A happy-go-lucky English rambler dude goes to New Zealand for a year. Here he interfaces with some of those he left behind and details his nefarious activities. Or summat.
Recently clicked on MP3s - 7th June 2005 The Lucksmiths - Warmer Corners
Jens Lekman - When i said i wanted to be your dog
The Trashcan Sinatras - Weightlifting
Teenage Fanclub - Man Made
Laura Veirs - Carbon Glacier
The Decemberists - Picaresque
The Eels - Blinking Lights
Monday, May 20, 2002
Am now back in the mighty 'Church, after a very enjoyable few days in Welly.
Spent Friday mooching around the town, with far too much time in internet caff's and record shops, listening to CD's and attempting to justify their purchase to myself, when there is no way on earth i can afford them.
[CD craving inner voice] - "Oh look, it's a Prince Far-I album! Don't see many of those about, you should buy it"
[Financially astute inner voice] - "Hmm, it's not even got that, 'If U love WAAAR, i feel sorry for YAAAAH!' track on it"
"It is only $10 though, and everyone loves Prince Far-I's gravelly throated 'toasting' and all"
"You. Have. No. Money. Twat"
"Oh, OK. But look! There's Harvest Moon, at a low, low price!!"
"AAARGH! That's it!" [Clanking noises eminate from my brain as sensible half attempts to teach the other half a lesson with a psychic golf club]
Once i'd finished torturing myself in record shops, i visited Te Papa, NZ's national museum. 3 very enjoyable hours were spent wandering around a small fraction of the things on display.
Amongst the things i learnt during this time are:
Tui's have two voice boxes to help produce their incredible songs
How surveyors use trig points on mountains to measure, stuff.(Too dull for website, mail me for an explanation)
What it feels like to be in an earthquake, thanks to Te Papa's earthquake simulator house - The floor jiggles slightly! What the hell's all the fuss about?
Stalagtites go up, Stalagmites go down
Captain Cook's cat is single handedly responsible for the extinction of several of NZ's species of flightless Wren
Saturday found me getting my arse into gear, and actually going to the Gear Homestead, where a lot of Bad taste was filmed! The lady who ran the place told me that it's now used for wedding receptions etc, a far cry from the days from when aliens used to drink their own vomit in the hallway - which i actually stood in! :oD I was so overcome by being there, i felt the need to phone Cat, one of the few people who would appreciate it (I don't know Richard Boddy's phone number!) he immediately promised to stick the video on. Though i wouldn't be too surprised if he just flopped back in a curry/booze induced stupor? after Boney's birthday Curry / Knees up.
The other locations i visited (e.g. the beaches where Barry shot the 1st Zombie alien's head off) were very nice, but were hard to recognise as the actual locations from the film though.
After a hard days Zombie Alien Stalking a man gets an appetite, so i decided to drop in on a friend of a friend's curry house. The friend being Shok at the Laguna Tandoori, and his mates being Champakbhai and Rakesh at the Great India, in Wellington city centre. They were both v. friendly, and asked about how the old place was doing, as well as Shok, Mr Mooney [sic?] and Lestar in general, and while i was waiting for my curry furnished me with a complimentary Kingfisher, niiice. Naturally i went for the Paneer speciality dish. It was good, but i have to say that the Paneer Shashlik starter at Laguna still retains the title of "World's best curried product"
(Could any visitors to Laguna in the near future please say "Hello!" to Shok, Imran, Mr Mooney et al, from Rakesh, his dad Champakbhai and me too. Cheers)
