So I keep putting this off and I'm realizing I should have just done all of these when I got back to Auckland from Tonga and Wellington. The issue I'll always remember my last months in New Zealand where as you all will get an abbreviated account because it's been so long and putting everything into words is kind of overwhelming. So here it goes.
Tonga
First of all I should let you guys in on the decision making process behind going to Tonga. People wanted to do something for the week between lectures and exams and a Pacific Island seemed like the last thing on most of our checklists. Tonga was by far the cheapest ticket and about $250 US. I was hesitant though until one day the perpetual rain in Auckland got to me. I was walking to class and decided 4 days of no rain and getting to travel was worth the money. I knew next to nothing about Tonga except that it's a small Island country northeast of New Zealand. Furthermore it's run by a true monarchy; people have the right to property and wealth, but the King is the real deal and what he says goes.
We only spent four days and it felt like ages. Tonga was unlike any place I've ever been. It was beautiful and dirty; small and vast; isolated and crowded. The first day we explored the capital city of Nuku'alofa which was a ten minute walk from our hostel (a rather nice hostel with free banana's off the trees but no hot water or mosquito nets). The city was really a town. Going there I really got the idea that smallness is a relative concept. The city was small but in terms of percentages, half of the population lives in the Nuku'alofa area. Also, of the 160 or so islands, only 30 or so are inhabited, most of which are resort islands (more on that in a sec). The fact is that Tonga is small compared to New Zealand even, but to Tongans, Nuku'alofa is a metropolis. The market there was the size of a Costco, but it was bustling with foot traffic. Anyways, the second day we took a day tour with our taxi driver from the airport. Saw Cooks landing (where the captain was received by friendly islanders where he crafted the name The Friendly Island Kingdom...ironically the islanders secretly planned to eat him). From there we saw these caves that had a swimming hole a 100 or so yards in (creeped me out kind of). Saw their equivalent to Stonehenge (a huge rock doorway structure), went to a resort to swim for a little, and saw the blowholes (This place where HUGE waves crash into soft rock and over time, the pressure has created holes for water to spit up through). We even got a Tongan lunch at the man's house. The next day we went to Fifi, a gorgeous island resort. Snorkeled, eat, relaxed, and drank beer with the locals. It's a tiny island that we walked around in 10 minutes and the only thing there is the restaurant and hotel. One of the best days I can remember and the perfect way to rest up for finals. The last day we rented bikes and biked to the other end of the island, tiring but good fun.
Tonga in short was a fantastic place and if it is ever on your way somewhere I would suggest a visit. It's not a touristy place like Fiji or Tahiti. It's a real Pacific Island Country and where white tourism is a big business but comparatively small (everyone on the island knew where our hostile was in what seemed like the suburbs and often people would stop on the street, even in cars, to tell us about a great show or eatery they worked for). People everywhere said goodbye to us as we passed them by on the streets (they say that instead of hello since you are in fact leaving them). Also, it's crazy to think that 150,000 people or so are from a place like Tonga where they aren't democratic, they get most of their news from China, and are probably happier than any other place I've been. A brief but eyeopening and most importantly relaxing trip for sure.
Wellington:
Wellington is the most southern capital of the world and probably my favorite city in New Zealand. It has a pulse and real culture unlike Auckland which seems to be constructed so that ships have a place to load and unload. Wellington was young (everyone seemed to be 16-30), and had a real nightlife. Auckland had clubs open after midnight which were fun but Wellington had restaurants, cafes, theatres, and heaps of bars open late. So our last trip in New Zealand was a true group effort since at least 15 of us went and stayed in a hostel together. We went to Te Papa, the national museum which was fantastic and full of various exhibits and we toured the city seeing the pieces of art in the streets, going to the beehive shaped capital building, and exploring the trendy shops. Wellington seemed a lot like a cheap version of Greenwich Village and San Francisco.
The main reason we were there was to see the All Blacks, the national rugby team. I didn't really "get" rugby but the environment was fun enough to watch a game. The city went nuts with locals and French supporters. Wellington was not a cultural trip, the reason we went was to see the game, say we've been there, and celebrate our time in NZ coming to a close. It was a great place though and I could see the appeal in visiting there again.
Exams and the end:
My second to last week was filled with exams. I actually studied pretty hard for my pass/fail classes. Once you learn how to study well it's hard to half-ass it. That's actually true for all of my academic experiences there. I only needed a 55% but I found myself trying for at least a 75% (their percents are different than ours though as in a 75% is actually a high B). That said, exam week and the last week I was there was such a fun time. All we did was hang out together even when we were studying. Once exams were over we really just went nuts. We stayed out late, got up early, did random "funtivities" live bowling and laser tag, and just soaked up the last few days of our time together. It was a blast and a great way to close out my time there. Saying goodbye to people was hard since it was hard to get my head around the idea that these people, who I really had become great friends with, were setting on 24 hour journeys across the world to a place that may or may not be close to me at home. I have little doubt in our ability to keep in touch but not all being in the same place ever again is hard to comprehend. The group of friends I made there were fantastic people and while it's sad to say goodbye to that group dynamic, I'm excited to hear from them in the future. And also, it's nice to be home and think about getting back to Georgetown and maybe in the near future think about a career.
I'm still a bit jet lagged (can't sleep past 6am but I'm not sure if that's the jet lag or the sudden change from darkness till 8am in Auckland and bright light here at 5:30am). I know I said I might do a quick profile of all the people that encompasses "we" in my time there and I still plan on it but for now I have to get my day going.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
I'm Still Here
So, my time here is winding down. I leave in two short days and I'm not going to rehash the last month here just yet (I'll save that for when I get home, as sad and depressing as recounting my fantastic time here will be). I just wanted to let you all know I haven't forgotten about the updating I need to do about my trip to Tonga, Wellington, and after tonight, Thames (I'm spending my second to last night at a friends house).
As I'm sure many of you have gathered, I've loved New Zealand and the people I've gotten to know here. I'm really going to miss this place and closing this chapter in my life, while exciting in terms of the anticipation of what's next, will be overall very sad. Yesterday I said goodbye to the first wave of people and it was a much sadder moment that anticipated. So my plans for when I get home is to do one blog about Tonga and Wellington, one about Thames and finishing things up here in New Zealand, and either with that one or separately, I wanted to put one up about the people I've been around here. I've realized that I say little about the people I hang out with here in this blog and that was mostly because I didn't want to replace any material about the things I'm doing and the places I'm seeing with anecdotes about people you'll never meet probably. Now I'm realizing they're just as important.
All and all things are still great, exams went well, and as usual I'm having a great time. Again, sorry for the delay but I updated pictures to hold you all over. I'll explain them later but check em' out here.
As I'm sure many of you have gathered, I've loved New Zealand and the people I've gotten to know here. I'm really going to miss this place and closing this chapter in my life, while exciting in terms of the anticipation of what's next, will be overall very sad. Yesterday I said goodbye to the first wave of people and it was a much sadder moment that anticipated. So my plans for when I get home is to do one blog about Tonga and Wellington, one about Thames and finishing things up here in New Zealand, and either with that one or separately, I wanted to put one up about the people I've been around here. I've realized that I say little about the people I hang out with here in this blog and that was mostly because I didn't want to replace any material about the things I'm doing and the places I'm seeing with anecdotes about people you'll never meet probably. Now I'm realizing they're just as important.
