Around The World In 80 Waves

Whilst taking it easy for a few days in Sydney my attempts at addressing all the technical issues I am having have been easily distracted by all the sport going on at the moment.

Apart from the British and Irish Lions tour, there is so much going on that I think even Sport Billy would have struggled to keep up! 

It is well known that Australians are massive sports fans and  it seems like there are huge matches going on almost every day.

With Adam, Rosanna and Rosanna’s son Romy I watch Australia defeat Iraq 1-0 in a play off to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

There are Australian Rules Football matches going on almost every night. I used to watch some of the coverage back home when channel 4 first started broadcasting so must catch a game while I am here, although I understand the MCG in Melbourne may be the best place for that

I am not entirely sure that the Lions is the biggest rugby series going on here at the moment either because the annual 3 game State of Origin series of rugby league matches is also being played. An all star team of those born in New South Wales plays and all star team of those born in Queensland and the Maroons are on a 7 year winning streak.

I still have the rest of Wimbledon to watch and the Ashes cricket matches are still to come too!

I have been in Sydney for about 10 days and am delighted to hear from one of my old neighbours in the flats I used to live in back in London. Rick is a Kiwi who works in the oil business and is now based in Singapore.

However he is in town for a couple of nights on business and we take the opportunity to catch up over a few beers.

We meet up in a rugby club that is located right in the heart of the city. There is not a rugby pitch in sight, but the atmosphere there for the game between the Lions and the Melbourne Rebels is like any rugby club in the world.

We are joined by one of Rick’s colleagues James and have a great laugh watching the game, whilst reminiscing about motorcycle trips across Europe to Austria with the rest of our ‘chapter’ Dom and Adam, who join in the fun back in London via the internet. A great night.

It is the morning after the night before and I feel rough as dogs, but have already arranged to go surfing for the first time in Australia at the crack of dawn having only got in from my Lions 1st test a matter of hours before.

Safe to say I have felt better!

Another ex-pat surfer called Richard who knows my buddies is kind enough to come and collect me, as well as put up with the alcohol seeping out of every pore of my body!

After a few quick surf checks at other local beaches, he drives us to Freshwater Beach, which rather appropriately is where Duke Kahanamoku gave his first demonstration of surfing in Australia that ultimately led to the explosion of surf activity here.

This statue of the Duke has been erected here to commemorate the occasion, and he casts a watchful eye over my own efforts when I paddle out having given my board a coat of cool-to-warm water wax.

I was in no state to be attaching cameras to my board and don’t think I would want evidence of how I started the session anyway so you will have to make do with this photo I found online. It is warmer than New Zealand, but not by much and I am having a bit of a shocker when I first paddle in with the guys.

Ben and Chris are also in the water after the night in the pub, and we are joined by another Brit called Keith.

Freshwater is not that big a beach any the swell is far from clean. It seemed to be bouncing off the cliffs on both sides of the bay, and it was further chopped up by some currents which I never really figured out. Not the best surf session of my life but I did end up bagging a cracker with all the guys watching, which at least demonstrated that all this surfing has done me some good.

Nobody stays in for long and I had decided to get out before I got absolutely hammered on the way in. The backwash off the shore pitched me and my board into the air only to then have the wave land very badly on both. I still think it a miracle that I didn’t snap my board on my first session, but all was well as I crawled out of the ocean and went back to bed!

It is somewhat ironic that Adam and Rosanna’ household is as uninterested in the lions tour as I am enthusiastic about it. As a consequence I go out to watch the game with some ex-pat surfing friends of mine from back in the UK.

Chris is another old flat mate of mine from back in London and I have surfed with Ben many times in the UK. We are joined by Saul who also lives locally.

All are now living in the Sydney area, and we bump into countless others because there is an army of lions fans who are all out in Manly, where we are watching the game.

We have opted for The Steyne Hotel and the bar is packed so there is a fantastic atmosphere. It also appears that Brits outnumber the Aussies because a lions’ score always gets a bigger cheer than a Wallabies one. 

The game itself was a nail-biter going down to the last kick of the game where had Kurtley Beale not slipped over there is every chance that Australia would have won the game. However he did, and they didn’t. Unlucky!!!! 1-0 Lions, lions, lions!!!!

