So, after eventually arriving in New Zealand we left Rowe's aunties (Ian and Suzanne) house and set off into Auckland with our main objective being to purchase a car for less than $1,500 (£750). We decided the best way to do this was to go into various hostels within Auckland and look at their notice boards for people who are selling their cars. The first hostel we went into we found a car within our price range so took a note of that cars details and proceeded to leave the hostel to head to the next. As we were on the stairs heading out of the hostel I over heard an english lady telling a friend of hers that she was looking to get rid of her car, so we asked her about the car and decided to have a look at the car (which happended to be stored in a salesroom dedicated to selling ex-back packing cars). The car was a 1989 Ford Laser (Larry) in white with 92,000 km on the clock and she wanted around $1,400 for it. We took the car for a test drive and all liked the car so didn't dismiss the car as a very likely option. We hesitated in buying it straight away due to it being the first car we saw and decided to have a look at other hostel notice boards before deciding on the car. After visiting half dozen more hostels with no real joy we decided to put an offer on Larry to be told that someone had just done the same and that it was no longer for sale.
The next day we were determined to buy a car so that we could begin our NZ road trip which we were already a week behind. We visited several car garages looking for a car and found many within our budget, however they all seemed to have an issue with them or were just falling apart. We began to get stressed and annoyed at the possibility of finding a decent car which would last our journey. Eventually we found a 1993 Mitsubushi Galant V6 which was not initially for sale but the owner (it was actually the garage owners personal car) was willing to listen to offers. We took the car for a test drive and liked the way it drove, the size of it and felt it was the car for us. We then went back to the garage and after a short negotiation we managed to buy OUR new car for $1350.
We then drove the car back to Rowe's relatives house and proceeded to clean it, we even found a 15" spanner in the engine!
Job Done, Now for the road trip to begin!
Sunday 21 November 2010
Thursday 18 November 2010
Friday 04/10/2010 - Wednesday 10/10/2010
Fiji Time!
I'm going to try and sum Fiji up in just the one post because A) It basically consisted of sun bathing in the most beautiful islands in the world and B) due to the recent lack of internet connectivity I'm a bit behind in my blogging.
So in all truth Fiji is such a beautiful country, white sand beaches, clear turquoise water and some of the friendliest people we have met thus far on our travels. Everywhere you go you are greeted by the sound "Bula Bula" which is fijian for Hello.
Our first night we stayed on mainland Fiji and were a little concerned with the hostel due to a lack of security (you were not even given a key to your room) but after meeting other guests and the fijian guys who ran the hostel we were alot less concerned as it felt as if they had welcomed us into their family. We enjoyed a night of volleyball and were invited to drink some Cava (A Fijian drink which is made from a root and it is drank in a ceremonial manner).
The next morning we woke determined to get ourselves onto one of the many islands dotted around Fiji which is were the true beauty of Fiji stands out. We managed to book ourselves 2 nights on an Island called Mana Island and the price included all transport, accommodation as well as 3 meals per day. Upon arriving on Mana Island we saw various deserted island which were so beautiful and therefore left me excited to see what Mana would look like.
I was not left disappointed as the Island was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life and that isn't me just saying that. It was just insane. It was paradise as you and I know it.
The next couple of nights consisted of drinking games, lounging around, night swimming and we even went "deep sea fishing" with a character called Moses. I was the only one to catch something which was two small fish but I nearly caught a 2ft barracuda until it shook itself of my hook by jumping 2ft in the air.
I will be heading back to Fiji, no doubt!
I'm going to try and sum Fiji up in just the one post because A) It basically consisted of sun bathing in the most beautiful islands in the world and B) due to the recent lack of internet connectivity I'm a bit behind in my blogging.
So in all truth Fiji is such a beautiful country, white sand beaches, clear turquoise water and some of the friendliest people we have met thus far on our travels. Everywhere you go you are greeted by the sound "Bula Bula" which is fijian for Hello.
Our first night we stayed on mainland Fiji and were a little concerned with the hostel due to a lack of security (you were not even given a key to your room) but after meeting other guests and the fijian guys who ran the hostel we were alot less concerned as it felt as if they had welcomed us into their family. We enjoyed a night of volleyball and were invited to drink some Cava (A Fijian drink which is made from a root and it is drank in a ceremonial manner).