All and all things are still great, exams went well, and as usual I'm having a great time. Again, sorry for the delay but I updated pictures to hold you all over. I'll explain them later but check em' out here.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Power Lines and Snow Covered Palm Trees
Again, overdue and for that I'm sorry. This one will be rather short since I'm squishing it between two classes. Speaking of classes, they're winding up and going well. An 85 is an A here and a 55 is a C+ so passing is actually even easier than I had hope (my grades don't transfer so i just need to get a 55). That said, I feel like I'm learning more here than at home; yeah I'm taking class I enjoy more since I don't need the credits really, but I'm finding I actually know 60-65% of whats being taught instead of being able to regurgitate 90% for one test and then forget it. It's funny though that in about 3-4 months I've probably mentioned class twice. It's kinda reflective of how "important" they are in my life but not so much of how much I'm enjoying them.
With that bit out of the way, the last two adventures I took were to the Pinnacles at the base of the Coromandel and the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk. The Pinnacles was a last minute decision. We made other plans but they got washed away by the snow south of us. It's probably the most accessible hike in NZ. There's an 80 person hut about 50 minutes (20 if you're in shape) form the top of the Pinnacle. Pretty much it's an old logging and Billy Goat trail. They used it to transport stuff form one side of the peninsula to the other. Also, interestingly enough, there are power lines that go from one side of the peninsula to the other and the Hut we stayed in was left over form that development program. Anyways, it was quite a nice walk and one night. The stars were great and the view from the top was very picturesque (you could see to the other side of the peninsula and several miles north. Check out the pictures as usual.
Lake Waikaremoana was a much more involved hike spanning 45km and 2 nights. It's one of NZ's great walks which means it's well maintained and has several huts to ensure everyone can do it. It's also on a beautiful lake (as the name suggest) and you pretty much walk around half of it. The first day is all up hill but well worth the effort once you get to the top. Going in winter was cold but different. We really underestimated the effects of the cold on our bodies; we were warm but quite hungry (don't worry we were never close to certain danger but next time I'd bring an extra can of Beefaroni). Saw the sun rise and then set out on the 9 hour second day (20km). Very very very long and boring day until about hour 4 when we stopped at a hut for lunch. A group of local fisherman were having a BBQ for the Queens birthday and cooking up a storm. They didn't offer any to us but they had an amazing fire going so we ate lunch and then headed out to Korokoro Falls which were running pretty fast since the rain and snow of late. At about hour we came across a small private hut (some of the parks here have private land that they the government never bought up) and a nice older couple gave us tea, cookies, and warmth for a little. When we were moving we were nice and toasty but when we stopped and rested it got pretty cold. Anyways they were amazingly nice except for when they told us about the big meaty steaks and cold beers they were going to have that night. We left and it started to snow. The snow was actually amazing and quite different for me; we'd be walking through a big marsh surrounded by cliffs of palm trees and ferns, looking at the green clear water in the lake, and snow would just flutter its way over everything. Quite amazing and made the day worth it. Got to the hut and froze all night in one of the worst nights of sleep ever. Day 3 was pretty awesome because we got up at 6 before the sun and started walking as the lake got light. Some awesome snow covered bluffs and foot bridges. Again check out the picture. All and all well worth the cold and effort and certainly makes my top three favorite hikes this semester.
That's about it. Sorry if there's not that much detail but hope you guys enjoy the pictures. Next, and sadly last adventures include a trip to Tonga for four days and an All Blacks (national rugby team) game in Wellington, the southern most capital in the world. Very excited and somehow I'll have to find time to fit studying for exams in there...Pictures Pictures Pictures!
With that bit out of the way, the last two adventures I took were to the Pinnacles at the base of the Coromandel and the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk. The Pinnacles was a last minute decision. We made other plans but they got washed away by the snow south of us. It's probably the most accessible hike in NZ. There's an 80 person hut about 50 minutes (20 if you're in shape) form the top of the Pinnacle. Pretty much it's an old logging and Billy Goat trail. They used it to transport stuff form one side of the peninsula to the other. Also, interestingly enough, there are power lines that go from one side of the peninsula to the other and the Hut we stayed in was left over form that development program. Anyways, it was quite a nice walk and one night. The stars were great and the view from the top was very picturesque (you could see to the other side of the peninsula and several miles north. Check out the pictures as usual.
Lake Waikaremoana was a much more involved hike spanning 45km and 2 nights. It's one of NZ's great walks which means it's well maintained and has several huts to ensure everyone can do it. It's also on a beautiful lake (as the name suggest) and you pretty much walk around half of it. The first day is all up hill but well worth the effort once you get to the top. Going in winter was cold but different. We really underestimated the effects of the cold on our bodies; we were warm but quite hungry (don't worry we were never close to certain danger but next time I'd bring an extra can of Beefaroni). Saw the sun rise and then set out on the 9 hour second day (20km). Very very very long and boring day until about hour 4 when we stopped at a hut for lunch. A group of local fisherman were having a BBQ for the Queens birthday and cooking up a storm. They didn't offer any to us but they had an amazing fire going so we ate lunch and then headed out to Korokoro Falls which were running pretty fast since the rain and snow of late. At about hour we came across a small private hut (some of the parks here have private land that they the government never bought up) and a nice older couple gave us tea, cookies, and warmth for a little. When we were moving we were nice and toasty but when we stopped and rested it got pretty cold. Anyways they were amazingly nice except for when they told us about the big meaty steaks and cold beers they were going to have that night. We left and it started to snow. The snow was actually amazing and quite different for me; we'd be walking through a big marsh surrounded by cliffs of palm trees and ferns, looking at the green clear water in the lake, and snow would just flutter its way over everything. Quite amazing and made the day worth it. Got to the hut and froze all night in one of the worst nights of sleep ever. Day 3 was pretty awesome because we got up at 6 before the sun and started walking as the lake got light. Some awesome snow covered bluffs and foot bridges. Again check out the picture. All and all well worth the cold and effort and certainly makes my top three favorite hikes this semester.
That's about it. Sorry if there's not that much detail but hope you guys enjoy the pictures. Next, and sadly last adventures include a trip to Tonga for four days and an All Blacks (national rugby team) game in Wellington, the southern most capital in the world. Very excited and somehow I'll have to find time to fit studying for exams in there...Pictures Pictures Pictures!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Parents and Gales
So another long overdue update here. It feels like such a long time ago that I was on the Barrier (when I last updated). Since then, Mom and Dad visited, I turned 21, I visited Napier (the art deco capital of the world), did a brief hike, and finished all of my school work until exams.
Mom and Dad got in about two weeks ago now and I didn't really realize how excited I was to see them until I met them at the hotel by the water front. Their room was actually ridiculous. It was huge and and had a ginormous patio overlooking the harbor. Mom suggested I have a huge party there since we would have had the room for sure. They came at bad weather though because now it's starting to rain everyday. That said, we managed to stay clear of it, island hopping for two days to Rangitoto and Waiheke. Waiheke is a small island off the coast where probably a couple thousand people live year round. It has some great beaches and a quaint little village. We only had a couple hours there but we took a shot tour and saw a good chunk of the island. Rangitoto is a volcano off the coast which I had been dying to go see for a while. It's amazing how you can be on this chaotic volcano and see Auckland only 20 minutes by ferry in the distance. I was kind of nervous that Mom and Dad would be bored but I think the two big excursions we did together kept them entertained and gave them an idea as to why I'm loving life here.
The real reason I think they came to visit was to fee me. I ate like a king for 4 nights eating at Auckland's finest establishments. Auckland doesn't have a huge restaurant or service industry so it was a real treat to even go out to eat for a change with a real waiter instead of a counter. Thanks for the recommendations from Cliff; Soul was great! They also happened to come on my birthday weekend which i share with two of my other good friends here. So that weekend we celebrated several times in several ways including a fantastic dinner at my parents hotel. My friends loved getting real food and dressing up to impress my folks.
