The All Blacks!

New Zealand is known for Lord of the Rings, the great outdoors and of course the All Blacks. We've watched the full LOTR trilogy since being here and as you're all aware, enjoyed plenty of the great outdoors. So we decided a visit to Eden Park to watch the All Blacks take on the Wallabies was definitely in order!

As if we weren't excited enough, we decided rather than catching the train to the stadium we would join with the other supporters and walk the 'Fan Trail' from the city centre. We packed some beers, popped on our cheap but effective NZ t shirts and enjoyed plenty of entertainment en route, including flash mobs, traditional dancers, music and lots and lots of silver fern flags.

Here I am holding one en route

We got to the stadium nice and early so were treated to some more entertainment. 'Hugely successful' (in Australasia) band Dragon, and some angry Maori dancers getting us warmed up for the Hakka.

Stadium starting to fill up

Once the players came on the pitch the crowd were well and truly ready (and rowdy) and joined in a hearty national anthem sing-a-long.

The boys in black

The match between NZ and Australia was the second leg of the Bledisloe Cup test - NZ have had the trophy in the cabinet for the last 9 years, and with a win last weekend in Sydney were looking set to dominate. They still did the Haka just to make sure the Wallabies were aware of their superiority!

Spine-tingling stuff!

 And then the game finally started!

It wasn't the greatest... but memorable for the score at least - 22-0 to the All Blacks! One fantastic try, a few penalties and some very close calls on the try line.

Not so many shots of the actual game -
too busy jumping up and down and
shouting with everyone else!

Before catching the train home we were treated to the new video for the Flight of the Conchords charity single for NZ Red Nose Day. For anyone who knows Flight of the Conchords - you have got to watch this - absolutely hilarious!

'Britt' of the famous NZ duo

Volcanic Velos

Just realised how enthusiastically I've started most of my recent posts on this blog. Loving this, loving that. So I'll keep a more reserved feel for this one.

On Wednesday last, Sarah and I partook in a delightful bicycle ride around some of Auckland's volcanoes. There are about 40 volcanoes in the Greater Auckland region, likely to erupt again in a timeframe of 100 to 1000 years, apparently. We live on a hill, so hopefully the lava will flow around us. 

Not sure if our hill is also a volcano though. Ah well. Off we go.

Sarah doing an impression of the locals
(minus todger)

Definitely not going mad.

So, we set off on our new bikes (mine's a Wilier called Willy, Sarah's is a Merida called Miranda. We're fine, don't worry. Just need a little variety of company!) Off from the CBD area, along the rather posh Mission Bay beach front, hugging the rugged coastline all the way along. Before heading round to Point England and conquering Mt. Wellington, a proper steep little bugger!

From the top of Mt Wellington looking down at the
estates filling up the old quarry

It's Winter here in Auckland, so the locals are wrapped up in long coats and other riders are out in full thermal lycra. We think it's pretty much tropical, as evidenced by the blue skies and palm trees!

Down towards Point England

After our first volcanic climb, we were getting a bit peckish. With no bike lock with us, and the TV being plastered full of amazing McDonalds adverts for the Lamb Burger.... well. What else could we do apart from navigate the drive thru by bike.

Took a few rolls over the pressure sensor, but finally
the intercom knew we were there!

Of all the views, this is where we had our lunch

Tummies full of the most amazing burger (Chris - think lamb kebab, but even tastier!) it was time to tear up the next peak, One Tree Hill. Someone cut the one tree down, but the name remains the same. This is by far the best view of the city we've had so far.

Empty legs!

And what a view it was from the top...

Mt Eden (our last peak) sits in the distance

After completing Mt Eden and cruising back into the city, we were pretty ragged - so squeezed the bikes into our studio flat and jumped into the hot tub downstairs.

All in, not a bad day.

Bubbles machine not working?
No problem.

Our little piece of NZ

So you might all be getting bored with the "we're settling in" themed posts - this will be the last one for a while we promise (we will be out on the road again for some exploring soon!) But we thought the nosy amongst you might like to sneak a peek at our new apartment (its not a flat, apparently - you only get them out of the CBD (central business district in English). Also - bungalows here can be two or three storeys. How's that work?

We moved in at the weekend and a trip to Warehouse and Pak n'Save later we have managed to brighten up the place a little bit, and stuffed the teeny kitchen to capacity.

