Aotearoa '06

Well, I'm back in Japan after an awesome holiday in NZ! I have heaps to write about but I'll try to keep this brief....
Fri 8 Sept - Flew out from Narita on a stinking hot day.....wow, certainly doesn't feel like I've been gone a year. Air NZ has improved its standards with personal entertainment systems so you can choose your movie, TV show, listen to music or play games. The plane was half empty so I could kinda strech out across 3 seats and get a bit of shuteye.

Sat 9 Sept - Arrived in Auckland on a miserable cold day....was picked up by Mike and we went back to his place for the day where I caught up with Claire and met my nephew Jack for the first time. He's a gorgeous little baby....seems very inquisitive and happy. Mum and Dad came up in the evening. Very lazy day as I tried to recover from the flight.

Sun 10 Sept - A big surprise this morning for Mum and Dad when Steve walked in the door a week ahead of schedule. We then went and picked up Aki (she had to come a day later because of work) and we all went to the Auckland viaduct for lunch. It was another wet day so we didn't look around much before hitting the highway to Hamilton. After getting home we went and surprised Nicky, Ian and the kids then went home for another early nights sleep for all the tired travellers.


Mon 11 Sept - Went and paid off half my student loan....so much money, but it felt good! We had a look at "The Base" in Te Rapa. Hamilton sure is growing fast in the North. Paid a surprise visit to Nana, she was so happy to see us. Had a big roast dinner at home and got ready for our road trip starting tomorrow.

Tue 12 Sept - Time to show Aki some sights of New Zealand. We started heading south to Waitomo where we went Black Water Rafting. It was an awesome experience being in the dark caves, jumping off underground waterfalls and seeing the glow worms. I highly recommend ths for anyone that hasn't tried it!! We then went to Taupo for the night.

Wed 13 Sept - Played mini-golf in the morning. Steve made the call that the loser had to take a dip. Aki took a big lead after the first 9, but I came through to take the Taupo title while Steve went for a swim in the Lake. Stopped for a quick look at Huka Falls then headed up to Rotorua and went luging. It was great fun as usual. After that we went to Rainbow Springs and the Kiwi house where we saw a newborn Kiwi...very cute! We then went to Roshannas house for the night.



Thu 14 Sept - Steve stayed at Roshannas while Aki and I kept moving, firstly to Mount Maunganui. We had lunch and relaxed on the beach, then we climbed up Mauao. Aki got to see lots of sheep and lambs on the way down. After that we had a quick look at Tauranga then drove up to Whangamata for the night.



Fri 15 Sept - Went to Hot Water Beach but it was high tide so we went to Cathedral Cove for the afternoon and relaxed on the beach. We then drove home rather exhausted and had an early night.



Sat 16 Sept - Got up early and went to the Frankton Markets and then went for a look around town which was like a ghost town. Got home and started preparing for a BBQ. Was stoked when everyone turned up and we had a great time catching up. Very late night but also very fun!!


Sun 17 Sept - Got woken up early when Glenn, Lisa and Carlos popped in. Carlos is a gorgeous baby, full of laughs just like his Dad! Went to the Rose Gardens for the afternoon, but it was pretty dull, flowers not blooming yet. Had a lovely dinner at the Morgans.


Mon 18 Sept - In the morning we went for a bike ride along the Waikato River then had a round of golf with Hutch and Aki. With the Brae title on the line, I somehow came through and got my first win ever. Aki did excellent for a first time golfer, hitting 101 (I had 72). Aki cooked dinner tonight with a bit of help from myself. We had Okonomiyaki, Meat in Capsicum and Chicken Cabonara...oishii kata! Great to see Nana have a go with chopsticks!



Tue 19 Sept - Shopping day. Time to buy gifts for everyone back in Japan. Also paid some more off my loan. Took Aki out for dinner and tried to go to the casino but she wasn't allowed in without ID so we went bowling instead. Went home and started to pack.

Wed 20 Sept - Woke up at 1.30am Japan time and got back to Yokohama at 7pm Japan time....buggered.

Thur 21 Sept - Back to work :(

World Champs Final

Wow!...I can't believe Greece beat the USA in the semis after last nights lackluster performance. I was predicting a close game with Hella coming out on top (especially as Spain were without Pau Gasol), but was totally proved wrong as Espanol ran riot en-route to the Gold. It was a great tournament for Spain and they totally deserved to win it all. I was pretty dissapointed that I didn't get to see the US play, but I'm stoked they didn't win (again!)....so I guess I was hoping I could see them lose in the final.....once again the superstars of the NBA have raised doubts about their ability on the World stage.