After they left town I had a tough week of essay writing to get out of my way. I don't have anymore work to turn in now until finals so the next two weeks should be nice. I also took a great overnight hike in the Kaweka Forest outside of Napier which is a 5 hour drive from Auckland. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in the 40's so when they rebuilt it, the architecture style that was hot was art deco. So several of the buildings have an art deco feel. It makes a really unique atmosphere. I wish I had more time there but in the 12 or so hours I was there I enjoyed myself (not to mention real pizza for once). Kaweka is a huge and isolated park and the drive there was fantastic. We probably breached our rental insurance fording rivers and driving on dirt roads but whose checking. The first day we walked 4 hours along a river where we found a hut situated in a small and steep valley. The hike was nice overall; it was good to get back on the trail and exercise but it wasn't overly challenging or mouth droopingly beautiful. That said, it was nice to see trees changing for fall. The second day we planned to summit the nearest peak but got chased back down by the most powerful winds I've ever encountered. I really felt like I was going to blow away and had cartoon vision of me holding onto a tree flapping like a flag with my fee in the air. When we started to hit the hail we turned back down and went out the way we came. So it was a pretty plain walk back but it was nice to be in the wild again since I haven't tramped in some time.
That's about it for now. I got more pictures but not as many as usual. I've also given up on captioning them and for that I'm sorry. I kinda hope you can figure out what they are since they're usually in chronological order (as is this blog). This weekend I had planned to see Tongariro (the first hike I did here) in the snow but the weather has other plans so we're still not sure. I've been thinking a lot recently about how study abroad is a lot like 4 years of college crammed into 5 months. I sort of figure I'm in my junior year now and I'm not as into touristy things anymore. I kind of just want to relax and hang out so I'm not as motivated to do. So the excitement of "freshman" year is gone as is the feeling of thinking I have a handle on everything in "sophomore". "Junior" year brings more serious study habits (which I'm finding I just can't break even on this little vacation) and a desire to be with my friends more without running around the country. Plus I've seen so much so I'm starting to run out of things to do. But the sure constant through my time here has definitely been that I'm enjoying myself. So I'll let you know how "senior" year goes when I update next. Don't forget the pictures!
Mom and Dad got in about two weeks ago now and I didn't really realize how excited I was to see them until I met them at the hotel by the water front. Their room was actually ridiculous. It was huge and and had a ginormous patio overlooking the harbor. Mom suggested I have a huge party there since we would have had the room for sure. They came at bad weather though because now it's starting to rain everyday. That said, we managed to stay clear of it, island hopping for two days to Rangitoto and Waiheke. Waiheke is a small island off the coast where probably a couple thousand people live year round. It has some great beaches and a quaint little village. We only had a couple hours there but we took a shot tour and saw a good chunk of the island. Rangitoto is a volcano off the coast which I had been dying to go see for a while. It's amazing how you can be on this chaotic volcano and see Auckland only 20 minutes by ferry in the distance. I was kind of nervous that Mom and Dad would be bored but I think the two big excursions we did together kept them entertained and gave them an idea as to why I'm loving life here.
The real reason I think they came to visit was to fee me. I ate like a king for 4 nights eating at Auckland's finest establishments. Auckland doesn't have a huge restaurant or service industry so it was a real treat to even go out to eat for a change with a real waiter instead of a counter. Thanks for the recommendations from Cliff; Soul was great! They also happened to come on my birthday weekend which i share with two of my other good friends here. So that weekend we celebrated several times in several ways including a fantastic dinner at my parents hotel. My friends loved getting real food and dressing up to impress my folks.
After they left town I had a tough week of essay writing to get out of my way. I don't have anymore work to turn in now until finals so the next two weeks should be nice. I also took a great overnight hike in the Kaweka Forest outside of Napier which is a 5 hour drive from Auckland. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in the 40's so when they rebuilt it, the architecture style that was hot was art deco. So several of the buildings have an art deco feel. It makes a really unique atmosphere. I wish I had more time there but in the 12 or so hours I was there I enjoyed myself (not to mention real pizza for once). Kaweka is a huge and isolated park and the drive there was fantastic. We probably breached our rental insurance fording rivers and driving on dirt roads but whose checking. The first day we walked 4 hours along a river where we found a hut situated in a small and steep valley. The hike was nice overall; it was good to get back on the trail and exercise but it wasn't overly challenging or mouth droopingly beautiful. That said, it was nice to see trees changing for fall. The second day we planned to summit the nearest peak but got chased back down by the most powerful winds I've ever encountered. I really felt like I was going to blow away and had cartoon vision of me holding onto a tree flapping like a flag with my fee in the air. When we started to hit the hail we turned back down and went out the way we came. So it was a pretty plain walk back but it was nice to be in the wild again since I haven't tramped in some time.
That's about it for now. I got more pictures but not as many as usual. I've also given up on captioning them and for that I'm sorry. I kinda hope you can figure out what they are since they're usually in chronological order (as is this blog). This weekend I had planned to see Tongariro (the first hike I did here) in the snow but the weather has other plans so we're still not sure. I've been thinking a lot recently about how study abroad is a lot like 4 years of college crammed into 5 months. I sort of figure I'm in my junior year now and I'm not as into touristy things anymore. I kind of just want to relax and hang out so I'm not as motivated to do. So the excitement of "freshman" year is gone as is the feeling of thinking I have a handle on everything in "sophomore". "Junior" year brings more serious study habits (which I'm finding I just can't break even on this little vacation) and a desire to be with my friends more without running around the country. Plus I've seen so much so I'm starting to run out of things to do. But the sure constant through my time here has definitely been that I'm enjoying myself. So I'll let you know how "senior" year goes when I update next. Don't forget the pictures!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Jungle Gyms and Small Aircrafts
So I've been slacking on my updates, (I still haven't updated the captions on my pictures). The truth is my second half has been a lot less interesting. I've been doing some fantastically unique things but everything isn't as new and exciting. It sounds odd but it's like I'm no longer as impressed about what I'm seeing. Also, I'm doing more social things. The last two weekends I've pretty much just gone somewhere with a lot of friends and relaxed.
Two weekends ago bunch of pretty much took over a hotel in Raglan, a tiny surf village minutes from an amazing surfing beach and legitimately stuck in 60's. It's supper artsy and crunchy. For example, the first night we ate at the Burger Shack, an organic burger mecca. The cows are shipped in from literally just down the road along with all of the vegetables, cheeses, and gluten free buns. They also had a huge selection of very different veggie burgers made from pumpkin (I'm assuming not as local), mango, mushrooms, chic peas, and so on. I loved this place if you couldn't tell and the guys who ran it were really awesome too. That night we hung out on the beach and pretty much just relaxed. The next day was a journey back to elementary school. We woke up, found a field with a candy shop in the center and threw around a frisbee while we traded lollipops and chewy candies and then ran to the local jungle gym where we played on see-saws and monkey bars. We then relocated to the beach where I learned (or at least tried to learn) how to do a proper cartwheel and handstand. Anyways, like I said, we just hung out and relaxed all weekend. Raglan was quite pretty and the little shops were really fun to pop in and out of. But, the purpose of the trip was relocate the ever expanding circle of 15 or so friends somewhere new and just hang out. Probably the second most relaxing weekend here.
The MOST relaxing weekend I think I've ever had was out on the Great Barrier Island. It's the 4th biggest island that makes up New Zealand and by far one of the most remote places in the world. It's a 5 hour ferry away or a 30 minutes flight out of the airport. After a huge adventure getting there, (we missed our flight because of traffic and had to buy another ticket...probably the dumbest thing I've done in a long time), we got in a vessel that only sat about 12 people. The airplane was probably 15 feet long and 10 feet high. I've never appreciated how incredible the concepts of lift and aviation are until we took off. You can see the plane pretty much work it's way through the air and "become" light enough to fly. It also happened to be a few minutes before the sunset so we flew northeast toward the Barrier with some spectacular views of Auckland, The Coromandel, The Barrier, and the Pacific. One of my friends here has a house out there (she was born here but moved when she was young), so she picked us up from the airport (a collection of two small huts and a big grassy airfield). The house was an old a-frame with another a-frame extension about 20 minutes from the airfield. The view from the living room was not to be believed; there's thee huge glass windows in front of all of the couches that suggest a spot for a big screen TV but instead make way for this dramatic view of one of the beaches. You can't see any other man made structure from there so it really looked and felt like the house was just dropped there in the bushes. Also, everyone on the island has their own generator since there is no other electricity source, along with water tanks that collect rain water to drink and cook with. That said, you wouldn't know it when you were standing in the local pub or grocery store.
