Te Puke

Alright, im feeling very excited right now, as of today, i will be able to get in touch with the world again...my housefather has just set up the wireless connection at home today, and i will be able to log on to the internet in my comfortable room using laptop, with the heater turned to the max (30 degrees), and my favourite music playing...

so many things have happened in the past few weeks that i really don't know where to begin...i'm so glad that i found this nice maori family to stay with, and mark my word, they are like the nicest human being on earth...i dont feel like leaving te puke at all! But really, deep in my heart i know it's time to move on, if i want to cover south island before i return to malaysia...

I've spent some few days studying the map and choosing the most interesting route to travel in, asking the french couple who's currently staying with me, since they have been to everywhere in the country...It's so much easier to travel with a car and im glad i made the right decision this time around...i will sell it before i fly to Fiji and Melbourne in September..

On the other hand, i have also made a plan B, that is to fly from Aus back to Christchurch should i miss out any parts of the country by Sept...the objective of this backpacking trip is that i am able to explore most of the country, covering both tourist spots and local's secret sanctuary....at the rate im going, i'm doubtuful if i can really go to all these places that i have planned to go...there are just so many interesting spots that im having a hard time selecting which one to visit and spend time in...

Right now on the list is to first do my sky-diving in Taupo, followed by skiing and snowboarding in Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Taranaki, where the famous Tongariro national park is...The Tongariro has earned a reputation that it is one of the few national parks with dual world heritage status...I'm hoping that i will be able to arrive in Wellington by mid July where i will take a ferry, with or without my car across to south island...

I'm really starting to get really complacent in this small beautiful town that i feel as is i have lived here forever...imagine bumping into the same person in two different supermarkets within three days...i'm getting to know the neighbourhood so well that i know where to get the right stuff and meet the right people...

We will be going to the cinema tomorrow for Da Vinci Code...it's always cheaper on a tuesday to watch movie (NZD $7.50), and im so looking forward to it...i adore the book to the utmost despite the pastor in church here telling me it is all fiction and there is no solid ground to the claims that Dan Brown has made...

I am still checking out the country and though this is a beautiful place, i dont think i will ever settle down here, not at my young age anyway...we cant just dwell on beautiful scenery alone you know, even though the grass is really GREENER and the moon is ROUNDER here....im not kidding ya...

should i decide otherwise, i already have the forms and documents ready to apply for a residency, and it's not that tough getting a PR here, the country is under-populated and i have the right channel and sponsors to see me through...

I've been hanging out with my roomies most of the time now and we often just chillout in our room....it's really too cold to sit outside now...Trent, a kiwi guy is an artist with fantastic sketches and ideas, he's currently writing a sci-fi book and would love to direct a film in the future...then there is John and Lucas from Czech Republic...it's always funny when we communicate because they speak little English, and i often have to guess what they are saying, and vice versa...Staying upstair there is Helen and Nicky from Taiwan, sweet girls who love to cook, you just cant turn down their invitation for a meal...

it is good that we are not allowed alcohol here and i can really save up some money, though the boys often smuggled some beer in...the ppl from czech really do consume the most beer per capita in the world...

There will be a huge party next week before i leave...tell ya more then....

Time for bed....