New Zealand Bookcrossing Convention 2007

Didn't make the NZ convention - but...

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 05:01:12 GMT

Look what I found today at a local 2nd-hand bookstore - http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2952701 ...

Sunday already?

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 20:54:55 GMT

(posting from Otakuu's laptop, so this is sure to be full of typos until I get used to the silly little keyboard)

Suddenly it's Sunday morning and the end of the convention is almost upon us. The BC dorm at the YHA is a flurry of activity as we all try to fit everythging back in our bags and stay under the airline weight limits despite a "few" extra books. Soon we'll be heading off to the last official event of the weekend, the farewell brunch.

Yesterday we toured the city on foot and by bus, and released hundreds (maybe thousands?) of books between us. We all joined a surf life saving club, and most of us ended up sunburnt (Wellington's put on beautiful weather for us!). Last night was the quiz, whihc I can't really praise, seeing as I was the quizmaster (quizmistress? quizcat?), but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (especialy the Coneheads, who not only won the quiz but also a special prize for keeping the judges amused with their creative answer sheets (bowing down to us as gods helped a bit too :-) ))

It's probably a bit early to start thanking people, but I really do want to thank Sherlockfan and the rst of the Wellington team for all their hard work in making the convetntion such an incredible success.

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Wish I could be there...

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 23:33:27 GMT

Looking forward to reading updates of how it all goes - wish I could be there!!

Greetings from Wellington

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:01:58 GMT

Day one of the convention is over, and it's going fantastically well so far. After an exciting (if rather long) voyage up from Christchurch on Thursday, lytteltonwitch, wombles and I finally made it to Wellington and some much needed sleep.

Today was mostly spent trying to get various mobile phones to work and exploring Te Papa, where otakuu gave us an insider's view of the Ngai Tahu exhibition. There *may* have been some geo-caching going on too - I think wombles and the witch are trying to break some sort of world record for the number of caches found in a weekend.

And then tonight, what we'd all been waiting for: the official start of the convention. Ballycumber was there to greet the bookcrossers as they arrived, goody bags were exclaimed over, and books started to pile up on the tables and as quickly disappear off them again. Then we had an entertaining talk from David Townsend, who explained why he wouldn't make a good bookcrosser, followed by a very tasty supper.

I've only got a couple of minutes left on my internet credit now, so you'll have to wait for a full description of the fun, sorry!

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Anticipation

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:30:43 GMT

I've been reading forum and LJ posts from my friends, all counting down the days until the convention begins.

This morning Wombles leaves Brisbane for Christchurch, a trip up to Picton, and a ferry crossing before I see her again in Wellington. My own journey hasn't yet begun, and I wish that I was going along with Wombles on what promises to be a delightful road trip before the main event.

Unfortunately this time my participation is very much "plain vanilla". I'll be flying in a few hours before the meet'n'greet, and flying out again almost as soon as the brunch ends. Normally I like to arrive a day early and leave a day late so as not to be too rushed and to have a chance to see some of the city before the frenzy begins.

But unlike previous years, this time I've got a job, and what's more it's not one that comes with paid leave, so each day I spend away from it costs me money. Likewise, Kerri has an important job, and she can't spend too long away from it either.

Not a big convention, going by the numbers on the site, but I must confess that, thrilling though it is to see masses of BookCrossers all at once (and meeting over a hundred in Birmingham was a major occasion), I prefer small groups.

As for my packing, it has barely begun to be thought about. With three days away, I won't need to carry a lot of gear. Just chuck some clothes into the bag. I don't even need a travel adapter - New Zealand is about as close as you can get to Australia without actually being Australia.

Books could be a problem. I'm short of registered books and I don't have a lot of computer time remaining to register those I've got ready to hand. My laptop is acting up. Not sure if I have a virus, or it's just the fact that I've filled up all the hard disk space. I might have to bring Kerri's ultraportable.

But all of this is details. I don't need to do anything but show up, or bring anything but myself to have an absolutely marvellous time in the company of some dear friends in a great city in the land I love. Just being in New Zealand is a thrill, and when you include a bunch of BookCrossers, well, it's heaven in a box.

I'll be the one with a big goofy grin all weekend long.

Teaser

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:03:39 GMT

Only 11 more sleeps to go!

Lytteltonwitch and I have been busy working on our secret project for the convention. I'm not telling you what it is, but it involves finding out exactly how thick Lytteltonwitch is (the answer was 150), and there was some mention of her looking like a dog. For another clue, here's one of the photos we took yesterday:

If you want to know more, you'll just have to come to the convention!

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Four weeks to go!!!

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:10:52 GMT

I'm not sure if we're supposed to be waiting until the convention starts to post entries here, but I woke up this morning and realised that four weeks from today, I'll be in Wellington, and the 4th New Zealand Bookcrossing Convention will be about to begin. So I thought that fact was worth sharing.

Four weeks to go, and I haven't even started registering books. Arggghh!!!

But I have been busy with helping out the Wellington committee with a few other preparations: I've been sewing bags for goody bags, and designing the official logo, and putting together questions for the quiz night (with a lot of help from MrPloppy), and a few other secret projects that I'm keeping under wraps for now. Things are coming together nicely.

So, if you've registered for the convention, I can't wait to see you there! And if you haven't, why not? Go and register NOW!!!

http://www.freewebs.com/nzbxingconvention2007/

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