Only 800 people live there year round and only 20% of the island is "developed". The rest is all farm land or untouched. So I was pretty excited to get a chance to hike around. Unfortunately it rained 20 hours of the first 36 hours I was there. So on Saturday we waited for the rain to hold off and went fishing, caught nothing but seaweed, and scurried back to the house before the rain came on again. That night we went to town and got some supplies for a huge dinner feast. I've really gotten more into cooking for myself on a regular basis here which is great and probably one of the best developments that I'll bring back to the states. We roasted a chicken, made mash potatoes, peas, sweat corn, pasta and pesto, and sauteed onions, (it's worth noting we had a huge breakfast feast as well with chocolate chip banana pancakes and eggs in a nest which I never heard of but are just eggs fried inside of a piece of bread with a whole in it). It was kind of weird to think that I was on my own on this little island far away from my friends and family from home, making my own family style meal. Just an odd feeling really, realizing I'm really on my own out here and surviving. Gives me a lot of faith concerning my ability to live in the "real world" but I'm not going to stat thinking about that until I absolutely have to (1 more year right?). Sunday we got up and saw no clouds so we literally ran outside and drove to the other side of the island for a quick hike. Check out the pictures as usual. From there we went to these natural hot springs which were lukewarm at best but still pretty interesting. The flight home I got to sit right behind the pilot for another amazing sunset (the pictures from the plane window are unreal to me and I was there). Sitting behind the pilot was also a really unique experience except I found myself a little antsy; every time a light lit up I would try and survey the dashboard and figure out what it meant. Nonetheless it was a fantastic experience as was the rest of the weekend.
This weekend mom and dad make their way out and I'm a little worried they wont have enough time to see how incredible this place is. I'll do my best to show it off though and seeing them will be a little weird if I think about where we are on the map but a real treat. Also, I'll caption the pictures form the last album soon. Some people also said they wanted to see more pictures of my friends so I'll try and sift through my 1000 pictures (literally) to find some and share. I had to make a new album for pictures so here's the new one that has the pictures from this entry.
Two weekends ago bunch of pretty much took over a hotel in Raglan, a tiny surf village minutes from an amazing surfing beach and legitimately stuck in 60's. It's supper artsy and crunchy. For example, the first night we ate at the Burger Shack, an organic burger mecca. The cows are shipped in from literally just down the road along with all of the vegetables, cheeses, and gluten free buns. They also had a huge selection of very different veggie burgers made from pumpkin (I'm assuming not as local), mango, mushrooms, chic peas, and so on. I loved this place if you couldn't tell and the guys who ran it were really awesome too. That night we hung out on the beach and pretty much just relaxed. The next day was a journey back to elementary school. We woke up, found a field with a candy shop in the center and threw around a frisbee while we traded lollipops and chewy candies and then ran to the local jungle gym where we played on see-saws and monkey bars. We then relocated to the beach where I learned (or at least tried to learn) how to do a proper cartwheel and handstand. Anyways, like I said, we just hung out and relaxed all weekend. Raglan was quite pretty and the little shops were really fun to pop in and out of. But, the purpose of the trip was relocate the ever expanding circle of 15 or so friends somewhere new and just hang out. Probably the second most relaxing weekend here.
The MOST relaxing weekend I think I've ever had was out on the Great Barrier Island. It's the 4th biggest island that makes up New Zealand and by far one of the most remote places in the world. It's a 5 hour ferry away or a 30 minutes flight out of the airport. After a huge adventure getting there, (we missed our flight because of traffic and had to buy another ticket...probably the dumbest thing I've done in a long time), we got in a vessel that only sat about 12 people. The airplane was probably 15 feet long and 10 feet high. I've never appreciated how incredible the concepts of lift and aviation are until we took off. You can see the plane pretty much work it's way through the air and "become" light enough to fly. It also happened to be a few minutes before the sunset so we flew northeast toward the Barrier with some spectacular views of Auckland, The Coromandel, The Barrier, and the Pacific. One of my friends here has a house out there (she was born here but moved when she was young), so she picked us up from the airport (a collection of two small huts and a big grassy airfield). The house was an old a-frame with another a-frame extension about 20 minutes from the airfield. The view from the living room was not to be believed; there's thee huge glass windows in front of all of the couches that suggest a spot for a big screen TV but instead make way for this dramatic view of one of the beaches. You can't see any other man made structure from there so it really looked and felt like the house was just dropped there in the bushes. Also, everyone on the island has their own generator since there is no other electricity source, along with water tanks that collect rain water to drink and cook with. That said, you wouldn't know it when you were standing in the local pub or grocery store.
Only 800 people live there year round and only 20% of the island is "developed". The rest is all farm land or untouched. So I was pretty excited to get a chance to hike around. Unfortunately it rained 20 hours of the first 36 hours I was there. So on Saturday we waited for the rain to hold off and went fishing, caught nothing but seaweed, and scurried back to the house before the rain came on again. That night we went to town and got some supplies for a huge dinner feast. I've really gotten more into cooking for myself on a regular basis here which is great and probably one of the best developments that I'll bring back to the states. We roasted a chicken, made mash potatoes, peas, sweat corn, pasta and pesto, and sauteed onions, (it's worth noting we had a huge breakfast feast as well with chocolate chip banana pancakes and eggs in a nest which I never heard of but are just eggs fried inside of a piece of bread with a whole in it). It was kind of weird to think that I was on my own on this little island far away from my friends and family from home, making my own family style meal. Just an odd feeling really, realizing I'm really on my own out here and surviving. Gives me a lot of faith concerning my ability to live in the "real world" but I'm not going to stat thinking about that until I absolutely have to (1 more year right?). Sunday we got up and saw no clouds so we literally ran outside and drove to the other side of the island for a quick hike. Check out the pictures as usual. From there we went to these natural hot springs which were lukewarm at best but still pretty interesting. The flight home I got to sit right behind the pilot for another amazing sunset (the pictures from the plane window are unreal to me and I was there). Sitting behind the pilot was also a really unique experience except I found myself a little antsy; every time a light lit up I would try and survey the dashboard and figure out what it meant. Nonetheless it was a fantastic experience as was the rest of the weekend.
This weekend mom and dad make their way out and I'm a little worried they wont have enough time to see how incredible this place is. I'll do my best to show it off though and seeing them will be a little weird if I think about where we are on the map but a real treat. Also, I'll caption the pictures form the last album soon. Some people also said they wanted to see more pictures of my friends so I'll try and sift through my 1000 pictures (literally) to find some and share. I had to make a new album for pictures so here's the new one that has the pictures from this entry.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Two Weeks That Felt SO Long Ago
So this is long over due and I'm realizing that the more I put off and update the harder it will be to do...We had break for 2 weeks and I've done so much that it really feels like ages ago. The thought that I was on the South Island a week or so ago is mind boggling. Nonetheless I try and get everything in without being to vague (I feel like I've forgotten the small details already) or going on forever.
