A hard, hard rain's a-gonna fall...

Hi friends.

Since we last spoke I've been to Tonga, Fiji and, erm, Hamilton, to see the final of the Tri-Nations rugby.

So here's a few words on all that then, in case you're interested... (And because I should be editing an essay on Tahitian negation.)

Tonga.
Tonga was pretty cool, overall. I stayed mostly on the main island of Tongatapu, at first with friends Ben and Kelly, at a place called Tony's Guesthouse. It was run, as you can imagine, by a man called Tony. Tony was in his 60s, and was from Lancashire. Despite living in Tonga for 20+ years, he had managed to retain both his accent and a typical Northern attitude. He took us on a tour of the island and the coolest thing we saw were some blowholes, which ran along the coast and every minute or so would blast huge spurts of water in to the air, a bit like geysers, but by the sea. I also went to a (touristy) Tongan feast in a cave and hung out a lot in a cafe (the only decent one in Tonga) called Friends, drinking wine and coffee and playing cards with Ben and a kiwi girl that we'd met, Katie.

A few days after arriving in Tonga I went with Katie to a nearby island called 'Eua, in the hope of seeing whales (they come to have babies this time of year). Sadly, the whales didn't want to see me, but our little trip was still the best part of my time in Tonga, offering the most authentic experiences. It involved a brief visit to a school and a family home, dance lessons with our hostel owner's daughter, the whale outing lead by the local fisherman (who was also the plumber and the electrician), puppies, an evening at the local high school's prom, some gorgeous weather (and some very heavy rain), exploring the island on bikes, many fresh coconuts, and a couple of near-death experiences, first on the ferry over to the island and then with a machete-wielding, free-roaming prisoner. (We were on a cliff top. He just wanted to talk. Great.)


Fiji.
I won't lie, Fiji wasn't what I expected. I suppose, like many people, I'd envisaged a few days of sun, sea and sand, during which I would magically transform in to a sarong-wearing, skinny, bronzed woman with a care-free passion for over-priced cocktails. What Ben and I got instead was four days of failed objectives, but quite a lot of laughs as a result.

Firstly, our hostel was like Fawlty Towers, and then our attempts to get to a tropical island to realise the ideals outlined above were meanly foiled by the most torrential rain you can imagine. Who the hell sits on a Fijian beach drinking tequilla sunrises wishing above all else they were by a radiator wearing their jeans and a hoodie? Anyway, as a result the rest of trip was characterised by us trying to find indoor activities, or another beach with less rain. We found both, in the end - a beach yes, although one with large, gravelly sand and sea so shallow you could walk out a good 500m and not get your waist wet. Needless to say my new bikini did not see action. Our indoor activity (yes, just the one possible) was Fiji's only museum (who goes to Fiji for museums anyway??), and we went there the only day it happened to be sunny from morning til evening. Good. (Actually, it was quite interesting...)

But still, I was glad to have been to Fiji, and it was interesting to see: I didn't know, for example, they had such a large Indian population.

All Blacks v. Springboks.
This weekend, to conclude the mid-semester break, ever-chirpy Mark and I went to Hamilton to stay with Rachel, Nick and JJ (now capable of whole sentences) and to see the Tri-Nations match. Naturally, the Springboks completely trounced us (by which I mean New Zealand) but the pre-match entertainment of strange dances, fireworks, the haka and enormous fireballs was neat. Plus the weather pretty much held out (phew). Afterwards we met up with some other Auckland chums for drinks, and ripped it up Hamilton-stylee.

On Sunday we also enjoyed Hamilton's themed gardens (India was our favourite, with China a close second and England seeming eerily familiar) and hearing Rachel's exciting plans for JJ's cowboy birthday party, admiring cactus cookie cutters, sampling gold-bar lemon cakes and photographing young JJ in cowboy regalia for the invitations.


Anyways, that'll do you. Consider yourselves in the loop. I hope you're all enjoying the end of your summers, as we begin to enjoy the start of ours.....

Speak soon, Brewstar x