Viva South Africa

Goeie Dag. We have been hanging out in Cape Town South Africa, which we arrived in via Johannesburg. We decided to focus on Cape Town with the limited time we had before starting our overland trip through southern and eastern Africa. While here we have made the most of World Cup fever as well as experiencing many of Cape Town’s attractions (well, those that you can do in winter).



BAGS M.I.A: While we admit to being initially apprehensive about holding on to our possessions in South Africa, it turns out that we should have been more worried about them in transit. We are sure that many people have stories such as these and you will therefore empathise with our situation. Upon arriving in Cape Town we were initially advised that they didn’t know where our bags were and subsequently advised that our bags were still in Johannesburg and that we may get them late that night or sometime the next day. The final kick in the guts? After nearly 40 hours without sleep, being told that when our bags arrived we would have to pay for them to be delivered to our hostel. This may or may not have drawn some colourful Kiwi language. Thumbs down British Airways; you now join Jet Star in our group of black listed airlines.



WORLD CUP FEVER: Like all of South Africa, Cape Town has really embraced the World Cup. On a daily basis the waterfront is alive with football fans from all around the world. We have enjoyed many games down at the waterfront but there have been two standout highlights. First, the pre match build up and game we attended at the Greenpoint Stadium, Italy vs. Paraguay, where we became honorary Italians for the night. Our kit and “Viva Italia” chants ensured that we were loved and adopted by all Italian fans and even got noticed by media from www. goal.com see link for article and photo http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2869/fanview/2010/06/14/1976253/yes-i-am-french-but-support-the-azzurri-they-will-win-2-0. Attending the World Cup game with 70,000 others was amazing but very cold, thanks to conditions similar to watching a game at the Cake Tin in a southerly and heavy rain. Thankfully without even realising it, we had splashed out on covered seats. Our second highlight and proudest moment was jumping up and down at the amphitheatre as the All Whites scored their first ever World Cup point by drawing equal with Slovakia in the final minute of injury time. We have since continually been congratulated on our team’s efforts and have enjoyed highlighting that we are first equal in our group. Keep it up boys, Italy look vulnerable.



TOPPING THE TABLE: Trekking up Table Top Mountain and Lion’s Head were on our must do list in Cape Town, but looked in doubt during most of our stay thanks to the Wellington like wintery conditions. In the end, we bit the bullet, put on the majority of our clothes and went up anyway. We were briefly rewarded with spectacular views when the infamous ‘table cloth’ cloud occasionally lifted.



We have had amazing time in Cape Town and would love to come back in summer to fully enjoy more of the outdoor pursuits that the city offers. For the record we have found the people very friendly and have felt safe at all times. Tomorrow we are beginning our overland trip through Africa, heading initially into Namibia.

‘Till next time and keep cheering on the All Whites,
Rodney and Kirsty.

On the Road Again

Kia Ora! Since our last update, we have walked the streets of Singapore, celebrated Dave and Char’s marriage at their Gold Coast wedding, had a whirlwind trip back to New Zealand and have just stopped over in Hong Kong on the way to South Africa.



MR & MRS MCCULLOUGH: Once upon a time at a classy establishment known as The Fats, Dave met Char. Nine years later to the day, the celebration of their nuptials conveniently fitted in with the conclusion of the Asian leg of our world tour. The wedding was heaps of fun; with the red meat and Central Otago Pinot Noir going down extremely well after nearly five months eating rice and noodles in Asia. Of course, the bride looked stunning, the groom scrubbed up well and their very cute styled up sons threatened to steal the show. Congrats Dave and Char on a super day.



PLEASED TO MEET YOU BABY BECS: It was great to catch up with some family and friends in Wellington and Tauranga on our flying trip back to New Zealand. We also enjoyed relaxing with some of the things normally taken for granted back home. For example, cleaning our teeth with tap water, getting food out of the pantry (thanks parents) and not being jumped at by touts as we left the house. However, we could have done without the freezing temperatures. Without doubt, a highlight was finally getting to meet Rodney’s niece Becs who we missed by two days in January when we started our world tour.


HONG KONG PHOOEY: We have spent the last couple of days wandering the streets of Hong Kong searching for their well renowned bargains. Amongst other things, we purchased special kit for our upcoming World Cup game – watch this space for photos.

GOOOOOOOOALLL!!!!: We are currently waiting for our flight to Africa, where our first highlight will no doubt be watching the Italy vs Paraguay World Cup Football game at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town. As we are in Africa for the duration of the World Cup, it seems only fitting to formally document our tournament picks. We expect to see one semi final between The Netherlands and England with the other semi final between Spain and Argentina. From there, Spain will go on to win their first ever World Cup beating The Netherlands in the final. Of course though, you can never rule out the unpredictable Brazil. We hereby claim 50% of all TAB winnings based on these tips.

Take care (we definitely will be in South Africa!!!)
Love Kirsty and Rodney