Three weeks ago I flew to Christchurch on the South Island. We had a small set back waiting for the airport bus and pretty much got to the airport 20 minutes before the flight took off. Being American, we took on a brisk walk to the check in counter where they didn't just asked for our last name and took our bags. It's hard to remember I'm in a different country sometimes since I've been here for a while and I've also noticed NZ is looks similar to the States. Airport security was a real reminder; we took out or plastic bags with fluids and they laughed at us noting that this was only necessary for international flights. Anyways we strolled on board and all of us fell asleep. We woke up and the flight attendants were playing some sort of game show advertisement for New Zealand's Next Top Model and the whole plane was playing this guessing game. Anyways we flew in and watched us cruise over the hills of the northern tip of the South Island.
Christchurch was small and plain. We had a good time in the 15 hours we were there though walking around the city and going to a local bar where I guess we were in the right place at the right time because they had a bunch of free food. We got on our bus the next morning around 8am and made our way to Kaikoura, a small coastal town on the west coast north of Christchurch. We were on the Stray Bus, which is a backpackers bus. These things run regular circuits around the country and target people who want to travel as cheaply as possible. Their also great for seeing a lot in a short period of time. Toward the end of the week I was quite tired of the touristy things we were doing but it was well worth the $150 I spent on it. Anyways, Kiakoura was very small and we did a 2 hour walk around a small cape. Again very beautiful views of the ocean. I'm starting become immune to New Zealand's beauty but looking back the pictures I can feel my jaw drop slightly. I really can't tell you how pretty this place is and pictures are great but nothing does it justice like looking at the real thing. Kaikoura isn't even known as a place you HAVE to see but it's just an amazing place and the wildlife there was crazy. Their are dolphins, seals, and penguins (though I only saw seals), living in the bay. Again it was a small place so we didn't do too much else.
The next day we left for Able Tasman by way of Picton. We had to change buses and that was one of the best parts of the trip because our new driver wasn't as cold as our other one. Nat made a real effort to make the most out of our time on the bus and stopped a lot between places showing us as much as we could see. In Able Tasman we stayed at Old McDonald's Farm which was pretty much a bunch of temporary buildings with bunk beds on a farm. Quite a scenic place with alpacas, roosters (which woke us up both mornings), and cows. They also had a really nice fire pit which both nights we sat around and got to know the people from all over the world that were on our bus. Making conversation with strangers is in general a lot easier here because I feel like we have more in common. New Zealand is a small place and not every one's go to destination so people who made an effort to come here usually have a big open mind and want to take in everything they can. That's a generalization, I know, but I'm finding it to be mostly accurate. I keep getting away from the topic of Able Tasman. Able Tasman was a Dutch explorer who was the first European to see New Zealand. Apparently he poked his head around the corner, heard a huge horn and thought it was a welcoming harbor. He in turn sounded his horn and sent out some of his men on a row boat to meet the Maori Haka (war canoe), that was racing to come meet them. Long story short the Maori killed a guy and then Tasman shot at one of them and scared off the Maori who had never heard a gun. Tasman then turned around and left. So for this great and triumphant effort, Able Tasman gets a beautiful national park named after him on the north west point of the South Island. The water here was so amazingly clear and it's easy to forget you're in an ocean because it is so still. Also, there is a thriving bird sanctuary where you can hear native birds. Apparently when the Europeans came out here they had to take Maori chiefs out to their boat so that they could hear each other because the birds made so much noise. New Zealand loves their native birds and finally getting to hear them was a nice, but I didn't really get to see them. The point is I could go on and on about Able Tasman. It was easily one of my favorite places thus far. We kayaked in the morning and then met up with a sailboat later int he afternoon. The place is just so picturesque so look at the pictures that I'll link later.
From there I can't remember the exact order. We stopped in a small town on the west coast where I'm pretty sure the only business they get is from buses like ours. Happy hours starts whenever the bus gets there and end 2 hours later. We had a huge costume party with our new friends where the theme was just the letter "r". I went as a pirate and just said, "arrrrr" every time someone asked what I was and I was very proud of that effort. The hotel we were in had a whole room dedicated to crazy second hand clothes so everyone was wearing ridiculous clothing. I think we stopped and saw the pancake rocks that day too. They are rock formations by the ocean that look like stacked discs or pancakes. This was a minor stop so I can't remember the details but it was a very pretty and unique little park. The West Coast is known for it's outdoorsy spirit. This is where rugged men came to be alone and live off the land in the lat 1800's or at least that is the myth they like to portray. It was a unique place and felt similar to the US south. It didn't make a huge impression on me except for the rain. They also call it the Wet Coast and it gets a ridiculous amount of rain each year. When I was there it actually hailed which is a perfect lead in to Franz Josef Glacier.
FJG is a glacier in the middle of a rain forest that developed due to the amount of rain they get there. There are about 3,500 glaciers in New Zealand and I think this one is the most touristy because it's the easiest to get to and climb on. There I went ice-climbing which is what it sounds like. They give you special boots with spikes and axe picks and then we walk to an ice wall and climb up it using pick axes. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and was really tiring, but it was an awesome time. The spikes on your shoes are like four wheel drive for your feet because you can literally go anywhere with them, (unless the glacier breaks and you fall into an ice cave and die...). The highest wall we got to try was about 50 feet I think and climbing it was a real rush. We were harnessed and everything but since it's just you and the ice and the ice picks, you have to plan your route up the wall. So you get kinda nervous when you feel one of your picks start to shake our of the wall. For a real challenge I tried doing it with 1 pick which seemed impossible but I did get up pretty far before my arms gave out. Again, look at the pictures because this was also not to be believed. The most amazing thing about New Zealand has been the diversity of landscapes. I mean it took us a day to get form tropical forests in the Tasman to the glacier in a rain forest.
From there, I had to get to Queenstown to catch my flight home to meet Christina (my girlfriend) in Auckland. Queenstown was also a very pretty spot and is known for it's extreme sports from the canyon swing (a bungee jump that turns into a huge swinging thing) to the Nevis, (a 150 meter bungee jump). It's also known for the night life because it's very small and a lot of backpackers make their way there. I was there on Good Friday when there is a Liquor ban in New Zealand so everything closed at 9ish so my time there was rather uneventful. From there I made my way back to Auckland. The drive to Queensown was fantastic though. We drove through the Southern Alps and it was just an amazing sight. I took some pictures on the bus but that really didn't do much for it. One other random note, the South Island has 1 million residents, only 1/4 of the entire population and in total less than Auckland. But it's rather big so it has a weird dynamic to it; it feels like the North Island except for more stretched out and the mountains are taller. All and all very worth the time spent and I'd love to go back but I doubt I'll have the time. I liked the South but I'm happy I'm up in the North because it's a lot easier to get around up here and it's much warmer.
After a day of traveling, (as in I took 15 hours to fly 2 hours), I picked up Christina and took her home where we both just wanted to sleep forever. She had traveled 18 hours and was on completely opposite time clock so she deserved it more than me. The next day we did a quick Auckland tour which was more than enough time. We went to Mount Eden (that was the first place I really saw) and walked around the city. The next day we got on a bus to the Bay of Islands, which is as you guessed, a bay of islands. They actually used to be a huge plane but after the last ice age, it filled up. The bay actually looks like little mountains peaking out of the water. Here again we got on a small sailboat and went out to a secluded Island for a swim, lunch, kayak, and a brief hike. Again look at the pictures, really can't say it enough. We got an amazingly sunny day and the water here was even clearer than the Tasman. We could see our feet clearly in water up to our waists. We actually didn't do any sailing because there was no wind but it was a very nice relaxing day.
