Welly report
Feb. 22nd, 2007 03:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skyringI did my Wednesday and Thursday night shifts, but instead of going until 0300, I quit around midnight each time, after earning my target for the night. The idea was to build up a bank of sleep rather than money, and I can't say that post midnight on a weekday is a big earner anyway.
Naturally I was nowhere near ready on the packing side of things. I generally go into a convention with a large percentage of books unregistered, because I put the chore off as long as possible, and then I find that at the convention I'm using up valuable time in registering books so that I can release them.
So I got home around 0100 on Friday morning, with an 0645 flight. I did a bit of computer stuff, fell into bed and was up again around 0400, with not a lot of sleep. I generally can't sleep well before a big flight anyway. I pretty much got everything sorted, had a quick shower and shave, got into my flying clobber (cargo pants and a short-sleeved button-up shirt) and then DD drove Kerri and I to the airport. I'm a Platinum frequent flyer, so that includes Qantas Club membership, and Kerri is a QC member in her own right, so we could get into the club and bring DD in with us. In fact, I'm allowed two guests in Australian and New Zealand lounges, so in theory we could have three friends join us.
The flight out was via Melbourne, and despite my best efforts, we had seats over the wings. This cuts down the view an amazing amount, which negates the major reason I like window seats. Can't quite see the point of flying if you can't look down from an Olympian height over mountains and rivers and towns. Meal was cereal and yoghurt and stuff. Not too bad.
Melbourne was a short walk to the international terminal, and once we'd gone through passport control and security, we hit the Qantas Club there. I asked if they had a First lounge, and sure enough, there it was, discreetly marked and all but empty. Kerri was surprised to be my guest instead of the other way around, but enjoyed the comfort while I did a bit of computer stuff.
All too soon our flight was called, and it was back to the rigours of economy class. Again, over the wings, this time in an exit row that stopped short of the window, so that not only was my view outside severely restricted, I couldn't put my bag under the seat. Oh yeah. I was on the sunny side of the aircraft. I would have preferred the other side a bit foroward or back and in fact I'd been given some really nice seats at one stage but somehow they were changed at the last moment. Mutter grumble.
A nice lunch, chicken and rice. Some sparkling wine which wasn't much chop and some of Mr and Mrs T's divine spiced tomato juice, which was the bee's knees. The movie was "The Queen" with Helen Mirren, and I watched it all, before bringing out the laptop and writing half a taxi blog. I thought I might get some sleep, but it didn't happen.
Landing at Wellington was quite bumpy. It's a difficult, single runway airport, perched on an isthmus with both ends sticking out into the sea, in between high ground. I've seen some YouTube videos of landing there, so I was a little nervous. "Sometimes," I said to Kerri, "the wheels aren't the first bits to land."
Immigration and customs was no trouble at all. They didn't even glance at my boots, which were squeaky-clean. Outside, we had a bit of trouble working out which was the right taxi to get into - the cabs at the front of the rank were all ones with bookings, and their drivers were either absent or leisurely reading or sleeping. Got into one - they are almost all Toyotas powered by petrol rather than gas - and the driver was a Pacific Islander of some sort. Nice chap, but he didn't have as much English as he might have. Perhaps he was a bit shy. He found our hotel, no problems, so he'd obviously been driving a while. Gave him a small tip, we checked in, got our room, and I had a bit of a mid-afternoon nap.
I was well short of sleep, and a head cold was beginning to kick in. Even now, five days later, I'm all blocked up and I'm having a lot of trouble hearing. About fiveish, we headed downstairs to get a bit of dinner before the meet'n'greet. I got off at the first floor instead of going all the way down, and led Kerri into the conference rooms, just on the off-chance that there would be people there setting up.
Of course there were. Otakuu, Rarsberry, Wombles, FutureCat, Lytteltonwitch, Sherlockfan, a few others. Hugs all round - it's soooo good to see my BookCrossing friends!
We found a nearby Asian restaurant where we polished off a bottle of wine and some really spicy food. It was amazingly cheap for five of us, and we had a good time before heading back to the meet'n'greet, scheduled for seven.
First thing I saw was Lytteltonwitch, clad in a Ballycumber costume, made out of rigid yellow plastic, with holes cut out for extremities clad in black. It was brilliant! And of course, she hammed it up and posed for photographs.