Living/dining/reception/bar room

The world's teeniest, but best stocked, kitchen!

Bedroom - spot the bikes!

Weirdly, we are loving how compact the place is - we haven't got a lot of stuff, and its only us two... so cosy is good. Oh, and there's a gym in the building, a swimming pool, hot tub, our own balcony and we're just a short walk from everything we could want (including 5' for Matt's train to work and possibly mine - once I make a job choice!)

Swimming pool from our balcony!

 Visitors, we're ready and waiting for your arrival!

New kitchen clock - definitely ask for Speight's - its delish

Settling In

Well, it's been a month since our arrival and we're starting to feel really settled, if not a bit exhausted! In the last 6 months we've got married, packed up all our belongings in storage (thanks parents), toured the world, found a temporary flat, found a new flat (with a pool!), found jobs for us both, bought a van and purchased two lovely road bikes. Tired but so so happy it's all working out.

To celebrate Sarah getting a job offer, we had arguably a bit too much of the local sauce in the flat. Silly dancing ensued:

Tailor-made Vietnamese dresses.
Good for swirls.

 And I got bored of dancing with Sarah, so danced with my bike: Willie.

I needed a taller dancing partner.
And one that ate less cheese.

Before we calmed down a bit...

Still happily married!

Before our jobs start, we're making the most of our free time. With plenty of running, tourist sites and trips out in Carrie the Van. Auckland is littered with steep, grassy volcanoes and we're trying to get round them all. Here's the view from Mt Victoria, in the posh area of Devonport.

Not bad for a winter's day!

 Devonport is also home to NZ's Naval Museum. Educational, but the wardrobe was obviously the best bit.

Rear Admiral Sarah

 The only thing that fitted me was the lowest ranking outfit. Charmed.

In the Navy...

 Before taking some Fush 'un Chups back to the van - a great taste of home...

But no vinegar on offer, what's with that?!

 Naturally, like every Brit and most of the World, we've been glued to the Olympics. The Kiwi banter about the Aussie medal performance has been hilarious. The +11 hour time difference has been taking it's toll though. Evidence of me scoffing mince pies whilst trying to watch the mountain biking below:

As it's cold, I'm expecting Christmas soon.
Buying mince pies has confused me further!

 And the last picture is the latest addition to Auckland's chapter of Hell's Angels, Sarah Cope. Watch out Bradley Wiggins, the mini-dynamo is on your tail...

Proud of her new wheels!

And the final piece of news, we've bought some tickets to see the All Blacks v Wallabies later this month, in the Antipodoean version of our 6 Nations. Can't wait!

World meet Carrie, Carrie meet NZ

The plan is starting to fall into place...

1 - I've got a job! Celebration proof below.

NZ beer is good, can't wait to start on
the craft beers!

2 - We've been test driving some new road racing bikes this week... some lovely bikes out here. Time to buy!

3 - We've found a lovely flat for when our current short-term lease comes to an end soon. It's near to the parks, beaches and some great cycling loops - fingers crossed the landlord accepts us tomorrow. Eek.

4 - And we've fulfilled a 5 year long ambition to own a campervan! Meet Carrie (Carrie the Van, geddit?) She's a lovely 2 litre petrol Mistubishi 300 Long - with just under 300,000km on the clock. After taking her round to my mechanical mate Dave (who gave her the all clear) we bought her last week and have been itching to take her out for a trip! It's an ex-painter's van that someone has lovingly re-sprayed and fitted out inside. It feels a bit like driving a heavy lorry - but I'm getting there. Sarah's had a go in the car park - Auckland roads will be next. Watch out.

Carrie and Sarah - she fits in it better than I does.

A huge bonus is that it comes with EVERYTHING! Gas, all the cooking stuff, bedding and maps. Sadly there was no food in it for me to snaffle - as the previous owners were French, the only thing left behind was some Dijon mustard. Fact.

So - we headed out (with more than just mustard) to Piha on the Western Auckland beaches, nestled amongst the Waitakere Ranges. Freedom Camping is a big thing in NZ, but we were keen to stay in one of the Department of Conservation locked sites for our first night - a bargain at £6 for the van!