From there we came back to Auckland and we just relaxed for the day. We then got adventurous and rented a car to go to Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel. Driving actually wasn't that bad and I got a lot better over the 2.5 hours. We went straight to the Hot Water Beaches where the gasses leak up into the sand and creates natural hot tubs if you dig a small ditch. Unfortunately we went at the peak of high tide where there was no chances of getting a good tub. We ended up "sharing" with another group who had a shovel and got lucky. The Next day we went to New Chums Beach which is apparently one the top 20 beaches in the world. It was insanely peaceful and the sand was so soft I could have stayed there forever. Again check the pictures out! We then did the 40 minute hike to Cathedral Cove. Years and years of waves have worn the walls of rock formations creating giant coves between two beaches and some amazing rock formations out at sea. We did spend quite some time there relaxing and napping. I feel like a broken record but look at the pictures because while I was there, I can't describe how fantastic these places are to you.
We came back and again just hung around Auckland reuniting with friends as they started to trickle back to university from break. Phew...that felt like it took forever but this update was definitely needed. This weekend I head to a small surfing town on the west coast, Raglan. Expect an update next week (I hope). I haven't had time to caption the pictures but I will sometime soon. Here's the link.
Three weeks ago I flew to Christchurch on the South Island. We had a small set back waiting for the airport bus and pretty much got to the airport 20 minutes before the flight took off. Being American, we took on a brisk walk to the check in counter where they didn't just asked for our last name and took our bags. It's hard to remember I'm in a different country sometimes since I've been here for a while and I've also noticed NZ is looks similar to the States. Airport security was a real reminder; we took out or plastic bags with fluids and they laughed at us noting that this was only necessary for international flights. Anyways we strolled on board and all of us fell asleep. We woke up and the flight attendants were playing some sort of game show advertisement for New Zealand's Next Top Model and the whole plane was playing this guessing game. Anyways we flew in and watched us cruise over the hills of the northern tip of the South Island.
Christchurch was small and plain. We had a good time in the 15 hours we were there though walking around the city and going to a local bar where I guess we were in the right place at the right time because they had a bunch of free food. We got on our bus the next morning around 8am and made our way to Kaikoura, a small coastal town on the west coast north of Christchurch. We were on the Stray Bus, which is a backpackers bus. These things run regular circuits around the country and target people who want to travel as cheaply as possible. Their also great for seeing a lot in a short period of time. Toward the end of the week I was quite tired of the touristy things we were doing but it was well worth the $150 I spent on it. Anyways, Kiakoura was very small and we did a 2 hour walk around a small cape. Again very beautiful views of the ocean. I'm starting become immune to New Zealand's beauty but looking back the pictures I can feel my jaw drop slightly. I really can't tell you how pretty this place is and pictures are great but nothing does it justice like looking at the real thing. Kaikoura isn't even known as a place you HAVE to see but it's just an amazing place and the wildlife there was crazy. Their are dolphins, seals, and penguins (though I only saw seals), living in the bay. Again it was a small place so we didn't do too much else.
The next day we left for Able Tasman by way of Picton. We had to change buses and that was one of the best parts of the trip because our new driver wasn't as cold as our other one. Nat made a real effort to make the most out of our time on the bus and stopped a lot between places showing us as much as we could see. In Able Tasman we stayed at Old McDonald's Farm which was pretty much a bunch of temporary buildings with bunk beds on a farm. Quite a scenic place with alpacas, roosters (which woke us up both mornings), and cows. They also had a really nice fire pit which both nights we sat around and got to know the people from all over the world that were on our bus. Making conversation with strangers is in general a lot easier here because I feel like we have more in common. New Zealand is a small place and not every one's go to destination so people who made an effort to come here usually have a big open mind and want to take in everything they can. That's a generalization, I know, but I'm finding it to be mostly accurate. I keep getting away from the topic of Able Tasman. Able Tasman was a Dutch explorer who was the first European to see New Zealand. Apparently he poked his head around the corner, heard a huge horn and thought it was a welcoming harbor. He in turn sounded his horn and sent out some of his men on a row boat to meet the Maori Haka (war canoe), that was racing to come meet them. Long story short the Maori killed a guy and then Tasman shot at one of them and scared off the Maori who had never heard a gun. Tasman then turned around and left. So for this great and triumphant effort, Able Tasman gets a beautiful national park named after him on the north west point of the South Island. The water here was so amazingly clear and it's easy to forget you're in an ocean because it is so still. Also, there is a thriving bird sanctuary where you can hear native birds. Apparently when the Europeans came out here they had to take Maori chiefs out to their boat so that they could hear each other because the birds made so much noise. New Zealand loves their native birds and finally getting to hear them was a nice, but I didn't really get to see them. The point is I could go on and on about Able Tasman. It was easily one of my favorite places thus far. We kayaked in the morning and then met up with a sailboat later int he afternoon. The place is just so picturesque so look at the pictures that I'll link later.
From there I can't remember the exact order. We stopped in a small town on the west coast where I'm pretty sure the only business they get is from buses like ours. Happy hours starts whenever the bus gets there and end 2 hours later. We had a huge costume party with our new friends where the theme was just the letter "r". I went as a pirate and just said, "arrrrr" every time someone asked what I was and I was very proud of that effort. The hotel we were in had a whole room dedicated to crazy second hand clothes so everyone was wearing ridiculous clothing. I think we stopped and saw the pancake rocks that day too. They are rock formations by the ocean that look like stacked discs or pancakes. This was a minor stop so I can't remember the details but it was a very pretty and unique little park. The West Coast is known for it's outdoorsy spirit. This is where rugged men came to be alone and live off the land in the lat 1800's or at least that is the myth they like to portray. It was a unique place and felt similar to the US south. It didn't make a huge impression on me except for the rain. They also call it the Wet Coast and it gets a ridiculous amount of rain each year. When I was there it actually hailed which is a perfect lead in to Franz Josef Glacier.
FJG is a glacier in the middle of a rain forest that developed due to the amount of rain they get there. There are about 3,500 glaciers in New Zealand and I think this one is the most touristy because it's the easiest to get to and climb on. There I went ice-climbing which is what it sounds like. They give you special boots with spikes and axe picks and then we walk to an ice wall and climb up it using pick axes. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and was really tiring, but it was an awesome time. The spikes on your shoes are like four wheel drive for your feet because you can literally go anywhere with them, (unless the glacier breaks and you fall into an ice cave and die...). The highest wall we got to try was about 50 feet I think and climbing it was a real rush. We were harnessed and everything but since it's just you and the ice and the ice picks, you have to plan your route up the wall. So you get kinda nervous when you feel one of your picks start to shake our of the wall. For a real challenge I tried doing it with 1 pick which seemed impossible but I did get up pretty far before my arms gave out. Again, look at the pictures because this was also not to be believed. The most amazing thing about New Zealand has been the diversity of landscapes. I mean it took us a day to get form tropical forests in the Tasman to the glacier in a rain forest.
From there, I had to get to Queenstown to catch my flight home to meet Christina (my girlfriend) in Auckland. Queenstown was also a very pretty spot and is known for it's extreme sports from the canyon swing (a bungee jump that turns into a huge swinging thing) to the Nevis, (a 150 meter bungee jump). It's also known for the night life because it's very small and a lot of backpackers make their way there. I was there on Good Friday when there is a Liquor ban in New Zealand so everything closed at 9ish so my time there was rather uneventful. From there I made my way back to Auckland. The drive to Queensown was fantastic though. We drove through the Southern Alps and it was just an amazing sight. I took some pictures on the bus but that really didn't do much for it. One other random note, the South Island has 1 million residents, only 1/4 of the entire population and in total less than Auckland. But it's rather big so it has a weird dynamic to it; it feels like the North Island except for more stretched out and the mountains are taller. All and all very worth the time spent and I'd love to go back but I doubt I'll have the time. I liked the South but I'm happy I'm up in the North because it's a lot easier to get around up here and it's much warmer.