Things get a bit chaotic towards the end of the evening when one of our party who shall remain nameless gets shown the door. Although it brings an end to our evening I am quite impressed by the approach to booze in Australia. If you have had enough they stop serving you and you are asked to leave. There are sobriety checks on every door to stop you moving your grief to somewhere else too. There was a time when the landlord did the same in the UK but we seem to have lost that somewhere down the line. Shame.

You can’t by alcohol to take home anywhere other than a pub or an off license either. I haven’t seen one drunken brawl anywhere in Oz yet. I will leave you all to make the connection yourselves, because I was too drunk by the end of the night to make it myself!

I am going to need a new stick because of how much I intend surfing here in Australia. Adam has been good enough to drive me around all the local beaches so I can get the lay of the land.

I have been on the lookout for a surfboard superstore but haven’t managed to find one, so decide to go shopping at Wicks at Collaroy because they seemed to have the biggest selection. 

After a healthy amount of horse trading I vuy one of these Modern Blackbird boards, whose dimensions are 8’0″ x 22″ x 3″.

I bought a lovely red one because everybody know they go faster, but forgot to take a picture of mine before treating it to a coat of wax.

However I found this picture of one online. At the same time I found the following promotional video which talks the board up so much you would think it could solve world peace!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LWY3WF_EAkI#at=13

All this time indoors sheltering from the rain and being reluctant to keep going back for more punishment from Windows 8 does mean that I can catch up on a few essential chores.

My Snugg wetsuit and I have been surfing together for at least 6 years. I can’t recommend the manufacturer enough, but after getting baked in the back of a hot car for months as well as generally showing its age I need to do some repairs to keep it functioning.

It was custom made when I bought it and has been fantastic but some of the stitching is splitting and the less we say about the reasons for that the better!

I do some repairs using glue and the whipping twine I picked up earlier on my travels. It is heavy duty waxed thread so the end end result has a lot more to do with function rather than style.

So much so that it looks like Dr Frankenstein has done the stitching! However all I wanted was to be sure that it would see me through to the end of this holiday and I think I can guarantee that now.

After a fantastic few days with Kathleen in Sydney, her responsibilities mean that she needs to get back home to Lismore, so I escort her back to the airport grabbing this picture on the way. It has been nearly 25 years since we last saw one another, but we have had a great time together and will be seeing each other again when I go north to surf the beaches close to Byron Bay later in my stay in Australia.

On my way back to Adam and Rosanna’s place I buy the new laptop and mobile phone which I have been using to catch up on this blog since my old hardware finally threw in the towel in Tahiti. I don’t want to labour this point too much because nobody cares about anybody else’s IT woes but ever since that time to when I write this, which is nearly a month, I have been turning the air blue with expletives and tearing my hair out.

Adam and Rosanna (who I seem to have failed to take a picture of to this point, so here is their wedding photo instead) have been incredibly patient since then as I rant and rave from their spare room.

It turned out that the first Windows 8 computer I had been given was actually defective, but the second one I was given after wasting a week on that was really little better and given that I am a Microsoft certified technician with the skills to rebuild computers entirely I should be able to run with this far easier than most.

I am staggered at how bad the product is that Bill Gates’ successors have brought to the market. If you are thinking of buying one may I recommend highly that you dont until the updates and service packs mean it is much more stable.

Another buddy Neil who has since spent time with me has said that he wouldn’t believe the number of problems that I have had if he hadn’t seen them for himself.

I am thinking of recommending Windows 8 to the CIA as a replacement technique for water-boarding to elicit information from terrorists and such like. However it would be such a cruel and barbaric treatment that I’m not sure I could sanction such brutality.

The weather here has also been appaling. By all accounts I have arrived during the wettest month in 6 years and I am reminded about being without my waterproof jacket almost daily. Generally this in the form of another drenching so I am not overly keen to go out much.

The upshot of all this is that I don’t do a great deal upon arriving in Sydney. However it hasn’t been the least bit relaxing. The only way is up from here!

Upon landing at Sydney airport I was met by an old school friend of mine called Kathleen, which is by far the best arrival I have had in any of the countries I have visited to date. Kathleen has joined me in Sydney for a few days to come and see the sights.

