Roller Derby: Whip it good!

Have you ever seen the movie Whip it? Its all about Roller Derby, and apparently that is what this was like? I haven't seen the movie but I am pretty sure it is awesome because well, Roller Derby is definitely that.

A group of friends and I went to the Horden Pavilion in Sydney to watch our home team the Sydney Assassins in all their fishnet glory in a Fiesta themed battle.

Oh yes, that's right the fiesta themed match even had a Mariachi band playing on the sidelines. How could you not?!

It took me a while to understand what was going on with the game, but once I figured it out, its easy to get into. And when the ladies on the team have names like: Bitchy N Scratchy, Dizzy Bordon, Trippy Longstockings, and Haterade, how can you resist cheering them on? Plus their half-time show involved an amazingly athletic pole dancer! As if I hadn't seen enough, Roller Derby had to top it all.

To finish the package, this is the first time in Australia that I have seen Budweiser for sale...Now if that's not a trashy combination I am not sure what is?!

And how else can you end a night of Fiesta Roller Derby than with Margaritas?! Game, Set, Match, or whatever Roller Derby phrase there is!

New Zealand: 5 Girls, 1 Car, lots of trouble!

I have been avoiding posting anything about New Zealand for two reasons. One, I have now been back at work over a month since my trip - and its painful to not be on vacation! And two, there is SO much to write about I was actually overwhelmed that I wouldnt be able to convey what I wanted. So decided that I probably never be able to do it justice and I might as well just try to put together some highlights for you.

I mean where do you start when everyday you are in a new city, seeing new things constantly, and having too much fun to recall?!

So like I said, here are some highlights....

The North Island: I loved our second day in Auckland at a cafe drinking wine and eating cheese, after a hike to see Mt Eden Crater. Napier where we sat in the sulphur baths, and applied sulphur mud masks. The baths were amazing, but I have never smelt such a foul smell in my life, not sure how people live here. Leaving there, we hit Hawkes Bay, known for its wine region for a few cheeky wine tastes before we made our way down to Wellington. Wellington was windy and fun, tons of cheese and wine, and beautiful walks. The night life was outrageous, and being a city on the water, made for spectacular views and lovely shoreline.

The ferry ride from Wellington to Picton brought us to the South Island, the 3 hour ride across to the South was one of the most specular views I have ever seen. One of our first stops was the Marlborough, New Zealands most famous wine regions, known especially for its sauvignon blanc - my favorite wine. This is also where one of my dreams came true, they let me drive the wine tractor. Probably one of the highlights of my trip if not my life!

On our way down to Queenstown we stopped at Franz Glacier, one of the most specactular glaciers in the world. We took a tour of it, and got to hike across this massive glacier - it was by far my favorite activity in New Zealand. It was absolutely breath-taking.

We finally made our way down to Queenstown, the adventure town. (My favorite city by far) where we did some ridiculous things, like jump off a canyon, saved from the ground only by a swing harness, and did an extreme River Jetboat, which scared the crap out of all of us! The town was flooded due to high volumes of rain and the river just flowed into the streets, but it didn't seem to slow anyone down! After two days in Queenstown we had to drive up to Christchurch where we flew out of.

I cant even describe our trip. Truly an amazing place. A must-see in your life.