And That's How You Ring in the New Year

I woke up on New Years Eve morning to rain, which continued for the entire afternoon and well into the evening. This is common for New Zealand, but still disappointing for New Years. Every time it seemed like the weather might clear up, the rain just fell even harder and it seemed like New Years Eve might be a bit ruined with all the outdoor activities planned around town.

The inmates and I had some drinks and played taboo in the prison for a while until we finally dragged ourselves out at 10:30. Unlike every other night, Napier was bumping. They closed down Marine Parade and a few other main streets so that it was pedestrians only, and they had vendors set up and a band playing in the permanent live band shell next to the ocean. Since we had a lot of time to spare before midnight, we wandered around town for a bit, danced at The Cri, and then went back out around 11:30. The rain was still pouring down, but the band was quite good. I quickly ditched my shoes since they were little flats with 'fashion' holes in them anyways, and the ground was soaked. I paused for a second to take in my surroundings.

The rain was falling, and I was dancing to a live band in my bare feet wearing a tank top on New Years Eve. Life felt pretty spectacular right then, and then the countdown started. Literally at midnight, the rain miraculously stopped, and a brilliant 10 minute fireworks show began.

When the crowd cleared after fireworks, I looked down to see the damage I had inflicted by jumping around for the past hour. We were dancing on grass, but the rain had made the dirt come up to the surface. Vero and I had danced the hardest, and our legs were coated in mud that travelled all the way up to our waists. It just added to the wonder of the evening.

Our energy levels were off the hook, so we went back to The Cri (with the rest of the town) to dance our pants off. The Cri has this tacky stage with multi-coloured lights that flash underneath. I love dancing on that stage, but Napier night life is such that I'm usually one of the only people on it. On New Years Eve, we couldn't even get a spot on the stage. Like all over- crowded bars, it quickly became unbearably hot and I moved outside to cool off. My friends quickly followed, which led to a dance party in the middle of the street. Around 2, we headed back to prison for food. Some inmates decided to stay up for sunrise, but at 3 I was falling asleep on the chair and decided to go to bed with no regrets. I love my life.