SO.. The story continues.

    That very evening of my last global communication I departed
for my trial shift of meaningful employment. It was a great place,
'Pesto', fun and friendly and not too stressful, a nice casual Pizza
and pasta restaurant. As it turns out, I was bestowed the task of
polishing the glasses, and loading the washing machine. No mean
feat as our parent 'Saffron' restaurant had nicked most of our glasses
and I had to create a rapid turn over of the few we had. No problem,
I was up to the task, and went at it with full gusto! I transpires
my gusto was running on meager that night as one customer complained
of a dirty glass! Not only that but he brought the replacement back
too, asking, "are all the glasses in this place dirty or what?"

But besides this, I was asked to return the following week, and
from there a bright and friendly spell of employment was enjoyed
by both parties. I was soon promoted to waiter and served pizza
and pasta like a demon! I was born to do it! a natural!

Good Evening...

...may I interest you in some Pazza and Pista??

So I was set for a winter season in Queenstown. I still searched
for a daytime job (Pesto was only in the eveenings) and waited for
the snow to come. The snow came later than usual and with not much
force. I wasn't too bothered at the time, I had purchased my very
own snowboard, but i was waiting for my winter gear to arrive from
home. Still no luck with jobs, everyone having said, dont worry,
soon there will be more jobs than people. Yeah right. The hotels
finally started employing the seasonal army of room cleaners...and
even they didn't want me!! 'Animation Director' doesn't seem to
hold much clout in the room attendant industry.
I started to try and put my animation skills into play by creating
animation toys to sell at a weekly craft fair...I was getting desparate!!
However, I didn't get too far when I met a friend, Frederick, who
was leaving town, 'Oh, you can have my job, mon ami!" (he was french)
"I'm about to visit with my boss to get my last pay, voulez vous
come with me?" He had been painting houses, and we met Iha, his
boss. "Ici est Will, he can have my job!"
Iha looked a bit stunned but said, "OH, I suppose you want to start tomorrow?"
"Sure" says I.
"See you then."

You spend a month and a half scouring the land for jobs, then just
stumble into the perfect one. huh.
And it did turn out to be pretty perfect. The next day I asked Iha
what kind of hours he wanted  me to work. He said, "Whenever you
want, I suppose you want to go skiing? You can go off in the morning,
or whatever, just work when you need to."
FANTASTIC!!!
Queenstown put on its Winterfest (with not much snow and no winterness)
when  Acacia Al and Em came a visiting! Great to see them, though
I didn't recognise Alvin at frist - he wasn't bald! They stayed
a couple of nights in their little camping wagon, and we partook
in the queenstown activity that is luging! No skiing for Em unfortunatly, before they had to go.

Winter at last came, with abit more snow and icy roads. How icy?
well I discovered one night on my way to work. Turning a corner,
I continued going round as the road straightened. I ended up sliding
backwards into a rockface. It was all quite slow, with no major
damage to the Brown Beastie apart from a broken rear light. OOPPPS.
My snowboarding gear arrived,THAnKS POPS! but unfortunatley the
mountains were just covered in ice. I set to working for the time being.

Stuntman Fred

It was then the Era of Mechanical Failure. The Clutch in the Brown
Beast failed and I luckily got it replaced through a friend of a
friend, but the exhastpipe got damaged in the process. I bought
myself a bicycle for short trips. On the second day the pedal fell
off, and a week latter the derailleur broke off so I couldn't change
gear. The General (BrownBeast) needed its WOF (MOT) done, and to
pass I needed new tyres new brake hoses and, obviously I new rear
light. I got the tyres and brakes done as it had snowed again and
was going up the mountain, but couldn't get a light. One morning
I ordered a light over the phone, and renewed my car insurance too.
I then spent the morning snowboarding with somefriends, but we were
cut short as the weather came in. It started snowing quite heavily
(which was good) but we had to drive down the precarious mountain
road (not so good). I decided we should leave asap, and set off.
The mountain marshal told me I should switch my snow chains onto
my front wheels for steering ability, so I did. While I was doing
so there was a bloke trying to hitch down, in the near blizzard
conditions, next to me. I offered him a ride. We set off slowly,
but before long trouble struck! Coming up to a corner I tried to
shift down into first gear, but the BB wasn't having any of it!
I was stuck between second and first gear, stranded in neutral!
We started coasting, down a snow covered road, I automatically went
for my only other option, I tried to brake as gently as I could.
But snow knows not the meaning of gentle- its either free wheel
or skid! We skidded, or should I say, the back wheels skidded, now
unchained, I had no contol over them, and then they overtook us.
Sliding backwards down a narrow snow covered mountain road in a
blizzard wasn't my ideal intended method of decending (and it was all strangly familiar too.)
Our rear corner (same one) crunched into a rock when we arrived
at the turn in the road, and the car was lifted up on one side and,
ever so slowly, rolled over onto the other side. It all happened,
as these things always do, in slow motion. I remember thinking "Wow,
there alot of crap in this car!" as all the dirt, stones and rubbish
went flying side ways, and, as we all hung in our seatbelts, thinking
"Ooo, its like a ride at Alton Towers!"
Our hitch hiker didn't know what he'd let himself in for!
We were aided by the car behind us and were soon towed back to the
top, where we said farewell to our rather shocked hitcher. As my
Uncle said, it sounds like 'The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Laxatives'!!
There didn't seem to be too much damage, but its quite ammusing
to look at the two phone calls I made that morning!

