Laters Sydney
we is off back to the homeland of ESSEX
it was bitchin
All is good, BAZ xxxx



The end of the Antipodean adventure! It has been very enjoyable but Colchy is calling (to some of us more than others). See you soonest, BazMum xxxx

Hello lovelies!!

I actually lied cos today it has poured with rain! As this is the first time since the Cosy Cottage International Holiday Village, Rotorua when we were in the birdvan I think we have done very well weather wise. Today has been fun and more fun, up the Sydney Tower to the Observation Deck (could have done with Maz and Laz to have a good chat with a la Auckland Tower, but instead we took the "Oz Trek" which involved sitting in rotating seats looking at all aspects of Ozzie life (sharks, BBQs, hats with corks on, I kid you not the stereotypes were awful). Thankfully we had sheltered from the rain prior to this in the Australia Museum and had a very edifying morning of proper instruction in all things Aussie.
Couldn't resist the Aquarium AGAIN, this time much better than Melbourne but the shark talk was still ringing in our ears "Statistically, you are more likely to be attacked by a vending machine than a shark" when all over the paper are pictures of the poor woman who was walking in shallow water with her baby and got bitten on the leg. Said leg awaiting surgery to see if it can be saved!

Well must be time for me to interrupt Bryony's phone call. Only one more day and then we will be winging our way back to soft pillows, cockroach free bathrooms and freshly laundered clothes (Bryony's principle of clean body in smelly clothes no longer working for me). Can't wait to see you all and especially Maz and Laz who I will be applying to adopt as surrogate children as my own will be turning round and coming straight back!

Love you lots and see you soon!!

BazMumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello lovelies!
If the neighbour's tour was fun, the neighbour's night was hysterical. I was the only person over 20 and we were packed into the British Pub (yes, it was dirty and sleazy) like sardines. I nearly lost the will to live when Libby started yodalling her lovely Country and Western Ballads but thankfully stuck it out because after that the real fun started; Madge, Dylan, Cindy and Dr Carl came on and everyone went wild (including me, the boring oldie!!) and they then went all round the room. I gave up on ever having a cuddle with Dr Carl as he was permanently mobbed by nubile young teenagers but then I felt a tap on my shoulder and there he was!! I even got a kiss!! Bryony got her bottom felt which apparently Rusty's not too thrilled about) but he was the perfect gentleman to me!! Aunty Yoda should know that Dylan is totally gorgeous in the flesh and really sweet as was Cindy. Madge had her makeup caked on a bit to hide the smoke damaged face but the voice was still 60 a day Senior Service. All in all a fab night.
Now in Sydney and have walked MILES today. Went over to Manly beach and had the most perfect weather, blue skies and sunshine, so warm!!
Now back in hotel and having to hide in internet booth whilst the Rusty call takes place. Went and had a really lengthy shower last night to avoid eavesdropping on the lovebirds but then found and ENORMOUS cockroach the size of my hand looking at me and I nearly had a heart attack. Took ages to kill it and not before my screams had disturbed the whole hotel. How was I to know that are a normal part of everyday life for Aussies??
OOps, someone waiting, so must sign off.
Love you all, miss you all, see you soon!!
Jan (and Bryony on phone to you know who)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

HELLO!
Today we did the neighbours tour which somewhat defied belief!!!!! We got on the bus painted in neighbours stuff (V EMBARASSING) and then watched some old school neighbours episodes....turned up outside erinsborough high which is actually an english language school and then went to ransmay street whihc is SO SMALL its so cute and everything is there like that stupid porch thing outside susan and karls and harolds garden etc etc....
and then we went and met JANELLE i love janelle she is a legend and i gave her a hug and got a piccy. she has HAIRY ARMPITS
WHOAH
so yeah it was amazing
and tomorrow we're doing the quiz night and KARL'S BAND ARE PLAYING and LIBBY IS SINGING and MADGE yes MADGE is rumoured to be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also Mum is pleased coz dillon will be there and she fancies him
IT WAS AMAZING
SO AMAZING

We are in Aussie land woohoo :)
Minorly (MAJORLY) traumatic day yesterday saying goodbye to Rusty and then 2 flights which made me want to die but never mind we are here now.
Have meandered around today and are going to go to the aquarium later to look at giant fish. Booked the neighbours tour and quiz night so that should be a complete delight and i am going to marry harold in the absence of rusty.
I booked my flight back out here today, will be leaving home on 11th June and returning on 17th September. It was superbargainous - 613quid! But im flying through LA on the way out to get double the baggage allowance because i am going to need lots of STUFF no more backpacking for me! eeek LA lisa and maz will have to give me tips on how to survive the walrus man.
Laters love Bry xxxxxx