Saitama Super Arena; Pre-game....Team USA sit, watch and wonder on right side (white shirts)

Meanwhile, on Saturday night I partied in Roppongi (even though the AB's lost). We were cruising the streets and happened to bump into a couple of guys that looked familiar so we took pictures with them.....pretty cool huh!!!


Argentinas Finest: Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) and Andres Nocioni (Chicago Bulls).....Fabio is in the background.



I wish....; This French dude had some tricks - floating Yen

The Haircut

I've been cutting my own hair for about 10 years now (it must have saved me at least $1000) and so I'm pretty good at giving the mop a quick going over......but today - disaster!!! As I was putting the finishing touches on my standard short fade, the plastic 9mm guard on the clippers decided to hit the floor, leaving me with a huge patch in the back. Failed attempts to hide it followed and I finally conceded defeat and went #0 all over. Don't expect to see this style on me again for a while!


......Meanwhile, apologies to Mark, I didn't really kick his ass at bowling in Hiroshima. It was a very close game that came down to the last frame......but damn Boi, you really got yo butt kicked last night by not one, but TWO GIRLS!!!! However, full credit on your attempt to save the environment by not using disposable chopsticks.....it's about time someone found another use for toothbrushes!

Basketball World Champs-Hiroshima

A huge reason for my coming to Japan was to support NZ at the World Champs.....this is how it went down.....
Day 1
Today started with a 9am departure from Yokohama, travelling to Hiroshima by Shinkansen (Bullet Train). It felt like travelling on a plane, except there was more leg room! Arriving at Hiroshima at 1pm, we quickly found an Irish Bar and settled down there to watch the All Blacks. After watching yet another sublime display from the men in black, we went to our hotel to relax a bit before going to the stadium. The games were played at Green Arena, an excellent spectator stadium - very spacious with comfy seats. We found our seats next to the legendary Sonny Shaw (on his 39th NZ sports tour!). He is an absolute sports nut... possibly the most patriotic NZer ever when it comes to sports! Before the game he was standing up waving his flag and was told to sit down by a Japanese usher, to which he replied, "Show some bloody respect!!"...classic. We also met another Kiwi, Heath, who would become our drinking and support partner the next few days. As for the game, it was an average Kiwi performance….dissapointing start, but I kind of expected a tough loss to start. Spain could be a title contender. Post match, met with Heath and downed his duty free Jim Beam, then went into town and talked to heaps of people on the streets and in the bars. Somehow a lot of people got the impression we were players? I don't know why they thought that, especially as we were staggering around until 5am, but it got us into a bar without paying the cover so sweet as!!

Day 2
After last night we get a well deserved sleep in and wake up with just a slight hangover. We went to the stadium with high hopes for a better performance today, but it soon fades away as NZ cannot buy a basket…17 points in the half…and Germany aren't even going to Nowitzki! By 2nd half the late night has caught up with us and the support is a little quiet. Another disappointing loss, but at least that’s our two hard games out of the way. Went to the Irish pub again for dinner and watched USA destroy China…I'm pretty sure USA is gonna win, but I have not seen Argentina play yet. The boys are tired so we make it an early night.

Day 3
Refreshed after big sleep and high expectations for an NZ win today. In the morning we went to the Peace Park and A-Bomb dome. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the Museum today, but the park itself is a very beautiful reminder of what happened here 61 years ago. We have high expectations for todays match against Angola, so we start drinking early to celebrate. Game time…somehow Angola get off to a flyer and once again NZ just can't get it right? Our support today lasted the full 40 and some, but it wasn’t enough….at least the copious amount of beer somehow numbs the shock of losing 3 straight. After the match we went next door for lunch and were joined by Mark Dickel and Tab Baldwin. It was great to get the inside word from Dickel about his suspension, Baldwin about Sean Marks' withdrawl and both of them about what the hell was going wrong with the team! After lunch we went back to watch Spain and Germany. By this time we were pretty boozed up so I can't remember much about it, other than Spain winning convincingly....they are gonna be tough to beat. This was Heaths last night so we went to an Izakaya for a Japanese meal then had a couple more drinks at a bar. As we were leaving, this Japanese guy steps to us like he wants to fight and says "My name is bi-sexual". Everyone within earshot started cracking up and it was made all the funnier that his girlfriend was holding him back....we walked out laughing our heads off! Said our byes to Heath (we'll see you in Tokyo bro!) and went home for an earlyish night after a long day.

