The Great Mount North

Ya dig that...it's like a play on "The Great White North." Pretty tricky...I know.

Well...I made it up to Mount Maunganui after 2 grand days of travelling. We left ChCh at about 10:30am Saturday morning after a blowout, send off party. We were given a brand new, fully loaded Mazda 6 to return to Picton. It was nice. We listened to Cds and gazed at the scenery all the way. We made it to Picton with a few hours to spare so we had some dinner and drinks and waited for the ferry. The ferry left Picton at 7pm. It was a wild rild through the Marlbourough Sounds, across Cook Strait to Wellington. For the record, I didn't get sea-sick but it is amazing how much a boat can screw with your sense of balance. Once we got to Wellington we found the hostel via a free cab sent by the hostel. (If only the cabbie didn't drop us off 100 numbers downhill of the place.) And finally after dropping off our bags we hit a party that a friend had invited us too. (The party was fun. Like all the randoms in Wellington showed up at this one loft. There was a swing in the middle of it and a live band. And samosas. More Converse All-Stars per square meter than anywhere else in the world at the time. Unless there was some indie band playing in Toronto at the same time.) The next day I met up with another friend and we drove from Wellington to Mount Maunganui where I am now. It was a long day in the car but we saw some nice sites. Huka falls and the mountain that is Mt. Doom in "Lord of the Rings. (Aside: if you found that the only interesting thing in the update you are a nerd.)

The Mount is a nice little place. Only about 16000 people on the off days. It gets really busy when a cruise ship comes into port or there is a competition or something at the beach. The rub of it is that it is really spread out and I haven't figured out the bus system yet. The people that I am staying with are great. The guy teaches at the school so I have a ride everyday. The wife works at a veggie stand so I've got a good line on fresh veggies to keep my vegetarian habit satisfied. And I have a queen bed and a hot-tub. Can't complain about much.

Today was my first day of school. That was good too. The school is nice and sunny and open. Some of the facilities are a little run down but that's what happens. The school is a decile 4 (on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the best. Private schools are automatically a ten.) A lower decile school is more like the real world though because no one be misbehavin at private schools. Everyone on staff is really good. And so far the students haven't made me turn to the drink.

Although Saturday was a great day full of traveling, site-seeing and partying, I think it was my first homesick-feeling-day as well. But it wasn't homesick for Canada. No...I was homesick for ChCh. I recently met some cool people that I wanted to spend more time with in ChCh and as soon as I do...I have to leave. Life isn't fair sometimes. I guess it gives me a good reason to go back to ChCh.

The mobile debate rages once again. My phone bill was huge cuz the only numbers i call are mobile numbers. It might save me money cause I would just use it to text. But then again...I really hate mobiles and most of the people that use them. Why oh why has the world gone cuckoo for mobiles!

Oh...my new contact info is as follows. I will be here for the next 5 weeks (until April 15.

Chris Lahey
64 07 575 9177
32 Carysfort Street
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Alright...that is all the things in my head for now.