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Exploring Em
Well Kirsty left for the Uk on the sunday morning and helen arrived on the afternoon! So I had just a few hours alone in which i bussied myself uploaded my pics!
It was fab to see helen! We went for a walk around Auckland and then for a glass of redwine! She told me the terrible story of what hapenned to her on the plane! (not actually scary or anything to do with the plane... ) but i will leave it to her to explain when she comes back... bex you will LOVE it! hee hee. Then we went up theAuckland Skytower to get some nice views over Auckland. Then it was back to a nice bar and got abit giggly on redwine! then came back and used facebook so sorry to all those who recieved silly messages!
The next day we went to the Auckland Museum, abit out of town but very interesting with all different sections. The volcano section was good! You could go into a pretend house and see what it would be like if you were in a Volcanic eruption in Auckland! It made us slightly paranoid for the rest of the day seeing as there is one here! Any many more around!
Then we spent alot of time book shopping and booked surfing for the next day! So we had a fairly early night as we had to be up at six!
So up we got the next day, got picked up to go surfing! There were only Helen and Myself surfing, another girl just came along for the ride. So it was good to practically have one on one lessons! I did absolutly love it again however the boards wernt as good as last time and the waves wernt either!But we still had fun and I could still stand up quite abit!We even had to wax our own boards!
We had a break for lunch then i went back in alone for abit as Helen was abit cold and tired.
But the waves had got even worse so me and the instructor didnt stay in for long. Plus my knees were killing, he was making me get on it in a harder way and the board was harder too! My legs were covered in bruises the next day! My whole knee was covered in a big one!
Then we got back to the hostel, sorted ourselves out then went straight to the airport for our flight to the Cook Islands! Now get this... 1st of may, got up at 6am to go surfing, all day, flight to the Cooks at 7pm, 3 and half hour flight... arrived at Cooks at 1am 1st may!!! Went to bed got up at 7am... still the first of May! How crazy is that! The longest day in the world! Plus my mums birthday so i hope she doesnt expect two presents!!!
Anway the Cooks...We got there and there was some confusion with our room. They were two parts to the hostel beachside and Hillside, hilside was cheaper so we had booked that. We booked a dorm but got a double room as the dorm was full! So even though we had to share a double bed it was great to be outta dorms! Also all we had to do was open our door take a step or two forwards and there was the pool! It was really lovely! We woe up the next morning (still the first of may) and went for a ride into the town centre... not big though. There is one road on rarotonga (the main island of the Cooks) and an hourly bus one going clockwise and one going anti. We just missed the bus and was waiting for the other direction one when an old local man pulled up in his battered old jeep filled with waifs and strays, he offered us a lift into town. So in we got, with various folk and coconuts! he was so sweet and wouldnt take any money ro anything!
The place has such a lovely feeling and everyone is so friendly, really laid back. The locals are called Cook island maori's and have such a lovely culture.
We did abit of shopping at the supermarket and got the bus back to the hostel, we stopped off at the beachside hostel to ask the owner something. He said that we could move down to the beachside with no extra cost so we wouldnt have to have a double bed! The beachside was fab! A 30 sec walk to the beach... well actually it was pretty much on the beach!
So we arranged for our bags to be transfered the next day while we were on our day trip. We went back to the hillside, i had a swim, a nap and then we drank red wine and the terrace and made some pasta!Â
We got up very early the next day for our day trip to Aitutaki. We got to the airport and luckily the plane was bigger than i had imagined! (not southhampton style!)Â But really rubbish and loads of turbulance never the less!
Was glad to land, a beautiful island... the views from the plane were worth the scariness!
We got picked up by a big wooden floral bus! really cool and a nice local guide. We drove around the island which took not very long at all and the we boarded our boat for the lagoon cruise. We were provided with towels and free soft drinks and out we set! The views were like paradise, i cannot even begin to explain so you will have to wait for the pictures!
We stopped at one island and had a wander around which took 8 mins! It was an island of great interest for me... one because it was where lepers were once sent... no i havent got a freaky obsession with lepers it's just (as kirsty knows) i have just finised a fab book about Love, romance and lepers!!! Thankyou for that Susan it was great and not as weird as it sounds! And the second reason as those who have ever worked a sunday will know... it was where Shipwrecked was filmed!!! I was so obsessed with this prog that whoever worked a sunday at work HAD to record it for me! So it was interesting all round for me. Although i have to say i dont actually agree with things been filmed on paradise islands like that! i know I'm a hypocrit but i was hooked!!!
We were walking around the beach and to all those who have been to places like this, forgive my stupidity but the shells we find on the beaches in europe etc well they were here only walking!!! Beautiful little shells walking around! I knew that thats where they came from but have never seen so many alive on one beach! It actually got abit freaky in the end!
Then off we went and we pulled up in the Lagoon for a snorkel. I have never seen such gorgeous fish! Fish of all shapes, sizes and colours just swimming around us! It was fab! I tried to get some shots with my underwater camera but who knows if they will turn out. The main thing i have it in my memory as it was such a cool experience! However, my snorkel was once again leaking so i think the lagoon was shallower when i got out due to all the sea water i had consumed!!! And i am doing it right, its just that i keep getting faulty equipment!