A few days later the road was clear enough for me to retrieve the
BB, and it all seemed to be cosmetic damage. I replaced the light
and got a pass on my WOF the following week! I had repaired the
hole in my exhaust, but it blew agian. I repaired it with several
'Industrial' strength products, but finally found the most effective
was a baked bean can and some tin foil!
I progressed slightly with my snowboarding, we had discovered jumps! I bought a helmet.

Yahoooooo !!!

The season was nearing the end and I had to start thinkng about
my departure from New Zealand. My plan of earning enough money in
NZ to fund a reasonably exciting trip home had failed miserably
(the curse/blessing of being able to work/play when you want to!)
The next best plan I could come up with was applying to see if I
could get an Australian holiday work visa (to put the same plan
in action??) and I got it!!! So I purchased a flight ticket to Melbourne!
LOOK OUT all you Aussies, I'm on my way!!! Yep, Im afraid, folks
at home, I wont be seeing you too soon. I Have a maximum of 12 months
in Oz, whether I will stay there the whole time? You're asking the
wrong person!! We will see. If you get a long and tedious email
like this in a year from now, you will know I havn't come home.

And so I made use of the last couple of weeks of the snow season.
The ice had turned to slush, which was a fun change, something soft!
Then it was time for a couple weeks hard work before departing both
jobs. I had been promoted to painting on my house! And gave a silly
picture of all my restaurant coworkers as a leaving pressie that seemed to go down quite well.
I had one weekend left in Queenstown - the adventure capital of
the world - what could I do? The Thrillogy, what else!! All three
bungy jumps in Qtown, including NZs highest 134 meters! Quite a
drop. I got dunked up to my knees (Im upside down dont forget) in
the Kawarua river from the Kawarua bridge, the original bungy site.
It dawned on me that my perpetual eagerness
to visit New Zealand was spawned by a TV program about Queenstown
and bungy jumping, that I saw when I was about 12!! Funny, the things that motivate some people!?

And so it was time to leave Q'town. South I headed and visited some
distant relatives I knew live there, the Whites. How distant I hadn't
realised. I had assumed they were part of my family and had emmigrated
over to NZ. As it turns out I was meeting the great great grand
daughter of my great great great grands father's brother ! I think.
And my great great great grands father was only one of two who stayed
at home in a family of nine who all went to NZ! There are loads
of Millers out here! Quite strange really!
ANyway, sorry, I just found it interesting.
I visited some more rellies in Dunedin, the Moores, and spent a
few days with them, before visiting Acacia Rachael SmartyPants!
Of course she had no idea I was coming but accomodated me brilliantly,
even though England did win the world cup! She even managed to take
time off work to go to the Speights brewery with me! But worked
a bit too hard too, and was ill when I left. Hope you're feeling better Smarts!
Quick visit back to Queensville where I very suddenly ended up doing
the Famed Routeburn Walk, with Jess and her friend Francis. We did
it the very day it reopened after the snow and had some fantastic
weather (and a bit not so fantastic). I left them at the end, and
walked back towards home via the Caples track which I thoroughly
enjoyed. Queenstown had switched summer on and everything looked
brighter and happier and I did not want to leave!!
But leave I had too, and farewell was said to all the Reavers crew
(wher I lived)and Qtown friends.