After a day of traveling, (as in I took 15 hours to fly 2 hours), I picked up Christina and took her home where we both just wanted to sleep forever. She had traveled 18 hours and was on completely opposite time clock so she deserved it more than me. The next day we did a quick Auckland tour which was more than enough time. We went to Mount Eden (that was the first place I really saw) and walked around the city. The next day we got on a bus to the Bay of Islands, which is as you guessed, a bay of islands. They actually used to be a huge plane but after the last ice age, it filled up. The bay actually looks like little mountains peaking out of the water. Here again we got on a small sailboat and went out to a secluded Island for a swim, lunch, kayak, and a brief hike. Again look at the pictures, really can't say it enough. We got an amazingly sunny day and the water here was even clearer than the Tasman. We could see our feet clearly in water up to our waists. We actually didn't do any sailing because there was no wind but it was a very nice relaxing day.
From there we came back to Auckland and we just relaxed for the day. We then got adventurous and rented a car to go to Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel. Driving actually wasn't that bad and I got a lot better over the 2.5 hours. We went straight to the Hot Water Beaches where the gasses leak up into the sand and creates natural hot tubs if you dig a small ditch. Unfortunately we went at the peak of high tide where there was no chances of getting a good tub. We ended up "sharing" with another group who had a shovel and got lucky. The Next day we went to New Chums Beach which is apparently one the top 20 beaches in the world. It was insanely peaceful and the sand was so soft I could have stayed there forever. Again check the pictures out! We then did the 40 minute hike to Cathedral Cove. Years and years of waves have worn the walls of rock formations creating giant coves between two beaches and some amazing rock formations out at sea. We did spend quite some time there relaxing and napping. I feel like a broken record but look at the pictures because while I was there, I can't describe how fantastic these places are to you.
We came back and again just hung around Auckland reuniting with friends as they started to trickle back to university from break. Phew...that felt like it took forever but this update was definitely needed. This weekend I head to a small surfing town on the west coast, Raglan. Expect an update next week (I hope). I haven't had time to caption the pictures but I will sometime soon. Here's the link.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
3 Wonderful Days Make 2 Horrible Nights Worth It
So it's been quite a long time since I last updated and a surprisingly little amount has happened. Again, I'm in a regular routine now so during the weeks things sort of are all the same. Classes are easier but that's mostly because I only need to get a 55 to get credit back at Georgetown. I've done probably about 4 days of work and by Friday I'll be done with all my work until May, (I had to get some stuff out of the way so I could take a trip next week).
But anyways, the biggest thing I've done was take a trip up north and hike the 40km (22ish miles) of the Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway. We took three days to do the whole thing and slept out in a tent 2 nights. First I'll complain before I praise the walk. I slept probably 6 hours the whole weekend. We had a 4 person tent and 5 average sized humans and 20 or so mosquitoes. Part of the fun of camping is getting to the campsite at 7:30 and being in bed by 9:30. For us it was a curse; getting in the prison of a tent at 9:30 meant at least 10 hours until the sun came up and gave us reason to get out of the hot and smelly mosquito Mecca. I have at least 20 bites from my sleeping attempts and another 10 or so from these mites called chiggers. They pretty much just live in your socks or waste band and then kill some skin cells for a snack when you put them on. The result is these tiny red dots all concentrated in one area. Not fun...not itching has been really hard since getting back Sunday. The other downer came early the first day walking. I bought new socks for this tramp and they were too thin so I got two blisters right away which made the hike a lot harder because I had to walk in ways that didn't agitate them (and this said style of walking wasn't productive up hills).
BUT with that all said, the walkway was amazing. We strolled into Waitiki Landing looking for fuel and a map (neither of which the complex had). We had arranged to get dropped off at one end of the circuit and get picked up Sunday elsewhere and we assumed they would have some maps and their website mentioned they have fuel, (in fact they have a sign 50 km away that says last fuel stop in New Zealand...lies). Once we found something like a map we got in the a manure truck and headed to Spirits Bay on the east coast of Northland. From there we walked about 3 hours between a beach and a swamp. Crazy how you look left you see the Pacific and you look right and you see this swamp that just doesn't look like it belongs next to a beach.
From there we got a little lost. The trail wasn't really that well marked on beaches because the tide varies and depending on what time it is you take a certain route. Nonetheless we found our way to Pandora which is pretty much the start of my blisters and a "roistering up and down" as the book warned. The up and down is so worth it though. Since we're surrounded by flat and low beaches, when we started to climb these ridges that were probably 1000 feet or so above sea level at most, you get these great panoramic views of the ocean. The ocean here is also a unique blue turquoise and it's like nothing I've seen really. The camera couldn't even do it justice but trust me that it's really amazing.
4 hours later we got to the first night campsite at Tapotupotu Bay. This was a formal campgrounds with water, toilet, flat ground, and even showers (not that we bothered to use them). It's also on the beach so we set up camp, hung out by the beach to watch the sunset and ate dinner. This time we had a gas cooker so we bought dry food and boiled water. We ate well both nights.
The second day I got up at around 6:30 because I couldn't take the tent anymore and just sat around pretty much. The views from the campgrounds were great so I just did some lounging alone which was a nice divergence from the clown car like tent we were in (if you saw the tent and and then saw the five of us pile out you'd gasp). This day was by far the best and most diverse. We walked 2 hours to Cape Reinga. It's just barely the second most northern point in New Zealand, the first being a few kilometers east of Spirits Bay. It's very touristy and when we climbed our last hill, we all collapsed on the grass by the famous Light House while tourist likely smelled and avoided us. Cape Reinga is fantastic. You can see for miles on a clear day and there's almost nothing in the distance. about 40 miles off are a few islands that we could see but nothing. It really made me sympathize with people who once thought the world was flat because if you didn't know any better you'd think you just fell off the edge eventually. The other amazing part of Reinga is that you can see the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. Very odd to think of bodies of water having clear cut starting and ending points. The waves just collide a few meters of the coast and the color is unbelievable. As always, please just look at my pictures if my descriptions fall short.
From there we travelled down a ridge to Te Werahi Beach. This was the most amazing place I've been yet probably. The beach was just so beautiful and vast that it really made me feel isolated and small. It really can't explain it. We were so close to all these people from all over the world but the beach was just so untouched. The sand was incredibly soft as well and there was at least 100 yards of flat beach before the water. We were also under a cloud so we got a refreshing breeze as we walked. Walking on these longs and empty beaches is a challenge because nothing ever changes. We would walk for 20 minutes and turn around and feel like we just started. Once we finally made it to the end we lounged in the sand and relaxed. From there we ended up in these amazing sand dunes that seem like they were meant to be on Mars. Again, the diversity of the land impresses me. It seems like someone took a whole bunch of scenery puzzle pieces and just jammed some that didn't fit together and made New Zealand. One of my fellow campers said it made him feel like on the 7th day of creation whatever was doing the creation took all the little bits and pieces it didn't use and chucked them in the ocean, wondering if anyone would find them.
From the dunes we found another amazing beach, Twilight Bay, where we set up an informal camp. We used survival skills to find a stream with fresh water to boil and drink which made us all feel like self sufficient nature taming campers. The sunset was amazing and we watched it as we ate all the food we could find after our combined 14 hours of hiking. Sleeping that night was horrible as I mentioned and the I woke up the third day grumpier than I've ever been which unfortunately made me almost forget what we did that day. We had a brief walk to 90 Mile Beach were we walked for an hour or so trying to find Te Paki Stream. The walk there was awful because the sun was blistering and we didn't feel like we were moving. The stream wasn't much better. We had to cross shallow areas of water while we winded through massive dunes on our left and forested ridges on our right. We made it to the car park where a nice man offered us water. From there we had 3km to get to the meeting point for our ride. The driver actually met us closer and picked us up after 1.5km. The last stretch was through a cattle farm where we didn't make many friends. As we walked through all the cows started to moo and run around. We were convinced a stampede was coming but we made it out safely.
