NZ meetup

[Talitha]

Yay, you get to celebrate New Years collecting your luggage and going through customs!!

A chat sounds like a good idea.

[petroleumjelly]

Wow! That's so cool!!!

Such a short visit though!

Now we need to work out (with you and Primate arriving in Auckland within a day of each other) whether I come and pick you both up, or what. Slight complication is that Groza is arriving in PN on the 31st. (he flies via Auckland too though).

I may have been a tad strict in my interpretation of 31st of dec. I actually get in at 11:40pm on the 31st.

We should get an aim chat going to sort this out, better than round robin pming.

Unfortunately, my computer is kinda dead (I am borrowing a school computer for the week) so I will not have AIM.

[Talitha]

Since you're here for only a week PJ, you should let us know what you want to spend that time doing. Any things you particularly want to see or do while you're here?

[petroleumjelly]

Hrms.

I've always wanted to narfle a garthok.

I figure garthoks are like garchomps, just more Thokky.

[petroleumjelly]

By the way, we should probably poke at people on the B and maybe the C list (or maybe just everybody): if theysa gonna buy tickets, they best do it soon.

[Talitha]

Good idea. I'll send them all a PM and see where they're at.

Oh no, you want to go narfling? Gah. Ah well what PJ wants, PJ gets. I have to warn you that garthoks are

very

rare, as well as being extremely timid and nocturnal. We are going to have to camp out somewhere remote for several nights to have even a chance.

[Talitha]

Jeep, Oman & Pooky have been harrassed.

[Andycyca]

Jeep, Oman & Pooky have been harrassed.

This made me uneasy

[Primate]

Mild request Tally, would you mind toning down the announcments?

It'd make me less terrified I have so little organised.

Thank you!

Wait, I should have things organised by now?

What do you mean that's only reasonable for something you are spending a ton of money on?

Really?

*sigh*

[Talitha]

Sorry. I'm having low-key freak outs myself and it seems to want to express itself in title form.

[Talitha]

Just heard from Jeep that he can't make it.

I'm currently thinking the best plan might be if I come to Auckland... pick up PJ on the 30th, kidnap Groza before he can board his flight to P.N. on the 31st, celebrate New Years somewhere in Auckland then immediately go to airport to pick up Primate. Then drive back to P.N. either that night or next day.

If people like that idea I'll email my cousin who lives up in Auckland and see if she knows any empty houses or available accommodation at that time.

[petroleumjelly]

Jeep breaks my heart. I think he must be avoiding me...

I am all in favor of kidnapping, but I really have no preference of where we are in NZ at any given time. I will go wherever needs be!

[Talitha]

On the way back we could go to Waitomo caves (2.5 hours drive from Auckland)

It's a bit pricey at NZ$60-$100 (depending which tour you choose... and lots more if you do the abseiling or rafting), but it is one of NZ's best attractions (so I'm told.. never been there). Would you be interested, PJ/Primate?

[Talitha]

Another option is to go via Rotorua and visit the geothermal area. Whakarewarewa is a good attraction. (Also costs money though.)

[Phoebus]

Someone must go zorbing.
Therefore, I vote Rotorua

[petroleumjelly]

Hums.

I dunno if I would want to pay $85.00 to walk "250 metres" (i.e. about 820 feet, or less than 0.2 miles) of a glowworm cave. I can just imagine being "oh, that's pretty cool" and after walking the distance to the end of the cave, just wanting to leave. I've been to the Minnetonka Caves in Utah as a contrast, which which had some fantastic formations, but it literally cost us about $5.00 a person (our family has four people, so the "Family Pass" did not help us).

My concern with Whakarewarewa is that I kinda get really uncomfortable when people are performing traditional things essentially "for me" because I happen to be there and am paying for it. It just feels...

wrong

. I dunno how to explain it, but if I had a native come up to me and start performing a traditional dance, I would just feel awkward and embarrassed.

Don't mean to be a naysayer.

[Talitha]

Thanks PJ. It's fine if something doesn't appeal.. but I just want to make sure you actually see more than the inside of a house while you are here.

For Waitomo, there's a boat ride included. I understand your point of view that one pretty cave is as good as the next, but I'd be quite surprised if this one wasn't worth the price. Waitomo is one of NZ's most famous places and in a country like NZ (known for it's outdoors and scenery, etc) that's saying something. (Remember its $NZ not $US too).

I tend to agree with you about cultural performances, although Maori are one culture where performing just comes naturally. It's part of who they are. I don't think it would be anywhere near as awkward as you imagine (e.g. they wouldn't come up to you and perform). But if I visited Whakarewarewa it'd be to see the amazing geysers and bubbling mud pools, and to have a hangi. (I love hangi and hardly ever get to have it... hot meal cooked in the ground with hot rocks). There's another geothermal place in Rotorua aptly named "Hell's Gate". I don't think they do shows there.

[imaginality]

Talitha, if you go to Rotorua it's worth considering Wai-o-Tapu over Hell's Gate. The geothermal area is pretty spectacular - about 90 mins to walk around it all, and once you get past the entrance, the park itself doesn't feel too 'touristy'. Though that said, they do have an indoor kiwi enclosure inside near the entrance, so your visitors can see a kiwi if they want to.

Also, less than a five minute drive from the main park is a pretty awesome bubbling mud pool with a path beside it that leads you to a thermal river, which is much more fun to swim in than the hot spa pool thingy in town.

[Talitha]

Thanks for the tip, imaginality. Any other cool places you can think of that I'm overlooking?

And hey, why aren't you coming up to meet us?

[imaginality]

Only because I'll be in UK in Jan - sorry. It sucks that you're arranging an NZ scum meet and I won't be in NZ. But I'm going back for my dad's 60th birthday, which is not something I can easily reschedule!

[Primate]

I'm currently thinking the best plan might be if I come to Auckland... pick up PJ on the 30th, kidnap Groza before he can board his flight to P.N. on the 31st, celebrate New Years somewhere in Auckland then immediately go to airport to pick up Primate. Then drive back to P.N. either that night or next day.

If people like that idea I'll email my cousin who lives up in Auckland and see if she knows any empty houses or available accommodation at that time.

Thats fine, although I will probably have been awake for around 24 hours at that point, and probably a little drunk due to spending 12 hours overnight in singapore, so I wouldn't be expecting me to do anything other than fall over in the designated position.

Waitomo sounds good, be well up for that. I'd love a wander around the geysers at Whakamolerewarewa, but I feel kind of similarly to PJ on the whole natives/native lifestyle issue, though I'd be willing to give it a go. Wai-O-Tapu looks stunning.

[Phoebus]

You should definitely put a drunk primate in a zorb.

a wet zorb...

That should wake him up!

[popsofctown]

^^^^lol

[Talitha]

imaginality - aw, that's a shame. I hope you have a great trip though. If I'm ever in Christchurch I'll try to send you a PM and we could have coffee or something.

Still working on the pick-up pickle. I checked with the airline, and if I kidnap groza so he can't fly to PN, they will cancel his return trip. Bastards. He could contact them and change his ticket... for a fee of course.

[petroleumjelly]

Does the hot sauce have an alternate name? I just put it in google and only had 2 pages of results, with the third result being your own mafiascum post.