The two of us are collected from the airport by an old flat mate of mine from London called Adam who has returned to Australia to continue practising law and marry his lovely wife Rosanna, who is also a lawyer. I am lucky enough to have been offered a place to stay for the whole of the Australian leg of my travels in their house in North Sydney, which is just over the harbour bridge from the centre of the city

We spend the next few days being driven around, and generally being spoon fed the lay of the land. After more than six months of constantly being lost, and trying to find my way to safety in languages not my own I can’t tell you what a relief this is.

I have previously mentioned how shattered I was by this stage, and cannot stress too much that I really was running on empty by the time I arrived, so this was exactly what I needed.

On one of the days we take a stroll down to Luna Park on the north end of the bridge to catch a ferry across the harbour, during which I get these photos.

By Sydney’s standards it is apparently freezing, but given it is still nearly 20 C during the day I am loving the weather. We get excited as soon as it gets warmer than 15 C in the UK!

It is quite cold in the evenings though and leaving my coat behind in New Zealand is something I regret hugely straight away, but I’m told by the campervan office it will be with me again soon so I will just put on an extra layer until it arrives.

Another of Captain Cook’s achievements was discovering Australia, and in a similar fashion to him I will be exploring the coastline to see what I can find.

Usual backpacker haunts such as Uluru (a.k.a. Ayre’s Rock) or the outback are going to have to wait for another trip because the island is so big and I would waste far too much time getting to them and back to the coastline again.

To aid me on my adventures whilst here I have been sent this alternative map by one kind soul, who is aware of how concerned I am by the angry fish. How kind!

Not sure that I would do anything at all based on its guidance, but to be honest that wouldn’t be such a bad thing for a week or two. I really need to recharge my batteries so that I have the energy I will need for the second half of my travels and Australia is the only place left on my trip where that is possible.

My R&R will entail Rugby and Reclining with a beer in hand as I enjoy the business end of the British and Irish Lions tour, but I also need to catch up with all the buddies I have that are now living here.

I am flying into Sydney early on a Saturday morning and am looking forward to seeing what this truly global city has to offer over the next few weeks.

After leaving Mount Manganui I have time to reflect on my Kiwi experience on the road across the top of north island to Auckland. I love the islands themselves but as a rule I would have to say there really isn’t much here. I have scored some great waves whilst here but have spent huge amounts of time just driving to see some of the country, and have only really scratched the surface.

I have also noticed that due to the distances involved between themselves and others the locals seem to have become quite resourceful and independent in order to overcome anything. E.g. the lady who cut my hair in the barbers she has established in her gift shop alongside the road. It is called ‘Barber Ann’ and as a Beach Boys fan I couldn’t resist!

I head straight for the campervan depot near the airport to return my van, and get lost for the umpteenth time on this trip. Annoyingly as a result of being late arriving, dealing with the failings of my van, and then being pushed out the door for them to lock it behind me, I leave behind my wonderful Berghaus 4 season jacket without realising in the rush. #$%#@#$!!!!! I am told it will be sent on to me when I ring the call centre, but it has been great for swerving weight allowances on planes because of its huge pockets so I am dreading the next flight.

I am collected there by Sarah and Elspeth who had driven across town to meet me, before going back to enjoy a fun evening with Roddy who has manage to mangle his leg playing football in the two weeks since I arrived. On a mission of mercy I then get lost again trying to score some beer for us to enjoy with our pizzas. My phone runs out of battery right at the wrong minute and I am driving blind around several suburbs of Auckland trying to find their place for about an hour.

I know I am physically, emotionally and mentally spent after the first six months on the road, and am now making too many mistakes which are causing me more problems. Sadly I can’t catch up on sleep because my flight is very early the next morning and I decide to sneak out in the morning when my cab arrives, rather than wake up the whole house for no reason.

I am already grumpy by the time I get to the airport and am not at all in the mood for the Jobsworth on the Quantas check in desk who insists on me unpacking all the contents of my bags at the front of the queue in order to transfer 5 Kg from one to the other as opposed to sensibly using the combined weight of the two. I hope he isn’t going to be an indicator of what I should expect in Australia.