Auckland (still)

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Yep still in Auckland as we roll steadily into summer. The weather is definitely warming up but you still have to pack a raincoat and sunglasses when you go out as it can change in a second. The collections job finished about a month ago and during my time with them I was responsible for collecting just over 3/4 of a million dollars. I enjoyed the vast majority of it although towards the end it was getting a bit boring so I was glad for a change. Just before we left we were told that another department in the bank (loan servicing) was looking for temps, which saved us having to look around for something else, but before I started I had a well-deserved week off. I was lucky that my friend Andy had a week off at the same time so we packed up and headed down to Mt Ruapeu again to catch the tail end of the ski season. As before we got up a bit late on the first day so only got half a day in and, as before, I had just got into it by the end and was really looking forward to the bigger slopes the next day. Unfortunately we had some terrible bad luck and the slopes we're closed for the next 4 days due to wind and poor visibility. We could see the mountain from the little village we stayed in and for the whole time we were there it was surrounded in thick cloud, even when the sun was out and the sky was blue everywhere else! It meant that the half-day boarding was all we got. AGAIN! Total snowboarding trips 2. Total snowboarding days 1. It was still a great week though as my cousin Ben came over to NZ to start his work visa and was down at the mountain with us from the second day onwards. Each day after the disappointment of finding the mountain was closed again we would find some activity or other to do like fishing or mini golf but mostly we drank. There are plenty of ways to have a good time but drinking is the easiest and most reliable one. After the final disappointment on Friday morning we headed to Taupo on the other side of the mountain because it has a better nightlife and more things to do during the day. After looking through the multitude of activities on offer at the tourist information centre we finally found one we were all really keen to do. You have a lesson in a race ready Evo 6 and then get to do 10 laps round the track in it. There was no answer when we phoned so we determinedly took the short drive down there just in case and, as the luck of the holiday seemed to be going, we found the place was closed for a few days due to some event or other. Staying in the car theme we went for a different place which was more expensive but got you into a formula one style car. They answered the phone but only to tell us it was a ladies only day on the track. Giving up on racing and after another trip to tourist information and another lengthy decision we got down to the Waikato River just in time for a ride in a little yellow jet boat. 10 of us packed into it and the driver hooned up and down the river skipping over rapids, pulling 360 turns and skimming as close as possible to rocks, jetties or any other solid inanimate objects to try and scare the shit out of us. It was great fun although far too short at just half an hour but most of all it just made you really really want to have a go at driving it yourself. Taupo is a big backpackers stop off so the bars all compete with each other to offer the best specials to get you in. After some careful studying of the various fliers and vouchers we had acquired during the day we decided on a place called The Holy Cow. They open a barrel of larger at 10 o'clock, you buy a pint glass for $8 and get to go back for free refills until either you or the barrel are finished. It put up a good fight but in the end was no match for our combined years of experience and the last minute hard training we'd put in that week. A couple of hours later we walked out victorious and found a number (don't remember how many - don't remember much actually) of bars to celebrate in until the early hours. Next morning on the way to the car I noticed the winds that had whipped around us all week had completely disappeared. When we got down near the lake I looked across to see the mountain in the distance clearly visible right up to it's snow covered tip, but it was home time for us. That was my last chance to board in NZ as the season's over now and if all goes to plan I'll be in South America before the next one starts but then they have mountains over there too so maybe I'll get to have another shot at it. I started my new role for ANZ that Monday. We're just on the computers now so no direct contact with customers which is good but the work is pretty repetitive. In the new job we got to stay at the same desks we were at before, which is sweet because the rest of the people in the department work downstairs so we are completely unsupervised.

The reason they took us on is because it’s a really busy time of year for people renewing their mortgage agreements and committing to new locked rates for the next few years.

At least that’s what they tell us, so far the work has been coming in at a trickle so we spend a couple of hours a day working and the rest of the time reading or playing games on the computer. I’m an expert on pacman with a high score of 97,437. If you ever play it, though I don’t expect you will, then you can appreciate just how good that is or perhaps how much time I must get to practice.

It may sound like an ideal job but there are only so many things you can do to fill the time. They’re convinced that we’re going to be inundated any day, though they’ve been saying that for a month but as long as they keep paying us we’ll keep turning up.

A couple of months ago one of the kiwi girls moved out of our flat. She was the one who had the lease but we hardly ever saw her as she had a big room and spent almost all her time in it. Our other flat mate Carla took over the lease and we got a new guy in.

His name's Brendan and when he moved in the whole atmosphere of the flat changed, as he's just like the three of us.

Now that we don't have to be concerned about noise and with it's central location the flat has turned into a bit of a party place at the weekend as our social circle keeps growing - latest addition is Jen who's a mate of Bens from home also out for the working holiday.

I've just got tickets for 'big day out' which is a very popular festival over here in mid January so it looks like I'll be in Auckland for a while longer.

Brendan has signed his mate Ritchie, me and Ben up for a cycle race around lake Taupo on my birthday in a few weeks so I've cut the weights down to once a week and have just started training on the bikes at the gym - we don't actually have a bike arranged for the race yet but we're working on it - Brendan has arranged sponsorship from his company for our tops but they wouldn't stretch as far as a bike.

The race is a relay with each of us doing 40km (it's a big lake). I'm on the finishing leg and although we don't' expect to come in anywhere good in the field there will be a fair amount of competition between ourselves for the fasted leg time.