Day 4
No games today, so we had the chance to go sightseeing and recuperate. Theres really only two must-see places in Hiroshima- The A-Bomb Dome/Peace Park/Museum, and Miyajima....so we went to Miyajima. Miyajima Island is about 1/2 from Hiroshima by train then a 10 minute ferry. When we got off the ferry and walked outside the station we saw a deer…totally amazed, we quickly pulled out cameras and started taking photos before realizing there were actually deer all over the place!! They just cruise around and scavenge food from the visitors. Miyajima is famous for the big red Tori gate that sits in the water (at high tide) and the temple next to it (same deal with the water). We followed the tourist trail and went to the filthiest aquarium in the world (some of the water was green!). Then we walked to the otherside of the island for a quick swim before heading home....cool day of sightseeing. Had a quiet night, kicked Marks ass at bowling and went to sleep early. Must win game tomorrow against the hosts.....

Day 5
We kick started today with a visit to Hiroshima Castle (nothing special, but nice view from the top) and then went to the A-Bomb Museum. This place is an amazing history lesson that features graphic photos, memoribilia and all the information you could ask for about the final days of the war, the development of the bomb, the decision to drop it, the bombing itself, the aftermath, the reconstruction, nukes in the world today and world peace efforts. The feeling here was hard to describe, but I have great respect for the Japanese people that rebuilt the city and I felt terrible pain for the 300,000 that were killed by the bomb (not to mention thousands more that died in later years from bomb related illnesses). It's really scary to see the descruction that was caused and realise that there are hundreds of these bombs (even more powerful) in the world today.
We spent the afternoon relaxing for the big game ahead, heading to the stadium at 6pm for the 7pm tipoff. Arriving at the stadium, we were pumped up, but so was the Japanese crowd. Japanese crowds are amazing, in that they are like robots....the chants and noises are all synchronised, led by the drummers and cheergirls around the stadium....nobody dares to start their own chant. This is where the Kiwi fans may have an advantage as our totally random shouting, waving flags, running around, changing seats, doing the Haka and all-round shenanigans start distracting the crowd. The Tall Blacks had another dissapointing start, but even down 18 at the half, I had a genuine belief we could come back....3rd quarter the run began and as Pero started nailing 3's in the 4th, the Kiwis got even louder and crazier. After Penney dropped his 3 to break the late tie, we were going buckwild!!! Game over - New Zealand win - Japan is eliminated - Party on!!! After the game Paul Henare came out to thank the die-hard supporters and the security guards tried vainly to move us out, but we had to tell them "Just one more photo bro", "Last pic cuz"....We then went and partied a bit with the NZ fans and got to sleep fairly early for the morning depature back home.
Arriving home the next day, I was stoked to learn that New Zealand held off Panama to advance to a quarterfinal showdown with Argentina. Good luck boys....you'll need it!!!! I'll be off to the final next week, hopefully I can see Team USA in action. Thats all folks...better luck next time Tall Blacks!

Fireworks again!

Went to the Tokyo Bay Hanabi tonight which was heaps bigger than the Kamakura Hanabi last week. Really amazing.....90 minutes of non-stop explosions....makes you wonder how much money they blow up?

Hanabi

Summer's the season for fireworks in Japan and if there's one thing Japanese do well, it's fireworks (Hanabi)! I managed to head down to Kamakura last week to see the lighting spectaculor with thousands of other people. The big firework events usually last for about an hour and are a great excuse to drink in public, as you do......anyway here's a clip and pics from Kamakura Hanabi...



Bang!!!; The Beach is set up with temporary bars for the season; Sick Ride with Hydros

Liam celebrated his 4th Birthday a couple of weeks back and was showered with "Boukenger" paraphenalia.....on a sad note, Stephane (Fumikos dalmation) died last week after a battle with old age. I'm already missing her greeting me at the door every day...RIP Ste-chan



Be sure to watch out for me supporting the Tall Blacks next week in Hiroshima...it's gonna be an awesome time!