Back to reality

Six flights taking us almost as far from the UK as you can possibly go without leaving the planet, a variety of cultures, loads of new friends, two songs and far too much rain for a summer.

The last part of the journey was a little odd in comparison, usually when waiting in the airport it had been sad to leave but also exciting as the adventure was taking you off to another location likely to be equally exciting with new things to see and do. However with the last flight it still had the excitement as we would be able to see missed friends and family on landing but from then it was just going to be back to the day to day life and work. I would happily have stayed away a little longer in almost every location we visited and so now the plan must begin on how to return.

Arriving in and seeing everyone again was great and life quickly went from continually getting up and moving to another location or rushing around to see all the sites in the short time possible to slipping back into the daily routine of waking up and going to work, although my work is a little different from most so even back from my travels I see views such as this everyday - Camber sands england, it may not be as warm as Australia or as adrenaline filled as New Zealand and there are far less celebrities than in LA but this is where I work at The Kitesurf Centre

Throughout this trip I, as many others have, collected mementoes from all the different countries and places along the way. I usually try and find something such as a necklace, t shirt or postcard that can be easily carried, this is something that I continued throughout this trip although with so many wristbands and bracelets given out when you take part in activities my task was almost completed for me and the only issue became if I would have any arm space left. Here is how my arms finished the trip, a couple hadn't made it to the end, one from Dreamworld in Surfers Paradise and another that was won when in Wellington which must have popped off and has now evaded me. With them all on there is such a covering that US security checked each one looking underneath in case I was using them to hide something.

The trip is probably the most exciting thing I have ever done with so many fun moments, now home I'll be working and saving ready for another adventure, the question is, where will I go...

LA last of the trilogy

6^th day magic mountain

If the previous day was the perfect weather for an outdoor day in a theme park this was the opposite, the sky was grey and foreboding in the morning so that just as we waited for the park to open the rain came down and it didn't stop. We went on a few rides which although the weather was bad were still great fun, this has some of the best roller coasters in the world however with the weather how it was many were closed and after a few hours the whole park followed suit and it was time to try and get home.

7^th day miles

The last full day and LA and the last of the trip, in New Zealand we met loads of people including some Americans and amazingly a few that live near LA, one of which had returned before us and had agreed to meet up and show us around. It was great to see miles again, he came with a friend steffie and they took us for a drive in her car, it couldn’t have been planned much better, we were being driven along the Pacific coast Highway in a fastback ford mustang. Miles pointed out sites on the way giving us great stories and info as we went, far more interesting than any of the tours that you could book and not just seeing celebrities houses either.

We saw beaches from point break, restaurants from the fast and the furious along with other films, the tattoo parlour from LA ink and even a cash machine that dispenses cupcakes. From the moment Adam and Miles had found out we were stopping in LA they said we much go to “In and Out Burger” however these seemed to have been evading us and difficult to find so they took is to one they knew of and we stopped for lunch, the burgers are quite good however I still think that Ferg Burger in Queenstown have been the best on the trip. After seeing everything that all of us could think of including miles' house and husky we headed back to the hostel where we said our goodbyes and packed for the flight.

8^th day home

Up awake, showered and downstairs for the usual pancakes and fruit. A short little wander around and then off to the airport, after hearing all the stories about American security and waiting times I expected a lot of standing around and waiting in queues however I was pleasantly surprised, there was almost no queues and we shot through security, the only thing they seemed to have a slight issue with was all my bracelets being under the impression that I had snuck something in underneath them.

After going on so many flights recently I was almost becoming accustomed to the whole experience which has allowed me to notice the advantages and disadvantages of each airline, this time we were with BA and one of their most modern planes, Large touch screen TV’s with loads of choice. Overall decisions were: BA had the most comfy seats and on the last flight the tastiest food, however when we flew with Quantas they were continually offering more food and drinks whatever time in the night they did bring round ice creams which is just plane awesome.

