The day many of us had been dreading finally came and it was time to pack our bags, take down our cool posters and clean the chalets. With the hard work out of the way, a final BK was shared by the Scots and Legends around the coffee table before Nik, Phil, Andy and Tony set off on the epic journey South. Morgan and John remained behind because they had eaten far too many pies and couldn't fit in the cars, so two trips were necessary.
The reception at Hamilton was surprisingly good - Billie had arranged emergency rations and the rooms were large, clean and well-equipped. Phil and Nik got their rooms and unpacked, while Tony and Andy were told they 'may get their rooms at some point tonight'. Tony was given a temporary room and offered Andy some floorspace....a schoolboy error he will never repeat, since he was kept awake all night by Andy's tuneful growling. Meanwhile, Morgan and John were enjoying a 5-hour stint of utter boredom exacerbated by the munchies as they had no car, no food, no t.v., no internet...nothing. One of the instructors had promised to drop the car back at Takanini for John and Morgan, but took the the other instructors for a 2-hr coffee break in town before heading North to collect our deprived duo...they were a tad upset.
With the CP reunited, the allocation of TVs, Wireless Network cards and the astonishing appearance of two 50" Widescreen Rear Projection TVs, the day after the move was rather rosier then we could have imagined. CP16 were upbeat as we headed into town to the place where 'everyone gets a bargain', with many other CPs in hot pursuit. CTC cadets overran the peaceful settlement of Hamilton within minutes and chaos was destined to follow. In true form the Admiral and the Commodore (Ric and Ed from CP11) hosted the festivities with first class food and drinks for all....and by all I mean every Tom, Dick and Harry at every bar frequented by the admiralty that night. Credit card receipts indicate that NZ$1500 was spent between them in one night alone. Ouch! The Admiral's power naps gave him remarkable stamina, but it all caught up with him in the end... he was so severely incapacitated that the Commodore has to assume command for a full 24hrs.
CP16 are settling in well and will keep you posted on our latest adventures....
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