New Years Eve

My New Years Eve started off by taking a surfing lesson with Brian at Maroubra - $50 for 2 hours. I definitely recommend taking lessons here over the other beaches in Sydney (especially over Bondi, which is twice the price and 10 times as crowded). I had also heard that if you can surf at Maroubra, you can surf anywhere. The waves are a bit more rough and currents stronger.

I used an 8.5 footer and Brian had a 9. By the end of the lesson I was getting the hang of it and rode a wave for a good 5 seconds. I don’t think Brian had the same success but he still had a blast. I got stung by a Blue Bottle on my ankle at one point but didn’t let that stop me – I was hooked. We chilled out for the rest of the day and Brian made plans to meet up with a friend from Valdosta for New Years. Carolien also went to meet up with Dutch friends that were posting up in the botanical garden near the opera house. That let Krista and I make our own plans to watch the fireworks together courtesy of Daniel, who I know through MeetUp.



When I first met Daniel and Carol (aunt and uncle of my friend Laura) back on the 4th of July, they invited me to watch the harbor fireworks from the top of the Four Seasons Hotel. I immediately accepted although I didn’t know how serious he was or if he would even remember six months later. There are two rounds of fireworks – one at 9:30 and another at midnight. Daniel was only able to get us up to the roof for the early showing which was good enough for me. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

The downside to the hotel roof was that there was no bar or restaurant. It was all air conditioning units, pipes and gravel everywhere. We made our way to the edge with glasses of champagne and had a great view. I didn’t have a tripod for my camera so almost none of my shots came out, but seeing it was enough. It was definitely a great experience and I would much rather do that than post up on the grass to reserve a good spot near the opera house. You have to get there early in the morning and there is a strict no alcohol policy. If you want shade, you’re not going to get a good view that night. If you don’t take the shade, you die in the heat during the day. But tens of thousands of people suffered through the heat to reserve a spot – that’s not for me. Thanks to Daniel for making it an easy, stress free and free way to celebrate the new year.

On the red carpet

Krista and I joined the mass exodus with all of the other observers and hopped a train to northern Sydney where we met up with her brother at a party of a friend in a high-rise condo. The crowd was young and flashy, dressed to impress. They set up a red carpet and photo board (see pic) where everyone was taking pictures... it was mostly there as a joke though the pictures look legit.

We mingled and ended up crowding out on the balcony for the midnight fireworks. I had visions of the whole thing collapsing down the 30 stories since there were so many people crammed out there. The view wasn’t as good as our rooftop spot but the fireworks weren’t that much better. We got our fill and headed back inside to dance and hang out. Toward the end of the night a girl had her purse stolen and got mad enough to hit a glass table with a champagne bottle, shattering them both. She was a friend of the host (can we say crazy?). We all left after that and luckily found a taxi back to the city. Happy New Year!