Nice big book buffet, but it took me a while to get there, as I had to greet everybody. So very pleasant to catch up with old friends, a quiet drink in your hand. At one stage I went over to DiscoveryLover, who was manning the registration desk, and because there were very few chairs, pulled up a piece of carpet. Before long there were half a dozen of us, sitting on the floor, cheerfully chattering away.
The guest speaker was terrific. Not a BookCrosser, but he spoke of books and adventures and he was marvellously funny. We all sat on the floor around him like a group of happy kindergarten kids, albeit with alcoholic drinks.
Supper came around, trays of savoury nibblies, and all too soon it was late, I was falling asleep and we said goodnight.
Very soft mattress, perhaps a bit too soft and bouncy for good sleeping. I was up and about in the early morning on the computer, glad I'd specified a suite so I didn't disturb Kerri too much. Got back to bed for another hour or so around dawn.
Leisurely (and delicious) breakfast in the hotel dining room (included in the room rate). Only discovered DustyFlint from Hawai'i too late to join her, then again, they were all rather small tables. We made a booking to walk down to the start of the city walking tour together, and we went through the city square and along the waterfront. I was excited to see the place where I took the cover photo of my "BookCrossing Through Middle-Earht" book, though of course the huge statue of a cave troll had long gone. A very nice walk, and before we knew it, we were outside the main railway station, where EdwardStreet was waiting for us, wearing a bright black and yellow hat with horns on, which was easily visible throughout the tour, even if she was several blocks away!
BookCrossers straggled in, each carrying a heavy bag full of books, and we had a most enjoyable tour through central Wellington. EdwardStreet (a young lady, despite the screen name) pointed out all the grand buildings, usually noting that there was a very nice cafe inside. Of course the Parliamentary precinct, with the Beehive, was the highlight. I hadn't seen it from the northern side, where it was all parklands and gentle paths. Unfortunately, I'd left RingBear behind. I wanted a photograph of him against a distinctly Wellington landmark, and the Beehive is about as distinct as they come.
We ended up om the waterfront near Te Papa. Here there was some sort of festival going on, and children of all ages were drawing figures on the paving with chalk. A couple of huge Ballycumbers appeared, each one studded with books.
I managed a couple of themed releases, a couple of water releases, but I have to absolutely take my hat off to Wombles, who released Doctor Who books inside every phone box she came across. Brilliant!
Lunch at Te Papa, Kerri had a big bowl of tomato soup and I had a toasted ham panini. Lovely to be in such a wonderful building. We had a quick look around, but really there wasn't a lot of time, and I was feeling very sleepy and grumpy, so I dragged Kerri back to the hotel and napped for a bit, which recharged my batteries.
The pickup point for the bus tour was across the road, outside the town hall, and we got onto a big green bus full of BookCrossers. First stop was Brooklyn, believe it or not. Central Park in Brooklyn. Even the streets were named after US presidents! I was thinking that the way the narrow wooden houses climbed up the hillsides, it was very much like San Francisco.
At our next stop, we all piled out, including the bus driver, for a quick stroll around some themed shops. As we walked back, the driver was showing off a book he'd found, "just sitting on top of a post box at the post office!" We all looked at each other. Eventually someone set him straight.
Then we hit the shoreline and went around the coast to Wellington Harbour, stopping here and there to scatter a few books around. Some spectacular scenery. Afternoon tea was at a surf club - we all had to sign up as members in order to buy food!
We passed the airport and then went through the Mount Victoria Tunnel, hearing the legend of the murdered sweetheart, and listening to the cars blowing their horns as they passed, in order to keep her memory alive.
And finally, we came back into the city centre again. As a final kindness, the bus driver took us up to the terminus of the cable car, and we worked our way down in shifts to the main street, enjoying the glorious views and the short but steep ride down.
Dinner was at another Asian restaurant, but on the way there, I ducked into the backpackers to release a book inside the fridge in the communal kitchen. "Round Ireland With a Fridge", one of my favorite travel stories. My meal was a mound of fried rice with a fried egg on top. Luckily I ordered a side salad, otherwise I would have have very little in the way of vegetables. Some lovely local wine, but I only had a glass - wanted to keep my head clear for the trivia night.
