Kia Ora.

So, yeah, I haven't been able to get to the Net until now. So that means I have way too much to talk about, but I'll try and be minimal. That way, you can make conversation with me about details!

1. Auckland - I swear, this place reminds me of San Francisco. Perfect weather (just a little warmer than the Bay Area gets), huge East Asian influence, neat bars, clubs, and musical and cultural events are happening all the time. Space is conserved well, parks are nothing short of beautiful, oh crap, I suppose I should put up some pictures.

2. Rotorua - Touristy town. I got sick of feeling like a tourist, but once I started feigning the Kiwi accent I got the bartenders and a couple locals fooled, and we bought each other rounds. Speaking of which, Jameel payed me a visit last night. I don't remember the details, but he left me some gravel embedded in my palm. Thanks, buddy.

3. Tamaki - So New Zealand's native population that got screwed by the white guys is called the Maori, and they've done a lot better for themselves than the Native Americans back in the States. Granted, I think the British took it easy on them (the Waitangi treaty was 1840, after Andrew Jackson's embarassing Trail of Tears, so maybe they had a conscience then), but the Maori village we went to was way intense. It was a very immersive experience, and I got threatened by warriors of the village and stuff (somehow I got put in the position of a visiting tribe's chief, so I had to go through the appropriate ceremonies). I had to not flinch at all, because if I did, it was a sign of weakness and they'd kick me out. Not your basic touristy crap. Afterwards they did the Haka, which is a totally awesome war dance and their eyes get really big and they make the craziest faces ever. I couldn't take pictures because they were threatening me with the stabby sticks, but I think others did, so I'll snag those off of them. They were more passionate and reverent than any other cultural presentation I've ever seen. Conclusion: Maori rock.

4. Bars. Yep.

Some other neat touristy stuff - we saw kiwis and apparently they're crazy endangered. I had no idea. The sky is unbelievably blue, but there are usually clouds about. On the drive to Rotorua we stopped near Matamata, which was renamed Hobbiton. Unfortunately, all the hills of the Shire were nothing really more than hills. Jackson's set literally created everything out of nothing. There are a ton of pine trees here imported from America, so sometimes it feels a little too Oregon-like or something. But the native ferns here are intense - they're huge and sprawl across the ground. Rotorua smells like ass because hot sulfur deposits are under all the lakes. New Zealand looks exactly like it does on the postcards. Speaking of postcards, Badier is about to get owned. When I can get my ass to the post office, that is.

It's M's and my birthday tomorrow - gonna see how many free drinks I can get.

Oh yeah, one of the greatest parts of the trip was driving to Rotorua listening to Explosions in the Sky and watching the scenery go by. The entire How Strange, Innocence album worked out simply beautifully. Majestic music to fit the majestic scenery.

Right, I'll work on those pictures now.

Oh yeah, how does March 12 sound for visiting Dunedin? And Byron - when's your break in Ozzyland?