Well, not that this was the *reason* I didn't go to the RinkUnion. It really had more to do with being in another country at the time. But this is what I did that weekend.

On Saturday we went to (cringe) an Austin Powers/1960s costume party. It was a Coastguard social function. I'm not really a party-going person at the best of times, but it was OK. Let's just say that, although I *did* spend the whole time standing around aimlessly with nothing to say, at least I was standing around aimlessly while dressed as a hippie. That has to count for something. Things I learned from the evening:

1) Nothing makes you drive more carefully than the thought of being stopped by a cop while dressed for an Austin Powers party.

2) Turning up at a Coastguard costume party when not in costume is a bad idea. The two guys who were seized, had their shirts removed and sellotape stuck all over their chest hair are now aware of this fact.

3) One of the skippers, Dean, in a Dr Evil costume looks terrifyingly like a Teletubby.

4) If you have to dress up as a hippie and you discover that the only thing you need to do is brush your hair a different way, you should worry. I don't *usually* wear the black-pink-and-purple paisley shirt, the green paisley t-shirt, and the orange and pink headband all at the *same time*, though.

5) Apparently the CG offer of free psychotherapy if you are exposed to traumatic and distressing sights in the line of duty, does not apply to seeing Dean in a Dr Evil costume.

6) Some people can dance. Some can't. There should be a law about this.

7) If some of those photos come out the way I think they might, they could do irrepairable damage to RNZCG's international reputation, if in fact it has one to begin with.

Anyway, that was Saturday. On Sunday we went and did the coast-to-coast walk across Auckland. It goes from the Tasman sea to the Pacific (Auckland is NZ's narrowest part) on a route taking in various scenic and historic locations. It would normally take about 3-4 hours but it took us five and a half, because we stopped everywhere to look at things and climb to the lookout points. Plus, halfway, the Greenlane Expo Centre had an interesting-looking Expo on, so we bought tickets and spent about an hour walking around there. It was a really good hike altogether, and fun to do.

Brunnen-"not currently dressed as a hippie"G