Futurecat and Lytteltonwitch had the trivia comp organised, allowing the local organisers to participate. As in Dunedin, teams were arranged randomly by funny headwear. My table wore gold cone-shaped party hats, and someone came up with the name "Coneheads". A very quirky quiz, with with some incredibly obvious questions, and some that could only be guessed at. Prizes were awarded for neatness of answer sheets, decorated answer sheets, creative cheating and grovelling to the judges. Enthusiastically led by DiscoveryLover, we romped home in these latter stakes.
As usual, I only managed to answer about five questions, having the good fortune to be sorrounded by incredibly intelligent and learned women, including one young lady who knew every song every played in the past forty years, and could recognise the tunes, even when played backwards, slowed down, distorted or sung badly by Dolly Parton. Or any combination of the above.
We led the field all the way, and each scored a book for our troubles. We scored the grand prize for entertaining the judges - a box of chocolates, which somehow managed to disappear in that it didn't find its way home with me. Probably just as well - I'm getting a little tubby.
What a wonderful day!
Sunday, the final countdown. A lazy sleep-in, with the farewell brunch not scheduled until 11 o'clock. Kerri and I left an hour before so that I could return to the Beehive and take a picture of Ringbear in front of it. Then we went past the venue to check out a sale of clothing we'd spotted the previous evening.
Back again for brunch in "Blend", the regular hangout of the local BookCrossers, especially opened for us by the owner, bless his heart! We filled out feedback forms, a few BookCrossers got up and talked about favorite books. Teotakuu held up an autographed copy of "The Bone People", which is a marvellous, distinctly New Zealand novel, a meaty, crunchy, thinky book, full of spirit and Maori words. Teotakuu read some passages out - very moving, and I felt the emotion welling out.
Wombles, by way of comic relief, held up a copy of my book and spoke very sweetly and gemerously about it. I had such fun writing it, talking about things I love - BookCrossing, New Zealand, and travel. And then it was my turn. I borrowed the book and read out a favorite paragraph, the one about the superior abilities of New Zealand BookCrossers. Amazing people, these Kiwis - for such a small country, they register and release an extraordinary tonnage of books each year! Donning myu official hat, I read out a notice or two about the site and changes, such as the survey and the return of Cliff1976. Looks like exciting times for BookCrossing coming up!
Futurecat talked about conventions. 2008 will be a bye year for New Zealand, because the effort of putting on a convention mostly falls on the shoulders of the same folk each year, and without fresh blood, it's time for a rest. However, New Zealand may well bid for the 2009 Anniversary Convention. A big ask, especially as it is being held in the UK in 2008, but we'll see.
Awards were handed out. Wombles and her Doctor Who releases was a near unaminous choice for best themed release. Organisers were thanked and all too soon it was 1300 and with a 1500 flight time, Kerri prodded me out the door, allowing me a brief hug with all of the female BookCrossers on the way. I shall miss my friends. It may well be a couple of years before I see them again - especially Rarsberry, who will be an old marriedy, with children round her feet! Teotakuu was last, and I really didn't want to let her go.
Back to the hotel, retrieve our baggage, call a cab. This time I sat in front and chatted to the driver all the way, swapping cab talk. I'll have to write that up later.
Long queues at the Qantas checkins, but my plat status got me to the all but empty Business counter, despite our seats at the back of the bus. Accosted by a fellow member of Flyertalk, an online forum devoted to airline flying, source of some amazing advice on how to make the most of your airdollars. We took him up to the lounge and had a pleasant hour's talk before it was time to board.
Over the wings again! At least it was on the shady side and I got some good views of the South Island as we left. Immigration in Sydney, and I followed Wombles' advice and asked for a stamp in my passport, feeling like a total nerd. But nice to have it - I wish I'd known years ago - I could have had Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin stamps in my passport. Oh well.
Our scheduled flight was delayed, so Qantas snuck us on an earlier on aboard a 737-800. This is a newish plane, rocket propelled, apparently, judging by the incredible way it zoomed up into the sky and made it to Canberra in about half an hour! Met by DD and DS, driven home and then we all slowly collapsed.
Especially me, because I had my Monday day shift starting at dawn.
What a great weekend away!
