Man in Tokyo: in New Zealand part 4 (Final)

Well folks, I'm back in Tokyo. And not a moment to soon...I was getting real tired of NZ. It is a nice place to visit...but 5 weeks was a bit too long. Too long to be away from my life in Tokyo. But before this blog goes back to all Tokyo all the time...I bring you a New Zealand wrap up.


I had a burger on one weekend. It was one of those burger shops that had stupid names for different burgers. I hate that. I bristle having to utter the words "Ford Fusion Burner" just to order a bacon and avocado cheese burger. Idiots. Whatever....at least they supplied me with a handy burger holder. It worked really well. (The burger was delicious...despite it's absurd name.)


Another weekend I was also able to go to One Tree Hill. (Nothing to do with a really bad American TV show.) It is a famous place in Auckland. It was really nice. That picture above was the trees covering the entrance road. It went on for a really long time. So pretty. Here are some shots from the top of the hill. Oh and, if you care....the "ONE" tree died 10 years ago, but they didn't change the name of the hill. Go figure.


I thought the kids were playing close too the edge, but their parents didn't seem too concerned. If it were in a America, there would be triple barrier fences. Whatever, I was happy that no fences ruined the view.


In the center at the bottom you can see some words. I was told that young kids go down there at night and spell out words and names. Crazy times down there in NZ! And those tiny white dots on the left side??? You guessed it: New Zealand's famous sheep!


After that...it was off to a pub for a beer.


As I showed in an earlier post, Auckland had it's fair share of graffiti. I saw this strong little stencil work a couple times. (It is about 1 foot tall.) It is pretty dark, but for some reason, I like it. Take a look and decide for yourself.


One thing I didn't talk about was my night adventures. I went out a couple times. Most notably to a drum and bass night I found out about. It was within walking distance, a first for me. I was also able to get some nice shots of the Sky Tower at night.


It is a nice tower. Now, on to the d&b. I went a couple times, but only the last time I went was the place jumpin. That last night had the best music too....by far. It was local dj's, but they had some slammin beats. There is nothing quite like getting your chest rumbled by some heavy rollers. But me being me...I couldn't leave my nasty side at home. I had to talk shit about the people there. I took notes on my phone to keep myself entertained. Here they are in no particular order...and without pics. I figured it was pretty rude to take pics of people I was talking shit about. So without further ado, thoughts while at a d&b night:


Shoes NOT to wear
- open toed anything
- flats
- boots of any kind: cowboy, work, etc

Ok people, find a beat and dance to it...this is not a free for all.

80's style Paula Abdul dance move combined with a twist from the 50's will just not do.

So many of these people belong in the trance room...oh wait...there is no trance room.

The safe-keeping of important things is a priority...but must you dance with your bag on your shoulder?

Dockers? Really? Ok...but I think you look pretty silly there Mr. Business Casual.

Any form of tap dancing is not allowed.

Try not to dance when only a siren is happening. You can take a short breather while you wait for the beat to drop back in.

Try to resist going crazy with the goa trance bits. This is might not be the best time to show off your best sun worshipping move.

Any move that wouldn't look out of place at Riverdance is a no no.

Stretching for a minute before dancing is a good idea. Pulling up the hood of your windbreaker before busting your move is inspired!

The End. (I tried to end on a positive note...nice of me....no?)

PS. Th chances of people enjoying that list are slim to none....so be it. Before I go, two things. A big thank you goes out to the 2 people who took such good care of me while I was in Auckland. I couldn't have done it without you. (So "grammar" is with "ar"....not "er"??? Are you sure?") And then there is also this:


A teaser for later. These were a gift to myself for surviving my Auckland stay. Wait till you see them!!!