LA Part deux

5^th day Universal studios

The idea of shaving dressing up smartly, calling ahead and pretending to be Rupert Grint did cross my mind however we awoke with not much time spare so headed straight there, just 1 stop away on the train so nice and easy to find. On arrival it looked fairly like a usual theme park but with no big roller coasters up in the sky, however as we approached I saw that the buildings were actually a small town with all types of shops and that you had to pass through part of this to even reach the entrance. A huge red carpet with a Universal globe rotating at the end began the entrance with the magic slightly lost by the security checking your bags then through the entrance and into the adventure, there are loads of different things to go on some being fairly standard however many of them are spectacular. The only ride that is fully outside is the Jurassic park ride, it's like the tour on the film crossed with a log flume, really good with some dinosaurs on the way with a bit of a story to send you down a big drop through a waterfall.

Then there is The mummy ride, an indoor roller coaster that goes forwards then backwards then forwards again. The 3d terminator experience, a cross between a stage show and a 3d movie with the characters really jumping in and out of the screen. The special effects stage where you are shown many methods to create an environment or place a character somewhere from using a picture painted on glass to a green screen and motion capture.

The best parts of the day for me had to be the studio tour and Waterworld, the tour drove you around the sets with demonstrations as you went and videos showing the clips from films and tv shows in which they were used, even the bus itself had some cameo roles. This was all a big build up to the new King Kong section, you were driven inside a huge room and then a 3d 360 degree film began, it was the fight scene of Kong and the dinosaur with you as the target, the carriges moved, water was sprayed, it was an amazing experience, wherever you looked there was something happening.

The other show that I was equally astounded by was Waterworld, here you are in a small amphitheatre however the stage is water and all around is a wall and towers, it looks exactly like a set from the film and except for the audience interaction from the characters it almost felt like you were watching a film live, explosions, jet skis, boats, guns, fighting and then the most suprising part, the say they accidentally hit their planes and it comes crashing through one of the walls into the water. Truly awesome a day that I would highly recommend to everybody.

LA

Los Angeles

Unlike the rest of the places on the trip with LA I didn't research here at all before I left the UK, while travelling we have met a fair few Americans and some from the LA area which told us things to do, where to go and what to see.

The hostel where we stayed is nice, there are not many in LA so it was quite an easy choice – USA hostels, just off Hollywood Boulevard, everyday they have some kind of even running such as free walking tours or a shuttle bus to the beach. Every morning they also have all you can make pancakes, a little different to our pancakes but after a few goes you get the hang of making them.

The first day and for the first time I seemed to actually suffer from the jet lag, pretty tired we just stayed around Hollywood Boulevard finding all the stars on the floor and then going to a 50's style restaurant called Mells diner.

2^nd Day, Fairly uneventful and still feeling a little off from the time change we still stayed near the hostel, heading left this time on Hollywood Boulevard, which was much nicer than going right and how I had pictured holly wood, palm trees lining a road of lights, theatres and cinemas with souvenir shops everywhere. Outside the Kodak theatre we checked out all the hand and foot prints trying to see how Guiness book of records & Mexican restaurant, hand prints and other way up the Hollywood strip.

3^rd day and time to check out he beaches, the sky was blue and the sun was out when we left the hostel however Santa Monica and Venice can have very different weather to LA, sea mist filled the town and the thin layer of clouds above was enough to stop the sun from burning it off. The beach is pretty amazing, just how you would imagine it, surfers out waiting, skateboarders in the huge concrete skate park, muscle beach and courts one end and all along the promenade small stands line the shops opposite with anything from street performers to artists trying to make it their way.

The path leads all the way from Venice to Santa Monica and it's pier, one of the first thing you reach as you arrive is a group of big steel frames that on nearer become clear that they are almost an outdoor gymnastics gymnasium with ring and bars to throw yourself between as well as a line of rings spaced apart so you can practice your gladiator training. We use a couple of buses to return to Hollywood to find out all about the LA traffic we had been warned about taking 2 ½ hours to do the 20 minute journey.