The next morning we woke determined to get ourselves onto one of the many islands dotted around Fiji which is were the true beauty of Fiji stands out. We managed to book ourselves 2 nights on an Island called Mana Island and the price included all transport, accommodation as well as 3 meals per day. Upon arriving on Mana Island we saw various deserted island which were so beautiful and therefore left me excited to see what Mana would look like.
I was not left disappointed as the Island was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life and that isn't me just saying that. It was just insane. It was paradise as you and I know it.
The next couple of nights consisted of drinking games, lounging around, night swimming and we even went "deep sea fishing" with a character called Moses. I was the only one to catch something which was two small fish but I nearly caught a 2ft barracuda until it shook itself of my hook by jumping 2ft in the air.
I will be heading back to Fiji, no doubt!
Thursday 03/11/2010
So after a very late night of correcting our mistakes and sorting out a new country to visit we didn't dare risk missing another flight so decided we would spend the day hovering around the hostel waiting for our airport shuttle which we had booked to arrive 2 hours prior to the recommended arrival time (just in case).
Upon arrival we sailed through check-in apart from a slight error with us not having an outbound flight from Fiji booked meaning we had to purchase an outbound flight at the airport pronto but apart from being shattered everything was all good.
We then boarded the plane which due to a lack of sleep turned out to be one of the best flights I have ever been on. It basically consisted of me getting in my seat, take off, a couple of beers courtesy of Air Pacific, a meal courtesy of Air Pacific followed by a coffee and then bed. To then wake up 10 hours later for a coffee and Breakfast again courtesy of Air pacific. Job done.
Upon arrival we sailed through check-in apart from a slight error with us not having an outbound flight from Fiji booked meaning we had to purchase an outbound flight at the airport pronto but apart from being shattered everything was all good.
We then boarded the plane which due to a lack of sleep turned out to be one of the best flights I have ever been on. It basically consisted of me getting in my seat, take off, a couple of beers courtesy of Air Pacific, a meal courtesy of Air Pacific followed by a coffee and then bed. To then wake up 10 hours later for a coffee and Breakfast again courtesy of Air pacific. Job done.
Monday 8 November 2010
Wednesday 02/11/2010
So we once again woke to face another day in Hollywood with the intent to A. Get Rowe and Edd some running shoes, B. Get pictures of the hand prints at the chinese theatre and lastly go on an organised walk up Runyon Canyon to see views of the sign as well as the city. I'm pleased to say we managed to do all of the above as well as manage to stumble across the filming of a TV show called "Southlands" which features Ben Mckenzie (Ryan attwood from the O.C).
We wanted to get an early night due to us believing we were to fly to Auckland the next day but then the drama happened.......
So the night before we believe we are to fly to Auckland, Rowe receives an email from his "cousin" in Auckland (We were staying at there house and she was picking us up from the airport) saying she has been waiting at the airport for 2 hours and that she had contacted the police due to her not knowing why we had not been on the plane etc. Rowe relayed this email to me and so we decided to check our itinery to see why she thought we would have been in Auckland on that date only to discover that our flight was landing on the 4th New Zealand time and not flying out on the 4th U.S time. We therefore spent the rest of the night phoning Qantas and STA to try and see what to do. Qantas told us to contact STA which is tricky when the STA offices wouldn't be open till 3am U.S time. So we proceeded to wait and ring various branches to try and resolve the problem.
Eventually we contacted STA and they informed us that they could not help and that we had to fork out the full amount for a flight to Auckland. We discovered previously that if that was the case it would cost us £780 which is a large sum of money at the best of times let alone when you are travelling. So after a little digging around I suggested we could fly from L.A to Fiji and then to Auckland for £500. So we decided we would fly to fiji that day and spend 4 nights in Fiji before flying to Auckland. It was now 6 am and eventually we had come to a solution which satisfied us all.
Thank God............Fiji here we come.
We wanted to get an early night due to us believing we were to fly to Auckland the next day but then the drama happened.......