Naturally I was nowhere near ready on the packing side of things. I generally go into a convention with a large percentage of books unregistered, because I put the chore off as long as possible, and then I find that at the convention I'm using up valuable time in registering books so that I can release them.
So I got home around 0100 on Friday morning, with an 0645 flight. I did a bit of computer stuff, fell into bed and was up again around 0400, with not a lot of sleep. I generally can't sleep well before a big flight anyway. I pretty much got everything sorted, had a quick shower and shave, got into my flying clobber (cargo pants and a short-sleeved button-up shirt) and then DD drove Kerri and I to the airport. I'm a Platinum frequent flyer, so that includes Qantas Club membership, and Kerri is a QC member in her own right, so we could get into the club and bring DD in with us. In fact, I'm allowed two guests in Australian and New Zealand lounges, so in theory we could have three friends join us.
The flight out was via Melbourne, and despite my best efforts, we had seats over the wings. This cuts down the view an amazing amount, which negates the major reason I like window seats. Can't quite see the point of flying if you can't look down from an Olympian height over mountains and rivers and towns. Meal was cereal and yoghurt and stuff. Not too bad.
Melbourne was a short walk to the international terminal, and once we'd gone through passport control and security, we hit the Qantas Club there. I asked if they had a First lounge, and sure enough, there it was, discreetly marked and all but empty. Kerri was surprised to be my guest instead of the other way around, but enjoyed the comfort while I did a bit of computer stuff.
All too soon our flight was called, and it was back to the rigours of economy class. Again, over the wings, this time in an exit row that stopped short of the window, so that not only was my view outside severely restricted, I couldn't put my bag under the seat. Oh yeah. I was on the sunny side of the aircraft. I would have preferred the other side a bit foroward or back and in fact I'd been given some really nice seats at one stage but somehow they were changed at the last moment. Mutter grumble.
A nice lunch, chicken and rice. Some sparkling wine which wasn't much chop and some of Mr and Mrs T's divine spiced tomato juice, which was the bee's knees. The movie was "The Queen" with Helen Mirren, and I watched it all, before bringing out the laptop and writing half a taxi blog. I thought I might get some sleep, but it didn't happen.
Landing at Wellington was quite bumpy. It's a difficult, single runway airport, perched on an isthmus with both ends sticking out into the sea, in between high ground. I've seen some YouTube videos of landing there, so I was a little nervous. "Sometimes," I said to Kerri, "the wheels aren't the first bits to land."
Immigration and customs was no trouble at all. They didn't even glance at my boots, which were squeaky-clean. Outside, we had a bit of trouble working out which was the right taxi to get into - the cabs at the front of the rank were all ones with bookings, and their drivers were either absent or leisurely reading or sleeping. Got into one - they are almost all Toyotas powered by petrol rather than gas - and the driver was a Pacific Islander of some sort. Nice chap, but he didn't have as much English as he might have. Perhaps he was a bit shy. He found our hotel, no problems, so he'd obviously been driving a while. Gave him a small tip, we checked in, got our room, and I had a bit of a mid-afternoon nap.
I was well short of sleep, and a head cold was beginning to kick in. Even now, five days later, I'm all blocked up and I'm having a lot of trouble hearing. About fiveish, we headed downstairs to get a bit of dinner before the meet'n'greet. I got off at the first floor instead of going all the way down, and led Kerri into the conference rooms, just on the off-chance that there would be people there setting up.
Of course there were. Otakuu, Rarsberry, Wombles, FutureCat, Lytteltonwitch, Sherlockfan, a few others. Hugs all round - it's soooo good to see my BookCrossing friends!
We found a nearby Asian restaurant where we polished off a bottle of wine and some really spicy food. It was amazingly cheap for five of us, and we had a good time before heading back to the meet'n'greet, scheduled for seven.
First thing I saw was Lytteltonwitch, clad in a Ballycumber costume, made out of rigid yellow plastic, with holes cut out for extremities clad in black. It was brilliant! And of course, she hammed it up and posed for photographs.
Nice big book buffet, but it took me a while to get there, as I had to greet everybody. So very pleasant to catch up with old friends, a quiet drink in your hand. At one stage I went over to DiscoveryLover, who was manning the registration desk, and because there were very few chairs, pulled up a piece of carpet. Before long there were half a dozen of us, sitting on the floor, cheerfully chattering away.