We love NZ Sauvignon Blanc so took a couple of bottles in our 'chilly bin' and relaxed in the back of Carrie for the night...

The lounge-cum-kitchen-cum-bedroom-dining room

 What's the verdict on our van, people? Well, we love it! And what lovely surroundings to wake up in. Sure they're going to get WAY better than this on our travels too.

Our space for the night - a deserted park

Inside Carrie

Waking up in the DoC site meant we could just cook some porridge, chat to the park ranger, put on our hiking boots and head up into the mountains for a 6 hour trek through knee deep mud between huge Kauri trees and beneath some pretty cool waterfalls. Love this country.

No swimming today!

 After a great day in the mountains, we came back to the van and headed to Piha Beach to climb Lion Rock, a beast of an outcrop bisecting the sands. Here we watched the sun set from this old ancient Maori site.

A Maori guardian

Piha Stacks

After chatting to some of the locals, we parked the van up on behind the dunes for free and settled there for the night. 

A brilliant weekend - can't wait to get out for some longer adventures in the van!

Whiffy Rotorua

Well, we've been in Auckland for a fortnight, so thought we deserved a holiday! First up - a NakedBus and NakedHostel (bit of a risky choice, but they luckily they turned out not to be naturists!) trip down to Rotorua.

It was brilliant, apart from the stench of rotten eggs which is hissing out of steam vents and bubbling up through boiling mud pools. Whiffy...

It was a welcome change from cold Auckland (many houses here don't have central heating or double glazing) whereas our hostel had boiling hot goethermal water piping through every room. Toasty!

Our first night was spent in the hostel's outside hot pool (how good is that for a hostel?!) before exploring the lake and town the next day. Here's a few photos of the lake front:

A crust of rock over bubbling pools -
obviously not allowed to walk on this!

Not sure if the lake is hot, but the swans like it!

Eggy smell = red noses

Rotorua is also a centre for Maori culture and spiritual significance - it was great to walk through the villages and see the longboats dragged up on to the shore, scattered amongst ceremonial houses and halls.

Maori carvings

Thermal ponds in the middle of town

After a day of walking and exploring in the smelliest town ever, we though we'd better jump in that water! If you can't beat them, join them and after 3 hours in the Polynesian Spa, we smelt just like the surroundings... Beautiful views from the pools over the lakes, as day turned to night.

Our next day was spent up in the Redwood Forest (Whakarewarea Forest, try saying that five times quickly!) The trees are huge, the tallest is at about 70m and they should grow up to 100m in time. Here's a few photos of our walk:

Leaves stopped from decaying in a sulphuric pool

Looking out to Rotorua, across the Geysers

There ain't any trees like this in England!

We can't wait to get back to Rotorua with a campervan - to explore some walks further in to the park and also the mountain luging on the outskirts of town. Sarah's getting extreme! Oh, and the world class mountain bike trails in the forest. This country really does feel like Nature's playground!

One thing we do need to learn is how to speak Kiwi!

The trip was slightly odd, as I spent the entire time wondering if I'd got the hospital job I applied for, checking my phone every 5 minutes! The good news is, I got it! Just need formalities to go through and I should get a start date pretty soon. And relax...

Exploring Auckland

We are LOVING Auckland! The city is a lovely size, full of sights, amazing bike shops and cool plazas and waterfronts. Scattered between it all are beautiful parks, harbours and volcanic craters! Same same as London, but very different. It's a bit of an odd existence, as we've both been busy applying for jobs and are no longer travelling - so we're trying to behave well before our first payslip arrives! 

Our apartment is great - it's HUGE and only a 5' walk from the centre of town, plus a gym in the basement. Love it! While we're both missing travelling, it's great to be unpacked and have properly clean clothes! Looking forward to the next holiday already though!

Here's a few sights from our first couple of weeks exploring the City.

Auckland Museum perched on top of the Domain

A part of Auckland Museum's Maori Collection

Some low, winter sun

Auckland's Sky Tower - we live pretty
much nextdoor!

Mount Eden, a 200m high volcanic crater looming over the city
- one of many!

A long way from home...

I can't wait to get a bike and tear these hills up!

Our first spectacular sunset in NZ, over the Harbour 

We're really enjoying it here, and can't wait to get some bikes to explore the city and a camper-van to get away at the weekends. Ready for a year of adventures!