Once we got back we bought the last 10L of gas the Landing had and found out they had no electricity for 100km which meant no gas or food till then. That was a very stressful drive but once we got gas we got some junk food to hold us off until a more appropriate dinner time. We ate in Whangarei, the biggest city north of Auckland. Chicken never tasted so good.
We made it home safe and sound where all of us rushed to shower and do laundry. The sense of accomplishment after finishing these hikes is a great feeling. Next week I head to the South Island for a week since we have a few weeks off for Easter Break. That's the next big thing in my life so once I get back expect an update. Sorry if it takes me too long sometimes but I rather write one long blog rather than a few short ones just because it makes me feel like I'm doing more and also my weeks are very boring. They usually entail class and hanging around with friends. Wednesday nights we usually take advantage of the student drink specials around town and Thursday we pack for where ever we're going on the weekend.
Life is really a treat down here and so easy going. There's something about living on an island that makes everyone more relaxed (I think it's the ocean breeze), so I'm really living the life down here. I'm looking forward to coming back home but I'll definitely need some time to readjust.
OH and the pictures. I think I put 140 new ones so hope that keeps you busy until I get back. Check them out here.
But anyways, the biggest thing I've done was take a trip up north and hike the 40km (22ish miles) of the Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway. We took three days to do the whole thing and slept out in a tent 2 nights. First I'll complain before I praise the walk. I slept probably 6 hours the whole weekend. We had a 4 person tent and 5 average sized humans and 20 or so mosquitoes. Part of the fun of camping is getting to the campsite at 7:30 and being in bed by 9:30. For us it was a curse; getting in the prison of a tent at 9:30 meant at least 10 hours until the sun came up and gave us reason to get out of the hot and smelly mosquito Mecca. I have at least 20 bites from my sleeping attempts and another 10 or so from these mites called chiggers. They pretty much just live in your socks or waste band and then kill some skin cells for a snack when you put them on. The result is these tiny red dots all concentrated in one area. Not fun...not itching has been really hard since getting back Sunday. The other downer came early the first day walking. I bought new socks for this tramp and they were too thin so I got two blisters right away which made the hike a lot harder because I had to walk in ways that didn't agitate them (and this said style of walking wasn't productive up hills).
BUT with that all said, the walkway was amazing. We strolled into Waitiki Landing looking for fuel and a map (neither of which the complex had). We had arranged to get dropped off at one end of the circuit and get picked up Sunday elsewhere and we assumed they would have some maps and their website mentioned they have fuel, (in fact they have a sign 50 km away that says last fuel stop in New Zealand...lies). Once we found something like a map we got in the a manure truck and headed to Spirits Bay on the east coast of Northland. From there we walked about 3 hours between a beach and a swamp. Crazy how you look left you see the Pacific and you look right and you see this swamp that just doesn't look like it belongs next to a beach.
From there we got a little lost. The trail wasn't really that well marked on beaches because the tide varies and depending on what time it is you take a certain route. Nonetheless we found our way to Pandora which is pretty much the start of my blisters and a "roistering up and down" as the book warned. The up and down is so worth it though. Since we're surrounded by flat and low beaches, when we started to climb these ridges that were probably 1000 feet or so above sea level at most, you get these great panoramic views of the ocean. The ocean here is also a unique blue turquoise and it's like nothing I've seen really. The camera couldn't even do it justice but trust me that it's really amazing.
4 hours later we got to the first night campsite at Tapotupotu Bay. This was a formal campgrounds with water, toilet, flat ground, and even showers (not that we bothered to use them). It's also on the beach so we set up camp, hung out by the beach to watch the sunset and ate dinner. This time we had a gas cooker so we bought dry food and boiled water. We ate well both nights.
The second day I got up at around 6:30 because I couldn't take the tent anymore and just sat around pretty much. The views from the campgrounds were great so I just did some lounging alone which was a nice divergence from the clown car like tent we were in (if you saw the tent and and then saw the five of us pile out you'd gasp). This day was by far the best and most diverse. We walked 2 hours to Cape Reinga. It's just barely the second most northern point in New Zealand, the first being a few kilometers east of Spirits Bay. It's very touristy and when we climbed our last hill, we all collapsed on the grass by the famous Light House while tourist likely smelled and avoided us. Cape Reinga is fantastic. You can see for miles on a clear day and there's almost nothing in the distance. about 40 miles off are a few islands that we could see but nothing. It really made me sympathize with people who once thought the world was flat because if you didn't know any better you'd think you just fell off the edge eventually. The other amazing part of Reinga is that you can see the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. Very odd to think of bodies of water having clear cut starting and ending points. The waves just collide a few meters of the coast and the color is unbelievable. As always, please just look at my pictures if my descriptions fall short.
From there we travelled down a ridge to Te Werahi Beach. This was the most amazing place I've been yet probably. The beach was just so beautiful and vast that it really made me feel isolated and small. It really can't explain it. We were so close to all these people from all over the world but the beach was just so untouched. The sand was incredibly soft as well and there was at least 100 yards of flat beach before the water. We were also under a cloud so we got a refreshing breeze as we walked. Walking on these longs and empty beaches is a challenge because nothing ever changes. We would walk for 20 minutes and turn around and feel like we just started. Once we finally made it to the end we lounged in the sand and relaxed. From there we ended up in these amazing sand dunes that seem like they were meant to be on Mars. Again, the diversity of the land impresses me. It seems like someone took a whole bunch of scenery puzzle pieces and just jammed some that didn't fit together and made New Zealand. One of my fellow campers said it made him feel like on the 7th day of creation whatever was doing the creation took all the little bits and pieces it didn't use and chucked them in the ocean, wondering if anyone would find them.
From the dunes we found another amazing beach, Twilight Bay, where we set up an informal camp. We used survival skills to find a stream with fresh water to boil and drink which made us all feel like self sufficient nature taming campers. The sunset was amazing and we watched it as we ate all the food we could find after our combined 14 hours of hiking. Sleeping that night was horrible as I mentioned and the I woke up the third day grumpier than I've ever been which unfortunately made me almost forget what we did that day. We had a brief walk to 90 Mile Beach were we walked for an hour or so trying to find Te Paki Stream. The walk there was awful because the sun was blistering and we didn't feel like we were moving. The stream wasn't much better. We had to cross shallow areas of water while we winded through massive dunes on our left and forested ridges on our right. We made it to the car park where a nice man offered us water. From there we had 3km to get to the meeting point for our ride. The driver actually met us closer and picked us up after 1.5km. The last stretch was through a cattle farm where we didn't make many friends. As we walked through all the cows started to moo and run around. We were convinced a stampede was coming but we made it out safely.
Once we got back we bought the last 10L of gas the Landing had and found out they had no electricity for 100km which meant no gas or food till then. That was a very stressful drive but once we got gas we got some junk food to hold us off until a more appropriate dinner time. We ate in Whangarei, the biggest city north of Auckland. Chicken never tasted so good.
We made it home safe and sound where all of us rushed to shower and do laundry. The sense of accomplishment after finishing these hikes is a great feeling. Next week I head to the South Island for a week since we have a few weeks off for Easter Break. That's the next big thing in my life so once I get back expect an update. Sorry if it takes me too long sometimes but I rather write one long blog rather than a few short ones just because it makes me feel like I'm doing more and also my weeks are very boring. They usually entail class and hanging around with friends. Wednesday nights we usually take advantage of the student drink specials around town and Thursday we pack for where ever we're going on the weekend.
Life is really a treat down here and so easy going. There's something about living on an island that makes everyone more relaxed (I think it's the ocean breeze), so I'm really living the life down here. I'm looking forward to coming back home but I'll definitely need some time to readjust.
OH and the pictures. I think I put 140 new ones so hope that keeps you busy until I get back. Check them out here.
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