Then it was back on board for a BBQ, it was fish though! How could people eat that after what we had just seen! the guide even picked one out of the water and ate the insides RAW! then cooked the rest!!! I stuck to colslaw and grilled sweet banana! The guides were cool though, 3 of them who drove the boat, cooked, played guitar, bongos etc! And were really informative.
Then we stopped on one foot island which was also cool, a bit bigger than the last and you got a passport stamp here! In the shape of a foot!!! It is fantastic! the bar man at the postoffice (yes you read that right) looked just like Morgan freeman! The double, Helen thought they might be doing a film here at first! hee hee. The island was lovely once again, only one hut thing here and a long drop toilet! But then in true style of my trip it started belting it down! really belting it down! Now since brazil i keep getting unexpectedly caught in these down purs and each time i think that it is the heaviest rain i have ever seen! but it was warm and we were in our Bikinis so we just got a glass of red wine from the postoffice and watched until it cleared up!
Then it was back on the boat for lesson on how to open a coconut, for the jusice and the milk. Then the nut! It was really cool. Then we ot shown various ways how to tie sarongs for daytime, nighttime, parties! Even for men! Phil i know how to make some ace coconut tree climbing trousers for you!!! Then it was back to sure to the shed of an airport for the plane ride back to Raratonga! Where i immediatly downed two glassed of red wine... and the flight flew by!
That night we were i our new beachside room, we made some food and had some more wine then off to bed.
he next day we hired bikes and cycled around the island! It was really cool, very hot but relativly flat. I need the training anyway for my Liverpool-Leeds canal venture! Helen struggled abit as she hadnt been on a bike for 7 years! But she made it just! nd I was proud of her! It was a beautiful day, we stopped at various little places and beaches. Had lunch by the sea and cocktails. I had a selection of root vegetables, half of them native to the islands! They looked disgusting but tasted gorgeous!
Then back on the bikes for the final leg... helen was sat on her towel coz her bum hurt so much! I was filthy! Im such a mucky pup! I was covered in tar! It was EVERYWHERE! I like it when i get mucky though coz it reminds me of when i used to play out when i was young and you could always tell if it was a good day if you came back dirty!!!hee hee hee. Bet you dont agree though do you Mum?
That night we caught the clockwise bus to the island night, this was good enough but not brilliant. the dancers were great. I think it was because there was a dance final somewhere else so all the rubbish ones were here! It wasnt as good as Roturura but entertaining never the less. Then we caught the last bus back and Helen went to bed. I stayed up talking till the early hours to some people in the hostel.
Got up early the next day, 6:45  for a call from Phil but the bloody phone wasnt working! The cook islands arnt quite with time! But then i was wide awake and i had a long day ahead! We relaxed by the hostel pool, by the beach, read books in the hammocks and I went for a long walk down the beach. i walked for quite a while and didnt see a soul! Then we walked for lunch and then I had the most wonderful nap in the hammock right by the sea! I woke up to the gorgeous sunset!Wait for the pic. Then we watched Lord of the Rings and The Beach on DVD as we weren't getting picked up for the airport till 1am in the morning so we had alot of time to kill! And we couldnt risk getting the bus anywhere.
The flight back was Ok, but i am now officially scared of flying again! We left Cooks at 1am sat morn/fri night and got to Auckland after a 3hour flight at 5am Sunday morning! So we didnt really go to sleep either, we had been up since 6:45 fri morning and i didnt get to bed till 12 sunday night! by then we had been up for 40 odd hours!
We spent Sunday wandering around Auckland and then I Bumped into Selena from the North island!So i went for a drink with her, Helen went to bed as she wasnt well! Probably the length of time we had been up! It was great to see Selena again and maybe will see her in Oz.Â
Next day we went with Stray to the Bay of Islands. It was Scoobs kirtsy who drove us there, so he didnt have alot of time off after his mum died did he? I didnt mention it to him though, but he did talk about her alot. We arrived at our hostel, along with Annie the girl from a\our bus and got talking to the girls in our dorm and didnt stop until very late! They were a lovely bunch of girls! It was cool to be in a female enviroment for a change and it was like a slumber party with 8 girls!!! Cool.
The next day 4 of us and two other we met on the boat went for a day trip to Russell. this is the first western settlement in NZ and where all the treaties were signed (well near by)with the Maoris, the first capital too. We had a fun day went to the first pub in NZ, climbed a massive hill for the view of all the bays and islands. We all got on really well and took loads of pics! It was a shame when we had to leave that night! Could have stayed with all them for a while. But time is ticking and my flight to Oz was the next day!
So now it is the next day and the fiaso with helen and her flights has just happened!!! I think i mailed you all didnt I? So i have to rush off now to the airport! And to meet my friend kylie! She is picking me up from the Airport in melbourne and is letting me stay withher for the time I am there! She is also taking me to a footy match on friday! might aswell go to them here isnt as if we have a team anymore is it?
well adios, photos will follow soon.
Take Care Love Emma.xxx.
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