New Years Eve

Well, New Years Eve last night was very exciting. We went to the city's convention centre 'Aotea Centre' for the free festivities of the town. It was kind of like being at a Hawaiian party and a masquerade all at once. The theme for the night was "First Night-Pacific Bright, 2007". The convention centre was decorated to the extremes with Hawaiian lays, fresh flower head pieces being made for evryone and free elaborate face painting for those who were willing to stand in a line up 2 hours long to get painted...We did. Ha ha. And that's not the funny part. At about 10 people left in front of us, the came out to the people standing in the line (2 people infront of us) and said that they were only painting until 10pm and that we would have to leave. Ha ha. Anyways, things got better. We went to a concert inside the Opera House of New Zealand's most famous female singer, Aaradhna. She was great (and looked like a young Diana Gabaldon-wait till you see the pics girls) but it was weird listening to her b/c we really had no idea just how big she was. Then we went to a performance of dance and they kind of did a fashion show with girls dressed in coconut bras and hula skirts and wrapped dresses. They danced and demonstrated different ways to try the dresses and then asked for people from the crowd to go up and dance and do the same wrapping. They asked me, but ha ha, of course I said no. Melissa said "I will" and she did. She did great. It was really funny-luckily she could do it over her clothes and did not have to wear a coconut bra. Then we fell in love with this elderly Maori woman who was making the fresh flower headpieces, and we got out picture with her. She was so beautiful in her own handmade gown-great picture..when it comes.... Then we went outside for the last 1/2 hour before midnight. They had an outdoor festival, a glowing parade along the balcony of the convention centre and then just before midnight there was tribal chanting and dancing from the balcony leading to the fireworks show that was set off from the sky tower. I got video, no worries. :o). and NO COUNTDOWN! That was interesting, and I'd prefer the tribal chanting anyday, it was so powerful. Overall, very neat to see how other cultures celebrate the important event. It has an entire different meaning here.

Today we decided to go and visit our workplaces so that we knew where to go on Wednesday, good thing. We spent the WHOLE day just looking for Melissa's place. We took the train to Takanini (where the site suuposedly is) but no one around had even hear of the centre for Traumatic Brain Injury or the organization. NOt even the only hospital in the city! They all must have brain injuries... We didnt't have much luck trying on our own either as Melissa forgot the address to her worksite at home....in Canada. :o)....So we spent 2 hours walking around asking people and looking up stuff in the phone book, calling the AUT coordinator, well of course no one is home, its a holiday. So is tomorrow! They celebrate both days, Jan 1 and 2. So it started to pour and we decided to call it quits. No time to visit my place today so we will try early tomorrow morning and spend the day in Kumeu, maybe visiting the winery that I wanted to go to for lunch and a tour. I feel bad because no one has even heard of the place that Melissa works and well, the train ride to her works some nice mountains, it also reveals miles and miles of beautiful graffiti art but when people hear that I am going to Kumeu they say how beautilful it is up there. I wish we were at the same place. I 'm sure she'll be fine, as long as she can find the place....

Tonight we are going to cruise in the harbour and see the city by night. Its a little chilly tonight so I hope we don't fall in.