Tauranga understands stag party spirit

Will Johnston, host of The Hits 9am-3pm radio show. Photo/George Novak

When was the last time you had a blowout? I'm not talking: "Aw yeah, we'll go round to a mate's house for a BBQ, have a few too many bevvies and catch a taxi home at 1am."

If the blow out I just had could be compared to the education system (because the person involved is a teacher) - BBQ and beers with some mates is like a little too much sugar at kindy . . .

What I just had was getting expelled from secondary school for turning up drunk and riding a photocopier down the headmaster's stairs ... on a school night.

It has to be done. The human condition means that you need to do stuff that your body regrets the next day, right? Otherwise how do you know its limits, right?! No? I'm on my own there? Ah well. Poor excuse for drinking, I know.

Here's a better excuse/reason, then. Stag do last weekend!

So the stag, poor unsuspecting human that he is, is a secondary school teacher from Auckland.

The last thing he wanted was to be dressed like a Bavarian beer wench. Side note: Why do guys DO THIS to each other?! I think the only legit answer can be "cos we can".

The bizarre part of this travelling freak show of "gentlemen who were largely escaping their partners/kids and talking a big game" was that the stag do was in Tauranga.

So I drove to Auckland to catch the 48-seater bus we'd hired to Tauranga, stayed in a backpackers down the road from my own house, then took the bus back to Aucks the next day!

Before you say that's nuts, I believe in the experience - not the travel time. If they're a true mate, who cares what you have to do for a blowout with them.

For reasons mainly dignity based but also potential legal repercussions, not to mention career-limiting possibilities, I won't divulge much about what actually went on in in Tauranga! But I can say this is one of the best places in the country to have a stag do.

Everyone in the Bay actually understands the need to not be serious at times. Especially the patrons/staff of the bars and 'establishments' we went to. The photo was on the way to Tauranga and was the last time in a 24 hour period that I would've been comfortable driving a car. That's as much as you're getting!

* Will Johnston is host of The Hits 95FM Day Show. Live and local from Bay of Plenty.