The guest speaker was terrific. Not a BookCrosser, but he spoke of books and adventures and he was marvellously funny. We all sat on the floor around him like a group of happy kindergarten kids, albeit with alcoholic drinks.
Supper came around, trays of savoury nibblies, and all too soon it was late, I was falling asleep and we said goodnight.
Very soft mattress, perhaps a bit too soft and bouncy for good sleeping. I was up and about in the early morning on the computer, glad I'd specified a suite so I didn't disturb Kerri too much. Got back to bed for another hour or so around dawn.
Leisurely (and delicious) breakfast in the hotel dining room (included in the room rate). Only discovered DustyFlint from Hawai'i too late to join her, then again, they were all rather small tables. We made a booking to walk down to the start of the city walking tour together, and we went through the city square and along the waterfront. I was excited to see the place where I took the cover photo of my "BookCrossing Through Middle-Earht" book, though of course the huge statue of a cave troll had long gone. A very nice walk, and before we knew it, we were outside the main railway station, where EdwardStreet was waiting for us, wearing a bright black and yellow hat with horns on, which was easily visible throughout the tour, even if she was several blocks away!
BookCrossers straggled in, each carrying a heavy bag full of books, and we had a most enjoyable tour through central Wellington. EdwardStreet (a young lady, despite the screen name) pointed out all the grand buildings, usually noting that there was a very nice cafe inside. Of course the Parliamentary precinct, with the Beehive, was the highlight. I hadn't seen it from the northern side, where it was all parklands and gentle paths. Unfortunately, I'd left RingBear behind. I wanted a photograph of him against a distinctly Wellington landmark, and the Beehive is about as distinct as they come.
We ended up om the waterfront near Te Papa. Here there was some sort of festival going on, and children of all ages were drawing figures on the paving with chalk. A couple of huge Ballycumbers appeared, each one studded with books.
I managed a couple of themed releases, a couple of water releases, but I have to absolutely take my hat off to Wombles, who released Doctor Who books inside every phone box she came across. Brilliant!
Lunch at Te Papa, Kerri had a big bowl of tomato soup and I had a toasted ham panini. Lovely to be in such a wonderful building. We had a quick look around, but really there wasn't a lot of time, and I was feeling very sleepy and grumpy, so I dragged Kerri back to the hotel and napped for a bit, which recharged my batteries.
The pickup point for the bus tour was across the road, outside the town hall, and we got onto a big green bus full of BookCrossers. First stop was Brooklyn, believe it or not. Central Park in Brooklyn. Even the streets were named after US presidents! I was thinking that the way the narrow wooden houses climbed up the hillsides, it was very much like San Francisco.
At our next stop, we all piled out, including the bus driver, for a quick stroll around some themed shops. As we walked back, the driver was showing off a book he'd found, "just sitting on top of a post box at the post office!" We all looked at each other. Eventually someone set him straight.
Then we hit the shoreline and went around the coast to Wellington Harbour, stopping here and there to scatter a few books around. Some spectacular scenery. Afternoon tea was at a surf club - we all had to sign up as members in order to buy food!
We passed the airport and then went through the Mount Victoria Tunnel, hearing the legend of the murdered sweetheart, and listening to the cars blowing their horns as they passed, in order to keep her memory alive.
And finally, we came back into the city centre again. As a final kindness, the bus driver took us up to the terminus of the cable car, and we worked our way down in shifts to the main street, enjoying the glorious views and the short but steep ride down.
Dinner was at another Asian restaurant, but on the way there, I ducked into the backpackers to release a book inside the fridge in the communal kitchen. "Round Ireland With a Fridge", one of my favorite travel stories. My meal was a mound of fried rice with a fried egg on top. Luckily I ordered a side salad, otherwise I would have have very little in the way of vegetables. Some lovely local wine, but I only had a glass - wanted to keep my head clear for the trivia night.
Futurecat and Lytteltonwitch had the trivia comp organised, allowing the local organisers to participate. As in Dunedin, teams were arranged randomly by funny headwear. My table wore gold cone-shaped party hats, and someone came up with the name "Coneheads". A very quirky quiz, with with some incredibly obvious questions, and some that could only be guessed at. Prizes were awarded for neatness of answer sheets, decorated answer sheets, creative cheating and grovelling to the judges. Enthusiastically led by DiscoveryLover, we romped home in these latter stakes.
