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Friday 18th May 2007
Hi everyone,
Well it's been all change since my last entry - I've been really busy and have got lots to tell you all. When I was in Napier I decided it would be a good time to check my bank balance as I hadn't for a while, and to my horror I discovered I had a lot less money than I thought and that included having to pay to fly back down to Queenstown. So after a chat with Hayley I decided to leave here after Taupo and travel back down to Queenstown to try and get work. We arrived in Taupo on Monday (7th May) and I spent the afternoon trying to work out the cheapest way to get back down to Queenstown. The next morning we got up at 5.30am to go and do the big Tongariro Crossing walk. It was really cool doing it with Hayley, although she did have to wait for me a few times!! The weather was amazing really sunny so the views were even more spectacular than last time. Competitive Sam was also on form and can happily report that we beat my previous time and did the walk in 5 and a half hours!! It was really cool to do the walk again with someone who hadn't seen it because it made me appreciate the views again - and luckily my knee behaved and apart from a slight twinge the next day it was fine. That night we went out to the local pub in Taupo and met Sam and George (friends from Kaikoura and Wellington) for the pub quiz. Me and Hayley were ready to drop by about half 11 though so we had an early night.
The next day I had to get my bus back to Wellington at about 2.30pm so Hayley and I spent the morning in town, and when I left I left her with Charlie from Queenstown who promised to take care of her for me. The bus journey was 6 hours and it was really quiet so there was no-one to talk to all the way which was rubbish. I arrived at the bus station in Wellington at 8.30 that night, and Chris (fireman I met in Wellington) was an absolute star and came and got me from the station and put me up for the night so I didn't have to pay for a hostel - he really is the sweetest guy ever. That evening we chilled out and watched television with his housemates who were all really lovely guys - very funny. He showed me the Hakas they get taught at school (Maori dance similar to the one the All Blacks do before a match), which are strangely very attractive! The next day (Thursday) my flight wasn't until the evening and Chris had work so he left me his keys so I could come and go as I wanted. He tried to persuade me to go down to the station and watch him doing his fireman presentation for the primary school kids (what a cutie) but I was too shy!!
Instead I went into town and went for lunch and did a bit of shopping (essentials only!). Chris got back from work at about 5.30 and we went out for dinner, he took me to a really nice Indian restaurant near him, it was so nice. My flight was at 9.40pm that night and Chris insisted on driving me all the way to the airport - where we said our goodbyes, he's planning to come down here to see me for the weekend in June though, and he's coming down again with his friends in July to snowboard and I've been invited along. He's honestly the nicest guy he's got a heart of gold.
I landed in Christchurch at 11.00pm on Thursday night and got the shuttle bus to the nearest YHA hostel so I could get some sleep before my bus journey to Queenstown the next morning. I had to be up nice and early on Friday morning to get my bus to Queenstown which would take 9 hours - fun, fun, fun!! At the stop I got chatting to an English girl Carly who was coming to Queenstown for a few days, I was worried about being completely on my own but I met her straight away and touch wood I've been fine since. Also on the bus were two Irish guys who entertained us with their crazy stories from South America all the way! I definitely want to go there on my next trip I reckon it would be absolutely amazing it sounds crazy!! We arrived into Queenstown at about 6.30pm that evening and Carly and I went to Southern Laughter (where I stayed last time) to check in. It's a really nice hostel with a really homely feeling to it. That evening we went out to a little Italian restaurant and bonded over a bottle of wine and a chat about how useless men are - always a winner!! The food was gorgeous it was the first time I've eaten out in ages. We went back to the hostel for a quick change and then went into town, first stop was the World Bar so I could introduce Carly to the joy of the teapots. We hadn't been in the bar long when two older guys sat down next to us and started chatting, somehow we got on to what they did for a living and they were web developers which was a coincidence as I'd applied for a job as a web developer in Queenstown a couple of weeks before. The guy had emailed me back asking for examples of my previous work but I didn't have any here with me so I never replied. To cut a long story short it turned out that one of the guys was the guy who'd emailed me and he'd been really disappointed that I hadn't replied as he had a job in Internet Marketing that he wanted me to do - what a small world!! After a profuse apology he said that he wanted to give me the job and to call him the next day so we could arrange to meet first thing that week and discuss it. Anyway Carly and I stayed in World Bar for a bit longer and then went home for a good sleep.