My shoulders have just about dried out but my shoes are still a bit damp from the tears. Offset today by the booking to come back so really not such a big deal now. (Sorry, Bryony says IT IS A BIG DEAL!!) Felt a twinge of embarrassment at the sniggers of the tourist info clerk who booked our neighbours tour but hey, what's wrong with shallow?
We are enjoying being touroids and just getting on and off trams, wandering round and seeing the sights including a rather huge vanilla slice which was calling me personally by name.
Can't believe I'm on the other side of the world with Bryony although thse of you that remember her infancy will remember me saying "that child will end up in Australia" and here we are. I'm making the most of being with my lovely girl but wish you were all here too!!!!! (You know who you are)
Love you lots
G'day for now
BazMumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well its my last full day in NZ for this part of my trip. I have had the best time EVER out here it has been better than I could have imagined it would be :)
Me and Mum spent today in Auckland getting some souvenirs and presents sorted out and found an amazing cake shop this afternoon for a late lunch of super tasty treats to console ourselves. Rusty's driving us to the airport tomorrow and I'm sure I will be suitably emotional and hideous and Mum will have to sedate me or something...
But all is not lost I will be back to NZ in June which means getting a job out here and not just bumming around travelling wherever I feel like and doing whatever I feel like, what a shame!
I can't wait to get home and visit everyone though its going to be great to catch up, even if its only for a few weeks.
Australia tomorrow which means the neighbours tour. I'm going to get to meet Harold and Karl and all my old man friends and be one of those hideous fans who screams with excitement all the time and maxes out their credit card in the giftshop :)WOO HOO retail therapy
It was really weird today because i was buying winter clothes like jeans and jumpers with mum to leave out here for when I get back because i dont think Im going to find many of those clothes in england land of sun. Now im guna have 2 winters instead of 1!
So bye bye to NZ, hello to Australia and soon Englando here I come xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bryony's last day and soon she will be saying goodbye but actually my farewell to the birdvan was pretty emotional this morning so I feel I've had plenty of practice in emotional moments!! Looking forward to Oz and all the delights of that country. Just off to slip some anti-depressants into Bryony's tea so that tomorrow goes well.
Much love to you all,
BazMum xxxxxx

Hello lovelies,

I know that officially I am at least two decades too old to be doing this update but hey, driving around in a bus covered with birds has made me feel young again!!
NZ really is a fabulous place; the scenery is totally stunning and the people are very friendly and kind. We have covered many miles in the van and seen lots of amazing sights (and squashed possums). The weather has been great, blue skies and mostly warm; we've even swum in the sea. Having time with Bryony, Maz and Lisa has been fun and very instructive (so much to learn from them!!) and so good to know that they have taken all my motherly advice to heart (NOT). Reporting to Aunty Yoda and other interested parties; Rusty is really GORGEOUS and Bryony is the happiest I have ever seen her (apart from Hippo nights, of course).
So, she is following her heart and returning to NZ pretty much as soon as she can get a flight back and is going to spend the summer with Rusty working in Auckland and seeing how things work out. Oh the tears and the pain of the mother!!!
So, off to Oz in 2 days and more fun!!

Lots of love to you all,
BazMum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maz and I both feel rough rough rough today. This is LESS THAN GOOD seeing as we have to go to the airport in an hour, and then we have oh...29 hours of travelling ahead of us. MY FAVOURITE.
I'm not feeling tiptop and cheery today. It's going to be really weird to leave here! But nice to be home of course!
We had an absolutely lovely proper last day yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, and we went on a harbour cruise, so that was good. We learnt many interesting facts about Auckland and boats and stuff (we pretended to care) and also the water was sparkly and pretty. The harbour is called something like Waitamata harbour, which (as we all know our Maori words now) means sparkling water. Lovely! Another bonus was the fact that we didn't get hideously sunburnt and red. It will be strange coming back to a land where there isn't a hole in the ozone layer right above your head for easy-access pain and discomfort in the form of sun sun sun. We also got a free rough cookie and rough coffee! Who could want more?
We then went and had a couple of glasses of wine (from Gisborne in the Bay of Plenty, because we support good old Kiwi production. Plus, yummy wine!) and looked at the boats and stuff.
NEXT we went back to el hostello and packed. That was quite a mission, it really was! I really don't know how I managed to not break my bag but it seems ok and hopefully all the stuff I have bought (aka a lot of stuff. A LOT) will not break.
In the eve, we were picked up in the birdvan and off we went to find a nice place for food. We went to a lovely little restaurant on the Quay near the Hilton Hotel (ooooh posh, except it looks like a ferry :S). I again went for the super kiwi option and had lamb and kumara mash. It was great! Everyone enjoyed their food I think, and we had a lovely time. After our meal we went and got our coffee from somewhere unique to NZ, STARBUCKS. I know, we fail at life. Never mind.
Then we had our tearful (except not actually) goodbyes, and off we toddled home. We aren't going to see Bry and MummyBryony for 2 entire weeks! SO LONG! Upsetting. Weirder, we aren't going to see Rusty for probably 7 months, and that is craaaazy. We'll miss his funny little face and dad-dancing :P
hahaha
I've packed my camera cord so no photos for you today, maybe some at some point when we are back in Englandio.
xxx

