It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time!!! - Auckland Harbour Swim Saturday 5th November

Swimming from the North Shore to the Viaduct Harbour in Downtown Auckland is not something you can do everyday. So when the chance came about to take part in the annual Auckland Harbour Swim it seemed like a really good idea to sign myself up. After all its only 2.8km, and there is a pub at the end for added incentive. Easy Peasy!!!

Well my training had been going well. A week in Rotovegas on the booze, errr, schmoozing potential clients, was the ideal build up. A mad dash to the Warehouse to get me a cheap wetsuit on the Friday afternoon and i was all set.

It was an early start. The race starting on the north shore at 9.25am. About 900 people were foolish enough to sign up. Feeling a little nervous having seen just how far away the Viaduct Harbour is from the North Shore, matters weren't helped by a warning from the officials that a 2m swell was ripping up the centre of the harbour - anybody who was not confident in their ability should back out now!!! There was no question of that for me.

So i took the plunge. It was freezing. But my cheap wetsuit soon warmed me up. We had 15 minutes to do the first 400m - easy, and then we were out in the middle on our way to a celebratory pint at the other end. After struggling for what seemed hours i finally made it past the headland that sheltered the start from the elements. Then the swell struck.

To be honest it was quite a frightening experience. A km off shore in the middle of the harbour, fighting a 2m swell, not being able to see anything through your goggles, or over the tops of the waves. I felt totally isolated. It was a long way to go and i seemed to be making no headway what so ever. But giving up was not an option. To make matters worse my heap of sh*t wetsuit kept coming undone. It seems in a cost cutting drive by the Warehouse they had forgotten to put a zip on it that actually worked. I was constantly being flushed with freezing water and being dragged under by the weight trapped within the suit. Not a good experience. It must have come undone a good 10-12 times. The wetsuit was going back. Full refund please!!!

Anyway, i slowly progressed towards the calmer waters of the Viaduct. It seemed to take forever. 1hr 30mins after starting i was clambering out of the water to generous cheers and applaus to finish the race. Wow. What an experience. Congrats must go to Max and Melaina who completed it in under an hour!!! And the winner, and Olympian, did it in something silly like 33 minutes!!!

Bring out the Gimp!!!

Oh, one final thing. I got beaten by a dog. Gutted. Next time i will kick that mutts ass!!! Yep thats right, for all the scary moments and pain and effort it took i would definately do it again!!!

Rotorua - 1st November - 4th November

Now before i start i want to assure everyone that it was a work conference and in no way, whatsoever a jolly. It was however a work conference that seemed to have a very definate theme. And that wasn't waste and contaminated land. I'll give you a clue.

Vicky doing a grand job at resupplying the troops

So there were four of us from MWH that convinced our bosses it was a good idea to let us out of the office, unsupervised, for nearly a week. So Max, Sarah, Vicky and myself headed to Rotorua and Wasteminz 2005.

After a somewhat rapid drive to Rotorua we landed at a steak house all in need of a good feed. And oh my god, it was awesome. I will hold my hand up and say it was easily the best steak i have ever had. Basically they bring you a slab of raw cow on a super heated stone platter. And then you cook your own steak to your liking at you table in front of you piece by piece. Awesome!!!

On Tuesday that conference started. Blah blah blah workshop and field trip but nobody cares about that. The real games began in the evening!!! A cultural dinner at the hotel. A 'Hungi' which means the food is cooked in the ground, this time, geothermally by steam. Sounds impressive but a little dissapointed by the 'traditional' Hungi being stainless steel. Hmmmmm.

A 'traditional' Hungi

And so onto the evenings entertainment. A Maori show with audience participation!!! Oh dear. First to take the plunge was Vicky with an impressive effort with the poy.

Vicky waving her ball on a string like a pro

Good value entertainment. The next act however was perhaps not quite as slick and choreographed. Somehow or other (the somehow being unfairly nominated by my colleagues) i was selected for a performance of the Haka. Now not knowing any Maori what so ever, and not being the most co-ordinated chap the performance is not going to be up for any awards. And my fiercest warrior look was interupted by the giggles and a cheesy grin. Although i am sure some people were frightened!!!

Oooooh, Scary!!!

After the fun and frolics of the haka, it was time to hit the town and have a few shandies. We would get to know the Lava Bar quite well over the next few days!!!

Wednesday gave us an insight on how to operate at a conference with only a few hours sleep. What we learned here would see us through for the rest of the week. After all, tuesday night was just a warm up for the the wednesday night.

Dinner overlooking the mudpools and a geyser were on the cards. The sulphur smell aside, which you get used to, it was a super impressive venue for dinner. Wow is all i can say. Outside, having a fab time sitting next to a glooping mud pool and a spewing geyser. It was surreal but amazing. Its something i will remember for a long time.

Trust me, this pic does not do it justice. It was amazing!!!

Thursday was THE day. Luge day. After a shaky start (all Vicky's fault) and a small amount of schmoozing we headed off to find the infamous luge. It had been recommended to me by some paddling mates. Nothing else is worth going to in Rotorua they said. You know what, they may well be right. Hooning down a concrete path on a 3 wheeled tea tray is certainly an experience. Just remember, 'rubbin is racin' haha!!! What fun. 5 runs in total. A nice easy warm up on the beginner track then we hit the intermediate slopes. After a few wobbles i think we all got the hang of it and the games began.

It seemed to be an unofficial destruction derby. Last man standing with dirty tactics (Max) and several near misses. It was inevatable that someone would come a cropper. That cropper was me, with a more than a little help from max. Full on RTA. Multiple vehicles involved (oh the memories - lets not go there). I have the scars to prove it. Not really sure what happened to be honest, but i have an impressive road rash on my right buttock!!! Awesome.

The daring Luge team

And so to the final dinner. A formal affair in a wool shed. Only in New Zealand i guess. A quick game of guess the sheep and then it was down to business. Bring on the wine. We had a list of 29 to get through. It would be a long night. Go hard or go home!!!! Some us however went a little too hard and took the fast track to chundersville - Duncan. An impressive display by a true Scot. But that photo has no place on here!!!! What a night. It finished in that favourite Rotovegas haunt - the Lava Bar.

One of the stars of the week!!!

Wow - What a week. A week i will not forget for a long time!!!