Surf Camp

From one camp to another but this one was so different to the others i was helping at. Got an Oz experience bus from Byron bay down to Surf camp X ?(dont no what the X stands for) where i would spend the next place in a weird surfers little world. Where i would be learning to surf by day and partying by night. i had already spotted a differemce between OZ and NZ there are actually people here and the roads are busy.

Well what can i say about surfing "I LOVE IT" from the first wave that knocked me flying i was hooked. Now after 4 lessons i'm aching and am so tired. You start off on these massive boards bout twice the size of the cool ones you normally see surfers on. By the 3rd lesson i moved onto an in between board with a hard bottom thats when the fun really started coz they were much faster and could turn more easily, also made falling off a lot more easy, but tehn it really felt like you were surfing when you got it right. i did find a big problem that the better you got the bigger the waves you wanted to try which was a problem coz i still wasnt really that good so it meant lots more wipeoute and pain, so worth it tho, have discovered again there is a very fine line between pain and fun.

The surf camp was a weird place, i have never been anywhere that people love to be naked so much, all the staff kept stripping most nights, there were some fun parties. so every day was the same surf early morning 7:30 am (never thought that coming away would mean so many early mornings, have had 1 lie past 7 in the last 2 weeks) then rest and sunbateh, surf again in the afternoon and then party down on the beach each night. On the last night one of the instructors had his 21st so it was a big fancy dress party which was lots of fun.Oh n i gotta tell you bout the most amazing sound system i've ever seen. Stevie a converted wheelie bin that we took down to the beach with us each night. The sound gear and speakers were inside and were linked to an ipod , he was linked to the mains in the day but then at night you unscrewed a panel cut into the bin and put in a car battery, stevie never failed and even when he got wet it didnt matter we just closed the lid. genious, Surf culture its a strange place but lots of fun, will certainly miss it.

Bad timing

After leaving the camp ii headed on what i thought was gonna be a long day of travel - Dinghy-Ferry- Bus-Bus-Plane-Bus but when i got off the ferry and onto my bus to Invercargill. When i got to that bus stop there and checked my ticket it was for the next day so i quickly checked my plane info to get to Oz and that was for Sunday as well. so it meant i had an extra day. The bus driver let me on (as with everything in new zealand it wasnt full) so i took the bus to Dunedin.

The first real (but still small) city i had seen on the south island, with an old church and station,a university and plenty of bars and restaurants. Found a cool hostel and enjoyed a chillout afternoon before heading up the World's steepest street in the morning. The pictures dont do it justice, it was crazy. Think i need a breather and so to Australia.

Stewart Island

After driving south to Invercargill i met up with some of the other leaders for the Stewart Island camp. Next morning we headed out on the ferry to Stewart Island to enjoy a life on the ocean wave, or a week at least. It was great working and getting to know a new team and the experience of sailing was a new and unique one. i learnt lots more new words (athjough i'm sure sailors just make them up to look smart and confuse the rest of us). What's wrong with saying left and right? and why would you call a rope a sheet when ther's massive great sheets (sails) hanging all round you. Highlights would have to include the morning swims (so cold)(well done James on the 3 boat challenge) mealtimes always lots of fun all squashed together and cooking on a boat, great beaches, discussion and singing times were very funny and often quite deep as well(good combination), climbing the mast and general climbing of things as well as our boys adventure. little surprise that my award at the end of the week was "The Dangermouse award for leading campers astray" nuff said.

The theme for the camp was all based on water - makes sense on boats i guess, we looked together at stories from the bible that involved water and for me the main thing i thought about was that in the same way we cant live without water we also cant live fully without knowing Jesus ourselves. Did make me think about what i can't live without and whilst i am missing people back home guess i've not been away long enouh so the main things that came to mind were cheese and coffee, any body any other thoughts on that one?

One of the other cool things in our week was the wildlife. After seeing seals at Milford sound, we saw little penguins, lots of other birds both winging around the boat on the wind and the kind that couldn't fly all around the beaches. Also saw the biggest seagull ever, called a Mollymort, no kidding bout the size of a turkey!!! Not so cool were the thousands of Jellyfish, although were quite fun to throw at people. The highlight though was on my last morning. I left to catch the early ferry back to the mainland so at about 7am jumped in the dinghy and on what was the stillest sea ever with the sun just up we bombed around to the harbour. As we went i saw black shapes up in the distance coming out of the water, it wasn't rocks but dolphins. We drove over to them and about 4 of them each about the length of our little boat jumped around us playing in the waves. It was so cool and a great start to a long days journey.

Follow your path

In New Zealand during my time off gave me a lot of 'alone' time, time to think, scary i know. A lot of the other travellers i have met have asked me if i get lonely or if it feels strange to not know anyone and whilst it is a shame at times to not share the experiences i am having with my friends or family i know that its the right thing for me to be doing with my life at the moment and being satisfied where you are whatever the situation is a hard challenge for all of us. I have a t-shirt with a slogan on it that reads 'Follow Your Path'.

I think its important to each follow our own path. Throughout our lives many things will come along that influence the paths we take. As a youth worker one of your aims is to be a positive influence and guide for the young people you work with but overall really the challenge is to make the young people choose the right things for themselves. So i guess as i thought over these things on my long walks down paths, climbing over and around things and following and ignoring signs i thought of asking you to think as well, what things decide your path. For me my 2 main important things in life are to live to please God and to help other people, these are the things that influence where my path leads and it's at the times i feel i'm doing these things the best that i feel most satisfied and most happy.