The next day I got up early to go job hunting and far from it being easy like I thought nowhere wanted anyone to start working until June. I spent 8 hours walking around and felt thoroughly fed up when I got back to the hostel. That day I also looked around a couple of rooms to rent in shared houses and they were really awful. Two I saw were shared rooms for $95 (about 40GBP) a week and there were holes in the windows and the housemates were either scary old men or didn't speak any English!! Sunday morning I got up early and called the guy about the Internet Marketing job and arranged to meet him on Tuesday morning. I spent the rest of the day sightseeing around Queens town with Carly and being determined not to get stressed out about the lack of money/job situation. On Monday I decided to go into subway to speak to a Canadian guy Steve that I met last time I was here, he'd said then that he had a box room to rent in his house so I went to see if it was still available. It was and we arranged for me to go and see it on Wednesday. That evening I went out in Queenstown again with Craly and another enbglish girl form our hostel Laura. We had a wicked night going to all the backpacker bars and they are both really nice girls. On the way home we stopped at a takeaway place called Fergburger, make the best burgers in the world, and in my drunken state I got chatting to two Aussie guys outside Brett and Sean. It turns out that they were two of Steve's (guy with the box room) housemates and Sean is the leaseholder so I arranged to go and see the room the next day with them.
Tuesday morning I had to go and meet the guy about the internet marketing job at 11.00am and was still feeling a bit worse for wear!! We had a chat about the job, which sounds cool, a bit better than web programming, and he said it was mine if I wanted it and I could start on the 28th May, so of course I agreed. That evening I went to see the room with Brett and Sean and it's small but really cute and the house is really nice and the rents only $65 a week so I agreed to move in. The house is in a place called Sunshine Bay and it overlooks the lake and the Remarkables mountains (I've put a picture of the view in the Queenstown album) it would be worth living there just for the view, you could never ever be in a bad mood when you see that everyday. The house is nice and really big we've got an outdoor spa pool as well which is class. I'm living with 2 Australian guys Brett and Sean, an aussie girl Brooke, 2 kiwi guys Tim and Pete and a Canadian guy called Steve. They all seem really safe. On Wednesday I saw Carly off as she was leaving to go to Christchurch and checked out of the hostel. I moved into my new house that afternoon. That night we all went out (except Sean because he had to work) in town and I had a really good laugh - I think I'm gonna really enjoy living with them all. Pete, Steve, Brett and Sean are big snowboarders as well so they're going to teach me and Brooke when the snow comes in about 3 weeks which will be brilliant. I can't wait. Yesterday I spent the day tripping to the bargain shops to kit out my room and it's looking really cute now - it's small but cute and girly which is cool. I'm on the top floor with Sean and Brett and they've given me the entire double wardrobe in the hall because they don't use it - brilliant!! Last night Brooke, I, Pete and Steve had a video night while the rest were working and it was really cool. I woke up this morning and went for a run, there's an amazing walking track right next to our house with amazing views, definitely an incentive to do some exercise.
I'm off now to do some food shopping.
Love you all lots and lots
Sam
Xxx
P.S Mum's got my new address if any of you want to send me letters would be nice to hear from you.
Jacs - Love you lots and lots hope your feeling better. Really wish I could be there to see you big kiss xx
Brian - I didn't think Lisa? work? A very strange combination!! Well I think now I've been to Dunedin it definitely explains Rich better - no wonder he won't sign brithday cards!!
Lisa - At last an email I will reply properly soon i promise. Your the hardest worker i know don't tell Brian I said so though ;-) x
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