Everybody knows it sucks to grow up

Maija and I on Pangaimotu island
The end of my trip to Tonga was pretty sweet! Maija came back from Ha'apai and a new guy, Shaun, arrived. I moved into the green house after being shouted at by a crazy man in the blue house. And there was a massive spider in the bathroom which was gross. Maija and I made a massive and delish dinner and traded movies on our netbooks.

In the morning I got up early and paid my bills. Walked into town around 8am and got a coffee at Friends, just for something different. Haha. Checked my emails and then Maija and Shaun came to meet me. We went down to the wharf and ran into a castmember and film crew from Biggest Loser, family edition. One guy was Tongan so they were filming a 2 hour special. I talked to the film crew for a while, nice to hear a familiar accent even if it was American.

We took a ferry to Pangiamotu (or something like that) and snorkelled around a shipwreck just off the island. It was so cool. Shaun had his own snorkel gear so we all just shared it. We saw heaps of fish, starfish, sea cukes etc., and took silly underwater pictures with his fancy camera that had a case for underwater use. It made me want to go to China, crazy cheap electronics, BUT not the same quality and standards as Canadian imported things.

Shipwreck

We walked around the island (not too big, took maybe 30 mins) and then went for lunch at the cafe. I ordered a club sandwich, but to them a club sandwich is apparently garlic bread with a chicken salad mix, tomato and lettuce. It was so filthy I can't even describe it. Mayo is disgusting. The hot chips were good though and the tomato sauce came in a sea shell! Pretty... In the afternoon we just lay out in the shade. Took the 4pm ferry back and went to the market where I bought my only souvenir, a shell necklace. Cheesy, I know. But I had to bring something back. We went out for dinner, I got seafood chowder, such great and fresh seafood. It had whole scallops and prawns. Yum. For dessert I shared a passionfruit cheesecake with Maija.

We walked back to the hostel, stopping at the bakery for breakfast food. Got a cinnamon bun and pineapple muffin for 1$ since it was yesterdays stuff. Awesome.

Didn't do much my last night in Tonga, just got some movies off Shaun and the couples I hung out with in Eua were back so we all caught up.

Had to get up so early Thursday am for the flight, it was pouring with rain and therefore a perfect day to be leaving. I was so happy to be going home, Also, was pretty stoked it didn't rain all week like the weather station predicted, it only rained my first 2 days and super sunny ever since. I have the peeling burn to prove it. Not so pretty but all good.

Flight was stressful, luckily Maija and I could sit together and complain. There were some dramas with 15 passengers missing and then another person decided not to fly and the crew had to hunt through the luggage to find her bag. We left about an hour late and I needed to catch my connecting flight to Welly within like an hour. I grabbed my bags, got through customs and then had to run to the domestic airport. Luckily its only about a 10 minute walk away. I got there just in time to board. Cut it SO close. Katie picked me up at the airport, which was awesome. Friday night I went to Jade and Tracey's to watch New Zealand's Next Top Model and X Factor Australia. Saturday we went out to Logan Brown for dinner. It was delish. I had smoked eel to start and then the snapper. Awesome meal. We went out for gelato after at Kaffe Eis. I was so full. Sunday I got up at 7am and drove to Mt Ruapehu with Josh. I felt a bit sick at first, but felt better after a coffee from the cart in Otaki. It was a mint day, 2 degrees, blue skies. Best day of my season! I got the flippen filthy goggle tan to prove it. We climbed to the very topo of the volcano (not an easy feat with a snowboard and awkward boots). Took about an hour. The view of the crater lake alone was worth it. One guy hiked up with an inflatable raft and paddle and skiied to the lake to fish! Crazy. You could see the people who hiked up the other side of the mountain from the Whakapapa ski field. So cool. The best was skiing down the fresh powder. Loved that. It took ages to board all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Unfortunately, I fell and bashed my wrist and its been killing me ever since. My medical insurance ran out in September so I'll have to get it looked at when I get home. Its not swollen or anything, just kills.

Drive home was a bit boring since my Ipod died. Stopped at good old Wild Bean for ginger slice and a flat white. Slept over at Jade and Tracey's again. We ate lollies and chocolate and Kylie and Kirsten came over too. Was a good night. This morning I got up and drove back to Upper Hutt. Walked into town to meet Katie and then we all drove to the mall in Lower Hutt with Kelly and Jess. I got a bunch of new clothes and some gifts for the fam. I think I'm all done my shopping now! Got my first real pair of skinny jeans, big step for me...

The week is looking pretty intense for me. Mostly meals out with friends, trying to catch up with everyone before I leave on Saturday morning. Sucks to be leaving so soon. I feel a bit sick about it, so I'm pretty in denial about it all.

LOVE!