Chillin/walkin n Swimmin

Have just enjoyed the last few days drivin around a few of the picturesque mountain areas around the south island, swimming in some beautiful lakes and enjoyin goin on some good walks in the forests and hills, its not often you get time to be on your own but here everywhere is so quiet, there are so few people around and so few cars it's amazing. so beautful though and you kind of feel like your part of it all when your out there with no-one else in sight. the accomodations have all been pretty basic n its good to meet people and have a drink and chat with them at the end of the day and to realise your not actually alone.

Am heading down to the tip[ of New Zealand today to Invercargill where i meet up with the team ready for the next camp i'm doing on a sailing boat, hoping for not suffering any form of seasickness, more news to follow.

Milford

Took a rental car down to Milford sound right on the south west corner of the south island. The area has a whole weather sysem of its own and it showed as soon as i started getting close the clouds were piling in and the clouds are trapped so low between the great high cliffs. The road is also the scariest i've ever been on especially the tunnel cut through the mountain, which looks like it was never finished and has not been resurfaced for many years. Have got one of the pics where the road goes with the mountains of waterfalls coming down either side. So the weather was that bad my kayaking trip couldn't happen coz it was too rough so i went out on a cruise instaead and man am i glad i wasn't in a kayak the waves were covering the boat sometimes spraying onto the top deck it was a very eerie and awesome place to see and well worth the drive even in the rain.

Saturday 12th January -

Had a real taste of New Zealand culture today. The camp finished and i was lucky enough to spot their was a New Zealand rugby sevens tournament on, think its an annual thing so was so lucky to happen just when i was their so me and three of the other camp leaders ali, ellen, ben and amy went down and spent the afternoon in the sun. Had my first new zealand beer and watched loads o games, saw loads of tries and lots of people getting sunburnt it was so different to watching sport in england really cheap, no stands just sat around the pitch on the grass, really fun and so hot.

Creative ways to hurt yourself

This first week in New Zealand seems to have been full of lots of creative ways to hurt yourself and exept for a few cuts and bruises and lots of splinters i have done pretty well. You can see from a few of the pics what i've been up to, lots of climbing up things, jumping off things and going fast with things. Dont try this at home!!!!

Facing up to giants

The bible stories we have been doing with the young people were about David and how he faced every challenge through his life even the ones as big as Goliath bravely knowing that God was bigger than any obstacle he had to face. I have faced l;ots of personal challenges so far since i've left the uk and its made me think about fear and what it holds us back from doing. Reminds me of the words from one of my favourite films "fear will hold you prisoner, hope will set you free" i hope i don't let fear stop me from doing anything i feel is right on this trip.

4 wheels please

One of the funniest stories of the week was my motorbiking ability and the serious lack of it. Nathan you would be ashamed of me. I did help give the others a lot of laughs though. I had my first crash, pulled my 1st wheelie (not on purpose) and broke my first bike - dont worry mum only the clutch handle and nothing on me got broken so that's pretty good.

At the end of the week i was awarded with a trophy made of my broken clutch handle and broken stump for the best leaders crash of the week, from now on i'm sticking to 4 wheels.

Lake Johnson scripture union camp

Well Lake Johnson camp is over. A great experience, lots of new challenges for me as well as the young people i was working with. I learnt lots of new words as i fanged it up the hill, went for a tramp, enjoyed wearing my jandles/thongs and tried out some of the kids scroggun (not sure bout all those spellings).








The young people here are much more used to the outdoors and there is a lot less emphasis on all the health and safety stuff you have to go through in England, but underneath they are still similar and it was great to have the opportunity for me to have the privelege of inputting on their lives they all enjoyed having a "whinging pom" along for the ride.



By the end of the week i had made lots of new friends, tried lots of new things, got very smelly and have left with lots of fun memories.



The teaching we gave the kids this week was about one of Jesus disciples Peter and how he learnt to follow Jesus by giving things a go and by learning from his mistakes. He's the only person other than Jesus recordedto have walked on water, but to do it he had to be brave enough to get out of the boat. I guess at the start of my trip i feel as if i'm getting out of my nice safe boat of Melbourne and starting to walk on water (seriously i did - waterski-ing is loads of fun.) i am looking forward to lots more exciting moments.

Day 3 - Made it

Well the 2nd flight from LA to Auckland was marginally better than the first but have now arrived, and within hours was visiting my first beach, that's what i'm talking about. Steve met me at the airport and have spent the day with the Drapers, have barely any idea what day or where i am but am feeling better and can eat again, gotta get on another plane again tomorrow though. The sun is shining, bit cloudy but warm. looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight (or this morning, or tomorrow i dont know)

Day 2 - The missing day

Crossed a timeline and lost a day of my life, now it's friday how weird!!! Oh well was better than yesterday.

Day 1

Well day 1 of the trip was definately the worst so far. I do not recommend food poisoning at the best of times but when on a plane it is about the worst thing possible. Thought i was gonna die n wasn't lucky enough to be bumped up to 1st class but did have my own private toilet. Aren't i lucky???