Yo Ho Ahoy!
Wow the neglect we have shown lj is semi-shocking. MummyBryony arrived on Monday with minor baggage mishaps (Quantas are real good at making sure the baggage actually gets on the plane - not) she bought us amazing present sof joy and greatness. They included Heat magazine, lip gloss (and eyeliner for Lisa), toffee chocs and PANTS! It was all very important necessary things especially Heat....
Anyway, for the rest of Monday Lisa and I went to the shockingly bad Auckland Art Gallery and got accosted by an old christian man. I can't quite work out whether he immediately 'knew' we were Christian or if he was trying to Evangelise us. It was all very bizarre and I ended up leaving with his email address, phone number and the address of his 'open house'. WEIRD.
Tuesday all of us went up the Sky Tower in the morning and spent ages in the cafe discussing life, our trip and general nostalgia. It was very nice if not a bit sad, especially when we were asked what our favourite moments have been of Nz...there are sometimes just too many to count. The views fromt he top are pretty stunning as well, especially the one of the giant bilboard advertising some kind of underwear... onyl the model happens to be a very buff-looking dan carter. MummyBryony was shocked that this was the first thing Bry looked for at the top! Later we wandered to Parnell (I say wandered actually it was more of a trek up the hillyness that is Auckland) and had amazing ice cream in the Movenpick cafe. For all you poor uninitiated people Movenpick is Swiss ice cream, its like the best ice cream in the world ever. Lisa, Bry and I had it with chocolate brownies and it was super immense. We wandered further around Parnell's boutiquey shops before heading abck to the hostello.
In the eve we went to a nice pizza/pasta place with Rusty and had huge pizzas and then to a little cocktail bar where I had a corriander based cocktail that looked like an entire garden was in my drink. Surprisingly it was actually quite tasty!
Bry and Jan left on Weds morn to collect the sexy van, and Lisa and I were a little despondant. We were not feeling the love of Auckland, since our hostel is bang slap in the middle of the world and is bloody LOUD, all night. Its not pleasant. Also another bag of our food got stolen from the jam-packed fridges so we were less than happy. We went to Whitcoulls and bought ourselves some books to read and spent most of the rest of the day doing that!
Thursday we decided to be a little more proactive (not a lot you understand, just a little) and walked to Auckland Domain. Its basically a glorified big parkland area on which the museum is perched at the top. Unfortunately it took us rather a while to find, with Lisa exclaiming at one point ' It should be right here, we should be standing on it WHY AREN'T WE!' We did eventually find it and actually it was quite interesting (and free) with loads of stuff on volcanoes, and a creepy childrens section and a huge Maori exhibition as well.
Today however, has by far been the best day of the week. Bry had said to us before they left to check our emails as she would meet us sometime Friday eve when they were back in auckland. Accidentally we didn't check them yesterday adn so Bry was knocking on our door at 11am this morning lookign mildly surprised that we were still in bed! Apparently she had sent us an email detailing that they would take us on a day trip in the van - whoops. We got dressed super speedily and then went on a grand adventure in the van. The van is hot, it ahs birds on it, which freaks Lisa out. It also only has 3 seats in the front. So Bry drove with me and Lisa in the front and MummyBryony reclining on the giant bed in the back!
We went to Piha (not to be confused with PAihia) which is a really stunning beach. Its basically Aucklanders retreat as its a good surfing beach and its not very touristy. The sand is also really black because it has such a large iron content in it, so its really really sparkly. We had a great time sitting on the beach and paddling in the sea before going to a cute cafe/restaurant for tea and chips. The views fromt he cafe were amazing cos it was built overlooking all of Auckland and Auckland harbour. You could probably see more from the cafe than you could from the top of the sky tower!
Tomorrow Lisa and I are going to do a harbour cruise thingy and then Sunday shall be souvenir shopping and packign...fun....
MummyBryony, Rusty and Bry are off in the van to Orewa (where I have been before) to a very nice thermal pools park called Waiwera which i recommended.
Soon we shall be home, to quite colchy, my bed, people and finding a job...no more cafe stops every 5 mins, or laying in till midday...woe!

( photos )

( We went to the zoo! )
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