselves in their own little universe....kind of cool.

Well anyway, we are going to go eat and booze soon....Go Saints...Bush Sucks Ass...Stick it to the Man...Donuts are a Good Thing...you get the gist...

I LOST ANOTHER ONE....

let's see if I can muster the energy to recreate it...

Two things....

12,000 feet

No Yark

Survivor
That is what we are. You must realise that. After making our way from Auckland to Roturua to Taupo (adding a sulking Israeli woman on the way) we can safely say that we have grasped this whole driving on the left hand side of the road thing.
Rotorua was cool, we stayed at a place called "The Funky Green Voyager" in a rundown old camper, not the best nights sleep ever, but enjoyable enough a place. The countryside is unbelievable, after we got our stuff stowed yesterday, Neal and I headed up to Blue and Green lakes to do some swimming. There was great swimming, and looking up at the hills surrounding the lake layered in vegetation the likes of which I hadn't seen before, you just feel like you're on another planet.
We also checked out a local hangi last night, yes it was touristy, but the food was tasty and we met some cool folks. I got to play chief of our bus and took part in some of the festivities, like I said touristy, but enjoyable. Glad to say it was the first place I had come across that had bourbon for cheap as well...sweet sweet bourbon, brownest of the brown liqours...
On that topic, the beer is cheap and plentiful, some is good some ain't, but all in all a good deal. I think I will shift gears this eve and hit some of the New Zealand wines, don't know if it will be any good, but I was drinking Oly beer just a week ago and once ingested a brand of gin called "Don Quixote", so how bad can it really be?
Have to sign off soon, as we may be jumping from 12k feet if the clouds break...more on that later...

Also....I want e-mail folks...a little give and take here...eh?

Today is an exciting day! Today I will drive in New Zealand! I will crawl behind the wheel of a right handed, right sided, automobile for the first time in my life and try to navigate our way down the countryside to Rotorua. From the book it sounds kind of similar to going to Port Sulphur Louisiana, as the way you know you're there is the pungent aroma of .....you guessed it "sulphur". Should make for some fine hot springs at the very least. After that it is on to somplace else that escapes me at the moment, and then down to Wellington to take the ferry to the South Island. One piece of advice if you ever make it to New Zealand....make your trip at least 2 weeks, there is a shit load of stuff to see here and 1 week doesn't even come close to cutting it...oh well, we have many other places hollering our names.
Yesterday we climbed up Mt. Rongitoto, an extinct volcano in the middle of the harbor, it was pretty goddamn sweet up top...views of islands that looked just like golf courses, although I don't believe they were. After that we hit Devonport, a cool little hamlet on the North Shore that has some good pubs (with Kilkenny) and nice restaurants, although we didn't eat there, but that's another story.....

Also...it seems the Pete@noware.org account is screwed so if you sent me an e-mail there, please resend it to pbodenheimer@yahoo.com....dohhh

Also...it seems the Pete@noware.org account is screwed so if you sent me an e-mail there, please resend it to pbodenheimer@yahoo.com....doh..I'll get the link off of the page when I can.

It is Monday AM, and I am feeling a whole lot better today. As you can tell I am hitting the cafe' con geek again, I have to ween myself off of the geekdom slowly. Anyway, yesterday was cool, just chilled about Auckland, drank lots o' Mac's Gold and ate some good seafood. Today we're gonna try and head out of Auckland, maybe go to a place called Hot Sand beach....can you guess what the deal is there? It's not particularily beautiful out today, but perhaps it will clear up a bit later....onwards and yaddah yadaah...