Finally in Australia, it's just been one of those days.

Welp, I am finally in Melbourne city. Today was a very long, special day. It seemed like one of those days where everything tries to go wrong. The poopy thing is, truthfully, the majority of it was my own fault, which just kills me. So, I was supposed to take the bus from Hamilton to Auckland International Airport, and at some point I was supposed to get off the bus and get on a new one. I fell asleep with my ipod on and woke up in some strange town outside Auckland. Rad. I had to pay a fun amount to take a cab back to the Airport, off to a great start. Once I finally get to the check in counter I find out my bags combined weight is 10 kg's (over 20 lbs) over the limit. So I play around for 30 minutes putting more clothes on, stuffing things into my carry on and putting shoes on my bloody feet. Apparently Parker and I got fleas while we were camping, and in my sleep I have been itching my feet until the bleed. Its attractive, I know. Anywho, I finally get it close enough and I had to beg the manager to let me by, he looked at me like he felt bad for me, like I was a bum. Which honestly at this point, I kind of do look like a bum. Anyway, after that get pulled aside at security, probably for looking like a bum. Went through my stuff, and whatever, got cleared. So at this point I am stressing on if I am even going to make it or not. I make it on the plane, the flight was grand, no complaints there. But once I get off the plane and go through immigration it turns out I filled out my visa for Australia wrong. I didn't put my middle name, which evidently is a big deal. So I have to go to a special place and talk to a lady who scolds me about how I need to fill out all the correct information. Which I now know. So I make it through, and I am just ready to get to my hotel room for the night and veg. I make my way out to the zoo that is the taxi line, and have to do a 200 yard obstacle course holding all my heavy bags in 80 degree weather, so I am just drenched in sweat now, looking more like a bum. And once I make my way to the cab line, all the taxi drivers decide they don't want me in their car because I have a surf board. I tried to reason with them and tell them it would fit and they all denied me. So I wait around for a while and finally get a handicapped van, which fully suited my mental abilities for the day. So I tell the nice Indian man that I am going to the Atlantis Hotel (he really was Indian, I am not being racist, he made me play a guessing game in the van and I guessed all these obscure places and he finally told me India). He has no idea what I am talking about and starts freaking out at me asking me where it is, what their phone number is and what area it is in. I have no idea, and so he runs out of the car and goes and asks some of his buddies in turbans and we get it all sorted. But, apparently the hotel, which I was referred to by the internet due to its good price and relative closeness to the airport, is actually a $70 cab ride away. Awesome, thank you Google, you jerk. But oh well. I talked him into giving me a discount, and got his information to drive me tomorrow. So that worked out. Overall though, I knew I would make it here. All that stuff didn't really get to me that much, it was how expensive it was all getting and how fast money goes when you don't have your head on straight. That frustrated me. But I made it and that's all that matters, no real harm done, except to my funds... bastards. I always start thinking about what better things I could have spent that money on too, had I not been an idiot. Oh well, at least the last couple days in NZ were great. Parker and I got some really fun waves in Raglan, surfed some really fun break that we had to paddle across this massive estuary, and walk about 10-20 minutes (i have no perception of time anymore) to this break that was empty and firing. It was the day before the big swell hit actually and everywhere was just flat and wind blown, so we went to this place and had a blast. Paddling back across after the surf was a real battle though. Nobody wanted to say it, but it was a full struggle. Luckily the current was minor, or else I would have just washed out to sea, game over. We also scored Indicators, which is the outside point break in Raglan. Pretty crowded, but there were enough waves to go around. I had some really fun ones there. Over all it was awesome. Spending time with Andy and his family (Thank you again so much for the hospitality, taking me to the doctors/hospital and letting me stay for so long, I really appreciate it) and meeting up and staying with Parker who I really had not gotten to hang out with much since high school. It was pretty funny to talk about high school again, because I mean, I never do. Some funny memories. The fleas aren't that fun though.. But thanks again to you Parker, glad we got to party, surf and hang out again. All the other friends I met in NZ too really made the trip a blast. So thanks everyone! I hope you guys read this. Its like 4am in the states right now, and only 11pm here. I am going to go out and check out Melbourne now. Adios!

(ps I will create another photo album for the second leg of the NZ trip and post it on here for you guys, soon)