Meeting Toby covered in blood

Here’s the story of how I ended up at a wild teen party in the arse-end of West Auckland. I meet Toby in the streets of Auckland at around 3am on a Friday night. Toby’s walking towards me with blood dripping down his head. He’s spotted my camera in my hand and we immediately lock eyes. My initial reaction should be extreme caution. Instinctively, I knew I wanted a picture, and fortunately for me, he has the exact same idea. Bravely, I ask him, “Do you want a picture?” “Fuck yea” he replies. Excitedly he throws some poses with his girlfriend, Toby depicted the perfect lunatic. Excited, we check the back of the camera. Perfection.

Curious, I quiz Toby on how he had managed to cut his head open. I’m shocked that no crime has been committed. Proudly, he tells me that he wanted to test the foam wrapped around scaffolding poles, with his head. As a man of science, Toby knew it was his duty to run into the scaffolding head first. We tell each other about our lives, stood outside of a kebab shop, and I ask if he ever plans to do some crazy shit again? Enthusiastically he tells me that crazy shit is his usual. I demand that he message me so that I can take pictures of whatever he gets up to. As a response, I immediately add him on Facebook.

Fortunately, Toby’s keen. Blessed by a message, inside my inbox after a few weeks, an invite. Toby wants me to attend his friends 18th in West Auckland.

Meeting the boys in West Auckland

West Auckland is a notorious place full of loose girls and loose cunts. Toby welcomes me to the party and immediately offers me an array of stuff to party with. I should probably decline. Unfortunately the party gods come up short when Toby searches his giant pink onesie. Toby tells me how he had bought 200 NOS cartridges from the UK specifically for this party. Sadly he explains how the shipment didn’t show up, I said it could have been customs, he agreed.

The party is an 18 year olds wet dream; stupid clothes, tons of pizza, strobe lights and free beer. Devastatingly, the sound system is a free-for-all.  It’s typical for a track to stop half-way and the aux to be pulled out. Walking around I felt completely alienated. Was it the fact that I am almost ten years older than the oldest person there? Was it that I am way too sober to be there after being 7 days into a dry month. Conversely, it could be that I’m not gurning my tits off, that may have helped.

Street cred

One thing that struck me was that I was a minor celebrity at the party. Toby had told his close friends that I was coming. Toby mentions to them that I worked for Vice and that I had taken his picture. Predictably, a persistent theme of the party was to approach me and ask if I take pictures of cars. After a few hours of realising how old and sober I was, with a head full of NOS. I headed off back home. Cheers Toby, it’s a night I’m unlikely to forget any time soon.