Auckland to LA

6500 miles of 1 seat, usually when we have been on flights we have travelled with BA and even been upgraded so had a fairly comfy journey however Quantas seats did not seem quite so comfy this time, maybe I had become too used to coach seats and they were not the same. However they did bring food around every hour which was rather yummy, even an ice cream so that did make up for the lack of sleep. The plane had to slow down a little as we approached LA because the airport is not open for so we would have had to wait on the tarmac. Arrived and on the shuttle bus we soon check in to the hostel and a week in Hollywood begins.

Taupo & Auckland

It was st paddy's day when we were in Taupo although most of the guys had just done the Tongariro crossing when we arrived so it wasn't a big night and then straight on to Auckland the next day, with only two nights left in New Zealand we tried to make the most of the time even with the bad weather. Kiwi Experience do a free bus day trip around the city so we made use of this, being taken across the Auckland bridge and watched a couple of bungee jumpers, then over to Davenport, test out the Kiwi fish and chips before heading back to the centre and being dropped at the museum. The trip was great and the guide was really useful, the museum had some interesting areas however a lot overlapped with Te Papa in Wellington so I breezed through these.

I think one of the biggest shocks and saddest part I have had on this holiday was as I walked through one of the sections for children to greet a full sized stuffed elephant they had, he had been killed by his keepers in the 30's as he was untrained and wouldn't do rides :(

I had one small night out with Beardy Joe as he was off to the bay of islands the next morning so both had to pack, then my last nights sleep in New Zealand.

The next day we tried to eat as much of the food left as possible although one of the biggest challenges was working out what could go with what. Then still feeling quite hungry we were off to the airport, this I later found out was rather fortunate as Quantas seem to have an unlimited source of food.

I enjoyed New Zealand, it is like England without the people, with a few more extreme sports and far more environmentally friendly with all natural electrical sources, recycling everywhere and the most signs you could ever see about turning off taps - probably a slight overkill and waste of paper. I'm going to miss this place the most, we met great people here and I really enjoyed the whole experience, I can see why Maddy stayed...I'll have to be back soon.

Off to the capital

The bus takes us north to Picton from where we take the ferry back across to the north island and Wellington, only staying here one night on the way down meant that we had pretty much missed the place so with the people we met on the bus we decided to stay around 2-3 nights. When checking in to base hostel we here it's ladies night so free drinks for the girls or any guy willing to dress up, after dinner Beardy Joe soon comes back to the room in a lovely looking dress and wig. Later I go down to check out the bar only to also be given a suitcase full of girls clothes and told to dress up, on the promise of free drinks I was game.

With only about 20 people in the bar the “girls” behind the bar were happy to continue filling our glasses and then I found out there was a competition for the best dressed, by the time they were going to choose the other guys had continues their drinking crawl off to another bar leaving only Beardy Joe and I in drag, to make it a little fairer it ended up as a space hopper style race on foam snails with the price of a bag full of goodies and a bottle of super luxury champagne. I won the race around the bar so now have a great new bag for the laptop along with all the other drinks related memorabilia and we split the bottle, all in all a good night seeing as it was completely free.

Up early the next day and we go to Te Papa the national museum, it's good with everything from Maori culture to the geology of the country, a yummy bagel afterwards and a quick rest in the hostel before we all make our accent up Mt Victoria about a 50 minute walk to the top from the hostel with some great views of the city as we go, the 360 degree viewing platform at the top tells you a lot of information on the city and also meant we finally new where things were.

Our last day full day in the capital and time to be a little more nerdy, a small walk around the city and such in the morning before we go on a half day Lord of the rings tour around Wellington, we're taken to loads of sites where scene were shot and shown how some of them were done. The guy who runs this tour is really enthusiastic and brings props for every stop so you can pose as characters, one of the best things he does is has 3 people to stand together with a few rags around them up the top of a hill to look really like a black rider on a horse.

He takes us to Weta caves where they make props and do the editing and computer animation for a lot of big films including all of Peter Jackson's movies.

Here they have loads of costumes, props, swords and other parts from the movies all over the walls and in cases, it was a great way to find out about how they went about making a lot of the scenes, it looks like a great place to work although they say they receive around 1400 CV's a week.