fucking sux. i have no recollection of what happened. i’d had a bit to drink.
at about 11.20 i was woken up by some people in a pool of blood in the toilets. someone hit me from behind with a bottle and i was knocked out. i fell on my left side and cracked my head on the urinal, putting a massive dent in it. someone found me passed out in a pool of blood. when i woke up i felt ok, all the alcohol! but it was kinda scarey seeing all the blood that had pissed out of my head. went to hospital in ambulance and got stitches. apparently an artery had been severed and blood was coming out in spurts.
my wallet was empty when i was found as well.
great way to start the xmas holidays, and to cap it all off i got sick 2 days after and had crappest nye in ages and was in bed by 10.30.
Man, that really is a hard way to end the old year and bring in the new. Where were you drinking? Remind me to be careful in whatever part of town that was next time I’m home. Sorry, hope you’re recovering.
Last time I was in Taupo traveling (spring 2002) my car got robbed and my buddy got socked in the face at a bar. Beautiful place though. I’ve did some great camping/fishing trips in the surrounding areas when I was studying abroad in Auckland.
Actually, a lot of those tourist places - Taupo/Rotorua/Leigh (up north) are quite bad for crime against tourists who leave stuff in cars and vans. People need to know that there is a lot of unemployment and poverty in some of those small town NZ areas, and tourists are seen by some as an easy target. Most people think of NZ as a crime free zone, and hey, compared to most places it is pretty safe. But Nirvana it aint.
I actually got robbed in Rotorua as well, but really we should have known better than leaving CD’s, etc in an old van (twice). No hard feelings here. I love New Zealand, have spent nearly a year there in total over 2 trips and look forward to going back for another extended trip. I think it one of the most incredible places in the world and I still have a few good friends there.
A small fight and a few stolen CD’s are nothing compared to the crime around cities at home.
there’s always HEAPS of fights in taupo. in 1 year of going out in taupo about one a month if that i saw about 1000% more fights than i did in auckland, going out twice every week for 5 years.
Mate, I am still not surprised. As an Aucklander, I would never go out late in small town NZ because once people know where you come from, you are a target. And believe me, I am no SUV driving tosser, but just not local, so some beer filled hero is always willing to have a crack at you.
Hope you are healing up good. Honestly, once it gets to the madness hour in most of those bars, I just head home. Wait, these days, I just stay home! Safer, all round.
The world tends to think of NZ as this idealic postcard place. For the most part it is, but Kiwis have warned me that there are some rural areas where the men are always spoiling for a fight and the sheep are very nervous.
So true. Some of those rural places house some VERY angry young men…mostly they keep themselves nice, but fuel them with Lion Red courage and they are all Mike Tyson, or Rocky Marciano. And as for the women…
I guess I’ve seen the unfortunate decline of behaviour over the years living overseas and going home every two years or so. It has seemed that each time I go back, I hear more stories of petty, and not so petty, crime, and it does sadden me. My Mum (84) was the victim of a con man last year, luckliy no violence involved, but still, hits close to home.
BTW, fulla, ignore those suggestions to cut back on the drinking - I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that