So the night before we believe we are to fly to Auckland, Rowe receives an email from his "cousin" in Auckland (We were staying at there house and she was picking us up from the airport) saying she has been waiting at the airport for 2 hours and that she had contacted the police due to her not knowing why we had not been on the plane etc. Rowe relayed this email to me and so we decided to check our itinery to see why she thought we would have been in Auckland on that date only to discover that our flight was landing on the 4th New Zealand time and not flying out on the 4th U.S time. We therefore spent the rest of the night phoning Qantas and STA to try and see what to do. Qantas told us to contact STA which is tricky when the STA offices wouldn't be open till 3am U.S time. So we proceeded to wait and ring various branches to try and resolve the problem.
Eventually we contacted STA and they informed us that they could not help and that we had to fork out the full amount for a flight to Auckland. We discovered previously that if that was the case it would cost us £780 which is a large sum of money at the best of times let alone when you are travelling. So after a little digging around I suggested we could fly from L.A to Fiji and then to Auckland for £500. So we decided we would fly to fiji that day and spend 4 nights in Fiji before flying to Auckland. It was now 6 am and eventually we had come to a solution which satisfied us all.
Thank God............Fiji here we come.
Tuesday 01/11/2010
So we left Vegas behind to jump on a 7 hour Greyhound bus which was L.A bound.
Due to this we didn't get up to much that night and opted for a post vegas rest and early night.
Due to this we didn't get up to much that night and opted for a post vegas rest and early night.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Sunday 31/10/2010
VEGAS BABY!!
So we set off to Vegas which meant we had to catch an 8 hour Greyhound from San Diego and wouldn't arrive in Vegas till 7.
Once we arrived in Vegas it was like a different world made up of artificial looking buildings with bright lights everywhere. Unless you have been to Vegas it is hard to describe what it looks like and more importantly feels like. Vegas isn't the prettiest or the most tidy city in the world for more than one reasons. However Vegas just draws you in and the lights put you in a trance as if you were at a festival. The hotels are enormous and sex is being sold everywhere.
It may sound like i'm stating the obvious but money is king in Vegas.
So we set off to Vegas which meant we had to catch an 8 hour Greyhound from San Diego and wouldn't arrive in Vegas till 7.
Once we arrived in Vegas it was like a different world made up of artificial looking buildings with bright lights everywhere. Unless you have been to Vegas it is hard to describe what it looks like and more importantly feels like. Vegas isn't the prettiest or the most tidy city in the world for more than one reasons. However Vegas just draws you in and the lights put you in a trance as if you were at a festival. The hotels are enormous and sex is being sold everywhere.
It may sound like i'm stating the obvious but money is king in Vegas.
Saturday 30/10/2010
So we all woke up with sore heads following an epic night in San Diego. As the boys nursed their hangover i headed into San Diego for a bit of retail therapy as well as checking out some sights.
I found the city's baseball stadium which was really cool to see as they've built in a way in which you can get really close to the pitch without entering the stadium. It was cool to just wonder around as well as San Diego has some amazing architecture.
As for the evening we had found out that their was a big street party going on to celebrate halloween which was happening one block from the hostel. Tickets were $30 which we were not willing to fork out on so had decided we would make it our nights mission to get in.
We therefore got ready for a halloween party in the hostel by ripping some free t-shirts we had got in Santa Barbara (Red-Stag) and painting our faces. We managed to get through a stupid amount of white wine before heading to the street party which was in full effect.
We scoped out the joint before finding a couple who had drank to much so were willing to give us there wristbands as well as a friend of theirs wristbands. We were in! The amount of effort which people put into their outfits is ridiculous.
I found the city's baseball stadium which was really cool to see as they've built in a way in which you can get really close to the pitch without entering the stadium. It was cool to just wonder around as well as San Diego has some amazing architecture.
As for the evening we had found out that their was a big street party going on to celebrate halloween which was happening one block from the hostel. Tickets were $30 which we were not willing to fork out on so had decided we would make it our nights mission to get in.
We therefore got ready for a halloween party in the hostel by ripping some free t-shirts we had got in Santa Barbara (Red-Stag) and painting our faces. We managed to get through a stupid amount of white wine before heading to the street party which was in full effect.
We scoped out the joint before finding a couple who had drank to much so were willing to give us there wristbands as well as a friend of theirs wristbands. We were in! The amount of effort which people put into their outfits is ridiculous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)