As usual, I only managed to answer about five questions, having the good fortune to be sorrounded by incredibly intelligent and learned women, including one young lady who knew every song every played in the past forty years, and could recognise the tunes, even when played backwards, slowed down, distorted or sung badly by Dolly Parton. Or any combination of the above.
We led the field all the way, and each scored a book for our troubles. We scored the grand prize for entertaining the judges - a box of chocolates, which somehow managed to disappear in that it didn't find its way home with me. Probably just as well - I'm getting a little tubby.
What a wonderful day!
Sunday, the final countdown. A lazy sleep-in, with the farewell brunch not scheduled until 11 o'clock. Kerri and I left an hour before so that I could return to the Beehive and take a picture of Ringbear in front of it. Then we went past the venue to check out a sale of clothing we'd spotted the previous evening.
Back again for brunch in "Blend", the regular hangout of the local BookCrossers, especially opened for us by the owner, bless his heart! We filled out feedback forms, a few BookCrossers got up and talked about favorite books. Teotakuu held up an autographed copy of "The Bone People", which is a marvellous, distinctly New Zealand novel, a meaty, crunchy, thinky book, full of spirit and Maori words. Teotakuu read some passages out - very moving, and I felt the emotion welling out.
Wombles, by way of comic relief, held up a copy of my book and spoke very sweetly and gemerously about it. I had such fun writing it, talking about things I love - BookCrossing, New Zealand, and travel. And then it was my turn. I borrowed the book and read out a favorite paragraph, the one about the superior abilities of New Zealand BookCrossers. Amazing people, these Kiwis - for such a small country, they register and release an extraordinary tonnage of books each year! Donning myu official hat, I read out a notice or two about the site and changes, such as the survey and the return of Cliff1976. Looks like exciting times for BookCrossing coming up!
Futurecat talked about conventions. 2008 will be a bye year for New Zealand, because the effort of putting on a convention mostly falls on the shoulders of the same folk each year, and without fresh blood, it's time for a rest. However, New Zealand may well bid for the 2009 Anniversary Convention. A big ask, especially as it is being held in the UK in 2008, but we'll see.
Awards were handed out. Wombles and her Doctor Who releases was a near unaminous choice for best themed release. Organisers were thanked and all too soon it was 1300 and with a 1500 flight time, Kerri prodded me out the door, allowing me a brief hug with all of the female BookCrossers on the way. I shall miss my friends. It may well be a couple of years before I see them again - especially Rarsberry, who will be an old marriedy, with children round her feet! Teotakuu was last, and I really didn't want to let her go.
Back to the hotel, retrieve our baggage, call a cab. This time I sat in front and chatted to the driver all the way, swapping cab talk. I'll have to write that up later.
Long queues at the Qantas checkins, but my plat status got me to the all but empty Business counter, despite our seats at the back of the bus. Accosted by a fellow member of Flyertalk, an online forum devoted to airline flying, source of some amazing advice on how to make the most of your airdollars. We took him up to the lounge and had a pleasant hour's talk before it was time to board.
Over the wings again! At least it was on the shady side and I got some good views of the South Island as we left. Immigration in Sydney, and I followed Wombles' advice and asked for a stamp in my passport, feeling like a total nerd. But nice to have it - I wish I'd known years ago - I could have had Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin stamps in my passport. Oh well.
Our scheduled flight was delayed, so Qantas snuck us on an earlier on aboard a 737-800. This is a newish plane, rocket propelled, apparently, judging by the incredible way it zoomed up into the sky and made it to Canberra in about half an hour! Met by DD and DS, driven home and then we all slowly collapsed.
Especially me, because I had my Monday day shift starting at dawn.
What a great weekend away!
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Date: 2007-02-21 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-21 11:55 pm (UTC)I'm loving all these convention entries...means you can relive it for a long time afterwards!!
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Date: 2007-02-22 06:25 am (UTC)Hahahaha!!!! I know there won't be any children running around my feet by then, though I will be married.
Maybe R and I can afford to go to Aussie's Convention next year, we will see nearer the time.
Would be great if it was in Canberra.
Great post on the convention, wonderful to think about it again. :o)