A plane, a boat, and a train. And we're here....

It's been a while since I've blogged. After Playground, I was with no internet for a while, and blogging froma cafe with backpackers milling around doesn't exactly draw inspiration. We flew into Auckland on Monday, and within five minutes of arriving, were wondering why we were there. Even the lovely Hudgy (who we met over the weekend through friends, and who so graciously offered up his chaueffer services and a place to sleep) told us that Auckland sucks, and he didn't know why we wanted to visit there. Well, it wasn't all that bad. Certainly not the coolest city, but it had it's charms. We spent much of the two days walking around, and went up in the skytower to get a view of the city. The highlight was meeting up with my friends Courtney and Fiona, who I met years ago in LA, but were back in Auckland visiting family. Those two drinks made the trip to AUCK all worth it. We hopped on a plane two days later, and landed in Wellington. Luckily, we found someone last minute to couchsurf with, and had some good times at their palace a few minutes (and uphill miles) out of the city. Ben, Pipa, and Cal were awesome, and they showed us a really good time in Wellington. My first experience with fish and chips as well. Kinda gross, to tell you the truth, but I'm glad I tried it. The next day, we had lunch with Ben, and went to our fist museum of the trip! The Te Papa (I think?) was having a Monet exhibit, but once we were in there we realized you had to pay for it, so obviously we went and had a beer on the wharf instead. Jess and I continued our theme of the trip, which has been discussing ways to keep traveling and never work again. That day, the idea surfaced that we should start our own brand, and put our restaurant and wine company in the name of that brand, so we can monopolize the business. Or at least I think that's where we were headed. We were wishing we had an extra day in Wellington, but had to get on the ferry in the morning to Christchurch. From what we had heard, the ferry ride would be a beautiful, scenic adventure that shouldn't be missed. Unfortunately, it was pissing down rain, so we spent the three hours of beutiful landscapes downstairs sleeping. I wasn't sure if we were making a pit stop at the nursing home or what, but the average age on that fucking boat must've been 105. WTF? We hit the train next, for another 5 hour scenic cruise the rest of the way to Christchurch. Trains are usually a pretty moving (pun interded, obvi) place for me, mentally. I'm able to do some of my best thinking and contemplating of life on them, especially when I'm watching a beautiful world go by. Again, of course, it was raining. I was soaking wet for 5 hours sitting in the geriatric cart, across from a man that looked freakishly similar to my dead grandfather. He kept shifting his feet around so his shoe would land on my sock, and I'd have to reach down every few minutes and pull it out from under him. I'm pretty sure he was doing it on purpose, but who knows. At the end of the trip, I was sitting indian style listening to Pink Floyd and writing down what songs I want to mix together once I start DJ'ing (yes, it's gonna happen so deal). A bunch of sheep, cows, mountains, and trees later, we were in Christchurch. The legendary Timmy Mac picked us up at the train and showed us a night complete with asian dinners, wine, and a brand new way to smoke weed. Today, we're making our way to the Pegasus Winery for a full day of NZ music. Shapeshifters! Should be pretty awesome. Will def post pics, and write up a post for QC, so check that out. Shenanagins await!